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Hi Reader,

We've just returned home after a 9-day road trip that took us through Washington, Idaho, and into Montana where we spent four days exploring Glacier National Park and one day across the border in Canada's Waterton Lakes Park.

You know how some people love road trips and plan them regularly? Yeah, not me or Brian - they are a means to an end, but never something we really look forward to, lol. The many hours in the car, though, were worth it this time for sure - we loved Glacier, Waterton, and the surrounding area of Montana!

Here are just a few photos:

Road Trip Food

We stayed in lesser expensive motels near the east entrance of St. Mary and brought food for most of our breakfasts and lunches. I was pleasantly surprised that the garden produce I prepped for salads lasted days and provided really healthy lunches (and sometimes dinner if we ate out for lunch). I think the key was grating the beets, carrots, and cabbage and keeping them in separate baggies. I had a big bag of chopped lettuce/kale mixture which actually didn't start to turn brown until our 7th day.

Brian had grilled chicken breasts and I cut them up to add to salads, along with some pre-sliced cheese and turkey for sandwiches (which were SO good on this whole wheat bread) and charcuterie-like meals (which were really good for lunches along the way - we found parks to stop at and it was easy to pull out the baby carrots, hummus, cheese, meat, and crackers).

I also made applesauce bread, baked granola bars, and chocolate chip cookies and they were perfect for breakfasts and snacks. The only other things I packed were a few bags of chip-type things, dried plums, mixed nuts, jerky, apples and peanut butter. Oh, and some dark chocolate! 😀 (Trader Joe's 72% pound-plus squares).

Hiking & The Park in Fall

Brian and I both had Merrel hiking boots which we found to have good traction and comfort. I did get a blister on the side of my big toe after our first day where we ended up going 14 miles (!) on two paths because we misread a map 😂, but a simple bandaid after that (and keeping to 6 to 8 miles a day, ha!) made it a non-issue.

Hiking Boots TIP: get last year's model to save $!! These are the Merrel hikers I got (Brian got the men's version).

Going to the park after Labor Day is supposed to mean less people, but there were still a lot - and we still had to get up at 5 am to get a parking place at the most popular spot, Logan Pass, before it filled up at 6:45 - and we got one of the last 3 parking places!

The shuttles don't run after Labor Day and most of the wildflowers were done blooming, but I still saw asters, pearly everlasting, and yellow stonecrop. The more prominent things, though, were the berries - especially the Mountain Ash red-orange berries and the white Snowberries. And we really didn't have the lines for cafes, restaurants, or bathrooms that I had read about so it probably was a lot less people.😀

Highly recommend if you haven't been!

And though I didn't send a newsletter last week, I did get a few new blog posts up the past couple of weeks, including this month's Good Things List:

From The Blog

​Good Things List No. 88​ This month’s list includes summer tomatoes, the fall garden, the sad truth about “natural” sponges, 5 books reviewed and a movie I liked. ​ READ IT HERE! ​

​Easy Make Ahead Vinegar Coleslaw Dressing​ A classic recipe I updated with honey and simple spices for a fresh flavor to dress shredded cabbage and other vegetables. It’s quick to mix up ahead of time so you always have it ready. ​ RECIPE HERE! ​

​The BEST Chocolate Frosting You've Ever Tried​ I've been making this for 20+ years and it really is the best! Believe me, everyone will be asking for this recipe for every event. ​ RECIPE HERE! ​

Thanks so much for reading along - I hope you have a great week!!

PS- Remember to tag me on Instagram so I can see what you're making!

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