Traveling from WA to IL to visit family, with a goal of enjoying the journey and seeing the country along the way.
Port Townsend, Washington, United States
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If you ever have a chance to explore Port Townsend, take it. Gorgeous part of the country, close to the Olympic National Forest, linked to Seattle and other areas of the Puget Sound by a magical system of ferries, a great arts scene, and the nicest people anywhere.
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Hawaiian cuisine at its best
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Great short stop off the interstate. See my review for more details. 30 minutes tops
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Hikes, an interpretive center, some wildlife, and a picnic area. 30 minutes or more, if you want to hike to the petrified trees.
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Functional. Nothing to write home about.
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See my review for more detail about the museum. Very sweet stop off the interstate. 60 minute minimum. Ritzville was the Grain Capital of the US at one time. The downtown is mighty slow now, but there are historic buildings and good people.
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See my review for more info.
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Reasonable place to use the facilities and grab a huckleberry milkshake. Touristy, but it has everything you may need if you are departing the interstate to drive toward Glacier!
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Excellent little upscale Motel. Would 10/10 stay here again. Easy keyless check in, very clean and complete. Not inexpensive given it is a motel, but if you are in this area your options are limited. Felt safe and had two comfortable beds, so worth the price.
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Prioritize this place on your travel list (not just because it has my kid's name). Lovely hot springs that are clean and well managed. We very much enjoyed our 3 hours of day-pass access and wished we could have booked in to the lodge.
Rollins Post Office - Smallest Post office in Montana
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As noted, we love post offices. This is in a roadstop with gas, groceries and the nicest possible post-mistress.
106 West Shore, MT, US
St. Mary - East Glacier KOA Holiday
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Click to find bookable tours and activities here
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See review. Excellent lodging in Glacier.
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See review. Informative, beautiful tour up the east site of Going to the Sun Road. Really worth it if you dont want to do that drive yourself (I needed a driving break).
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See review for more detail. Trailhead for some wonderful hikes (we saw a moose!) and a great ranger-led tour of the lodge itself.
106 West Shore, MT, US
St. Mary - East Glacier KOA Holiday
Book With KOA
Click to find bookable tours and activities here
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Recommended by a fellow traveler, this was a very good lunch stop for some non-burger or fried chicken options! Their Pad Thai was excellent, and we each had a delicious Vietnamese coffee that carried us for many hours on our longest driving day. NOTE: I would not suggest doing 9-10 hours in one day unless you absolutely have to. 5 -6 hours is ideal if you need to cover ground. 2-3 is best for your body, but not sufficient if you have time constraints.
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See review. Fish hatchery, great hikes, and a sweet little visitors center. Good place to stretch one's legs mid-drive. 30 - 60 min
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We did not know there were MANY "Montana Museum" options in the state. This one is chock-full of a wide variety of things. Lewistown (pronounced LEWIS- TOWN so you do not incur the wrath of locals as we did) is in the absolute center of the state. I am sure there is more to explore in this town, which has a great many historic buildings, but we were just stretching our legs and only spent 30 min.
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Not a lot of options for meals in this part of the state. 300 people live in Jordan Montana, and this Bar had many pick ups and motorcycles out front. We hesitated, but we were really hungry for hot food. Turns out the folks here are very pleasant, and the food is good. Lots of folks come here to look for dinosaur bones, so we were assumed to be "Bone Pickers" several times. Go figure.
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Functional, nothing more.
We loved exploring on this drive, and clocking where we would like to come back. In that respect, Montana, and a longer exploration along the Mississippi River both stand out. Truly, this is a very beautiful and interesting drive overall.
Banner Photo Credit: NPS
