This is the season when we pack up the home on wheels and hit the road so we can escape the daily grind of adulthood chaos.
We made it to the Boulder Fairgrounds for three nights, which ended up being the best decision we could have made. We had some solar issues, and then a water pipe decided it needed to break, so naturally, those things needed to be fixed. Because apparently, even when we are trying to escape reality, reality still likes to tag along.
Papa Bear was a little grumpy. Not even food could make him smile. He had about nine million things circling around in his head, and sometimes you just have to let Papa Bear work through all that chaos.
We woke up to the sound of coyotes howling, which meant our own feral pup, Whitty, had to show the entire world just how tough she really was. She was absolutely convinced those coyotes needed to know who was boss.
Once we finally got the morning moving, we all loaded up into the SxS and headed several miles down the dirt roads. Fresh mountain air, dirt roads, big mountain views, and the pups’ ears flapping in the wind, exactly what the doctor ordered.
It was the kind of reset we desperately needed.
And then there was the new mattress.
Let me tell you, that thing is dangerous.
We had just gotten our new Purple mattress, and after sleeping on it, I’m pretty sure we may have made a mistake because now I’m not sure I’m ever going to want to get out of bed again. That thing lets you just melt right into it. After a day of riding around, breathing in fresh mountain air, and soaking up everything the mountains had to offer, crawling into that bed felt pretty damn close to heaven.
The kind of comfortable where you lay down and your whole body says, Yep, we’re not moving anymore.
There was so much laughter and so many little moments that made the weekend exactly what we needed.
Papa Bear even took me into town for a steak dinner.
We walked into this little dive bar called Windsor, and the second I stepped inside, the old smell reminded me of the Oxford in Missoula. You know the smell the kind that probably hasn’t changed in about fifty years and somehow makes the place even better.
We sat down and looked over the very simple menu when I spotted it:
14-ounce steak.
You got that right.
Mama Bear was going to be eating some meat tonight.
A few minutes later, an older woman came up to the bar. We’re going to call her Ursula. She had clearly had a few too many drinks, and with those drinks came an extra dose of impatience and attitude.
Ursula marched up to the bar to find out what was going on with her food because apparently someone else who had ordered a rare steak got theirs before she did.
The way she was carrying on, I honestly thought her arms were going to start flying.
Instead, some choice words were exchanged, and she and her group decided to walk out on their dinner before it was even delivered.
She acted like she had just single-handedly destroyed the business, as if this little dive bar wasn’t going to survive the loss of five steaks.
It wasn’t even ten minutes later when her food was ready.
And wouldn’t you know it? A new group of patrons had just sat down, saw what was happening, and said they would happily take the food that had been abandoned.
These folks turned out to be great people.
Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the entertainment life hands you.
All in all, we had a damn good time.
The pups absolutely loved being out in the SxS, getting fresh air and letting their ears flap in the wind. They were in their happy place, and honestly, watching them enjoy themselves makes all of this even better.
We even had the opportunity to spend an afternoon in Helena with my Cub, Kad, and his lady, Maria. We caught up, laughed, and spent some time looking at different options of campers while dreaming about future camping adventures.
There were so many different camper layouts to look at, and it was exciting seeing all of the possibilities.
We also figured out pretty damn quickly that what we once thought was THE CAMPER probably wasn’t actually the camper after all.
Funny how that works.
Sometimes you think you’ve found exactly what you want until you start walking through other options and realize there might be something out there that fits you even better.
Whether that camper turns out to be the one or not, getting to spend time with Kad and Maria made the whole experience worth it.
We got to catch up, share some laughs, dream about future adventures, and just enjoy some quality time together.
Another weekend.
Another escape from reality.
Another chapter added to our growing collection of adventures together.
And honestly, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
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