I’ve moved a lot in my life. Like averaged a move about every 2 years. Lived in 12 (13 now) states and another country. But this is the first big move I’ve made in my adult life. And I’ve learned a few things along the way. So thought I’d share. 

1. Pulling a 12 ft, fully loaded trailer does not make my H3 happy. It was a struggle! Going the speed limit now without the load is a little weird. I sometimes forget it's even an option.
2. A 2 week long move is long! But with the right people, it's actually fun.
3. Speaking of the right people...we all still like each other! Like we actually still enjoy each others company.
4. Montana is BEAUTIFUL! It's definitely top of my list.
5. I get sea sick. I had no clue. I've been on ferries before but only short day trips. Not a 4 1/2 day trip. I quickly learned if you get car sick, chances are pretty good you also get sea sick. And it sucks!
6. 4 1/2 days on a ferry automatically bonds you to others living those days with you. I'm pretty sure we made life-long friends on that journey. And I can't wait to see their experiences in other parts of this amazing state!
7. 15 minutes isn't very long when you have 2 dogs to tend to. However, once you get it down it somehow becomes plenty of time. Except when it comes to actually having time to cuddle and love on your fur babies. Having to be separated from them isn't easy. (Oh and that same 15 minutes is an eternity that you may or may not make if you're dealing with sea sickness.)
8. Frost heaves are a thing. A thing that can wreck your vehicle and break everything you've packed. Look them up. All I can say is that driving over them at 50 mph is horrible! Especially when you're carrying a load behind you.
9. It takes time for your body to realize it's no longer on a boat. Today is day 2 and I still have moments I feel the boat rocking.
10. Camper life isn't for the weak! Little room. Not a lot of space for fresh veggies and meat. Cooking healthy meals isn't as easy as I thought it'd be. And you have to really like the people sharing that tiny little space with you.
11. It's all been well worth it! We may have just arrived, but I have no doubt this is my state. And I can't wait to get out and start exploring! Now if the snow and ice could kindly melt away and not leave an insanely huge muddy mess, that would be lovely. (I'm asking too much, I know. But it's worth a try, right?)

I’ll share our ferry experience in more detail soon! 

Well, we did it! We’ve started our journey to Alaska! 

4 days of driving and 5 days waiting in Bellingham. Next up, 4 ½ days on the ferry. Then a short (all things considered) drive to Kenai to start the next chapter of our lives!

We had a bit of a rough start leaving out of Colorado. We left about 4 hours after we planned. Had lots of winds and uphill climbs (and downhill descents) throughout our journey. The H3 is not a fan of pulling big loads (a 12 ft loaded cargo trailer). Brandon isn’t a fan of pulling a 24 ft camper behind his truck. It was an adventure for sure! And while it may not be one I care to do all over again, I’ve enjoyed it to its fullest.

We traveled up through Colorado, up through Wyoming, across Montana, clipped the top of Idaho, and traveled across the state of Washington. So much country to be seen! I added 3 new states in the process. And got way too many pictures and videos! (I’m working on getting some of the videos up on YouTube. So stay tuned for those!)

I can tell you that at the moment, Montana is by far my favorite state. It is absolutely breathtaking! I couldn’t get enough. And if we weren’t currently on our way to making this move to Alaska, I may have just stayed put!

We’ve stayed at RV sites just outside of Casper, WY, one in Anaconda, MT, another in Ellengburg, WA, and ended in Bellingham, WA. Had we known we wouldn’t be running into any issues along the way, I would have voted to spend more time in MT. Seriously, if you haven’t been, add it to your bucket list now! Put it at the top and make sure you do it! 

My only regret is that we haven’t had time to explore. We’ve been keeping our distance from others as best as we can due to needing negative covid tests to board the ferry. Thankfully we have been successful in that! We had our tests a couple days ago and got our negative results yesterday. Tomorrow it’s onto the ferry! 

I have no doubt I’ll have tons more video, tons more pictures, and tons more to share when we dock in Whittier. I also have no doubt that this next chapter in life is going to be an amazing one! I can’t wait to share it all with you!