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My Trek around the U.S #6

Day 44 started with a trip through the Oregon Coast. Oregon isn’t somewhere I ever thought about as a holiday destination before, but it is so so beautiful. We made a stop at Newport, a fishing harbour town that sold amazing fresh fish in cute seafood restaurants. We picked up massive pieces of cod and salmon and walked around for a while before continuing to camp. It was my turn to cook dinner so I opted for my favourite cod, pasta and cauliflower cheese bake, hoping that everyone would love it as much as I do. I also wrapped the salmon in lemon and foil and we stuck it straight over a campfire grate. Our tour leader, Ben, has a farmer friend in the area, Dan, so he brought us over a massive selection of fresh vegetables and herbs to cook with, and set about grilling everything on the fire. He has also picked fresh corn that morning and literally stuck it straight into the log fire to heat. It was one of the best meals of the holiday and the surroundings of the camp site were amazing, just trees on all sides around us, so it was an awesome night. We played Cards Against Humanity, the best and most hilarious card game ever, before getting into the tents. 
We set off early the next day for Seattle, Washington. On the way, we stopped at Portland, Oregon which was so so lovely. A really clean and bright town with shops, markets and cafes everywhere, plus Oregon is tax free, so I went crazy with Mac and Nars Makeup in Nordstrom before getting some bargains in Abercrombie and Fitch. We carried on to Seattle with a quick stop at the Space Needle for photos on the way. We got out of the van at Pikes Place, a fishing market where the fishermen literally chuck fishes around the market to each other. We found an awesome little cheese store and bought some cheese toasties before chilling for a few hours on a green near the harbour. That night we went along to a comedy show, with 40 comedians lined up one after another. It was actually hilarious and some of the acts were awesome, it was a shame they only had three minutes. By act 40, we were ready to go back to the hostel though and were so glad of real beds for the evening. 
Day 46 saw us on the way to Vancouver, Canada. I have always wanted to visit Canada and I finally got my chance. On the way, Ben treated us to a morning breakfast at IHOP,  International House of Pancakes. It was incredible and I have never eaten so much. A full fry up, French toast and black cherry pancakes, it was so delicious. Make sure you visit an IHOP ASAP! 
We crossed over the border quite painlessly and made our way into beautiful Canada. After food we stopped at Stanley Park to take in the famous Totem Poles which were pretty cool, before getting to another hostel. We had a walk around the shops in Vancouver and again the city is amazing and somewhere I will definitely visit again. We got back to the hostel and started to get ready for a night out for my birthday party. We had all stopped in Washington to buy pink wigs to commemorate my pink hair, so we all got pinkified and starting drinking. I opted for a pink feather boa and pink eyelashes with my new American Apparel peach dress and it was so nice to get dressed up again. We headed out to a cool bar in Gastown where we stayed for the night drinking. The bar was holding beer pong tournaments so it was buzzing inside but so so cool to see how Canadians spend their drinking nights. I seriously wish England would bring in beer pong tournaments. Anyway, the night was awesome and I got talking to a cool group of Canadians for the evening, so I really enjoyed myself. 
Unfortunately, although hungover, we had to leave early for Revelstoke. On the way we stopped at Hope, a small town for a quick rest stop and an awesome Subway lunch which really sorted us all out. We got to a really cool camp site, again surrounded by huge trees and totally secluded from everyone else, and a group set about make pasta carbonara whilst everyone else chilled for the night. 
The next day, we set off for Banff and a three day stop. We stopped at Golden on the way to do some white water rafting down the Kicking Horse river. After getting our wetsuits and life jackets and helmets on, we got into teams and onto the rafts. It was literally one of the best things I have ever done. I laughed all the way through, not at all nervous but just loving every moment. Just getting soaked by amazing white water and seeing everyone being thrown about, just so so fun. We also got a chance to jump in quickly and the water literally carries you away, it’s insane. But after a few attempts, Rosie managed to pull me into the raft kicking my legs like a wet fish. It was actually hilarious. Afterwards we stopped at Big Cones for an icecream so I opted for Cotton Candy and bubblegum, naturally. We then headed to the camp site where we picked up dominoes for everyone. 
The next day was time for Lake Louise and one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. We first stopped at Lake Moraine which was stunning in itself, surrounded by mountains and the most emerald blue. We continued up to Lake Louise and it was so breathtaking. You need to google Lake Louise because it is truly amazing. We decided to hike up the mountains for a 5 mile hike, uphill for 350 feet. We got to Mirror Lake and had a rest before continuing up to Lake Agnes which again was so stunning. A little tea shop was positioned up there, and can only be reached on foot, so the people who live there must be incredible fit. We stopped for tea and scones before heading back down again. Another amazing hike. We stopped again at Lake Louise and a few of us dipped our feet into the lake whilst we ate icecreams and just stared in awe at how stunning it was. We headed back to camp for a quick meal before heading out again to some local hot springs. After literally bathing ourselves in 40 degree water, we got out and quickly dressed for the evening. We headed into Banff town to some bars, starting with a cool Irish pub with a live guitarist which was awesome. Ben then took us to Wild Bills Saloon, an awesome Canadian bar with a live band playing country and rock music whilst the locals line danced in their Stetsons and cowboy boots. So surreal but amazing! When a song came on that I knew, all ten of us got up for a dance which was so fun. After a quick slice of pizza, we got taxis back to camp as crashes out. 
Day 50 came and it was our free day so we all had a lie in until 9am which was so needed. After chilling and getting ready, we headed into Banff for a shopping day. We hit a lot of souvenir places and I stocked up on presents for family before headed to the same Irish pub for amazing Yorkshire puddings and garlic cheese bread. After more shopping, we finally went to watch Monsters university which I have been dying to see for so many weeks. It was so brilliant and well worth waiting over ten years for, I highly recommend you see it! 
Day 51 saw us heading back into the U.S over the border towards Glacier National Park, Montana. On the way, we stopped at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a small area with a museum all about the old buffalo jump that was used years previously. The most oddly names place I’ve ever been to. It was a long trip down a straight open highway for hours but we made it to Glacier and had a quick trip up to a view point at Logan’s Pass. The rest of the day saw us all falling into our tents shattered from the drive. 
Day 52 allowed us to explore more of Glacier. Unfortunately the weather was pretty awful, raining and windy, but seven of us still decided to rent kayaks and canoes and went out onto the lake. It was so much fun and amazing to look over at the grizzly and black bears on the mountainside ahead of us. All wet and cold, we made our way into the hotel and had an amazing snack meal at the posh restaurant inside the hotel on the Glacier lake. A few more times we got to spot grizzlys and black bears on the hills far away which again was incredible. 
Hope your summer is going amazing! Follow my path around the U.S Coast on Instagram – @inthefrow and Vine – IntheFrow. For every section of these posts, you can find them in the Travelling Category :)

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