Traveling Huntleys

Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.

Michael Huntley

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota: Bison, Wild Horses & Badlands

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Last Updated: June 22, 2026

Theodore Roosevelt first came to the North Dakota Badlands in 1883 as a young man, drawn by the promise of bison hunting and the wide open West. What he found instead — or perhaps in addition — was a landscape that would shape him profoundly. After losing both his mother and his wife on the same day in 1884, he returned to these rugged badlands to grieve and heal. The land, he later wrote, made him the man he became. It’s impossible to stand in this park and not feel some of that pull yourself.

Bison surrounded by dust, illuminated by a passing car's headlights at dusk in Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit, North Dakota — wildlife photography by Michael Huntley travel blogger
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Montana & Idaho Road Trip: Coeur d’Alene, Missoula, Garnet Ghost Town, Lewis and Clark Caverns & Billings

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Last Updated: June 22, 2026

Montana is one of the largest and least populated states in America — and one of our absolute favorites. On this leg of our Pacific Northwest loop, we pushed east from Walla Walla, Washington through northern Idaho before crossing into Big Sky Country. We would have loved to revisit Glacier and Yellowstone, but with New England fall foliage and a Florida winter on the horizon, we had to keep moving. What we did find along the way — a hidden ghost town, a cave carved by ancient seas, and a sandstone pillar signed by Lewis and Clark — more than made up for it.

Historic cabin with American flag at Garnet Ghost Town, Montana — a well-preserved gold rush ghost town managed by the BLM near Missoula
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Yakima, Kennewick & Walla Walla, Washington: Wine Country & Yakima River Canyon

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Last Updated: June 22, 2026

Leaving the lush evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest behind, we traded rain for sunshine as we drove south from Kent, Washington through the Cascades toward Yakima. The landscape transformation is dramatic — within an hour, towering firs give way to rolling golden hills and wide open skies, signaling the beginning of Washington’s celebrated wine country. From there we traced a path east through Kennewick and on to Walla Walla, one of the most acclaimed wine regions in the American West.

Yakima River Canyon scenic byway, Washington — sweeping views of basalt cliffs and the Yakima River, photographed by Michael Huntley travel blogger
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Anacortes, North Cascades & Snoqualmie Falls, Washington: Whidbey Island, Deception Pass & Washington Pass

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Last Updated: June 20, 2026

From Olympic National Park, reaching Anacortes was a scenic journey — a ferry ride from Port Townsend across Puget Sound to Whidbey Island, then another half hour north to the RV park. We were in the front row of the ferry with a sweeping view of the Sound and the San Juan Islands beyond. Our goal was to meet up with family on Whidbey Island and then push east to explore North Cascades National Park.

Dr. Michael Huntley on a rocky overlook above a glacial lake in North Cascades National Park, Washington
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Olympic National Park, Washington: Quinault Rain Forest, Hurricane Ridge, Cape Flattery & the Pacific Coast

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Last Updated: June 20, 2026

Olympic National Park is one of the most ecologically diverse parks in the entire national park system, encompassing four dramatically different regions: alpine, Pacific coast, temperate rain forest, and the drier east side of the Olympic Peninsula. It was designated a National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909 and elevated to National Park status by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938. Today it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.

Alpine wildflowers blooming below snowcapped peaks and summer snowfields at Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, Washington
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Mount Rainier & Mount St. Helens, Washington: Glaciers, Waterfalls & Volcanic Recovery

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Last Updated: June 20, 2026

Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens are two of the most iconic volcanoes in the Cascade Range — a chain of snowcapped stratovolcanoes extending from British Columbia south to Northern California, all part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Seeing both on the same trip is a study in contrasts: Rainier brooding and majestic under perpetual glaciers, St. Helens forever frozen in the aftermath of its 1980 cataclysm.

Mount St. Helens horseshoe crater and lava dome viewed from Johnston Ridge Observatory, Washington
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