My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Books.....well, I read one more. It was another really good book by Chris Bonington.....and the pictures.....so many great pictures.....both color and black & white.....




The shadows appeared as a mountain on the books' page.....how appropriate.....



I finally got around to building a box for the backseat.....I really wanted to do this for Tanner since Trapper hogs the passenger seat.....



I know it's not the quality builds that you see on here but I simply wanted a box that Tanner could lay on and see out the windows. I had some old lumber, bought some hardware & plywood from Lowes.....spent less than $100.....



It works perfectly.....Tanner loves it and there's still plenty of room for storage. And it's incredibly sturdy.....it won't budge.....



I ordered a new mattress from Amazon for $55.....put the old bear blanket from Cabelas overtop.....happy dog.....



And I added more reclaimed lumber to the last wall in the "Great Room".....



I ran into a slight problem due to the kichen cabinet & drawer.....there was no way to open them if I added the extra wood to the wall.....I had to get artsy.....it looks better in real life.....



And I kept on watching the ever changing mountains outside my door.....

 

[ITTOG]

Welcome Home!

Looks great. I may have to hire you to decorate a room in my mancave, if I ever get one.

I finished listening to Grizzly Confidential. I loved it. Some great info on bears I wasn't aware of. One I found completely amazing. A sow can keep a fertilized egg in her body outside of the uterus if she is not in good health. Once she is in good health it will move into the uterus and pregnancy begins. The animal world is unbelievable. The author is kind of funny given he is afraid of grizzlies.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ITTOG.....that ain't happening.....I'm finishing up a book real soon and then I'm planning on reading Grizzly Confidential next.....





We weren't in any hurry the morning that we left the cabin.....again.....



It was cold the day before with a mix of snow and rain.....not unusual for the month of May in Montana.....the skies were still mixed as we merged onto the interstate.....



We drove west on the interstate through some of the most beautiful land that eyes have ever seen. I recently said something similar when we drove east on our last trip through Montana.....but that's just how it is when you live in a place like this.....it doesn't seem to matter which direction you go.....it's just a spectacular place to be.....



We drove west stopping for that first night in Gold Creek, Montana.....we have our little spot here.....parked not too far off the highway.....along the side of the east-west running Carter Creek Road.....



Just to the north of us lies the Dutton Hereford Ranch.....it's such a beautiful place.....



Of course we couldn't actually access the private land.....but what we could do was walk along the seldom traveled asphalt road.....



.....and admire the crystal clear creek, several ponds whose banks were near the roads' edge, the stone outcroppings too, and the Quaking Aspen groves. We also walked into town.....crossing the bridge that spans the width of Gold Creek.....which was also crystal clear.....



I noticed this pair of nesting Bald Eagles along the southern banks of Gold Creek.....



Gold Creek, Montana.....well, there's just not a whole lot to see here.....and that's for sure one of the reasons that I've always loved this little town.....and enjoy overnighting here.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

That first night.....it got cold.....close to freezing. After coffee & breakfast, we took another long walk along Carter Creek Road. There was little traffic the day before.....almost none. The next morning there was none.....we walked where we pleased.....



We walked past the same forests and the same rock outcroppings.....the leaves are just beginning to open in some of the Quaking Aspens.....



Purple flowers were sprouting up along the roadside and I also saw them growing up in the outcroppings as well.....




I was hoping to see some wildlife while out walking.....I've seen Moose in these very places in the past.....along Gold Creek.....but no good fortune this time around.....




This pond with a lone duck.....the newly formed leaves of the Willows.....I found to be especially beautiful.....



When I looked to the south I noticed a line of cattle on a grassy hilltop with spectacular snowcapped mountain scenery in the distant background.....



The mountain peaks that stood out beyond the grassy hillsides extend to nearly 10,000 feet above sea level.....



By the time we made it back to the rig, the temperatures had climbed significantly.....the dogs quenced their thirst and we hit the road.....westward ho.....

 

[Ace Brown]

Great shot of best friends sharing their water bowl.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ace.....thanks.....hopefully more to come.....



Our next stop was in Missoula, Montana to visit with the heart doctor.....



I absolutely love this college town (the University of Montana is located here).....it has such great vibes.....and great people.....definitely one of my favorite towns in America.....




The weather was perfect during our stay here.....three days total. We would walk the streets, dine out, and sleep in the Walmart parking lot. And.....of course.....watch the people enjoying themselves while kayaking and surfing on the Clark Fork River which flows through the middle of town.....




It's probably the people that live here that really makes this a great town.....an example would be this guy that I met at the RV dump station. We got to chatting and it didn't take me too long to figure out that this guy wasn't rolling in the cash. And wouldn't you know it, as I was about to leave, he asked me if he could fix me a free lunch.....it's funny how those with the least still want to give, as the ultra wealthy seem to never have enough.....I remember him saying "I hope that someday I'll have enough money to travel".....



We also had a small birthday party for Tanner while camped at the Walmart.....



Wow ! Does time ever fly !?! (Yes, it does).....



Tanner.....he's quite the good sport.....always in.....no matter what.....he's a special guy.....



At this point in our travels.....while I knew where we were headed eventually......the question was which route ? North to the west or south to the west ? Finally.....it was the urge to soak in a warm spring that finally broke me.....so we chose south.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We took Highway 93 south out of Missoula, Montana and then Highway 12.....driving southwest.....along the Lochsa River.....



An hour later we parked at the trailhead for the Clearwater Warm Springs and then hiked into one of the many magical forests that we had the privilege of visiting on this late Spring trip.....



We hiked across the footbridge which crossed the Lochsa  River.....the trail followed the southerly meanders of that river for a short distance.....then we hiked easterly along the meanders of Warm Springs Creek. Initially the sounds of the forest were only the wonderful songs of the songbirds.....



.....but that quickly changed to the sounds of the rushing water from the late Spring snowmelt.....it was deafening.....



The hike in was maybe just a mile or so.....and on this late Friday afternoon we had the warm springs all to ourselves.....




It's comical the way the dogs react to warm water (it was not hot).....it's something that they definitely aren't expecting.....




But they loved it.....as did I.....

 

[ITTOG]

It's probably the people that live here that really makes this a great town.....an example would be this guy that I met at the RV dump station. We got to chatting and it didn't take me too long to figure out that this guy wasn't rolling in the cash. And wouldn't you know it, as I was about to leave, he asked me if he could fix me a free lunch.....it's funny how those with the least still want to give, as the ultra wealthy seem to never have enough.....I remember him saying "I hope that someday I'll have enough money to travel".....

It is amazing how people like that are usually the most giving. Sometimes I think if they didn't give so much life wouldn't be as much of a struggle. But then they would lose the joy in the hearts because giving is truly joyful for them. Something that has been true since the beginning of mankind.

I have never been to Missoula but will have to put it on my list. We have friends in Great Falls we plan to visit soon so may have to go there on the same trip.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ITTOG.....just know.....it's a liberal town (college town) and they don't hide it. In addition, there's a healthy population of homeless people that roam the streets. If you can deal with that (it's zero problem for me), you'll probably love it. Great restaurants, great shops, and great downtown streets to walk along.....

By the way, I saw the sports medicine physician one more time. Reluctantly he gave me a prescription for some pain killers. He was really pushing the shot which I declined. Funny thing, the knee pain that I had has completely disappeared (was gone before I left on this trip). I never had to take a single painkiller.....



At this point in our travels.....along Highway 12.....we crossed into eastern Idaho.....Lolo Pass.....



Some of you may know that Highway 12 is also the route that was taken by Lewis & Clark over 200 years ago.....



For the past two weeks I had been reading A Newer World by David Roberts.....which is actually my 23rd book authored by him that I've read (I just counted). Anyhow, the timing of this couldn't have been better as this one is about the explorations of John C. Fremont & Kit Carson from 1842 to 1854 in the then still wild west. It was an awesome read, and not that I needed any inspiration, but this one really did inspire me to get out and explore.....



We followed Highway 12 west until I saw a random Forest Service road which we took deep into the heavily overgrown, lush pine & spruce forest. We picked a random pull out.....flat enough for us.....near a trio of creeks which we called our home for the night.....



I had just completed reading A Newer World the day before when we arrived here and I then began to read Grizzly Confidential by Kevin Range. Once again, the timing couldn't have been better as we now we're taking our first hike of the trip into Grizzly country.....



Our campsite was at the confluence of three creeks.....and that's where our first hike began.....first we crossed over Walton  Creek.....by far the largest of the three creeks.....




Next we crossed over Colt Killed Creek.....by light years this one definitely had the best name (maybe named by Lewis & Clark ?).....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The third creek that our hike took us across was named Crooked Fork Creek.....this one was clearly the smallest of the three creeks.....yet none the less beautiful.....




Then our trail.....which was actually the Forest Service road.....began to climb the mountain.....



It seemed as though we couldn't see more than a hundred feet to either side.....give or take.....into the majical forest. Had we encountered a bear, my guess is that we'd have been a late dinner.....



But once again there were no bears.....a few deer was all that we saw.....



That night it got cold but I decided to leave the campers' windows wide open.....just added an extra blanket to the bed and the three of us fell asleep to the soothing sounds of the three creeks that flowed westward.....nearby.....





And life was good.....

 

[ITTOG]

Man, what a beautiful location you found. I loved all the creeks and I too would have definitely wanted the windows open.