Last day in the car (for now)

Dad, can we take it for a spin.....
Found outside a cafe in Wallace, Montana. We stopped in town for a quick morning tea break.
(read - bathroom break, quick stetch and caffine hit)
As we had a six hour day of sitting in order to cross from Montana, over Idaho, through Washington and up into Canada - we were looking for every opportunity to get out before we really started!

Our own private Idaho.

Lunchstop in Idaho at the most delightful lakeside spot found purely by taking a couple of turns off the highway. Good timing too, Tommy needed a run - there's only so much sitting a four year old can do.

Our final stop of the day......(looks a whole lot like this!)

Whistler, British Columbia.

on the road again...

Sometimes long, long ,long car trips make me feel like I've been holding my breath.
There's incredible things just outside your window, but you just can't touch.

(Yellowstone National Park)

high noon

Watch out streetlight, he looks serious!

(The things you see cruising with your kids. Sunday afternoon Jackson, WY)
I've noticed loads of this cut out silhouette art work. Mostly signs for ranches and for the most, they're way cool.

Road trip

40F outside + 104F in the water = 1 happy family!
(roughly translates to 6C outside + 40C water temperature = very happy family!)

Ahh, just rewards! After many hours in the car from friends visiting firends in Shiprock, New Mexico - up and over the border to Colorado to a town wedged into the mountains - Ouray. Claim to fame - ice climbing capital. Lucky for us these thermal pools have been open year round to the public since the mid 1920's. (Mid winter the lifeguards often guard from in the pool because it's hard to see folk though the steamy mist!)
Many, many hours on the road....

Time to leave Arvo's after a mere 3 week stop over....

bright point

'The Johnsons take their annual imaginary holiday'
This was wrapped around a light fitting at a cafe we stopped for sustenance and sanity. Worked on both accounts.

life at 7000ft

First impressions at Arvo's Solar Ark.


Bridge building (to get around the snow melt river)
Just rewards - thermal hot springs
Not starting at the very beginning, just where we're staying now. We're helping Arvo out with his place - jobs too numerous to list. Straight into the planting. Divine little ones started off in the green house to extend the 2 month growing season of the region. Spring is all over the shop, from a hint of wind, to a hint of snow, a hint of frost and stunning crystal clear days where being inside is plain old rude.

A quick trip to the hot springs was a four hour return hike down loose scree to the bottom of the canyon, building bridges and hiking along a fast flowing spring melt river. Minor hazards for the juniors and minor heart palpitations for the parents - but all good.

Back to the farm this afternoon, after an overnighter in Taos. And further palnning whether to head south to Mexico or take on hte drive to Canada. Oh the choices!

Researching the Researching

You would think that heading off for a research trip would be all peachy. Well, I am sure it will be once we get going. The amazing thing is how much work there is to make it all happen...

There are tickets to book, insurance to sort, luggage, gear and all the regular stuff, which are a fair bit of chasing around, especially when you are trying to get it all second hand (Love you ebay & gumtree). Well OK, most of it second hand (The second hand plane ticket and insurance market is not really happening).

The biggest challenge has been to identify, contact and book WWOOFing hosts. Do they take kids? Do they provide all meals? Are they currently working on something interesting? Can you get to them without several days of hiking through remote wilderness? Etc etc...

So basically, we'll keep researching the research trip and when we are getting closer to departure, we will fire up this blog and keep you informed on the discoveries we find around this amazing little planet of ours.

Give us a few weeks! We set off in March