My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

JD.....fortunately Expedition Portal limits the number of pictures that I can post so that keeps me in line. Regarding the routes traveled, although I didn't pull my atlas out, I'm guessing that I've traveled those routes in past years. Cody is a great little town.....that's where 2wheelBob (XP member) and his wife live.....I wonder if he ever retired.....

tgil.....Yukon is wrapped in her $8 Walmart throw blanket that I bought for the trip north. She just loves sleeping under a blanket.....

galvyork.....agreed.....they are amazing and I plan to be back summer, 2020. I'll pass through Montana, and it will be hard to leave, but I think I'm headed way north next year (or maybe not).....




The following day we arrived at customs for our reentry into the U.S.A. We sat in a long, slow moving line of non commercial vehicles and from that vantage point we watched a short, fast moving line of commercial trucks (and I thought trailers as I saw 2 trailers use that lane). I decided to switch lanes.....bad move.....



It's funny how much first impressions actually mean. The customs agent was gruff and his first words were "what are you doing in my lane ? Can't you see the signs ? Are you on drugs ? You got drugs in that camper ? What's wrong with you ?". After the berating was completed, I explained that I'd seen two other trailers use "his" lane and therefore I simply followed all the other buffalo off the cliff ! Fortunately Tanner decided to stick his head out the window and conversation quickly turned to bird hunting (something I know nothing about but was quick to say "hell yea bird hunting !"). So my first impression of America was not so good.....what was I getting myself into.....



And this sign answered the question.....



Our first stop was lunch in Shelby, Montana. This town is the real deal when it comes to "cowboy town". No city boys dressed up in cowboy hats and boots here.....



We walked Main Street as I do in most small towns. Main Street speaks to me.....





So we've been driving south but we'd yet to find 70 degrees.....heck, we hadn't even found 40 degrees.....our visit was short and we were back on the interstate.....





That night was spent in Great Falls, Montana at the local Walmart. Our neighbor sure did like his generator(s). I've yet to use mine since it's purchase February, 2018.....



Up the following morning and right back onto the interstate.....the drive was beautiful, the road was clear of ice and snow.....and the temperatures slowly rose.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The next night was spent at yet one more Walmart parking lot in Helena, Montana.....I was looking for 70 degrees.....not scenic spots to spend the evening and night. I spotted this abandoned truck camper while on a walk and for the life of me I can not figure out the section that sits above the truck cab. How could you possibly fit in there ? I'm still perplexed about this.....



From Helena, Montana we drove southeast to Bozeman, Montana.....



I hadn't planned to stop in Bozeman but the weather forecast was good.....and I thought it would be nice to hang out with friends before I would spend the coming months alone with the dogs. Bozeman has one of my favorite Main Streets in all of America.....





I stayed busy here.....looked at some real estate.....and hung out at my favorite coffee shop.....





This old guy (wearing just a tee shirt.....it was 70 degrees briefly) has become a fixture on Main Street.....I finally decided to add him to my blog.....



The dogs and I walk Main Street quite often when in town.....



I noticed that the Fly Shop got a new mural on their building.....I liked it.....



After a week in Bozeman, I was ready to get back on the road. The last night there I hung out with a friend, dropped him off at his home, headed back to Walmart for the night, and the next day we would head south. I'll miss that sense of community.....and I'll miss time spent with familiar faces.....but then this is my life.....

 

[dwh]

That camper roof goes up, like an Alaskan. Look through the big side window and you can see the side of the base box.

 

[longhorn1]

Customs can be interesting going either way. In 2015 going into Canada at Windsor, the Canadian official asked if we had been to Canada and we forgot we had gone to Vancouver in 2010. He asked a good half a dozen times and we blanked it. Well that pissed him off and he sent us under the building where they pulled everything out of the truck and camper. Took us 45 minutes to re-pack, then they sent us in for a background check. 1-1/2 hours later we were on our way. Returning to the US, a customs worker with a vest and waved us by the long line down where the semi's go. I asked her twice and she said yes, it would be way quicker. Well the US Agent had a fit and went off on us even when I told him that a women in a vest directed us. After a while he mellowed out and we were through. Crazy. jd

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

dwh.....I did notice that but the thing that baffled me was that the cab over section was maybe only 12 inches in height and once it was lifted I was thinking that it would be maybe 24 inches in height. That seems way small to me but then maybe that's because I have 48 inches of headroom and I'm spoiled.....


JD.....yep you never know what you'll get when you cross a border, even when it's your home country.....




I left Bozeman one afternoon and the brief 70 degrees that I mentioned previously were long gone.....it was snowing pretty good that day we left Bozeman. We drove south passing through the western lands of Yellowstone National Park.....



The snow now was really coming down hard as we passed Big Sky, Montana. I've never had any issues with my rig in the snow but my preference is always to drive on dry pavement. Eventually we left Montana behind, drove into Idaho, and later that day we also left the snow behind.....





We stayed at yet one more Walmart that night.....this one was in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The following morning we pushed south, connected with Interstate 15 south, and continued onwards. We stopped to stretch our legs.....I believe it was in Pocatello, Idaho and came across this quite amazing cemetery.....



This cemetery was almost like a park, as strange as that might sound. It was beautifully landscaped.....that building had kind of an eerie feeling to it. This tablet explained it's existence.....



Maybe I had Halloween on my mind.....who knows.....



An hour later we were back on the interstate driving south once again. We left Idaho behind and drove into northern Utah.....



We stopped in Brigham, Utah with the idea of staying the night in their Walmart and we spent that evening walking around Main Street as honestly at this point I was getting sick of Walmart parking lots (but damn they're easy and convenient) and I wanted as little time as possible there.....



Utah is known for so many amazing places but I guess it's appropriate to say that Utah is also known for its beautiful LDS churches. And of course Brigham, Utah had them and they were right on Main Street.....





We left the Walmart parking lot early the next morning, back on the interstate and driving south of course, and thankfully this will be our last Walmart for a good while (I hope).....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Our next night was spent camped north of Provo, Utah at the Point of the Mountain Flight Park. This free camp spot owned by the BLM was really magnificent. It's real purpose is to provide a spot for paragliders and in the morning the parking lot began to fill as the snow flurries fell.....



There were maybe 20 other RVs camped here but most people seemed to stay inside their RVs as opposed to checking the place out so we mostly had the entire grounds to ourselves.....



The views overlooking Provo, Utah and Utah Lake were killer.....



In the morning we visited Provo.....a stop at REI first and then visited the climbing gym next door. Man, things have changed over the years.....so much for the better.....its been 20 years since my sons and I belonged to a climbing gym.....





Then tire rotations and break checks on both vehicles at Les Schwab. If you don't use Les Schwab, I think you should. This service is free and their service is always the best (I am not an influencer).....



Typically at this point I would continue south down the interstate or maybe head east into the mountains.....the mountains of Utah are the best.....





.....but this time I thought I'd do neither.....and so it was that we took Highway 6 and drove west into the desert. What a lonely road it was.....



Just me, the dogs, and occasionally the antelope.....

 

[longhorn1]

Nice little trek. Homestead Pass on I-90 got heavy snow and a big wreck, semi jack knifed 2 days ago.

 

[dwh]

Mebbe the cab overhang has foldup sides like an Alaskan...

 

[180out]

love HWY 6.

 

[CSG]

Jerry, just want to post how much I enjoy your posts here. I only drop by now and then but as an Idahoan who knows much of the country you've traveled, I enjoy reading your take on things. It's been since summer that I've taken a trip and I'm getting all itchy; just in time for winter...

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

JD.....I'm happy to be away from the snow but I've yet to escape the cold. It seems to be following me south.....

DWH.....yep, that could be the case. I really love the old truck campers.....

180out.....this is my first time on U.S. Highway 6 and I too loved it. I connected with U.S. Highway 6 in Santaquin, Utah and headed west.....

CSG.....I know the "all itchy" feeling quite well. Fighting it will lead to depression so I suggest you hit the road. Thanks for the nice feedback as I really do appreciate it.....



After so many nights spent at Walmarts, and a few too many miles on the interstate, U.S. Highway 6 was the perfect medicine for what ailed me. One doesn't have to drive too far off Interstate 15 before you'll find yourself in the middle of nowhere.....and that's exactly the "medicine" that I just spoke of. I made a quick stop in Delta, Utah.....the only real town that we passed through on day one off the main north / south corridor of Interstate 15. I thought about staying in town for a night, but after looking around for maybe 5 minutes, we were back in the truck driving west.....a good decision it was.....



We spent that night on BLM property just to the west of Sevier Lake.....



Here we found near silence.....we were just far enough off the highway to escape the sounds of the rarely passing cars and trucks.....and those sounds were replaced by the birds that soared overhead.....it was blissful to say the least.....



The wings of the Ravens made a whooshing sound when they flew overhead as they inspected and welcomed the newcomers.....



Then the sun finally set and there was complete silence.....



A man's soul definitely needs a dose of this from time to time.....



I think it was a quarter moon but I don't recall for certain but there was just enough light for a night walk.....no headlamp required.....



Sometimes I have trouble sleeping cause I'm just too excited to get out and explore, and our first night here was one of those nights. The sun could not rise soon enough for me.....and here I heard the yelping and howling of the coyotes which came with the impending sunrise.....



It was cold that morning so I bundled up and we went out early to explore our surroundings and we started by walking the gravel road that headed south.....



Tanner had longed for this.....a place where he was free to roam off leash and explore to his hearts desire.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We also hiked up into the mountains to see what we could see.....



I'm typically not looking for anything in particular.....I just love looking.....



The crevasses in the rock ledges seemed to be filled with life. At one point I was startled by a rodent when I stuck my nose a bit too close to his nest. Fortunately it wasn't a rattler, something I need to be more aware of.....



We hiked down to the lake bed.....the lake bed was damp but we didn't encounter a drop of water. The light played games with my eyes from above the lake bed.... sometimes the lake bed looked blue as if filled with water and at other times as white as you see in the picture.....



Then another restful night.....and another beautiful sunrise.....



I couldn't remember the last time I picked up trash so I spent nearly an entire day cleaning up 5 miles of BLM roads.....



Unfortunately we couldn't take Poor Boy along.....



We spent 3 days here and then we were back on U.S. Highway 6 continuing west.....



Eventually we left Utah as we entered a new time zone at the state line with Nevada.....



Highway 6 was turning out to be a fantastic decision.....

 

[tgil]

Yukon scratching her back on the dry lake bed is greatness! Curious, how do identify BLM land? Is it clearly marked on maps? Being in Texas, where most everything is private, it would be a rare find to stumble across much that isn't fenced. Also like that pic of your rig, just after the ravens. I could see that on a billboard! Tanner...goes without saying...makes any pic worth posting!

 

[180out]

be sure to turn right on 379 and check out duckwater springs. a great place to swim and the dogs are welcome. the locals have done a great job fixing the place up.

 

[Ace Brown]

Edward Abbey has a Line in one of his books that goes like this: “the coyotes howled the sun down”. For you they howled the sun up.

I’ve camped along 6 several times. I’ve been told people drive out on the “dry lakes” along there and often regret it.


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