Our Summer Road Trip from Oregon to Texas to Get Hitched

When we finally decided we were going to end up traveling to Texas to get married (planning a wedding in a pandemic ain’t a joke, y’all) there wasn’t any question that we would drive. We have done the trip the past three years for Christmas and getting to do the trip while it is warm and the sun stays up past 5 pm sounded like a DREAM. We have seen most of the Utah parks during our three previous December trips (and, let’s be real, who wants to be walking around Utah in the middle of July?) and wanted to do something a little different this time around, but not wander too far off the quickest route. So after a little bit of Googling and looking at photos, we decided upon the following stops:

Bruneau Sand Dunes 

If you have ever been to White Sands in New Mexico no other sand dunes will ever ever ever compare, however, these little dunes, along with the nearby Snake River, were the perfect first stop for us. Located right outside of Boise, there’s really only a few dunes but the campsite was really nice with protection from the sun and plenty of space between campsites. About 7.5 hours from Portland, it gave us a good day of driving but still allowed us a few hours to enjoy the dunes AND GUYS we got to see the Neowise Comet in all its glory GOODNESS GRACIOUS how incredible it was.

Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area

For our second stop, we decided on the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area located on the border of Wyoming and Utah. This place was probably my second favorite stop of the trip - so much so that we decided to stay a second night. These camp spots book very quickly but are really nice with a concrete slab, a shelter with a picnic table to provide some cover from the sun, and they have built-in concrete fire pits (fancy!) There is water nearby (warning: IT’S COLD) down the side of the hill and the bathrooms were super clean + had showers available. Everyone there was super friendly and it truly is just a beautiful place stay.

*TIP: if you’re looking to grab something to drink while you are there, you do have to drive about 10-15 minutes to the Wyoming side to a little gas station/store to get anything over 4%.*

CURT GOWDY STATE PARK

On the way back from Texas to Oregon, we wanted to see different spots than we had seen on the way down, but we were pretty set on making the drive in three days. Our first stop was Curt Gowdy State Park. Located just north of the Colorado border, this park is centered around a body of water (that you cannot swim in?) and there are multiple campgrounds throughout the park. We opted for a simple tent campsite but they do have hookups and yurts if that’s more your style. A few things to note about this park: there was no shelter from the sun at our campsite, you are allowed to fish from the shoreline, there are pretty cool mountain biking paths throughout the park, and you are able to walk around the park which does have really beautiful views.

BEAR LAKE

My goodness my goodness y’all Bear Lake is a place I want to visit every summer for the rest of my life. Referred to as the “Caribbean of the Rockies” this lake is a natural freshwater lake that sits on the border of Idaho and Utah and the water is so blue it really does look like Caribbean water. While we did have a campsite located right on the beach near the water on the Idaho side, there are day-spots all around the lake you can hang out at - most people were just pulling off to the side of the road when they saw a good spot, but it is worth noting that you do have to pay for a pass. Dogs were not allowed on the beach on the Idaho side, so we hung out on the Utah side to allowed Piper to join us before we went to Idaho to set up our tent. I truly, truly cannot believe there is water in the middle of America that looks like this and is enjoyable to swim in. It was wild and beautiful and I cannot wait to go back.

And Now For Some Other Random Photos From Along The Way

when your sister calls you midway through the roadtrip to discuss upcoming wedding details

thanks to ranch rider spirits for unofficially sponsoring this trip

While having to drive across the country to get married was definitely not part of the original plan for me (who are we kidding? Jeremy probably would have wanted to drive even without the pandemic), it proved to be a lovely way to spend some sweet quality time together before we were officially husband & wife. I feel so grateful to be able to drive across the country with the man I love and will never take for granted the beauty of this wild and giant country.