New Years Roadtrip

With the Coronavirus still rampant around the country, my family and I decided we would all celebrate the holidays alone this year for health and safety precautions. My friend Ryan extended me an invite to come back to Montana for New Years and ski. Feeling pent up in my Berkeley, California apartment, I decided to plan out a winter roadtrip from California all the way to Montana around New Years.

I actually started my drive on Christmas Eve after work and drove a few hours up to Redding, CA where I spent the holiday evening in a hotel. On Christmas Day, I drove almost 12 hours through a blistering snowstorm to a hotel in Spokane, Washington. The hospitality as this hotel, The Davenport, was amazing and they made sure to serve me a hearty prime rib dinner on Christmas. The next day was beautiful and once the roads were clear, I drove the last few hours through Idaho into Montana and made it safely to Whitefish, Montana.

The weekend was spent enjoying time with Ryan's family, eating delicious home cooked meal, and going night skiing for the first time at Whitefish Ski Resort. That week, both Ryan and I had to work Monday and Tuesday but then had the remainder of the week off for New Years. A few more of our friends from highschool and college flew into Whitefish that Wednesday and the ski trip was quickly underway. We spent the days skiing and the nights out in town. We enjoyed some meals at Wasabi and Tupelo and some beverages at the Remington and the Bulldog Saloon in downtown Whitefish. The coronavirus pandemic was still going on so we had to wear masks at times and stay incredibly cautious because most people in Montana didn't seem to take the virus that seriously. Nevertheless, it was an amazing week of skiing and we were all looking forward to ringing in the New Year. We attended an intimate NYE party at a friends house in Whitefish. It felt nice to have a small get together after a year of social distancing.

I spent the following week working in Montana and taking some day trips up to the breathtaking Glacier National Park. While most of the roads were closed, I enjoyed driving my Jeep as much as I could into the park. The drive back to California was arguably the highlight of the entire trip. I spent the first night, Friday January 9th, in a hotel in Kennewick, Washington but had big plans for the next day. After a quick breakfast in Bend, Oregon, I drove all the way to Crater Lake National Park. It was a clear, crisp winter day and the sun was shining on the lake. Even in the winter, this national park is captivating and I enjoyed some short hikes through the snow around the Rim Visitor Center. Next, I drove southbound on Highway 97 into California around dusk and caught some incredible views of Mt. Shasta. I stopped for sunset and meditated as the sky change colors behind the massive volcano. Finally, the next morning I made a quick pit stop at Lassen Volcanic National Park in California and then made my way home to Berkeley by dinner time.