Road to Alaska: West Yellowstone to Liberty Lake

Now that I've had my vacation, I'm back on the road again.  Millie is also back with me so I am happy about that, too!  Today's drive from West Yellowstone, MT to Liberty Lake, WA was probably the most scenic drive yet.  I drove over several mountain passes with beautiful views.  The nice weather also helped.  With sunny skies, temperatures in the 40's, and evergreens dotting the mountains, it almost felt like summer.  Then I noticed the snowcapped peaks in the distance and it reminded me that I'm actually pretty lucky to have made it this far safely.  I barely missed the storm of the century when I first started the trip, and I did go through some dodgy weather along the way.  If I had hit some of that weather over these mountain passes, I could've been in big trouble.  I have one more long drive day to go tomorrow... and the weather isn't supposed to be all that great.  Hope my luck doesn't run out.

Road to Alaska: Livingston to West Yellowstone

Today was a short drive, about 2.5 hours, to my final destination for the week in West Yellowstone, MT.  There were moments where I had to drive through a snow storm when I was at higher elevation, and again I pondered how I would survive if I got stuck on this 74 mile stretch of road.  The road to West Yellowstone has a lot more traffic though than some of the other roads I took, so that made me feel better.

The hardest part of the day, though, was leaving Millie at the Doggy Day Care & Motel, which is about an hour and half North of where I am staying.  Initially I planned to have Millie stay with me in West Yellowstone, but since the park didn't allow pets, and I could not leave her in the hotel alone for prolonged periods of time, there would not have been much for either of us to do if she was here.  So I found this doggy care place that seemed pretty good.  I worried about her so much when I first left her there, but I got an update from the care taker on her activities for the day and felt much better.  Still, I miss her very much.

I've also been missing my husband very much since leaving on the trip, and especially so today.  Sometimes I wish I didn't have this crazy need to do crazy things that he can't always join me on.  Unfortunately I am who I am... a person who can't sit still.  It's just a shame I can't have it both ways where the person I care about is able to enjoy these experiences with me. 

Anyways, so I am feeling a bit lonely today, but I've got my hopes up for a good week ahead.  Few days of skiing, couple of snowcoach tours, etc.  There should also be plenty of time for some much needed relaxation with a good book or a movie.