Days 22 & 23

You know how everyone seems to have some sort of animal that they long to see before they die? Mine used to be a sea turtle, which I did glimpse in Australia. My sister's is a moose. As we started to get close to Yellowstone, I began itching to see a bear (from a nice, safe distance), which we did. And then my luck doubled in Glacier National Park, when we were taking the Going-to-the-Sun Road just before dusk as far as the snow drifts would allow us.

A little black bear was strolling alongside the road among the trees. My heart skipped a bit. I looked around for the mama before leaning over Jun and out the window to snap a billion photos, although in my glee I knocked the camera onto the wrong setting and the photos are light and blurry. Ah well. The memories will last a lifetime.

The park was gorgeous and serene. I hoped for a glimpse of the Northern Lights, but we slept in a little motel tucked into the forest and there were none to be seen. The day before, we stopped in Helena, Mont., which turned out to be a sweet little town with the best coffee shops and antique stores on a strip of pavement called Last Chance Gulch. Too bad everything was closed on Sunday night. Jun and I had to settle for our first chain-restaurant meal of the trip: a big, gooey Domino's pizza.

No sun for you!