We are 268 miles into ParkSprinting 2010 and I think I’m finally starting to relax! I can already tell this is definitely going to be an adventure to remember! After a hectic 24 hours, we are both settling in. The Sprinter is not as organized as I would like, but we’ll get there. We left 3 hours later than planned, had a detour to install the inverter (thank you for the last minute help Charlie!), but it was worth it. Deven and I are both well-rested, the refrigerator is up and running and we’re still going to make it to Glacier National Park, Montana well before sunset. There is no better way to convey the differences in our priorities than by describing how we’re currently passing the time: Deven is eager to discuss and learn about the sights we’ll see at Glacier while admiring the scenic fields and weathered barns along the way as I make a very precise mental plan for how to best organize the overwhelming amount of camping gear, toiletries, clothes, recreational equipment, and miscellaneous “must-haves” we both decided to throw in at the last minute! In the meantime, I’m obsessing over the GPS device (thanks for the loan TParks and Scotty!) and we’re both thankful that I finally figured out how to turn the lady’s voice off. Still smiling, still getting along, and still excited! …493 miles in and we’re about 1½ hours from GNP! Currently on a dirt road going 32 mph (as per our GPS device)…at this rate, it’s going to be awhile. It seems like our trip has yet to really start. Had to stop in Bend, WA to get the inverter running, then to Subway for breakfast/lunch. From there, we drove until just past Spokane where we stopped at Verizon to hook up our internet (struck out, sold out of the connection we needed), then a few miles down the road at Post Falls, Idaho to fuel ourselves at Starbucks and visit another Verizon. We were on the road again, past beautiful Coeur d’Alene Lake. I took a 15 minute snooze (a record for me, usually I sleep for my entire ride as a passenger) and have been wide awake since! Had a little fuel scare/friendly reminder when the low fuel light came on and the GPS said the next gas station was 67 miles away! Thankfully, I had incorrectly programmed the GPS and within 7 miles (in Hot Springs, Montana), we vowed to re-fuel whenever we hit ½ a tank. Montana is very pretty and I’m finally becoming more excited about the scenery than organizing! We have definitely seen some things you don’t see in Seattle; there were portable stop lights (I don’t get it…one day it’s there, one day it’s not?), signs that differentiate daytime speed from nighttime speed, and gun racks next to the candy aisle in the gas station! There were also several street signs that made us laugh: Beware: Big Horn Sheep Crossing; Drivin’ With Bears: Your Car Is Your Cage (one of those up-close experiences where you drive through and bears come up to the car) and in the town of Hungry Horse, Montana a hand-painted billboard that said Cherries, Huckleberries, and Elk Jerky. We pulled into the park around 9:00 and, as expected, all camp sites were full. My Uncle Donny told me to pull over whenever anyone else was pulled over because it usually means they’re looking at something interesting. Thanks for the hint, because it helped us catch a glimpse of brown bear standing about 20 feet from the road. After he ran away, we headed up the road in awe of the amazing mountains to the east. After about 15 miles of seeing nothing but trees and mountains in the distance, we came to a dirt road and decided to take our chances. On a tip from a camp site host, we spent the night at a primitive camp site (I’m learning that means no amenities). We were 50 yards from a swiftly flowing river and were one of 3 campers in the area. It was amazing. To end our first day, we quickly doused ourselves in bug spray, had a late dinner, watched an elk pace back and forth around our camp site! Finally to bed at 1 a.m. ready to begin our National Park adventure!
