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The last summer long weekend may have passed, but there are still plenty of exploring to be done. Think of the fall colors – not here yet where I live – but coming soon!
There is always a road less traveled that needs a good Heeler nose sniffing it out.
Everyone knows one of Ladysmith’s superpowers was truck-riding.
Now I’m developing those skills myself. Now I don’t ride along every time, but usually don’t let mom get away without me – truck, 4-wheeler or horse! 
Still, I’ve seen a lot of this great country from the back seat, and once in awhile riding shotgun, just like Lady did.
You may remember I flew here from the Arizona desert, so I had plenty of airmiles under my collar already when I arrived. I didn’t mind, but there is nothing like watching the world from down here on the road, wind in my face.
I don’t really need a vacation from the place I live, but I don’t have to go far for an awesome roadtrip; here in the northern Rockies, we are blessed with countless natural wonders right in our own backyard.
We own the gem of the National Parks- the first park- still a wonder of geysers, bison, and vistas beyond compare.
Head north and you will drive right up against the grandeur of Glacier Park. What a shame that so often we don’t explore ourselves but save it for summer company, wasting the sheer luxury of magnificence just down the road.
If you want to learn more about these grand places, up close, there is Yellowstone Forever and the Glacier Institute which have learning opportunities and even volunteer positions. Year-round, there are things to learn in this magnificent classroom.
But these special destinations are certainly not a road less traveled, as there are more visitors to the park every season, with bigger crowds of cars than of elk and buffalo.
I myself prefer the backroads and undiscovered little wide spots in the road, a place a dog can get out, stretch and sniff, pee on some new ground.
I’ve picked huckleberries where the grizzly roam. I’m a smart dog, and descretion being the better part of valor, I never compete with those big bruins for berries – I move on!
I’ve fished wild rivers for trout, watched sunrise and sunset from quite a few good camps, and taken two -track trails where I wished for a nimble little jeep instead of a big wide truck.
I always like to find a good spot where a dog can get a cool drink.
One of my favorite stops is a dusty road that meets the water, where the shortest way across the “Mighty Mo” is by ferry. Yes, there is an old ferry that runs on the Missouri River at an isolated crossing that edges remote Blaine County and saves ranchers and locals many miles in getting to town, cutting a trip down from 95 miles around to the nearest bridge, to only 7 miles! Everything old is new again, when the old ferry is the most efficient and time-saving travel!
Mostly though, people still seek out these relics of a bygone era, for the sheer joy of the ride – crossing a river at a slower pace, listening to the grinding motor and lap of waves, aimed surely for the road that picks up at waters edge on the far shore.
That old barge, winding across the current on its straight cable, truly is a lifeline. And it is a different kind of ride for an old sea dog like me!
There was a time when ferries were the only way to cross water. Now I’ve heard stories of a distant grandfather, who lived near the wide northern Mississippi river, being well-known for the ability to holler across and call the ferry. Generally, though, people of lesser lung waited for the scheduled trip, back in a time when there were few bridges on the big river!
The Merrimac Ferry crosses the Wisconsin River, in the same state, and continues to transport traffic on state highway 113, as it has done since 1844. This ferry line refuses to die; even though a new bridge has been built on the Interstate a few miles away, about 200,000 people still wait in line at the ferry, to cross at a slower pace every season. The trip is free and the scenery stunning.
As we cruise the backroads, we see fields filled to the far horizon with wildflowers, or tawny wheat ready for harvest. There are spring-fed streams falling down rocky cliffs,
towering conifers, wildlife everywhere.
Don’t depend on your phone GPS to help you find your way. Sometimes a good old-fashioned map comes in handy. They make for interesting shotgun -seat planning and exploration, too. Try this:
Or this interesting read, with intriguing destinations to explore: https://amzn.to/3AsBX5o
I’ve heard about the Indiana Death March – long trips Lady used to make – and don’t really care for one of those grueling marathons myself. 
Still, I hear there are cranes in a wetland in Wisconsin I’d like to visit,
and the magnificent shores of the Great Lakes, where this old Heeler would like to dip a paw one day.
If you need a little travel first aid, you can find great natural products here at Homeoanimals, for all canine needs,including travel sickness:
Turn onto a road less traveled anywhere, and find memorable adventures on the back roads.
There are the best undiscovered, underused, must-see-before-I-die places.
My favorite road less traveled is anywhere my truck goes, as long as I’m along for the ride.
