Micro adventures of the NW rockies
- Thread starter MT6bt
- Start date
MT6bt
Rock hound
The hike was a success. I made it to my objective: specimen ridge. Indeed there was some nice large specimens of petrified wood.
The views were pretty spectacular, although quite dangerous.
This log is over 40" in diameter.
On the way back down, a welsome site was starting to appear!
Huckleberries! It is going to be a good year here in SW Montana due to the mild summer and decent amounts of precipitation.
I also noticed what i believe to be a massive edible mushroom, the bolete.
The underside is key for identification, although i am not 100% sure....so why tempt fate?!
The views were pretty spectacular, although quite dangerous.
This log is over 40" in diameter.
On the way back down, a welsome site was starting to appear!
Huckleberries! It is going to be a good year here in SW Montana due to the mild summer and decent amounts of precipitation.
I also noticed what i believe to be a massive edible mushroom, the bolete.
The underside is key for identification, although i am not 100% sure....so why tempt fate?!
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MT6bt
Rock hound
And now to leave the tom miner. Found a nice free campsite right on the yellowstone and indulge on some made from scratch eggs benedict with local ham n eggsThe hike was a success. I made it to my objective: specimen ridge. Indeed there was some nice large specimens of petrified wood.
Elwood is no small pup-he weighs in around 100 lbs, to give a size comparison:
The views were pretty spectacular, although pretty dangerous.
This log is over 40" in diametee.
On the way back down, a welsome site was starting to appear!
Huckleberries! It is going to be a good year here in SW Montana due to the mild summer and decent amounts of precipitation.
I also noticed what i believe to be a massive edible mushroom, the bolete.
The underside is key for identification, although i am not 100% sure....so why tempt fate?!
with a glass of drambuie too, why not? 
Dvsjw_Betterhalf
Observer
Great photos and what a beautiful place !! Hope to see it myself someday.
MT6bt
Rock hound
Thanks! One of the benefits of living in the area for a while and purchasing a couple nice topographic maps, I guess!
Jb1rd
Explorer
The Shep head tilt, miss my baby girl everyday!!! Thanks for posting these!!
I am not sure where else to post this so i will put it here and hope for the best.
My intentions of this thread are to display the various micro adventures near the area i reside-western Montana. Fortunately for me, the culture and history of the land is as interesting as the various ecosystems.
The vehicle: A 1998 dodge ram 2500HD cummins 12 valve. I chose this vehicle because of its incredible simplicity. The engine is practically bullet proof, has massive low end torque, and is suprisingly efficient. Parts are readily available, and has also been considered the best diesel engine to have ever been put into a fullsize truck. The frame and body? Eh, best not get into that...
I owned a 2000 toyota 4runner previously and was very impressed with its capabilities and quality overall. However, since there is no more economical version available stateside due to some oxymoronic emissions standards, i figured why not get a bigger vehicle that will achieve greater fuel economy?
Modifications are somewhat minor at the moment. A leveling kit, and i stuffed some nice Toyo A/T pizza cutters underneath for added traction and clearance(285/75/18E or 34.8" tall), rancho 9000XLs, air intake, larger compressor, pump work, 4" exhaust, yada yada...
My current camping setup is in its beta version.Basically just a platform on a 2x4 frame. The 3 range dualfuel coleman range has been awesome so far, and its dual fuel capabilities saved my rear end once already when camping 50 miles away from a sporting goods store!
The crew:
Myself and my two german shepherds, Elwood and Maya. I 'm not sure which i take more photos of, them or my truck, so I hope you like both!
MT6bt
Rock hound
Well i am going to try and keep the last few days as short and sweet as possible because I get to go and do some work tomorrow...
The last few days have been incredible! I managed to find an amazing free camp site right on the yellowstone that only has three camp spots permitted(more or less). I've tried and failed multiple times to stay here, but fortunately got lucky this time around.
The pups love it here and it is well off the beaten path, so im not afraid to let them be dogs and enjoy themselves to the fullest extent.
Shortly after setting up, an older gemtleman sporting a whicker cowboy hat driving a crossover inquired about camp spots: "there's only three here?" He asked....
"Yes, I guess so!"
Well, fortunately he was donning some Minnesota license plates(im a native minnesotan...you betcha, doncha know, eh!?) And struck up a quick conversation... shortly later realizing i havent had much opportunity in the last two weeks of much human interaction, I invited him to pitch up a tent in my spacious camp site.
For once i'm glad i listened to my intuition because the next two days were great! Craig T. ended up being a helluva stand up guy. He has been a professional musician since 1974. As a big fan of the arts-both culinary and music, we had plenty of great conversations, and even let me in on the most delicious cigars I have ever experienced!
I felt i needed to show him a part of Montana he has never seen before, so we took a trip up Emigrant gulch the next day.
The road starts off in Old Chico, a gold mining town started long ago(havent looked up history on it yet, hah!)
The township is still occupied and one of the land owners sided their shed in license plates. Very creative!
The road continues back into the Absarokas for several miles, traversing granite scree fields and mountains. It is absolutely amazing back here, as you can see!
Looking up at over a 50 degree angle into the upper reaches of some mountain spires-over 1000' above
The raspberries and huckleberries were in abundance and offered a great roadside snack!
More ghost towns!
The elusive me-not a selfie!
And my means of conveyance and my humble abode, of course..
After a long day like that called for the first shower in several days...fortunately, my ole truck has been customized with its very own shower!
Well, the last couple months have really been an amazing experience. It was a privilege being able to show around a fellow gaper to one of the many spots ive discovered in Montana since first moving here.
But now, it is off to.bed and back to work, so i can acquire some funding to help further fuel my desires for exploration!
The last few days have been incredible! I managed to find an amazing free camp site right on the yellowstone that only has three camp spots permitted(more or less). I've tried and failed multiple times to stay here, but fortunately got lucky this time around.
The pups love it here and it is well off the beaten path, so im not afraid to let them be dogs and enjoy themselves to the fullest extent
. Shortly after setting up, an older gemtleman sporting a whicker cowboy hat driving a crossover inquired about camp spots: "there's only three here?" He asked....
"Yes, I guess so!"
Well, fortunately he was donning some Minnesota license plates(im a native minnesotan...you betcha, doncha know, eh!?) And struck up a quick conversation... shortly later realizing i havent had much opportunity in the last two weeks of much human interaction, I invited him to pitch up a tent in my spacious camp site.
For once i'm glad i listened to my intuition because the next two days were great! Craig T. ended up being a helluva stand up guy. He has been a professional musician since 1974. As a big fan of the arts-both culinary and music, we had plenty of great conversations, and even let me in on the most delicious cigars I have ever experienced!
I felt i needed to show him a part of Montana he has never seen before, so we took a trip up Emigrant gulch the next day.
The road starts off in Old Chico, a gold mining town started long ago(havent looked up history on it yet, hah!)
The township is still occupied and one of the land owners sided their shed in license plates. Very creative!
The road continues back into the Absarokas for several miles, traversing granite scree fields and mountains. It is absolutely amazing back here, as you can see!
Looking up at over a 50 degree angle into the upper reaches of some mountain spires-over 1000' above
The raspberries and huckleberries were in abundance and offered a great roadside snack!
More ghost towns!
The elusive me-not a selfie!
And my means of conveyance and my humble abode, of course..
After a long day like that called for the first shower in several days...fortunately, my ole truck has been customized with its very own shower!
Well, the last couple months have really been an amazing experience. It was a privilege being able to show around a fellow gaper to one of the many spots ive discovered in Montana since first moving here.
But now, it is off to.bed and back to work, so i can acquire some funding to help further fuel my desires for exploration!
theburtseoni
Observer
Elwood's head tilt and look is priceless! You have the right truck for the job, and your camera phone does not do too bad at taking pics, they were great for the most part. It will be fun to see your next adventure!! :ylsmoke: