Nearly seven years ago, I left the stunning Pacific Northwest, a wondrous region where you’re never far from incredible landscapes—from the Northern Pacific Ocean to high desert to lush rainforests and groves of the tallest trees on Earth. Every summer since, I’ve planned a road trip back for my birthday. Unfortunately, life’s curveballs meant I only made it back twice—most recently just a month ago. But this trip? It was one of the best I’ve ever had, thanks to my partner, Meg, and our lovable Border Collie, Mac Dog.

On the morning of July 6th, we set our alarms for 5:30 a.m., hoping to get a head start on the long drive from Fort Collins to Bozeman. Of course, our bed proved too comfy, and we ended up snoozing for an extra hour and a half. With breaks, the drive can stretch to about 11 hours or so. We finally managed to hit the road around 7:30 a.m., stopping in Cheyenne, WY, for gas and breakfast. Mac had his potty break, and we were back on the road, aiming for Casper, WY.

The drive through Wyoming was pretty standard until we hit the Montana border. That’s when things took a dramatic turn. As we crossed into Montana—Meg’s first new state of the trip! We found ourselves in a squall so intense that I had to slow down to under 30 mph and nearly pulled over. At one point, a sparrow smacked into our windshield, causing a collective gasp from inside the car. (I like to think the little guy flew off okay.)

Once the storm cleared, Montana’s nickname, “Big Sky Country,” made perfect sense. The clouds parted, revealing a sky so vast it was almost overwhelming. The scenery was incredible—breathtaking views that even had me, a seasoned traveler of this route, struggling to keep my eyes on the road.

We cruised through Bozeman Pass, which I’ve only seen in winter, usually under blizzard conditions. But this time, we were treated to bluebird skies and jagged peaks towering around us. It was so stunning that I had to fight the urge to stare at the scenery instead of focusing on driving. I thought to myself, “there’s gotta be some classic climbing routes up there”.

GPS guided us through downtown Bozeman, right past the Stio Mountain Studio on Main Street, on the way to our charming Airbnb on the edge of town. After unpacking and feeding Mac, we were starving and decided to grab some dinner. Our initial plan was Firehouse Subs, but as luck would have it, we found a little Brazilian place called Oba Café located in the same little strip mall as the sub spot. Owned by a friendly older lady and her son, it was a major score. We ended up overordering, but the soup bao, shrimp tempura, BBQ pork dumplings, and sesame balls were all too good to resist.

Back at the Airbnb, stuffed to the brim, we enjoyed a relaxing evening watching the sun set from the cozy patio. We sipped on some adult beverages and planned the next day’s drive. Originally, we were going to drive straight from Bozeman to Seattle, but as we noticed Leavenworth on the route, (which had totally slipped my mind when I was planning this trip out) I couldn’t resist showing Meg this charming Bavarian-themed town. So, we booked a hotel for the next night.

The next morning, I woke up early as usual, thanks to Mac’s insistence on breakfast at 7 a.m. sharp. I fixed him up a bowl of food and made coffee for Meg and me, then headed out to the patio for a few quiet moments before packing up the car. Since we had some extra time before hitting the road, we explored downtown Bozeman. Our first stop was Wild Joe’s coffee shop, where I set up outside with Mac while Meg went in to grab our orders. I asked for a breakfast burrito and a croissant—my usual go-to when I find a new coffee shop. When Meg walked from the coffee shop with our breakfast, she spotted a creperie just two doors down. Her face lit up, and I could tell she was drawn to the French treats. “BRB!” she said, and scurried over to hop in line.

While we waited, a barista approached and offered Mac a pup cup, which I happily accepted. Moments later, Meg returned with her crepe, and Mac was thrilled with his whipped cream and cookie treat. We shared a few bites of her crepe, then hopped back in the car and set the GPS for Leavenworth, WA.

By 6 p.m. on July 7th, we rolled into Leavenworth, WA, after a scenic drive and a nostalgic stop at the 50,000 Silver Dollar Store. The temperature outside was a sweltering 100 degrees, a shock to the system after the cool AC in the BLT (I named my car the Brave Little Toaster). We checked into our hotel, then walked to Yodelin Broth Company for dinner. We shared the trout burger and kale salad which was perfect, and the patio overlooking the Wenatchee River, complete with misters, was exactly what we needed.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to wind down. As we talked about the trip ahead, I shared how excited I was about camping on Orcas Island, a place I hadn’t visited in nearly a decade. Then I realized I hadn’t booked our ferry reservations yet. I checked the Washington State Ferries website and saw that no spots were available for our dates. Panic set in as we had already packed our schedule with visits with friends and other activities. It was very apparent on my face when I looked up from my laptop screen at Meg. Her comforting smile helped, but I couldn’t shake the worry. Determined to find a solution, I researched and discovered that they release last-minute spots the day before. So, I resolved to wake up at 6 a.m. and monitor the site until a slot opened up.

The next morning, once again, my plan to wake up early got derailed by the super comfy bed at our hotel. I ended up snoozing until 7am and checked the WSDOT site again, but no luck on the reservations. I decided to grab coffee from a place nearby and try again in about 30 minutes. Got some coffee and a croissant (of course), then opened my laptop and saw that a slot had opened up! But, unfortunately, the timing meant we could get to the Island when we wanted, but we'd be stuck there until about midnight the next day, making us miss our tattoo appointment with my buddy Jonny Heartbreaker. After chatting with Meg, we figured it’d be better to save Orcas for another trip and spend more time exploring the San Juan Islands—maybe 3 days next time. I was bummed and frustrated, but I knew we’d be glad we made the decision later on.

So, we packed up and checked out of the hotel. The trek from Leavenworth to Seattle is just a quick 3-hour drive through some winding mountain passes. We decided to check out the cute downtown streets and shops before taking a dip in the crystal-clear waters of the Wenatchee. We stopped by a souvenir shop, a meat and cheese place, and of course, grabbed a soft pretzel with stone-ground mustard. Everything was so good!

After devouring the pretzel, we took Mac down to the river and set up a little picnic on the beach. We found a small, secluded cove with a few shallow pools and just hung out, playing in the water for about an hour. It started to get pretty hot outside, so we decided it was time to hit the road and head to Seattle.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of our adventure!