California is big, I don’t think anyone will dispute that, but it truly takes spending some time there to actually put the word big into context. Back in 2009 and 2010 we called California home for a short time, southern California to be exact. During that time we spent every free moment exploring, from the southern deserts of Anza Borrego and Joshua Tree to the coastal towns along the pacific coast highway and the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles. We pushed the limits of what we could see during the weekend and well, we fell woefully short of exploring the state.

Montana was always on the agenda for the trip, it was just a matter of when and for how long. Our route back from Alaska was going to drop us into Northern Montana where we could either head west again to Idaho and Washington or spend some time in Montana. We opted for the Montana route

For our return trip from Alaska we decided to take the official Alaska Highway, some 1400 miles from Delta Junction, AK to Dawson Creek, BC then back to the US by way of Alberta and into Montana, to check out the Canadian Rockies. All together it would end up being 2,400 miles. Since this was going to be such a long drive we decided to break the trip up with a few stopovers to do some hiking, and ended up taking almost two weeks...

Outside of the Wrangells the remainder of our time in Alaska was spent in the Kenai Peninsula and the Chugach Mountains with a few days at the end to drive the Denali Highway....

We arrived in Alaska as most road travelers do on the Alaska Highway, which deposits you at a nexus in Tok, Alaska. From there one can either take the high road to Fairbanks or the low road toward Valdez and the Kenai Peninsula; we had already decided that the low road was where we would start our Alaskan journey. While scouring the maps and Milepost for campsites and things to do, a side trip down the Nabesna Road jumped out us for both scenery, free camping and possible hiking. Oh but wait, that’s in Wrangell St Elias National Park...

The road to Alaska is a long one, we never thought it would be a short trip by any stretch of the imagination but it still ended up taking longer than anticipated.  Plans on this trip seem to change daily and our route to Alaska was not immune to our ‘whichever way the wind blows’ travel planning technique. Originally we planned to travel through the Canadian Rockies to the Alaskan Highway and northward, however somehow we found ourselves in the Washington Cascades and needed to do some alternative route finding...

Mark another one down on our want to re-visit list.  As many other travelers have found, the more places we visit the longer our to-do list gets.  With just a little time for a stop-over in the Cascade Mountains on our way north we got a taste of area but there’sso much exploring to do here- so on the return list it goes...

Roadtrip serindipity. Sometimes you find what you didn’t even know you were looking for.  When rising temperatures pushed us out of Wyoming we decided to head towards the Oregon coast where temperatures looked nice and cool.  By chance we decided to stop over in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho; after all, it was on the way and why not.  What we found were spectacular mountain ranges, deep gem-colored alpine lakes, some of the best free dispersed camping we had found yet (and a place to hide out from the crowds over the 4th of July holiday) and a ton of hikes to add to our ‘need to do’ list.  I think we will definitely be coming back to this area. 

Back in the early 2000s we were in the grips of a hardcore snowboarding habit; having never ridden out west we took a shot in the dark and decided that Jackson Hole would be our first foray into big mountain riding. That year for spring break we loaded up our Jeep and drove over nineteen hundred miles from Pennsylvania to Jackson, Wy. That week we rode what would turn out to be an epic week of snowfall in the Tetons. Over the following years we dabbled in other western mountains but somehow always found ourselves back in Jackson. Nowhere else held our attention like the rugged and dramatic landscape of Tetons. We hadn’t been back since 2008 and were long overdue for a visit so we headed to Jackson- that like the sign describes when you cross into Wyoming is truly “like no place on earth”...

After two rather crowded and hot days in the Black Hills of South Dakota we wanted to head to the high country to find some cooler weather and set out for the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming.  Having collected a map a few days earlier we decided to start our explorations on the eastern side of the range in the small town of Buffalo, WY. Nestled in the foothills of the Big Horns, Buffalo is a quintessential western town that manages to stave off the side effects of modern tourism. After a quick stop at the local outdoor store we headed west out of town on Scenic Highway 16 toward the high country. The winding road lead us from sagebrush plains into pine forests...

We hit the North Dakota State line at mile marker 352 with 310 miles left to go. We passed through Fargo; yes the same Fargo from the 1996 movie; where curious folks can have their picture taken with some of the more notable movie memorabilia. We, however,  did not have time for such frivolities as we were on our way to the open road country. The miles clicked by at a pretty good pace, but then again, how could they not when the speed limit is 75 and there is no traffic. Town after town rolled by out the window, the space wide open, the sky perpetually blue, but the scenery never changing. We were beginning to wonder what we had gotten ourselves into; where were these painted hills and the mighty bison that roam them?  Then all of a sudden somebody flipped the switch-we were there. Without warning- the scenery abruptly changed from rolling rangeland to rugged badlands....

We spent a few days exposing an area new to us, the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, on our way west.  From the Bruce Peninsula National Park we explored the gorgeous turquoise waters of the Georgian Bay and striking cliffs along the Niagara Escarpment, one of the thirteen UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves in Canada...

Sometimes things work out.  We were six hours into what we thought was a three and a half hour drive, not sure if we were even on the right road, and both of us thinking to ourselves that we might be spending the night pulled over somewhere along the dirt road we were traveling.  We passed a low lying wetland area and I said it looked like there should be a moose out there.  Nick responded that at least that would make the drive worth it.  Just a few minutes later what pops out on the road- two moose! Score one! 

he first leg of our adventure takes us to the Bold Coast of Maine, a rugged section of coastline located between Lubec and Cutler. While we have visited this part a Maine before we never really had the chance to experience all it has to offer. Cobscook State Park in Whiting, ME served as our basecamp as we explored the area including Campobello Island, New Brunswick. Cobscook offers some awesome camping: many of the sites are on the water and offer great views of the bay and surrounding islands.

Rugged coastal cliffs, secluded coves, and deep blue seas on the east coast- but no crowds!  Roosevelt Campobello International Park is a beautiful park located on Campobello Island in New Brunswick...