The Uncharted Territory

The four legged friends had a rough time getting up this morning. Chippy was very lethargic and tired. Toby, well, he simply wouldn’t get out of bed.

We were all very excited for this section of our adventures. The drive along the Salmon River up to Montana was truly breathtaking. We played a game with all the historic markers along the way, you had to guess whether it was a Lewis and Clark monument, or something else. I was the only one who lost at every single one of them.

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These two in the back sang and whined the entire four hour drive. Who was singing and who was whining is negotiable.

When we arrived at Mark and Carol’s property, the trailer we were renting had already arrived and was set up. It was such a relief to be able to completely unpack our stuff.

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Unfortunately, while unpacking, I discovered that Chippy the hamster had passed on.

We knew this was a very real possibility and one of the primary reasons we brought him on this trip.

I sat Olivia down at the table, took her hands in mine and told her the news. She looked at me and said, “Poor little guy. No worries. There are kids coming to play and I can always make friends with the fish in the pond.”

And that was that.

We brought an old concrete and wood candle box along on the trip to bury him in… hoping we wouldn’t have to use it, but ready if we did. We walked the property until we found the perfect spot for him, under a tree, at a bend of a brook. Quiet, peaceful and a perfect resting place for the little guy.

His little service went quickly. While digging, Olivia found a worm. She named him Jerry and they ran off together. John and I thanked him for bringing our little family so much happiness and for sticking around a year longer than hamsters are supposed to. No doubt he is enjoying having that forth leg back in hamster heaven.

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Toby, on the other hand, thought he was a puppy again. And spent the day running, sniffing and playing in the brook.

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Even though we lost our tiniest travel buddy, we are still very excited to finally be in this beautiful part of the country.

– Brock

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Let’s check in with everyone.

I think it is pretty safe to say what everyone’s thorn was today. So let’s just stick with the roses.

Daddy Brock’s Rose – finally being here at Mark and Carol’s beautiful property.

Daddy John’s Rose – the beautiful drive and meeting up with friends.

Olivia’s Rose – Seeing Carol

Toby’s Rose – So many smells!