sabbaticalwithscout

The Kootenai Falls on Indigenous Peoples’ Day

October 12, 2020 Kootenai Falls is now my favorite geological place in all of Montana! In addition to having some of the most beautiful features, it is also a sacred place for the Kootenai tribe. Scout and I spent about 3 hours exploring the rocky beaches, folds, and steep paths (if you can call themContinue reading “The Kootenai Falls on Indigenous Peoples’ Day”

Where in the west is Scout the Good Pup?

I don’t think that there will ever be a computer game about his travels, nor will he let me put a big red hat on him like Carmen Sandiego, but he has certainly been along miles and miles of road throughout western Montana in the last three weeks. While I’ve been balancing work and adventures,Continue reading “Where in the west is Scout the Good Pup?”

Bigfork, Montana

Here we are. We’ve spent 2.5 weeks in Bigfork thus far, settling into a routine, and exploring our temporary home. For the first 9 days, smoke from the wildfires in Washington and Idaho blanketed the area. When we arrived, it was incredibly dry and the area had received very little rain all summer. Only lastContinue reading “Bigfork, Montana”

Always Take the Backroad

Clearly I have a lyrical pattern going that I promise was not planned because the title of this post now sounds like a country song. However, I did find that cruising through the West Virginia mountains to John Denver was particularly fitting. But as I write this, it’s day 14 out of 14 of ourContinue reading “Always Take the Backroad”

Six Grandfathers or Mount Rushmore: Who tells your story?

Yup, that’s most definitely a Hamilton quote in the title of this post. Three years ago, I saw it on Broadway and I have certainly filled a few pandemic summer nights with the Disney+ film. Borrow someone’s log in if you haven’t seen it – you’ll be singing the soundtrack forever and that’s a veryContinue reading “Six Grandfathers or Mount Rushmore: Who tells your story?”

Waypoints and Wanderings: Planning the Westward Route

After spending the entire summer in Maine with my family (for the first time in 15 years!), our departure date got closer and closer, and the logistics part of our adventure became very real. When I first put the beginning (Maine) and end (Flathead Lake, MT) into Google Maps, the 40 hour route travels thatContinue reading “Waypoints and Wanderings: Planning the Westward Route”

A change at 32

I never envisioned that I would take a non-traditional deviation from my career at 32 years old. I grew up in a world where you go to college, get a job, find a new job before quitting the former, have employer-based health coverage, and a 401k. Changes to work may mean relocating, something that IContinue reading “A change at 32”

Why write a blog?

I’m thinking about this question a lot as Scout and I prepare for this trip: Why should I write a blog now? Yes, plenty of friends and family have asked me to keep in touch/blog/vlog, etc. But what makes this adventure demand to be documented compared to others that I’ve taken? My previous trips createdContinue reading “Why write a blog?”