Wanderlust – Sean Shadmand

Mountain West road trip 2026

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.

The Best of Reykjavik Dinning

Did you know Iceland was under prohibition until 1989? Maybe all that time sober is what allowed the chefs in Iceland to master their craft. At first we thought we got lucky when our first meal was insanely good, but every place we went, from cafe’s to grills, put a smile on our bellies.

Our first dinner was a 9-course tasting meal at Grill Market (Grillmarketdurrin). Maybe it was the modern ambiance, or seeing the sun shine past 11PM, or the wonderful aromas we caught from sitting next to the kitchen, but whatever it was, it was one of the best meals we’ve ever had. (Checkout what we ate in the video below).

We were warned that Iceland was “cheap to get to, but expensive to stay”. So we weren’t surprised that the meal above set us back $116USD per person. That being said, the price included all tax and tip, and the quality, freshness, and size of our dishes were top notch. Factoring in the $1USD to $101ISK conversion, and the “all in” price tag, the menu price for that meal in San Francisco would have been $89. Not cheap, but an amazing deal for what we got.

Not every meal could be rationalized as “worth it”. While touring the Golden Circle we grabbed some food at a gas station quicky-mart. Our two small sandwiches and two small coffees came out to about $24USD, and a gallon of gas was about $7.50USD. So yes, you will feel the pinch of the higher price tags on the everyday stuff. Nevertheless, when it comes to dinning-out, we still think you come out ahead from the overall experience. Which is likely why Iceland still sees tourists come in droves.

Take our next meal at Messin for example. The “Pan Fish” was fresh, delicious, prepared quickly, and was plentiful in portion. A combination that would be hard to come by in the U.S. where the “menu price” would be about $30. Again, you pay a premium on crap food and gas, but you win big when you consider the quality of food you get when dinning out.

After a couple days in Iceland it was time to clean some clothes. Conveniently, we read about a cafe down the street from our apartment that offered a laundromat in the basement called The Laundromat Cafe. Since we had laundry, and we were hungry, we took advantage of the combo. We were glad we did! I had the smoked trout with cream cheese on rye. Yum! Even the Chai tea I ordered was one of the better ones I’ve had.

With our clothes freshly cleaned and our whistles in need of wetting, we hopped on over to The Lebowski Bar. Yes, a bar in Iceland is dedicated to the movie The Big Lebowski and offers up 21 different varieties of White Russians. Those that know me know that (A) I’m a fan of the movie and (B) my drink of choice these last few months have been White Russians.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say these were the best drinks in the world, but they were good and it was fun to try a few versions of the after-dinner cocktail (about $20-$30 a pop). The scene was fun and carried a big crowd, all enjoying the 80s music that you could hear from across the street.

The next morning we hopped over to the Bonus grocery store and got a pint of Skyr, Iceland’s traditional breakfast food. It’s basically a very thick yogurt, and goes great with berries. Although tasty, I wouldn’t say it is as unique as it is made out to be. Imagine a thick greek yogurt with a slightly more sour taste.

For our final restaurant we wanted to taste some Icelandic home cooked, traditional, comfort food. For that we found Salka & Valka (Fish and More). There we ordered the fish soup and traditional fish stew made with mashed potatoes, white fish and green onions. The dish was soft, creamy, and very comforting; just what we were looking for!

We were on such a roll with food, that when the sign on the table said “You must try our rhubarb pie” we couldn’t resist. Sadly, the dry, underwhelming dessert was the only fail of the week. Don’t worry Iceland, we still love you!