North Bend St Regis - Montana

The second day of our journey started in North Bend, Washington as this was the first place we could find an empty room. Note to self; book ahead, especially on weekends. Dexter was happy to be out of the truck as was I. My first job was to find somewhere to stay when we stopped for breakfast at the Summit Pancake House, a beautiful skiing resort.

Thankfully, the restaurant had free wi-fi, a must on our trek across the vast USA. We have discovered that T-Mobile doesn't work ANYWHERE!! So once Craig had determined how far we would be going that day, it was my job to find a bed for the night that accepted pets. We were heading to St. Regis, Montana which meant leaving Washington and passing through Idaho. I almost immediately found a 'Dinner and Bed' hidden in the hills of St. Regis. It was run by 2 gay guys, John and Jeff and had all 5 star reviews on Tripadvisor. I called, praying they had a room as I had my heart set on it after seeing the photos on their website and knew Dexter would have lots of space to run around. They did have a room and dinner was included, hence the name 'dinner and bed; no breakfast, although we did receive coffee and left over dessert from the previous night. I told them we would arrive early evening and was told "pork tenderloin for dinner and drive safely kiddo." On our journey I have decided to record the different state plates we see, I'm hoping to see all 50 before we hit Miami. Day 1's Plates Washington, Oregon, Michigan, Illinois, Idaho, California, Montana, Tennessee, Alaska, Minnesota, Colorado, New York, Nevada, Oklahoma, Alabama, Indiana, (16) Did I mention there are NO rest stops in Idaho? not very thoughtful for those with weak bladders, poor Dexter! Good thing we drove across the skinny part. So far there have been so many interesting things going through Montana... One thing Craig and I really enjoyed was driving a 14 mile stretch where they have posted signs along the side of the farmers fields telling you what they are growing. Now I know what potatoes, corn , peas and alfalfa look like before they get too big.

We also saw the Wild Horse Monument, they looked like they were life size metal statues of horses on top of a high ridge overlooking a spectacular river valley.

Dexter really enjoyed being off leash and having a great run. We also came across numerous wind turbines, they truly looked magnificent against the arid landscape.

We finally reached Jeff and John's place after traveling about a mile up a dirt road. It took my breath away, the perfect location to spend after a long day on the road. As I'm a couple of days behind on my posts, I will just post photos of the location except to say we enjoyed our exquisitely cooked port tenderloin dinner with tantalizing conversation with 2 very interesting men!!