Road Trips – Page 2 – On the Loose Live

Kicking up my heels in the historic district of Prescott, AZ and beyond

October 26, 2018November 9, 2018livevigorously

In case you were wondering what downtown historic Prescott, Arizona is like—it’s charming, clean, friendly and fun. Lots of historic buildings, galleries, shops, restaurants, hotels and old time saloons. I’m sure glad my road trip took me here. I had a blast exploring the area—hiking and mountain biking in the nearby Prescott National Forest by day and kicking up my heels on the saloon dance floors by night. As a solo woman traveler, I felt completely safe my entire trip. (Though it appears some don’t—lol. The concealed carry handbag in the picture below was featured in one of the store windows.)

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Nightlife – yes! Live Music – yes! Dancing – yes!

band w L prescott2 — Ready for my night out on the town in the lobby of the historic Hotel St Michael, Prescott

Stay tuned for my top picks of places to stay and eat and for more of my active escapades in and around Prescott.

Hiking : Thumb Butte

Granite Basin

Mountain Biking: Prescott Valley to Prescott via the Iron King & Peavine Trails

Goldwater Lake

Restaurants: The Barley Hound Gastropub

Farm Provisions

Forboding beauty of Hell’s Half Acre, Idaho

December 20, 2017December 21, 2017livevigorously

A designated national natural landmark and wilderness study area, Hell’s Half Acre Lava Field is a basaltic lava plain found in the desert ecosystem of the Snake River Plain of Idaho. It consists of about 150 sq miles of other-wordly terrain created by a lava flow from about 4,100 years ago. There’s a 1/2 mile trail marked by blue poles, you can follow those to the red poles that lead you out 4.5 miles to the central vent, where the lava broke through the surface thousands of years ago (9.4 mile round trip).

Hiking across a lava field is not for everyone, especially not for the tender footed. It’s cool, but the novelty wears off fast. While the trail is flat and easy, the terrain itself is tough and unforgiving. Lava rock is extremely sharp – like glass shards- and fragmented and the field is a trap of open cracks, gaping holes, jagged rocks and uneven, tortuous footing. It’s slow and treacherous going. One misstep can land your foot or your body in a hole. And if you trip, you’re likely to be broken, bruised or bleeding. Sneakers are not enough, the lava will eat them up. I’d recommend sturdy hiking shoes even for the short stroll. Also, it’s easy to get lost in the vast monotonous beauty of the lava field, you really have to look for those trail pole markers. Not a hike to set the kids loose on. Do not attempt the long hike in the summer as this place gets hot as hades.

Normally, I’m up for a hiking challenge, but I was happy to keep it short here, especially when I heard the rednecks firing shotguns close by…(sigh).

Road Trip: Pintler Scenic Route, MT

November 6, 2016December 20, 2017livevigorously

If you’re heading to Butte from Missoula or visa versa, the 64 mile Pintler Veterans Memorial Scenic Highway is a great alternative to Interstate 90. It starts in Drummond, a not at all scenic, 1-horse town (population 309) that bills itself as the “Biggest Bull Shippers” in the country. I “ship” you not. We stopped for gas and nothing else there.

Our next stop was historic Phillipsburg, a charming 19th century mining town in the heart of Montana sapphire country (population 820 as of 2010). We strolled up and down the short main street in about 5 minutes, grabbed a coffee and indulged in some Montana bbq for lunch.

Main Street Phillipsburg, MT Population ~820

We enjoyed the lovely views Georgetown Lake and Silver Lake (see top feature picture) along the way. Georgetown Lake is famous for its fishing in the summer and ice fishing in the winter. Unfortunately, the sky didn’t clear for a good pic at Georgetown Lake.

Georgetown Lake, 3000 acres, ~6000 altitude

20161102_142615 (1) — Roadtrippin by “Painted” Rocks on the Pintler Scenic Highway

We didn’t stop in Anaconda, nearly named Copperopolis, it was named after the Anaconda Copper Mining Company and at one time this small town was the world’s largest supplier of copper, just as electricity became ubiquitous.

Overall, it’s a pleasant drive with a backdrop of conifer-carpeted mountains and sage-brushed hills along Flint Creek.

20161102_132942 — Flint Creek Meandering Near the Roadside

If you’re into historic mining towns, ghost towns (3), and a sapphire mine this is your route. (There’s a waterfall out here somewhere too.) In any event, it’s certainly more interesting than Interstate 90. If you have the time to spare, just do it.

Road Trip: Columbia Falls to Missoula, MT

November 5, 2016November 1, 2017livevigorously

A busy itinerary demands some time on the road today. Reluctant to leave Glacier National Park. It’s not goodbye; I’ll be back. This is just a teaser whirlwind trip from Spokane through Idaho and Montana.

A view of the dazzling Flathead River as I leave Columbia Falls.

A highlight was the sparkling town of Big Fork, an affluent community where the Swan River flows into Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake West of the Mississippi with more than 180 miles of shoreline. (See featured top image.)

20161101_133936 — The Swam River flows into Flathead Lake, Bigfork, MT

The scenery along the 35 East includes horse ranches, cherry orchards, spectacular Flathead Lake, and so much more.

Then it was on to the awe dropping mountain ranges.

Road trip: Taking the scenic route Sandpoint to Libby, MT

November 1, 2016October 25, 2017livevigorously

Highlight: Kootenai Falls

Got a tip from a coffee purveyor in Sandpoint to take the scenic route route 200 and 56 to Libby, Montana before jumping on the 2 to Kalispell, Whitefish, and beyond. After all, aren’t road trips all about the scenic route?

Scenery was fantastic along the way and Kootenai Falls is a must stop. Breathtaking views and a cool suspension bridge just a short, easy stroll off the freeway!

The bridge and the rushing turquoise waters remind me of New Zealand.

Next stop was Kalispell, which I found a bit underwhelming. It seemed unremarkable, caught between old historic and the not so nice of new (chain retailers). Perhaps I was expecting too much as I’ve always fantasized about these storied Montana towns, and after all, what can live up to ones imagination?

Whitefish, on the other hand, closely matched my expectations. I was surprised by the lake – an added bonus of this idyllic western ski resort town. Drove up Big Mountain, an easy 6 miles from downtown. Tiny in comparison to CA ski resorts, but so accessible.