We’ve all felt the impact from this pandemic on different levels. Some have lost their jobs, their businesses, and even loved ones. Though I was out of work for a bit in March, where I felt the most impact was being forced to cancel my spring break visit with my oldest daughter, Cassidy. I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to see her.

Over the three day Memorial Weekend, we decided to make that 8.5 hour, 500 mile drive to Montana to see her. We decided to go with the No Plan plan and just wing it. After all, we didn’t know what businesses were going to be open for business and which ones wouldn’t be. After some thought and deliberation with the family, we decided a trip up to the Hungry Horse Dam in Hungry Horse, MT and a drive around the reservoir would be fun.

The road begins in Hungry Horse and ends up taking you 100 miles into the wilderness with beautiful landscapes the entire way. It finally ends in Martin City which is just about 10 miles away from the entrance to Glacier National Park. The road is pretty rough in some spots that command you to slow down to a crawl but we averaged about 25 mph so the drive alone took about four hours. We stopped a number of times to take pictures, and at one point stopped for lunch.

The last time I drove this road was when I was in my early 20s and I forgot how long it was. The girls aren’t as “outdoorsy” as me so at about 50 miles in they began to fall asleep during the ride. This gave me time to think about life and take some time to reflect.

One thing I love about nature is the pureness of it. Getting away from the constant hustle and bustle of the city, the never ending coronavirus news cycle and disconnecting from the internet is a subtle reminder of how simple life can be if you cut out or just try to ignore the distractions. My soul feels replenished when I’m out in the mountains.

It’s trips like these that I hope help pass on that love to my girls (wifey included). We spent hours talking about anything that came to mind: the reason for the dam, different types of dams, what happens if they breach, the impact wildfires have on the forest and wildlife, President Theodore Roosevelt and some of the great things he did by means of conservation, etc.

We only had one full day in Montana before we had to go back to Washington but it was worth every minute and above all, I’m so grateful for the time we got to spend with Cassidy. Summer break is almost upon us! Enjoy the pictures below!

  • Showing my favorite girls where I spent a lot of my time growing up
  • Daya standing at the South Fork Flathead River
  • The South Fork Flathead River is at the bottom of the Hungry Horse Dam
  • Daya says: “I’m your model, take this picture.” ♥️
  • Evidence of a wildfire in 2003 and the growth afterwards can be seen in these mountains.
  • S. Fork Flathead River just below the dam
  • Cassidy, Daya and Izzy in front of the gorgeous forest
  • S. Fork Flathead River
  • Picture perfect shot of the River
  • Montaña is Spanish for mountain or more broadly, mountainous region.
  • The town’s mascot
  • Clearing ball used to clear trees “as fast as a human can walk”. Used in 1950
  • The Hungry Horse Dam. Built in 5 years from 1948-1953
  • Daya and Cassidy at the bottom of the Hungry Horse Dam
  • Who’s afraid of heights? Not her.
  • View from the top of the Hungry Horse Dam
  • Enjoying the view from the top
  • Lake hiding behind the trees
  • Wildlife!
  • The land is very active. You had to be careful not to run over recently fallen rock.
  • The air was crisp and the site was magnificent
  • Memorial weekend @~3700 feet in elevation. Still snow up that high.
  • More scenery
  • Isn’t that lake gorgeous?
  • Time to pull over and have lunch.
  • Organic jalapeño chips, iced tea and a sandwich.
  • The way the sun hits that mountain. So perfect.
  • We tried to go to Glacier but…
  • Covid rained on our parade
  • Someday you’ll be open
  • Fresh water right out of the mountains
  • Who’s thirsty?
Our Memorial Weekend trip to Hungry Horse, MT