Uncategorized

Making my own cappuccino at Starbucks

Posted on Helena, Montana

This morning I start with trail running up the mountain again. I manage to get to the top in just under half an hour, ten minutes faster than last week so I’m content. I sit down at the rocks at the top again, but my little chipmunk friend isn’t here this time. I leave the seeds I brought with me for him and after having rested for a moment I run down again via the back of the mountain. I must have missed one trail, because the run is longer than last time, but that’s okay since it’s still early and I have all the time.

Back home I have breakfast and then I drive to one of the local Starbucks coffee places where my friend is the store manager.

Creativity

Starting a bullet journal

Posted on Helena, Montana

It’s Sunday morning and it’s quiet in the house and outside. I used to dislike the Sunday’s, maybe because it was the day to go to church or that there wasn’t going on much in town, I’m not sure. It’s still not my favorite day of the week, but I’ve come to appreciate them much better. Nowadays Sunday is when I take it a bit slower, enjoy a nice coffee in the morning and do some creative things like writing or drawing. I’m not sure what my grandparents plans are for today, but I think I’ll go to one of the local coffee places today.

In the morning I first make coffee with my new Italian coffee brewer and then play some more Scrabble with my grandma and I watch several videos on bullet journaling. It’s a relatively new way of journaling that I want to get into.

People

Garage sales

Posted on Helena, Montana

This morning we go to some more garage sales. This is such an American thing, people just sell stuff in their front yard or garage. It’s like what we have in the Netherlands on Kingsday when everyone has a market and sells their stuff. There aren’t many interesting things this morning, but I get myself a bigger suitcase for a Dollar, because I think I might need it on my way back home. The weather is nice again today, contrary to what the weather report said. I’m not sure what I’ll do the rest of the day, I feel like I want to do some more creative things this afternoon like writing or drawing in my notebook. I end up doing some work on my computer though. I’m talking with grandma about how it’s harder to blog when you don’t do a lot of exciting things. “So then we need to do some things”, she says, and that’s a good idea. Of course is nice to relax at the house the whole day, but I also like to see things and meet people and get some inspiration for writing.

We go to the furniture store and meet an interesting woman of grandma’s life. She’s buying a chair and has many stories to tell.

Sports

Trail running

Posted on Helena, Montana

I wake up being occupied with my thoughts immediately. Not the way I like to wake up, but it happens sometimes. I’m thinking a lot about work and life lately and about how it’ll be when I’m back home. There are things I’m excited about when going home, like of course seeing my family and friend again or going back to the gym. But there are also things I’m not so much looking forward too. It’ll probably be crazy busy with work and I have quite a lot of catching up to do. But waking up thinking about all that is not how I want to start the day. Fortunately I’ve got a plan for this morning and that’s why I had set the alarm clock at about sunrise.

I want to try out the trail running shoes I bought earlier this week in Missoula. Right in front of my grandparents house is a mountain with many trails, the perfect place for hiking and running. I quickly get dressed and drink some water before I go outside.

People

Surprising my grandparents with a visit

Posted on Helena, Montana

It’s six o’clock when I wake up this morning. The sun is rising and it looks like it’s gonna be a beautiful day. Better than the clouds, rain and snow of yesterday. The lights are still off in my family’s house, so I sit down in the back yard with a book. I haven’t been online for almost 24 hours and somehow that makes me a bit restless. I expect some messages from clients and I know they’re waiting on me. I forgot the Wi-Fi passwords here, so I can’t go online and just have to accept that. It also makes me aware of how attached I am to being online and I’m glad I don’t have internet now. I think it is better to get used to being offline from time to time, also when I’m back home. It’s easier to live in the moment when you don’t have internet. I grab my book and start reading in a rocking chair that’s standing in the yard behind my grandparents home. I remember from the last time I was here that they usually get op around nine, so that means I have quite some reading time before they are awake.

Since it’ll be a while, I decide to do some groceries and drive to Walmart. On my way back I stop at Starbucks and meet one of the children of the family there. I think by now almost all of them work there. She doesn’t act really surprised to see me, as if it’s normal for me being here. Maybe it is. Helena is a city, but feels like a town.

Uncategorized

Grand Tetons and Yellowstone

Posted on Helena, Montana

tI had set the alarm clock just before sunrise, so I could do an early morning hike today, but when I wake up it’s raining outside. Where it was blue skies and sunshine yesterday, it’s grey and raining today. Not really the hiking weather I was hoping for. So I go back to sleep and wake up again around 7.30. It’s still the same weather, but I’ll go to the Grand Tetons anyway. If the weather gets better I’ll do some hiking and else I’ll just drive further to Yellowstone National Park.

It’s still nice to drive through Grand Tetons National Park, but it’s clear there won’t be any hiking today. At the entrance of the park I ask the lady for recommendations on a day like this. She tells me to visit the lodges and have a relaxed day. That sounds like a good idea.

Entertainment

Jackson Hole

Posted on Helena, Montana

This morning starts with some blogging and working again. I’ve come to realize that when I do it first thing in the morning and just a few hours that I don’t mind it so much. I have to work a bit, because the Dutch or European government came up with some new rules for websites and now some adjustments to be made on few of the websites that I maintain. It annoys me a bit, because I think governments shouldn’t make rules for the internet. Like the plans they have to monitor it all, I’m strongly against that. The internet a free place and it should stay that way. I think the problem with many governments is that they want to control everything. This has not so much to do with traveling, but I feel I had to get that out there. Anyway, not to get into trouble I’ll try to follow the rules and make the adjustments. After a double espresso and a cappuccino I’m ready to start driving around eleven in the morning. It’s about 4,5 hours driving to the town Jackson, which is in the South of Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Park. My plan is to go there today and travel through the National Parks back to the North to end up with my family in Montana as final destination for this journey.

It’s beautiful to drive through Montana. A little less spectacular than Washington state, but also here the views are very wide and endless.

Travel

Driving in Montana

Posted on Jackson Lake Lodge, Wyoming

I don’t know if it was the excitement of the long road trip or the lack of physical activity today, but somehow I can’t sleep. It’s quite annoying when you’re tired and cannot sleep. Fortunately that doesn’t happen often to me, but I don’t sleep much this night. Fortunately Starbucks opens at 5.00AM here and I’m in the Colorado timezone again, so it’s one hour later than on the west coast which makes the night an hour shorter anyway. I get up and start the day with catching up on e-mails and doing some work. It feels nice to catch up with things and being up to date again.

At noon I drive to Downtown Missoula. I can feel that I didn’t sleep much last night and decide that I’ll take it slow today.

Nature

North Cascades National Park

Posted on Butte, Montana

When I wake up it’s already starting to become light. I open the back door of my car while I stay in my bed. Now it feels even more like camping, because I can hear and smell nature from my mobile home. The visitor center opens in about an hour, so I have to wait a bit if I want to go there. Since I’m on a campsite I realize I can my my own coffee on the stove. That’ll be a good start of the day. It’s nice to be in adventure mode again, but it just takes some adjustment from waking up surrounded by loving people to waking up alone. I remember what my grandma often tells me: you are never alone. And that’s true. I’ve got many friends back home in the Netherlands and here in America. The other day I realized that I don’t feel like going back to the Netherlands yet, though it will be nice to see my friends and family again.

While making my coffee this morning I suddenly start to see how someone like Ana can travel around for three years. Of course it’s not an easy life, but it’s a free life. No office you need to go to every day, no obligations at all. You work for a while to get some money and then you travel further.

Travel

Seattle

Posted on Missoula, Montana

It’s Saturday morning and I start the day with watching the highlights of the marriage of prince Harry and princess Meghan. I wish I had seen it live, but I didn’t think about it last night. Still it’s nice to see this real-life fairy tale. I check the ferry times to Seattle and update my blog. Angie makes a breakfast for me while I pack my bag. When the kids come out we play some more chess and watch television. I really don’t feel like leaving, but I know this time has to come. It reminds me of when I visit my family back home, I almost always take a train later than planned. So also now I check the ferry schedule, but then decide to forget about it and just hang out a bit longer. I plan to leave at ten thirty later this morning. I shouldn’t make it much later, because I still want to spend some time of the afternoon in Seattle. As I drive away, they yell at me “See you tonight!”. I laugh and wave goodbye. It’s really hard to leave again. I really wish I could come back tonight or just could stay longer, but this journey has to go on.

As I drive to the ferry I eat one of the cookies that Eva baked last night and they gave me for the drive. I think again about all the wonderful people I met during this journey and for a moment wish I could go back in time and do it all again. Then I remind myself that it’s not over yet and that I have one-third of the journey left in front of me.