After three weeks in a threesome we are alone again. At the moment we have temperatures above 120F in Las Vegas and we decide that we can best withstand this in the Hofbraeuhaus. After some cool wheat beers and Bavarian music we feel much better. At least until we step outside again.

We escape from the heat and drive highway 93 up North. At the Cathedral Gorge we make a break for some nice pictures and after more than 250km we are on 1800m and stop for the night. It's still around 90F but at night it cools down to 60F so that we can sleep well. Due to the extreme temperatures we skip the visit of the Great Basin Nationalpark and go to the Cave Lake Statepark instead. The park is on 2300m and we stay some days and enjoy swimming and hiking. Then we continue to the Angel Lake close to Wells which is surrounded by snow covered mountains. Quite brave we also dive into the snowmelt fed lake but also jump out again very quickly. 

Unfortunately we got problems with our truck in the middle of nowhere. The back axle spills oil and also the clutch looses hydraulic pressure while driving. Lucky enough we find a freightliner service center in Twin Falls who are able to identify and repair this. But we must order parts from Germany which takes a couple of days. There is not much to do in Twin Falls and therefore we take a car and drive to Boise and rent a flat thru airbnb. The city center is nice with a lot of pubs and good restaurants. The days we spend at the Payette river with swimming and sun bathing. On the 4th of July we also experience how the Americans celebrate the independence day with big parades and fireworks. 

Thanks to AAA in Germany and our son Felix who managed the ordering process locally the parts arrive after only 5 days and we continue our journey shortly after. We drive to Ketchum and find some nice spots in the Sawtooth National Forest where we spend a few days and enjoy the wonderful landscape. On one evening a black bear came very close to our site but we showed him the sign „don’t feed the wildlife“ and he ran away. 

We move on thru a beautiful surrounding along the Salmon river on highway 93 up to a lake close to Challis where we stay some days for hiking and swimming. Also an old mining Ghost Town is on our way and we visit it on our way back from the lake. In Challis we refill our fridge and go to the laundry. While we do Internet in front of the public library someone knocks on our door. It is Waltraud from Grafing, our German hometown. She lives in Challis since more than 20 years and she invites us to stay on her farm for the night. We spent a nice evening together and have a lot to talk about. It's a small world. Dear Waltraud, thanks a lot for your hospitality and the great time together. We enjoyed it very much. 

We cross the state border to Montana and drive to Missoula where we visit the German Brewhouse and taste a fresh drafted wheat beer. On our way out of town we also visit the smoke jumper training center. This is really a hell of a job and all is well explained during a guided tour. Then we continue to Ashley lake. 

Last year in Mexico we met Brad & Leona from Calgary who invited us to their summer home on Ashley Lake in Montana. The lake is in a wonderful surrounding and framed from forests and mountains. We have a great time together and really felt in love with this beautiful place. Thanks very much for your hospitality and your time. We will never forget these wonderful days and the hours sitting together at the camp fire, cruising the lake with the party boat, trying surfing and fishing, visiting the rodeo and do bar hopping in Whitefish and finally giving Brad's Mountain bike a hard time. Hopefully we see you again this winter in Mexico. And when you ever come to Europe we'll be happy to show you the best places and all the secrets. 

Unfortunately we have a tough schedule for Canada before we fly home for 4 weeks mid of October from Los Angeles. With a very heavy heart we say Good Bye to Brad & Leona and continue our journey. Just around the corner is the Glacier National Park close to the Canadian border. Our truck is too big for the Going-to-the-sun-road and we must use the shuttle bus to see the Logan Pass. All campgrounds in the park are full but we find a nice spot a little bit outside of the park directly on the flathead river. Then we explore the other entrance and find with Many Glacier a wonderful hiking paradise which looks like the Alps at home. It's also the home of the Grizzly bear and bear spray is strongly reccommended while we do some nice day hikes. Very surprisingly our good German friends, Manfred & Rosita, come to our lonely place outside of the park on our last evening. We still cannot believe it as we last met them in South America in 2013. Since then we often tried to arrange a meeting without success. And then this happens. What a small world. 

Manfred & Rosita now continue South while we go North and cross the border to Canada. But what we experience there is then part of the next blog. Until then enjoy reading and watching the pictures. Have fun.