Independent Bookstore Day

Today is Independent Bookstore Day, and I thought I'd highlight some of the reasons to shop indies:

You keep dollars in the local economy.

You create local jobs.

You help the environment. 

You create more choice.

You invest in entrepreneurship.

You take advantage of booksellers' expertise.

You make local bookstores a destination.

You support author events.

Bookstores provide a sense of community. They are warm and inviting providing places to gather. Many include cafes, storytimes, book clubs, and staff recommendations. They're welcoming and supportive to ALL.

I used to order my books online, but have recently chosen to stop supporting Amazon. It's the small things that can make a difference in this world.

Here are some of the stores we have visited in the past several months:

Book Peddler & Coffee Cafe

West Yellowstone, Montana

Valley Bookstore

Jackson, Wyoming

Roundabout Books

Bend, Oregon

Paulina Springs Books

Sisters, Oregon

Third Place Books

Lake Forest Park, Washington

Beach Books

Seaside, Oregon

I shared this collage of stores we've visited a couple of years ago:

Cafe Books - Canmore, Alberta, Canada

Polar Peek Books & Treasures - Fernie, British Columbia, Canada

Munro's Books - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Tanner's Books - Sidney, British Columbia, Canada

Windowseat Books - Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

Cloud & Leaf Bookstore - Manzanita, Oregon

And a few more favorites that we've visited during our past travels...

Bookworks - Whitefish, Montana

Fact & Fiction - Missoula, Montana

The Elliot Bay Book Company - Seattle, Washington

Liberty Bay Books - Poulsbo, Washington

Powell's City of Books - Portland, Oregon

Sunriver Books & Music - Sunriver, Oregon

Dudley's Bookshop Cafe - Bend, Oregon

Third Street Books - McMinnville, Oregon

Eureka Books - Eureka, California

Copperfield's Books - Healdsburg, California

Parnassus Books - Nashville, Tennessee

Do you have a favorite bookstore?

Bookstores of 2023

 

In addition to exploring new areas while traveling in our RV, we love to support independent bookstores, and seek out as many as possible while on our road trips. This past year, we discovered a few that were new to us, as well as returning to some old favorites. Have you been to any of these?

Cafe Books - Canmore, Alberta

Polar Peek Books - Fernie, British Columbia

Munro's Books - Victoria, British Columbia

Tanner's Books - Sidney, British Columbia

Windowseat Books - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Cloud & Leaf Bookstore - Manzanita, Oregon

La Pine State Park - La Pine, Oregon

Glacier National Park Road Trip (Fall 2022)

September 27-30, 2022

Burns to La Pine, Oregon

Daily Mileage: 194

La Pine State Park

Site: #114 (ideal sites #139 and #149)

Duration: 4 nights 

Cost: $26 per night + $8 reservation fee

Weather: Sunny with light rain one morning (70s)

It's always a little bittersweet to reach the tail end of a road trip, so we planned to spend four nights at one of our favorite campgrounds in Oregon. We got lunch in Bend the day we arrived, wandered around Sun River on another day, and met up with friends for lunch in Sisters. 

This was our second visit to this state park and we reserved the same site as last time. It's quite large with a lot of space between us and our neighbors. There's no WiFi in the park, but we were able to get a weak cell signal that we bumped up with our new WeBoost (cellular booster), resulting in 2 bars for Verizon and 1-2 for T-Mobile. The shower facilities were clean and private (individual rooms) with plenty of hot water (and no annoying push button to keep the water flowing). We had full hook-ups and the dump station is located at the entrance of the park. 

Note: The Costco in Bend does not have a fuel center. However, there is a Fred Meyer with a fuel center, but don't confuse it with Fred Meyers Road when loading the search in your GPS. (Ask me how I know...)

 Hwy 20 (Burns to Bend) is 

very straight & extremely windy!

Brewed Awakenings in Sunriver

Small inventory, 

but look at all those face-outs!

Found something I couldn't live without.

Missoula, Montana - Daytrip

Glacier National Park Road Trip (Fall 2022)

Missoula Daytrip

September 21, 2022 

The weather was perfect for a daytrip to downtown Missoula, which was only ten miles from our campground. We started off with a delicious coffee and danish at Break Espresso. Good thing we don't live in Missoula or I'd go to this cafe EVERY day! I love the exposed brick and the comfortable environment. It's my kind of place. 
 

 

Yum!!

Once our bellies were full, we wandered around town for a while. I love the artwork on the power boxes. So creative and beautiful. 

Missoula County Courthouse

Of course, we had to visit an independent bookstore, which had a great selection, in spite of its small size.

Fact & Fiction Books

We spotted a Ghostbuster Ectomobile across the street, which drew a lot of attention from passersby.

Delicious sandwiches

Missoula is a nice town and it reminds us of Lincoln with its college vibe and walkable downtown areas. 

Whitefish, Montana - Daytrip

Glacier National Park Road Trip (Fall 2022)

Whitefish, Montana Daytrip

September 19, 2022

With all the empty sites, it would have been nice to be more spread out...

We started our day with coffee and baked goods at Odd Fellows Coffee House in Columbia Falls. We missed the morning rush and pretty much had the place to ourselves. I love the exposed brick and funky decor. The coffee was great, but the pastries look better than they tasted.

We drove to Whitefish (an easy 15 minute/10 mile drive) and found an independent bookstore that I wanted to visit. The layout of Bookworks is confusing, as well as cramped, so we didn't linger too long. Of course, I had to support them with a purchase, so I got a couple of books that had been on my radar. Have I read them yet? No, but I will!

 

We were getting hungry, and I had read great reviews for a BBQ place nearby, so we headed over to get lunch. Piggyback turned out to be a great choice, but the indoor seating is somewhat tight and very noisy, so we moved outside to one of the picnic tables. Shortly after our food arrived, it began to pour! The umbrella kept Rod dry, but the rain poured right off of it onto my side of the bench. It didn't last too long, and of course, my closet was just a few steps away in the parking lot, so I was able to change into dry clothes. Another win for RV travel!

Outstanding pulled pork sliders.

Rod's ribs were very good, too.

If you find yourself in Whitefish, we highly recommend this BBQ joint!