30, HOME FREE AND UNEMPLOYED
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h2os2
Adventurer
Great adventure your on!! After reading all about your journey so far, reminds me of how I ended up in Washington State. Although it was close to 20yrs ago, started one day in NJ>IL>CO>CA>WA, took a year to find myself, but was well worth it. Safe travels and welcome to the PNW, lots of great beer around here 
Subscribed also to your thread.
Subscribed also to your thread.
Sorry for the lack of posts, I've been bouncing around with lack of internet (or cell service). I'm currently in Stevensville, Montana working on a ranch with my brother, feeding animals, cutting wood, building fences, driving tractor and the whole nine yards. I will get some pictures and stories up tomorrow night or late tonight if I can.
bobDog,
Regarding your question about lone wolfing it, I never was (or is) a lone wolf myself. I really like to be around other people more than just myself, among other things this trip was a chance to learn about myself, my weaknesses and strengths, stuff I need to work on, etc. It took me quite some time to get use to the lonesomeness of being on a trip like this but I have definitely gotten use to it and enjoy it now. I think the ability to do things without having to be with other people is very valuable, you may miss out on a lot in life if you are always counting on another person(s) to be there with you. Give it a try on a weekend trip or something, you may be surprised on how much you learn about yourself and the peace that is brought by being a lone wolf.
cellularsteve2,
At some point I want to do a write-up about all the modifications I've done and things that I need to improve on the camper but I don't think it's in the cards at this point, I still have a write-up to finish about installing my furnace. Anyhow, the insulation I use on the floor, under the bed, turnbuckle holes, windows and door is called DOW Super Tuff-R foam insulation, it's basically a laminated piece of foam insulation, one side has shiny and the other white. I use the shiny side in to reflect the heat. I used 1/2" thick and it seems to help out a lot, you can buy it in sheets of 4X8 at home depot for something like $11 a sheet. It's worth a shot at that price. When I was in Bellingham I stopped into a badas* hardware store and bought a roll of 2'X50' Reflectix insulation and some velcro, I rigged that up for the popup portion so I just have to fold it up when lowering the top. It as well is VERY noticeable inside and I've been sleeping in 20 degree weather with out every being cold. I've actually only slept in a house twice this whole trip and I would rather be sleeping in my camper :sombrero: I promise to post pictures of the inside when I can.
JeepinMt,
I've been around the Missoula area and Stevensville for the last week or so, I also spent some time out near Placid lake. I was in Kalispell last year as well as Glacier for over a week, I think Kalispell is a great little town, I spent a couple of nights at the Stonefly and Packers Roost.
bobDog,
Regarding your question about lone wolfing it, I never was (or is) a lone wolf myself. I really like to be around other people more than just myself, among other things this trip was a chance to learn about myself, my weaknesses and strengths, stuff I need to work on, etc. It took me quite some time to get use to the lonesomeness of being on a trip like this but I have definitely gotten use to it and enjoy it now. I think the ability to do things without having to be with other people is very valuable, you may miss out on a lot in life if you are always counting on another person(s) to be there with you. Give it a try on a weekend trip or something, you may be surprised on how much you learn about yourself and the peace that is brought by being a lone wolf.
cellularsteve2,
At some point I want to do a write-up about all the modifications I've done and things that I need to improve on the camper but I don't think it's in the cards at this point, I still have a write-up to finish about installing my furnace. Anyhow, the insulation I use on the floor, under the bed, turnbuckle holes, windows and door is called DOW Super Tuff-R foam insulation, it's basically a laminated piece of foam insulation, one side has shiny and the other white. I use the shiny side in to reflect the heat. I used 1/2" thick and it seems to help out a lot, you can buy it in sheets of 4X8 at home depot for something like $11 a sheet. It's worth a shot at that price. When I was in Bellingham I stopped into a badas* hardware store and bought a roll of 2'X50' Reflectix insulation and some velcro, I rigged that up for the popup portion so I just have to fold it up when lowering the top. It as well is VERY noticeable inside and I've been sleeping in 20 degree weather with out every being cold. I've actually only slept in a house twice this whole trip and I would rather be sleeping in my camper :sombrero: I promise to post pictures of the inside when I can.
JeepinMt,
I've been around the Missoula area and Stevensville for the last week or so, I also spent some time out near Placid lake. I was in Kalispell last year as well as Glacier for over a week, I think Kalispell is a great little town, I spent a couple of nights at the Stonefly and Packers Roost.
Seattle vicinity
Ok, I'm back. Sorry for the lack of posts and slacking. After Thanksgiving my plans were to head to Seattle for a few days to check it out down there. A friend of mine that I worked with in California gave me a contact there to try and hang out with, he sounded like a very interesting person. I made my way down there in the morning and called/text him on my way in. It was very hard to get a hold of him but I got a text from him of his address so I stopped by. He wasn't home and told me that he was getting done snowshoeing around 5 PM (Saturday). I decided to check things out, I cruised around and getting close to the time I stopped and checked out a couple of the local breweries. I had one beer at 192 Brew Co in Kenmore, it was a tiny place that was just starting out (about 6 months). The brew master was the bartender and also the handyman and whatever else. I tried a "Pale" but it was more like a blonde. I decided to head elsewhere and found Triple Horn Brewery and was more impressed with this place. They had a seating area practically inside the brewery and the beer was great, definitely a place to check out.
It was getting a little later and I got a message from the guy I was suppose to go meet. He wouldn't be around until 10PM. I didn't want to wait around for a possibly super late and maybe awkward first meet so I decided to head out to find a campsite. Seattle like any other big city has hardly any (cool) camping around, I could have stayed in another lame RV park but I decided to head out and find something a little more out there. I found Middle Fork Campground in my Moon guide and pointed that way. Basically taking 90 east to 202 North into North Bend. I found my way to the access road which was about 11 miles of the crappiest pothole roads I've been on, only to find out the campground was closed. I happen to see a guy parked on the side of the road that looked like he was backpacking, he pointed the way to a trail head where you can camp on either side of the road. At this point it was dumping down rain, the river nearby was raging and I was ready for bed. I followed the dirt road another 6 or 7 miles to the trailhead and found a spot on the side of the road. In the morning I was planning to get back to Seattle to visit with the stranger. The landscape was more of what I was use to in the Olympic Forest, lush green and moss on everything. If you love waterfalls, Washington is the place to be.
Back in Seattle it was business as usual, heavy traffic and rainy. I finally met up with the friend of a friend, he just got back from a bike ride and was in no shape for chatting. We talked for a couple minutes and he headed back to his nap. He was very nice to offer his full house to me including the fridge. I was antsy at this point and felt a little uncomfortable just hanging out in his house by myself so I decided it was best to head for the next small leg of my trip, Mount Rainier. I charged south towards Rainier and found a nice little campground just outside the park to setup for the night. It was obvious 4X4ing was a big part of this area as there were rigs everywhere.
The campground was nice, they had cabins and rv hookups, showers and laundry, but nothing like the Lame-o RV parks.
Ok, I'm back. Sorry for the lack of posts and slacking. After Thanksgiving my plans were to head to Seattle for a few days to check it out down there. A friend of mine that I worked with in California gave me a contact there to try and hang out with, he sounded like a very interesting person. I made my way down there in the morning and called/text him on my way in. It was very hard to get a hold of him but I got a text from him of his address so I stopped by. He wasn't home and told me that he was getting done snowshoeing around 5 PM (Saturday). I decided to check things out, I cruised around and getting close to the time I stopped and checked out a couple of the local breweries. I had one beer at 192 Brew Co in Kenmore, it was a tiny place that was just starting out (about 6 months). The brew master was the bartender and also the handyman and whatever else. I tried a "Pale" but it was more like a blonde. I decided to head elsewhere and found Triple Horn Brewery and was more impressed with this place. They had a seating area practically inside the brewery and the beer was great, definitely a place to check out.
It was getting a little later and I got a message from the guy I was suppose to go meet. He wouldn't be around until 10PM. I didn't want to wait around for a possibly super late and maybe awkward first meet so I decided to head out to find a campsite. Seattle like any other big city has hardly any (cool) camping around, I could have stayed in another lame RV park but I decided to head out and find something a little more out there. I found Middle Fork Campground in my Moon guide and pointed that way. Basically taking 90 east to 202 North into North Bend. I found my way to the access road which was about 11 miles of the crappiest pothole roads I've been on, only to find out the campground was closed. I happen to see a guy parked on the side of the road that looked like he was backpacking, he pointed the way to a trail head where you can camp on either side of the road. At this point it was dumping down rain, the river nearby was raging and I was ready for bed. I followed the dirt road another 6 or 7 miles to the trailhead and found a spot on the side of the road. In the morning I was planning to get back to Seattle to visit with the stranger. The landscape was more of what I was use to in the Olympic Forest, lush green and moss on everything. If you love waterfalls, Washington is the place to be.
Back in Seattle it was business as usual, heavy traffic and rainy. I finally met up with the friend of a friend, he just got back from a bike ride and was in no shape for chatting. We talked for a couple minutes and he headed back to his nap. He was very nice to offer his full house to me including the fridge. I was antsy at this point and felt a little uncomfortable just hanging out in his house by myself so I decided it was best to head for the next small leg of my trip, Mount Rainier. I charged south towards Rainier and found a nice little campground just outside the park to setup for the night. It was obvious 4X4ing was a big part of this area as there were rigs everywhere.
The campground was nice, they had cabins and rv hookups, showers and laundry, but nothing like the Lame-o RV parks.
Mount Rainier
In the AM I woke up, ate oatmeal, showered and took off. The campsite was only a quarter mile or so from Mt. Rainier entrance. The day was gorgeous, no rain and blue skies, a perfect day for a hike up the mountain. The road to the mountain started bare, with green trees and quickly became a slippery ice and snow covered asphalt.
When I reached the top of the road there was a large visitors building and a packed full parking lot. There were people with skis, snowboards, snowshoes and others just playing around in the snow. There are no lifts here but most people seem to be hiking up and riding down, I had the bare necessities, some winter boots so I figured I'd give it a go. I hiked until I couldn't go any farther, the snow became softer the farther I went and my boots sank down into the snow to my knees. Atop a small knoll I heard a rumble, I hustled up the hill and got a glimpse of a small avalanche. The views were incredible.
The day was a success, after building a PB&J lunch I took off. I had been in Washington for around 3 weeks, it was time to head east to see my brother and spend some time in Montana.
In the AM I woke up, ate oatmeal, showered and took off. The campsite was only a quarter mile or so from Mt. Rainier entrance. The day was gorgeous, no rain and blue skies, a perfect day for a hike up the mountain. The road to the mountain started bare, with green trees and quickly became a slippery ice and snow covered asphalt.
When I reached the top of the road there was a large visitors building and a packed full parking lot. There were people with skis, snowboards, snowshoes and others just playing around in the snow. There are no lifts here but most people seem to be hiking up and riding down, I had the bare necessities, some winter boots so I figured I'd give it a go. I hiked until I couldn't go any farther, the snow became softer the farther I went and my boots sank down into the snow to my knees. Atop a small knoll I heard a rumble, I hustled up the hill and got a glimpse of a small avalanche. The views were incredible.
The day was a success, after building a PB&J lunch I took off. I had been in Washington for around 3 weeks, it was time to head east to see my brother and spend some time in Montana.
Montana Bound
I charged out of Mount Rainier and got out to Eastern Washington by sundown. Eastern Washington reminds me of the Mid-West, there are not a lot of trees and a lot of flat ground. I found an "RV park" off the 90 just west of Spokane, it was nice and sat on a lake. I was the only one there which made me happy. In the morning I made like a baby a headed out. I was considering spending some time in Idaho but decided it was time to spend some time with my bro. I trucked through Idaho and Eastern Montana to Missoula and pulled into town around supper time. I met up with my brother and his friend Spencer, they became friends in Northern California while going to Forestry school up there. I took them out for pizza and I popped up at my brothers place. I will also introduce one more member of the trip that will act as my co-pilot at time and others just a PITA, her name is Ellie Mae and she is my brothers herding Australian Shepard-Border Collie mix.
My brother is finishing up his degree (second one) at University of Montana in Missoula, his concentration is in Forestry. On the weekends he works at a ranch in Stevensville so I will be lucky enough to shadow him for the next two weekends. I hung out for a day in Missoula and decided to go camping while he was in school for a night.
I charged out of Mount Rainier and got out to Eastern Washington by sundown. Eastern Washington reminds me of the Mid-West, there are not a lot of trees and a lot of flat ground. I found an "RV park" off the 90 just west of Spokane, it was nice and sat on a lake. I was the only one there which made me happy. In the morning I made like a baby a headed out. I was considering spending some time in Idaho but decided it was time to spend some time with my bro. I trucked through Idaho and Eastern Montana to Missoula and pulled into town around supper time. I met up with my brother and his friend Spencer, they became friends in Northern California while going to Forestry school up there. I took them out for pizza and I popped up at my brothers place. I will also introduce one more member of the trip that will act as my co-pilot at time and others just a PITA, her name is Ellie Mae and she is my brothers herding Australian Shepard-Border Collie mix.
My brother is finishing up his degree (second one) at University of Montana in Missoula, his concentration is in Forestry. On the weekends he works at a ranch in Stevensville so I will be lucky enough to shadow him for the next two weekends. I hung out for a day in Missoula and decided to go camping while he was in school for a night.
Ninemile/Lolo Ranger Districts
Ninemile ranger district is about 20 minutes to half hour outside Missoula, take 90 West to the Ninemile exit and then follow the signs to the ranger station. The campgrounds are a ways beyond the ranger station. I had been out to Ninemile a year or so before, it is a great place for a hike or to camp. Kreis pond is the spot with real campsites, a couple vault toilets, picnic tables and fire rings. I went for a hike out there with Spencer's wife and the dogs the first day and then did some exploring the next day. The other dogs are Spencer's, both Ridgebacks.
After doing some exploration around Ninemile on my own I decided to explore somewhere else. Back on the 90 heading east there's a small town called Alberton, out of there you can catch Petty Creek Road which will take you all the way down to the 12. Petty creek is a long dirt road but there are some ranches on the way, at some points you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere until you come up on a big log Saloon called the Lumberjack. I didn't stop this time but had been there before, they have a lot of old neat chainsaws, the bar is made out of a single log that the saloon was built around way back in the day. It's def a place to check out. Once Petty Creek ended I took route 12 West towards Lee Creek Campground, it was quite a way as well but when I got there it was closed for the season. I back tracked a little and found a bridge over the creek, it was just another logging road in Montana that was open so I took my time and headed up it. I found a nice little spot next to the creek, perfect for the dog to run around. I got a fire going, cooked up some soup and grilled cheese and called it a day.
In the morning I did a little bit more exploring, the roads are very icy so I didn't want to go too far. Then I headed back to Missoula, it was Thursday and I would head to the ranch with my brother on Friday morning.
Ninemile ranger district is about 20 minutes to half hour outside Missoula, take 90 West to the Ninemile exit and then follow the signs to the ranger station. The campgrounds are a ways beyond the ranger station. I had been out to Ninemile a year or so before, it is a great place for a hike or to camp. Kreis pond is the spot with real campsites, a couple vault toilets, picnic tables and fire rings. I went for a hike out there with Spencer's wife and the dogs the first day and then did some exploring the next day. The other dogs are Spencer's, both Ridgebacks.
After doing some exploration around Ninemile on my own I decided to explore somewhere else. Back on the 90 heading east there's a small town called Alberton, out of there you can catch Petty Creek Road which will take you all the way down to the 12. Petty creek is a long dirt road but there are some ranches on the way, at some points you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere until you come up on a big log Saloon called the Lumberjack. I didn't stop this time but had been there before, they have a lot of old neat chainsaws, the bar is made out of a single log that the saloon was built around way back in the day. It's def a place to check out. Once Petty Creek ended I took route 12 West towards Lee Creek Campground, it was quite a way as well but when I got there it was closed for the season. I back tracked a little and found a bridge over the creek, it was just another logging road in Montana that was open so I took my time and headed up it. I found a nice little spot next to the creek, perfect for the dog to run around. I got a fire going, cooked up some soup and grilled cheese and called it a day.
In the morning I did a little bit more exploring, the roads are very icy so I didn't want to go too far. Then I headed back to Missoula, it was Thursday and I would head to the ranch with my brother on Friday morning.
Very elegant looking gal!
White Feather Ranch Part I
Friday morning we woke up early and headed out of Missoula, near Stevensville we grabbed breakfast at McDonalds and headed to the ranch. I had volunteered myself for the two weekends with no pay, it will be good to get out and do some manual labor, it's been 2 1/2 months since I've worked so I was excited. First thing in the morning is chores, feed all the animals and bucking hay. Once the chores are done we were able to do some other "fun" type of work.
A couple cottonwoods had fallen in the far end of the ranch so I got a little Stihl time in cutting them up. My brother manned the tractor and we got a big load in the dump truck and drove it out to the dump pile. The scenery around the ranch is gorgeous, the Bitterroot mountains as the backdrop.
The couple that my brother works with have a house on the ranch, they were nice enough to let me stay with them for a few days. Dan shot a duck on Saturday so we had duck that was cooked in a slow cooker for dinner, yum!
Friday morning we woke up early and headed out of Missoula, near Stevensville we grabbed breakfast at McDonalds and headed to the ranch. I had volunteered myself for the two weekends with no pay, it will be good to get out and do some manual labor, it's been 2 1/2 months since I've worked so I was excited. First thing in the morning is chores, feed all the animals and bucking hay. Once the chores are done we were able to do some other "fun" type of work.
A couple cottonwoods had fallen in the far end of the ranch so I got a little Stihl time in cutting them up. My brother manned the tractor and we got a big load in the dump truck and drove it out to the dump pile. The scenery around the ranch is gorgeous, the Bitterroot mountains as the backdrop.
The couple that my brother works with have a house on the ranch, they were nice enough to let me stay with them for a few days. Dan shot a duck on Saturday so we had duck that was cooked in a slow cooker for dinner, yum!
Placid Lake SP
After the weekend we headed back to Missoula, my bro is finishing his last week and a half of school. I hung around Missoula for a couple of days, walking the dog, doing a couple small hikes and such. Mid week I decided to head out for a couple days to explore and camp a little. My destination was Placid Lake State Park. Heading out of Missoula I took route 90 East and picked up the 200 NE in Bonner (which we like to pronounce ********** :xxrotflma). I took the 200 to the 83 at Clearwater Junction and followed that to Placid lake Road. Placid lake road is a dirt road that splits near the lake, there are camps and cabins lining the lake. After you pass the lake there is a right and a left and a straight you can take, there is endless possibilities in Montana for exploring, that is probably why AEV chose to have an office in Missoula. I took the right road and followed it for an hour or so, funny enough I had cell service the whole way and kept an eye on my GPS. I did a big loop through the park back roads and ended up back on 83. After passing Placid Lake again I setup camp at a little spot called Hidden lake, it was a full on campground off the beaten path and even had a vault!
The following day I was in the mood for more traveling. I continued on the straight road (Jacko Canyon) at the edge of Placid Lake, I knew it went into Arlee which is a small town in the Blackfoot Indian Res. It started snowing like crazy and the snow was getting deeper, I had no cell service nor chains and the roads were very icy. After 15 minutes of white knuckle driving with my rig sliding all around near a cliff above Upper and Lower Jacko Lakes I decided it wasn't worth the risk and turned around. I later found out the town was another 20 miles or more through this terrain, not really worth it in my eyes. I was happy to return to civilization and checked out a rad campground down near Clearwater Junction called Harpers Lake, I didn't stay there that night but it's on my list for next time.
After the weekend we headed back to Missoula, my bro is finishing his last week and a half of school. I hung around Missoula for a couple of days, walking the dog, doing a couple small hikes and such. Mid week I decided to head out for a couple days to explore and camp a little. My destination was Placid Lake State Park. Heading out of Missoula I took route 90 East and picked up the 200 NE in Bonner (which we like to pronounce ********** :xxrotflma). I took the 200 to the 83 at Clearwater Junction and followed that to Placid lake Road. Placid lake road is a dirt road that splits near the lake, there are camps and cabins lining the lake. After you pass the lake there is a right and a left and a straight you can take, there is endless possibilities in Montana for exploring, that is probably why AEV chose to have an office in Missoula. I took the right road and followed it for an hour or so, funny enough I had cell service the whole way and kept an eye on my GPS. I did a big loop through the park back roads and ended up back on 83. After passing Placid Lake again I setup camp at a little spot called Hidden lake, it was a full on campground off the beaten path and even had a vault!
The following day I was in the mood for more traveling. I continued on the straight road (Jacko Canyon) at the edge of Placid Lake, I knew it went into Arlee which is a small town in the Blackfoot Indian Res. It started snowing like crazy and the snow was getting deeper, I had no cell service nor chains and the roads were very icy. After 15 minutes of white knuckle driving with my rig sliding all around near a cliff above Upper and Lower Jacko Lakes I decided it wasn't worth the risk and turned around. I later found out the town was another 20 miles or more through this terrain, not really worth it in my eyes. I was happy to return to civilization and checked out a rad campground down near Clearwater Junction called Harpers Lake, I didn't stay there that night but it's on my list for next time.
bronco2guy
New member
Just read it all. Great pics.
I dream of taking a trip like this someday.
I dream of taking a trip like this someday.
Syncronicity
Observer
Great trip reporting. Read all 17 pages over the last couple days. Keep the updates coming. Subscribed.