On September 21, 2021, Brian and I woke up ready to start an adventure of a lifetime with our cat, Sailor.
We’re starting our cross-country road trip in our Winnebago, The Big Tan Turtle, to visit our family. It’s been five years since we’ve seen most of our loved ones and a lot has happened since then. We took our time, made sure everything was secured inside and out, and secured Sailor in his crate. Brian and I gave each other a big hug and took our seats. He cranked up The Big Tan Turtle, let him run until he was ready to go, and we hit the road on a beautiful sunny day.
As we headed out of town, we both felt a strong feeling of gratitude. We were grateful for our family, friends, home, and that our dream had finally come true. We had been promising our family hugs for a while and we were about to deliver. Of course, we had some fears. We were leaving our comfort zone and our home town to travel across country in a 37 year old, 23 foot motorhome that contained everything we own. Everything! We were taking a big risk, but we both somehow knew that it would all continue to work out.
Our first destination was the Divide Bridge Campground in Montana. You didn’t think we were leaving Montana without stopping and enjoying nature, did you? According to Montana’s Official State Website, Montana represents the wild, the untamed, and the natural. The state’s official nickname is the Treasure State, but it’s also commonly referred to as Big Sky Country and The Last Best Place. We think Western Montana is the most beautiful place in the country, so we have to stop and check out a new area.
We pulled into the campground and immediately started admiring the beauty all around. As we drove through, looking for the perfect spot for us, we noticed a few campers there. They were mostly parked on the lower level of the campground. We found a wonderful, secluded spot on the upper level and parked The Big Tan Turtle for the day. Maybe for a few days, we’ll see how it goes. We can make plans, but we have to be flexible. There are a lot of things in life that are out of our control. Brian and I decided we will follow our gut and travel the way that works best for us. If we feel it’s time to go, we’ll leave. If we feel we need to stay an extra day, we’ll stay. We’ll get there when we get there. We’re on nature’s time and we will go with the flow.
While Brian let Sailor out of his crate and set up his area, I went to the information board and paid for our first night. The fee was only ten dollars a night and the campground was very quiet. The sites were level, they had restrooms, a picnic table, a fire ring, and water. We transformed our home from travel mode to living mode, took a little walk around the campground, made some dinner, and settled down for the night. The two of us noticed we didn’t have cell reception at our spot, which was fine with us. However, even though our families knew we would be in and out of cell coverage during this journey, they would still worry. We should probably go for a walk or a bike ride and make some phone calls tomorrow.
The next day, we were able to find reception at the Trailhead and made a few phone calls. Brian inspected the RV and noticed our first issue. One of the airbags was leaking due to a hose. He fixed the leaking hose and continued checking things out. We later walked around and explored the banks of the Big Hole River. It was so peaceful, so beautiful, I couldn’t help but to get the camera out and start capturing this area’s natural beauty. Brian and I realize things aren’t going to always go smooth and issues will come up, like earlier today. However, we choose to live in the moment and not worry about the future. We’ll deal with the issues as they come up.
The following day, we hiked the Sawmill Gulch Trail Scenic Loop, a 1.9 mile loop gaining 646 ft. in elevation. We found cacti and saw The Big Tan Turtle from the top of a cliff. The views were amazing. We ended up staying at the Divide Bridge Campground for three nights and enjoyed every minute of it. We got up the next morning, prepared The Big Tan Turtle for travel day, and headed to Idaho.
Good-bye for now Montana, we’ll be back home in the spring.