Ha! I want the mountains. My wife is a native Texan (San Antonio) and UT grad. Every March we return to Texas for 3-4 weeks. It gets harder leaving for her leaving to return to Indiana. Mountains and Texas will never happen. Children and Grandkids will keep us in Indiana until the end.
My Journey
- Thread starter YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
- Start date
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Riversdad.....there's a part of me that would love to stay and there's a part of me that needs to go. I'll post once again that quote that best describes who I am.....
"Descending from the heights we met the first blade of grass and the first flower, and finally the slopes were hairy with sage brush. Perhaps our passage from the cold upper reaches to the familiar earth had been too rapid; as I looked back at the lonely peaks, then at the huts and fields below where people groped their whole lives away. Torn between contentment and longing, caught between two worlds, one that possessed me, yet could never be more than a passing phase, and that other which is a part of human existence, I yearned to retain my dual identity." George B. Schaller........Stones of Silence, Journeys in the Himalayas
BigDawwg.....it's a cabin.....not a house.....I think maybe.....
tgil.....yea, I miss those guys tremendously. Yukon was the ultimate travel & climbing buddy. Montana was just an all around best friend.....
Ace.....see below.....
JD.....sometimes I post up about how much I miss community. I've traded so much for the lifestyle that I chose. I'm often inspired when I read about explorers such as Ernest Shackleton who would leave their families and community for years on end. I'm not sure if there's a right answer.....I just don't know.....
Not sure what to write here.....but just had to share these pictures before we move on.....me in the crawl space.....dogs trying to figure out how to come down.....
And the day finally came and the time finally came.....
The truck & camper packed.....the fuel tanks filled.....the Jeep attached.....
We took a last walk out into the field.....
The three of us.....just thankful.....
"Descending from the heights we met the first blade of grass and the first flower, and finally the slopes were hairy with sage brush. Perhaps our passage from the cold upper reaches to the familiar earth had been too rapid; as I looked back at the lonely peaks, then at the huts and fields below where people groped their whole lives away. Torn between contentment and longing, caught between two worlds, one that possessed me, yet could never be more than a passing phase, and that other which is a part of human existence, I yearned to retain my dual identity." George B. Schaller........Stones of Silence, Journeys in the Himalayas
BigDawwg.....it's a cabin.....not a house.....I think maybe.....
tgil.....yea, I miss those guys tremendously. Yukon was the ultimate travel & climbing buddy. Montana was just an all around best friend.....
Ace.....see below.....
JD.....sometimes I post up about how much I miss community. I've traded so much for the lifestyle that I chose. I'm often inspired when I read about explorers such as Ernest Shackleton who would leave their families and community for years on end. I'm not sure if there's a right answer.....I just don't know.....
Not sure what to write here.....but just had to share these pictures before we move on.....me in the crawl space.....dogs trying to figure out how to come down.....
And the day finally came and the time finally came.....
The truck & camper packed.....the fuel tanks filled.....the Jeep attached.....
We took a last walk out into the field.....
The three of us.....just thankful.....
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GregSplett
Adventurer
Longing...always longing. Longing and sacrifice do go hand in hand but you kind of knew that. Congrats on the cabin I hope it is and becomes everything you want it to be. I think the boys are realy wondering how in the heck would I get beck out of there regardless luv the look on their faces.
VA-CMac
Member
********….so true!! I’ve seen people trying to install one lightbulb in the dark have serious spatial issues.
Sierra Valley
Wander
Yes happy to hear you are hitting the road!
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Ace.....I have no idea how long this one is gonna be.....maybe it's just a weekend outing.....one day at a time.....
Greg.....thanks on the cabin.....it's turned out to be the perfect place to call Base Camp.....
VA-CMac.....It was hard to imagine.....even harder to believe that we actually got it done.....
Sierra Valley.....Day One feels pretty darn good.....thanks.....
The day started early with the clattering sound of a malfunctioning fan in the heater.....it was 4:00 a.m. when we began our final preparations.....
The fan ? Who knows.....I turned the heater off.....I'm a little worried about tonight actually.....possibly a night with no heat.....
I'll be honest with you.....it was tough to leave.....I went inside to have a last look.....
The dogs of course were right there with me.....
The single bedroom.....
.....still not a night spent there.....
The dogs climbed into the truck.....the great thing about dogs.....always ready to go.....
We drove south in the darkness and I had this odd unsettling feeling in my stomach.....six months of hard work.....now it was time to play.....
We sure did miss the rivers and you bet the dogs were right in it.....
We stopped often when the sun rose.....and it was wonderful to be back out on the road again.....we had some plans for the remainder of the day.....
Greg.....thanks on the cabin.....it's turned out to be the perfect place to call Base Camp.....
VA-CMac.....It was hard to imagine.....even harder to believe that we actually got it done.....
Sierra Valley.....Day One feels pretty darn good.....thanks.....
The day started early with the clattering sound of a malfunctioning fan in the heater.....it was 4:00 a.m. when we began our final preparations.....
The fan ? Who knows.....I turned the heater off.....I'm a little worried about tonight actually.....possibly a night with no heat.....
I'll be honest with you.....it was tough to leave.....I went inside to have a last look.....
The dogs of course were right there with me.....
The single bedroom.....
.....still not a night spent there.....
The dogs climbed into the truck.....the great thing about dogs.....always ready to go.....
We drove south in the darkness and I had this odd unsettling feeling in my stomach.....six months of hard work.....now it was time to play.....
We sure did miss the rivers and you bet the dogs were right in it.....
We stopped often when the sun rose.....and it was wonderful to be back out on the road again.....we had some plans for the remainder of the day.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
We passed through the small town of West Yellowstone and then drove east into the park.....
Buffalo were abundant.....
.....and the tourists were well behaved.....I didn't see a single tourist misbehaving.....I didn't see a single tourist being being flipped twenty feet into the air by an angry buffalo.....
It's been years I think since I've actually stopped in Yellowstone National Park.....I've passed through many times.....I'm just unable to handle the crowds. This year was different.....so late in the season.....
We stopped often and I was able to walk the trails & boardwalks and I actually enjoyed myself.....no attitude here.....
The weather was near perfect topping out at fifty five degrees.....
Buffalo were abundant.....
.....and the tourists were well behaved.....I didn't see a single tourist misbehaving.....I didn't see a single tourist being being flipped twenty feet into the air by an angry buffalo.....
It's been years I think since I've actually stopped in Yellowstone National Park.....I've passed through many times.....I'm just unable to handle the crowds. This year was different.....so late in the season.....
We stopped often and I was able to walk the trails & boardwalks and I actually enjoyed myself.....no attitude here.....
The weather was near perfect topping out at fifty five degrees.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Arjan.....thanks so much & will do. A storm moved in last night and the rains continue today.....so.....
I received a text message not too long after we'd hit the road.....a friend was asking if we had left yet and I replied that indeed we had.....
She then asked where we were and I told her close to West Yellowstone.....and she then said something like what the heck last night you said you were taking the north entrance.....
You see that's the beauty of wandering.....plans are not really plans.....plans are nothing more than ideas.....
The north entrance to Yellowstone National Park is by far my favorite route through the park.....nothing beats the Lamar Valley.....wolves & grizzlies & plenty of other wildlife are often seen here.....
Just before we departed Base Camp, I decided to check the current road conditions in Yellowstone National Park and found that the road which turns south to the west of Lamar Valley was already closed for the winter.....therefore we changed our plan, or maybe better said, we changed our idea of a route to take south, like almost immediately.....
I received a text message not too long after we'd hit the road.....a friend was asking if we had left yet and I replied that indeed we had.....
She then asked where we were and I told her close to West Yellowstone.....and she then said something like what the heck last night you said you were taking the north entrance.....
You see that's the beauty of wandering.....plans are not really plans.....plans are nothing more than ideas.....
The north entrance to Yellowstone National Park is by far my favorite route through the park.....nothing beats the Lamar Valley.....wolves & grizzlies & plenty of other wildlife are often seen here.....
Just before we departed Base Camp, I decided to check the current road conditions in Yellowstone National Park and found that the road which turns south to the west of Lamar Valley was already closed for the winter.....therefore we changed our plan, or maybe better said, we changed our idea of a route to take south, like almost immediately.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
We spent the better portion of the morning and a good bit of the afternoon exploring the geysers & hot springs.....
Every stop.....and I do mean every stop.....included a solo walk along a boardwalk or trail then followed by a walk with the dogs along the parking lots & roads.....
It was time consuming to say the least but I just don't get folks that can come here and leave their dogs alone in their vehicles for the better part of a day.....just not a part of my DNA.....
I took this picture for XP member Foy.....not sure if that guy is still around XP.....we need an education.....
It was maybe 2 p.m. when we finally arrived at Old Faithful.....we didn't hang out long enough to see an eruption from one of the nearby benches.....I did catch it just as we pulled out of the lot.....
We had miles to go.....we still had plans (ideas).....
Every stop.....and I do mean every stop.....included a solo walk along a boardwalk or trail then followed by a walk with the dogs along the parking lots & roads.....
It was time consuming to say the least but I just don't get folks that can come here and leave their dogs alone in their vehicles for the better part of a day.....just not a part of my DNA.....
I took this picture for XP member Foy.....not sure if that guy is still around XP.....we need an education.....
It was maybe 2 p.m. when we finally arrived at Old Faithful.....we didn't hang out long enough to see an eruption from one of the nearby benches.....I did catch it just as we pulled out of the lot.....
We had miles to go.....we still had plans (ideas).....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Out of Old Faithful the road goes east.....we crossed the Continental Divide several times.....I think maybe three.....
We made yet one more stop to play in the snow.....brought back memories of Yukon's last days traveling with us.....
Eventually we connected with Highway 191.....still in Yellowstone National Park.....we turned right at the intersection and headed due south.....
As we descended a mountain ridgeline we took notice of Yellowstone Lake far away to the east.....
Magical.....definitely magical.....majestic.....definitely majestic.....
We continued south finally leaving Yellowstone National Park and entering John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Parkway.....and it was along this roadway that we took a turn west onto a gravel road where we subsequently spent our first night in the wilderness.....
.....along the shores of the Snake River.....one of my favorite spots in all of North America to stay.....I can't believe how long it's been since I've been here.....life passes by so fast.....
We made yet one more stop to play in the snow.....brought back memories of Yukon's last days traveling with us.....
Eventually we connected with Highway 191.....still in Yellowstone National Park.....we turned right at the intersection and headed due south.....
As we descended a mountain ridgeline we took notice of Yellowstone Lake far away to the east.....
Magical.....definitely magical.....majestic.....definitely majestic.....
We continued south finally leaving Yellowstone National Park and entering John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Parkway.....and it was along this roadway that we took a turn west onto a gravel road where we subsequently spent our first night in the wilderness.....
.....along the shores of the Snake River.....one of my favorite spots in all of North America to stay.....I can't believe how long it's been since I've been here.....life passes by so fast.....