Jackie and I have wanted to see Wyoming and Montana for a long time. As the saying goes, people often travel across the world while overlooking what is right in their own backyard. For us, this was finally the trip to change that.
Our goal was to see Jackson Hole, Big Sky, and Bozeman, with hopes of making it all the way to Glacier National Park. Unfortunately, Glacier did not make the cut because of time constraints.
We traveled during what they call the shoulder season. The upside was that everything felt quiet, calm, and untouched by the usual crowds of tourists. The tradeoff was that some roads, activities, and park areas were still closed for the season. It was not a major issue, but it was another reason Glacier eventually fell off the itinerary since parts of it were still inaccessible.
Thankfully, it ended up being a lighter snow season than expected. We had been warned about muddy roads, difficult trails, and constant wet conditions, but along our route, those issues were mostly nonexistent.
We decided to take the Rivian even though it meant more charging stops along the way. Honestly, it ended up being far less of a hassle than we expected. Fast chargers were usually spaced every 1.5 to 3 hours, and most charging stops only lasted around 15 minutes.
To be fair, about 80% of the time we were already stopping anyway to walk Rosie, use the restroom, or grab something to eat. In the end, charging rarely felt like an interruption.
Oddly enough, the EV changed the pace of the trip in a good way. Instead of falling into the classic “drive six hours straight and push as far as possible” mindset, we naturally slowed down a bit. Because of that, we actually enjoyed the scenery more and felt less exhausted overall. For a nature-focused road trip, it ended up feeling surprisingly relaxing, which was completely counterintuitive.
We also kept in mind that this was Rosie’s trip too. Everywhere we went, we made a point to find a local dog park, and honestly, it ended up adding just as much to our experience as the destinations themselves. Dog parks turned out to be an unexpectedly great way to meet locals. People are naturally more open and friendly when dogs are involved, so we ended up getting all kinds of recommendations and local tips we probably never would have found otherwise. The variety of parks was incredible too. One park in Montana felt like absolute dog heaven: 35 acres of fenced-in trails surrounded by stunning scenery with almost no visual obstruction anywhere around you. Rosie could run as far as she wanted while we wandered the trails ourselves without constantly worrying about where she was. It felt less like a dog park and more like a giant shared nature preserve for both people and dogs.
This was my first truly long road trip as an adult, and there was something incredibly freeing about it. Having Rosie with us made it even better. The whole trip developed this laid back rhythm of simply driving to wherever was next. We had a list of places we definitely wanted to see, but beyond that, everything stayed wonderfully flexible. Some towns pulled us in longer than expected, while others ended up being quick stops before moving on to the next stretch of road.
What surprised me most was how differently time works on a road trip like this. A “small detour” is rarely small. Once you factor in the drive out, the drive back, possible overnight stays, and the reality that you will probably discover more things nearby once you arrive, a side trip can quickly grow from a couple of hours into two full days. That was probably the hardest part of planning: estimating when we would actually return home. At some point, the trip stops feeling like a strict itinerary and starts feeling more like momentum. And honestly, that was part of what made it great.
Sean Shadmand 