This past May, Chuck and I celebrated 5 happy years of marriage by taking a roadtrip to gorgeous Glacier National Park!

Here is map of the route we took (over 1,900 miles logged on the Subaru):

On our journey to Montana, we stayed at the family house in Wauconda for a few nights. We spent our time visiting with friends and family, enjoying tasty dinners, playing card games (Estimation), and sharing drinks and laughs around the firepit.

Daisy-dog enjoying a warm, Wauconda evening

An abandoned house outside of Bodie

An old house located outside of the town of Karamin

One of our afternoons was spent at our dear friends Dan and Emily’s place – exploring the nearby meadow (and shooting pesky varmits).

Puppy (and Cat) Love; Julius the Cat testing Dan’s sharp-shooting focus

Yet another old, beautiful Wauconda cabin

After Wauconda, we continued on towards Idaho. We drove through a lot of beautiful places and did a doubletake near Cusick (and did a u-turn for a picture). Due to the legalization of marijuana, apparently the 420 milepost signs have been quite popular to steal…

Washington 420 milepost alternative

After crossing state lines into Idaho, we camped at beautiful Priest Lake.

Our picturesque camping site

Next up – Montana! On our way towards Glacier National Park, we stopped in Whitefish for food, brew, and laughs.

Ye old Montana truck; Arm-back picture or “selfie” as they’re now called; Not-so-fitting name meanings; Great Northern Brew

Once we were inside the Park, we started our exploration. First up, Avalanche Creek.

Next up, a hike to Avalanche Lake.

Chuck the trailblazer

Gorgeous Avalanche Lake – look closely to see dozen upon dozens of waterfalls on Bearhat Mtn in the background

As usual, Chuck going off the beaten path – this was taken right before he spotted a wolverine.

After our Avalanche Lake hike, we took a leisurely drive north to Bowman Lake.

Ye old cabin in the town of Polecat

Bowman Lake boat

Chuck the fly-fisherman

Since it was early in the season, the ‘Going-to-the Sun-Road’ (which takes you through the middle of the park), wasn’t open yet. Excited to see more of the Park, we took the long way around to check out the East side .

The famous “Going-to-the-Sun Road”; My very favorite “Going-to the Sun” IPA; Pretty daisy; Blackfeet tribe icon

My annual “Chuck looking through his binoculars” photo at Two Medicine Lake

Gorgeous roadside scenery

Our cozy St Mary campsite

On the road to Many Glacier

Mr. Bighorn Sheep sticking out his tongue for the camera

A beautiful hike towards Swiftcurrent Mountain

I love craggy trees

Our parting Glacier National Park self-timer

5 years down! Where will the next 5 years take us?

Trip details –

Animals spotted: Deer, Elk, Bear, Bighorn Sheep, and Chuck saw a Wolverine (which he still can’t stop talking about)

Where we stayed:
The family Wauconda house

Priest Lake State Park – Reeder Bay Campground, Idaho – What a beautiful lake! I’d love to visit later in the season to fully enjoy the water and sun.

Lake McDonald Lodge, Glacier National Park – For an anniversary treat, we stayed in this rustic lodge for a few nights. We also enjoyed dinner here two nights in a row and I discovered my new favorite drink – a cucumber margarita!

St. Mary Campground, Glacier National Park – You can’t beat the location! I love camping in the wilderness…

Where we ate (restaurant highlights):
The Great Northern Brewing Company, Whitefish, Montana – We discovered our new favorite IPA – the ‘Going-to-the-Sun’ IPA!

Fire Artisan Pizza, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho  – We stopped here on our one-day drive back to Bellingham. We very much enjoyed the Camino and Thai pizza.

What we listened to:  Music mostly, and as with all of our roadtrips over the past 5 years, we listened to an audiobook as well – ‘Sharp Objects’ by Gillian Flynn. It was a great book – it made our drive from Montana to Bellingham go by extremely quick!

If you’d like to reminisce about our previous years anniversary adventures, here are the links! Kaua’i’s Kalalau Trail, the Oregon Coast/Crater Lake, and Banff/Jasper.

Some images available for purchase here.