3 states, 3 massive lakes, 1 toddler, and a million mosquitos

Liam and mommy lunching at dog beach in Sandpoint, ID on Lake Pend Oreille. 

We wanted to get out this summer and see more of the area since we moved to Spokane, WA last year and we haven't been out much. Something about a toddler does a number on ambition... Even after a disastrous test camping trip, we decided to head out to see Glacier National Park with low expectations, in other words, head home asap if Liam decided to melt down.

Bill goes for a chilly test swim before mommy will get in

We had our first pitstop in Sandpoint, ID, about 1.5 hours from Spokane. We grabbed some cheese steak sandwiches and found dog beach where Marshall dog could run free and where we could launch for a little open water swimming. I "asked" Bill to go first since the water is a little chilly to the touch. They have numbered signs on wood pillars in the water, Bill swam to the end and back and reported that the water was rougher than it looked. Hmmmm. I decided to make my swim shorter since he was right about the rough water and I was right about the cold water. But Liam and Marshall were happy and that's what really matters.

We drove up the road a bit further and camped at a sweet little spot for the night outside of Moyie Springs where 2 rivers converged. I slept in the back of the Jeep on a twin air mattress with the baby which worked great, we were warm and snuggled together all night and had only one little wake-up. Tent camping is just too chilly for him so the warmth in the Jeep worked much better.

The next day we were off to Montana with the goal to get to the base of Glacier National Park. the drive through northern ID and MT was lovely. It's amazing here, the rivers, lakes, and trees are stunning. Liam was not as happy with the journey, however, and we had to make some extra pitstops and let him fuss at times since he refused to nap in the car. I found a little trail mix (M&Ms) and some DVDs helped but it was still rough keeping him in his car seat for so long.

We tried to camp outside of Whitefish, MT, a trendy little town that offers sporting opportunities year round, but it wasn't happening, everything was full. I guess we'll try the organic vegan restaurant some other time (MT has it's surprises). We ended up at an RV Park on the road to Glacier, my parents have a converter van so an electric hook-up is nice for them and as long as it isn't by the Hwy, I'm happy. The only trouble here, and everywhere else we went, was MOSQUITOES. Little jerks got Liam and I on our faces, hands, and feet since I had us both dressed head to toe they got what they could get.

Liam and Marshall enjoying the sunshine at Kootenai Falls

We had decent sleep again that night, despite motorcyclists coming and going out of the RV Park most of the night. There is no helmet law in MT and I think every motorcyclist converges there in July to make noise. Up next: Glacier and 2 more massive lakes...

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