My Journey
- Thread starter YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
- Start date
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
ITTOG.....agreed.....
PNWY.....Wyoming .....it's a real nice place.....
Foy.....it went well for us other than the north side road being covered in snow & ice. I'm not real comfortable in that rig of mine in that situation....fortunately, it being so late in the season, we had the place to ourselves.....
A brief stop at Fiddlers Lake was next.....
Yet another brief stop at the Little Popo Agie River crossing.....
And then a stop at Louis Lake.....
Here.....we actually took some time to explore our surroundings.....there's a lodge here with a half dozen or so rental log cabins (everything appeared boarded up for the winter season).....as well as the Louis Lake Guard Station.....
As we continued along, we exited the dense pine forest and next found this area with these amazing rock formations.....here we stopped the longest.....these rocks spoke to me. This was probably the most emotional moment of my inaugural trip after having survived two surgeries. More than anything I wanted to leave the rig behind.....I wanted to explore those amazing rock formations.....I wanted to crawl, walk, hike & climb.....yet I couldn't. My love for adventure is not satisfied by driving a Jeep off road.....it never has been. For me, it's always been about the boots.....the boots on the ground.....and so I can hope that this new reality is only temporary.....cause hope is all I got right now.....
PNWY.....Wyoming .....it's a real nice place.....
Foy.....it went well for us other than the north side road being covered in snow & ice. I'm not real comfortable in that rig of mine in that situation....fortunately, it being so late in the season, we had the place to ourselves.....
A brief stop at Fiddlers Lake was next.....
Yet another brief stop at the Little Popo Agie River crossing.....
And then a stop at Louis Lake.....
Here.....we actually took some time to explore our surroundings.....there's a lodge here with a half dozen or so rental log cabins (everything appeared boarded up for the winter season).....as well as the Louis Lake Guard Station.....
As we continued along, we exited the dense pine forest and next found this area with these amazing rock formations.....here we stopped the longest.....these rocks spoke to me. This was probably the most emotional moment of my inaugural trip after having survived two surgeries. More than anything I wanted to leave the rig behind.....I wanted to explore those amazing rock formations.....I wanted to crawl, walk, hike & climb.....yet I couldn't. My love for adventure is not satisfied by driving a Jeep off road.....it never has been. For me, it's always been about the boots.....the boots on the ground.....and so I can hope that this new reality is only temporary.....cause hope is all I got right now.....
You discovered the granites of the Louis Lake Batholith, a body of intrusive igneous rocks approximately 2.6 billion years old and related to the more widespread outcrops of the Sweetwater Mountains granite exposed in the Sweetwater Mountains at the Independence Rock and Martin Cove historic sites. Your itch to get boots on the ground is well founded--the Louis Lake exposures are a magnet for climbers.
I can still feel the apprehension we experienced between Blue Ridge and Louis Lake, where at the gate just before the lake comes into view we realized we'd made it through and would not need to drop the trailer and turn back to Lander. The two or three oncoming trucks and motorcycles we encountered had (appropriately) given us the "WTH?" look.
I can still feel the apprehension we experienced between Blue Ridge and Louis Lake, where at the gate just before the lake comes into view we realized we'd made it through and would not need to drop the trailer and turn back to Lander. The two or three oncoming trucks and motorcycles we encountered had (appropriately) given us the "WTH?" look.
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Arjan.....I see someone that identifies as an Overlander as being someone that focuses primarily on their vehicle & their travel by vehicle. Basically their enjoyment & contentment is found through & by their vehicle. I'd say that I'm just the opposite of that as the vehicle, for me, is simply the means to get somewhere to start my adventures. I'm a truck camper guy.....for nearly 20 years now.....and that's it.....
Foy.....as you well know, that picture does not show the scale of just how large those cliffs are. Those cliffs are massive and I'll bet one could spend days just right there exploring as there are multiple formations just like the one shown in the picture. I'd try to stick my head in every nook & cranny if given the chance one day.....
Ace.....I actually thought about you guys when I was driving that road and wondered if you'd taken that route.....it was beautiful, but honestly, Union Pass was much more so.....
We came off the mountain pass with plans to see more of the Wind River Mountain Range....as we now planned to explore the opposite side of the mountain.....I wanted to see and experience as much as might be possible while still riding in a Jeep. A quick look at the map resulted in a quick decision to visit the Big Sandy Trailhead, but there were 2 small towns on the map that also caught my attention.....so we then made yet another quick decision to make a small detour to visit those towns first.....
First up was Atlantic City.....maybe only a 15 minute drive from our current location.....the Loop Road & Highway 28.....
I knew nothing about these towns prior to our visit.....no Googling beforehand.....they were simply labeled dots on a map that intrigued me.....and I don't know why.....
As I pulled into town, I could only wonder what was the draw for people to live here (or to visit here for that matter). As I drove through town, I noticed a guy on a ladder working on his stone cabin.....there was a sign in the front yard that read "Cabin For Rent". The guy next door had a huge homemade sign in his front yard that read "GO AWAY". As they say in real estate....."location is everything".....
I'm fairly certain that we didn't bother to even get out of the truck while visiting Atlantic City.....I really saw no reason to.....there was nothing there. The next town to visit was South Pass City, not more than a 10 minute drive away.....we stopped along the way to admire this gold mine / processing center (or whatever it is).....closed for the season was a perfect excuse to move on.....quickly.....
We pulled into South Pass City, parked the truck along the main road, and commenced to walk through town.....
.....a dog barked, a homeowner came out and eyed us from the porch.....for way, way too long.....we moved the truck to downtown.....
Here we met one of the 3 dogs in town.....much friendlier than the guy on the porch.....we walked through town.....then we moved on.....
Foy.....as you well know, that picture does not show the scale of just how large those cliffs are. Those cliffs are massive and I'll bet one could spend days just right there exploring as there are multiple formations just like the one shown in the picture. I'd try to stick my head in every nook & cranny if given the chance one day.....
Ace.....I actually thought about you guys when I was driving that road and wondered if you'd taken that route.....it was beautiful, but honestly, Union Pass was much more so.....
We came off the mountain pass with plans to see more of the Wind River Mountain Range....as we now planned to explore the opposite side of the mountain.....I wanted to see and experience as much as might be possible while still riding in a Jeep. A quick look at the map resulted in a quick decision to visit the Big Sandy Trailhead, but there were 2 small towns on the map that also caught my attention.....so we then made yet another quick decision to make a small detour to visit those towns first.....
First up was Atlantic City.....maybe only a 15 minute drive from our current location.....the Loop Road & Highway 28.....
I knew nothing about these towns prior to our visit.....no Googling beforehand.....they were simply labeled dots on a map that intrigued me.....and I don't know why.....
As I pulled into town, I could only wonder what was the draw for people to live here (or to visit here for that matter). As I drove through town, I noticed a guy on a ladder working on his stone cabin.....there was a sign in the front yard that read "Cabin For Rent". The guy next door had a huge homemade sign in his front yard that read "GO AWAY". As they say in real estate....."location is everything".....
I'm fairly certain that we didn't bother to even get out of the truck while visiting Atlantic City.....I really saw no reason to.....there was nothing there. The next town to visit was South Pass City, not more than a 10 minute drive away.....we stopped along the way to admire this gold mine / processing center (or whatever it is).....closed for the season was a perfect excuse to move on.....quickly.....
We pulled into South Pass City, parked the truck along the main road, and commenced to walk through town.....
.....a dog barked, a homeowner came out and eyed us from the porch.....for way, way too long.....we moved the truck to downtown.....
Here we met one of the 3 dogs in town.....much friendlier than the guy on the porch.....we walked through town.....then we moved on.....
ITTOG
Well-known member
That is funny. I bet those guys don't get each other Christmas cards.
Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk
Beautiful. Mountains in the background and beauty all around is its own medicine.
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Ace.....sounds like it's closed for good.....probably not a bad idea.....
ITTOG.....I thought the same.....it'd be hard to find a worse neighbor in that situation.....
JD.....it was.....
We reconnected with Highway 26 south of town and then headed further south. The plan now was to take the next county road that we crossed, to the base of the Wind River Mountain Range, and then continue onwards & up into the mountains.....
The highway was hypnotic.....slight turns to the left and right.....small rises and falls in the pavement.....and vistas that went on for miles & miles.....
At some point along that highway, I realized that I missed the planned turn off. We were nearly into Farson, Wyoming before we finally turned off that highway.....and headed back towards the mountains.....
Now we were into wing it mode.....I could see the mountains tens of miles away so we just followed random county roads, all dirt and gravel, that took us closer to the mountains.....
We passed a small reservoir, and chose to continue on.....maybe 5 more miles of driving.....then we stumbled onto the Big Sandy Reservoir.....
It was peaceful here.....very, very peaceful.....vistas that went on forever......it was everything that we might have hoped for in a campsite.....so we decided to camp here.....
The following morning.....we were ready to explore.....
ITTOG.....I thought the same.....it'd be hard to find a worse neighbor in that situation.....
JD.....it was.....
We reconnected with Highway 26 south of town and then headed further south. The plan now was to take the next county road that we crossed, to the base of the Wind River Mountain Range, and then continue onwards & up into the mountains.....
The highway was hypnotic.....slight turns to the left and right.....small rises and falls in the pavement.....and vistas that went on for miles & miles.....
At some point along that highway, I realized that I missed the planned turn off. We were nearly into Farson, Wyoming before we finally turned off that highway.....and headed back towards the mountains.....
Now we were into wing it mode.....I could see the mountains tens of miles away so we just followed random county roads, all dirt and gravel, that took us closer to the mountains.....
We passed a small reservoir, and chose to continue on.....maybe 5 more miles of driving.....then we stumbled onto the Big Sandy Reservoir.....
It was peaceful here.....very, very peaceful.....vistas that went on forever......it was everything that we might have hoped for in a campsite.....so we decided to camp here.....
The following morning.....we were ready to explore.....
DTAdventure
Well-known member
Stunning pictures. A good sunset (or sunrise, for that matter) always catches my attention. Thank you for sharing.
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
DTAdventures.....welcome & thanks & it's my pleasure.....I enjoy telling the story.....
We chose a spot along the side of the mostly graveled road that ran close by the shoreline of the Big Sandy Reservoir....at the crest of a small rise in the road.....cause the views from here were simply astonishing.....
Below the rise that was our chosen campsite, was a newly constructed, no fee BLM campground.....maybe a dozen or so campsites no more than a quarter mile away.....it was built on a small peninsula with campfire rings, picnic tables, and a newly installed privy.....we preferred the simplicity of our campsite on the side of that mostly graveled road.....
Finally.....we had found that place where we were alone.....the place that I had been searching for since we left the Montana cabin behind.....well, mostly alone anyhow. There was the occasional rancher that passed us by.....
First I'd hear the sound of the clanking goose neck trailer being pulled by the flatbed pickup truck as it approached us.....they'd pass us by with a wave, and always with a cattle dog hanging out the passanger window.....or possibly riding on the flatbed in the back.....
But those intrusions were rare here.....mostly humans didn't seem to come.....nearby was a small herd of wild horses.....we visited them often as we enjoyed getting out & walking along those deserted roadways that followed the lakes' shoreline.....
Antelope roamed here too.....I got the feeling that they were stressed this year.....moreso than I've ever seen before.....on the move much more than I'm accustomed to seeing. Maybe it was the residual effects of the harsh winter that they had just lived through.....one of the worst that they've endured for decades.....a winter that claimed thousands of lives.....maybe they fear another.....
The large body of water attracted many types of waterfowl.....often we startled the unexpected mallard feeding in the marshy areas along the banks of the lake.....and overhead the flocks of geese honked as they traveled south looking for friendlier climates.....
We chose a spot along the side of the mostly graveled road that ran close by the shoreline of the Big Sandy Reservoir....at the crest of a small rise in the road.....cause the views from here were simply astonishing.....
Below the rise that was our chosen campsite, was a newly constructed, no fee BLM campground.....maybe a dozen or so campsites no more than a quarter mile away.....it was built on a small peninsula with campfire rings, picnic tables, and a newly installed privy.....we preferred the simplicity of our campsite on the side of that mostly graveled road.....
Finally.....we had found that place where we were alone.....the place that I had been searching for since we left the Montana cabin behind.....well, mostly alone anyhow. There was the occasional rancher that passed us by.....
First I'd hear the sound of the clanking goose neck trailer being pulled by the flatbed pickup truck as it approached us.....they'd pass us by with a wave, and always with a cattle dog hanging out the passanger window.....or possibly riding on the flatbed in the back.....
But those intrusions were rare here.....mostly humans didn't seem to come.....nearby was a small herd of wild horses.....we visited them often as we enjoyed getting out & walking along those deserted roadways that followed the lakes' shoreline.....
Antelope roamed here too.....I got the feeling that they were stressed this year.....moreso than I've ever seen before.....on the move much more than I'm accustomed to seeing. Maybe it was the residual effects of the harsh winter that they had just lived through.....one of the worst that they've endured for decades.....a winter that claimed thousands of lives.....maybe they fear another.....
The large body of water attracted many types of waterfowl.....often we startled the unexpected mallard feeding in the marshy areas along the banks of the lake.....and overhead the flocks of geese honked as they traveled south looking for friendlier climates.....
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YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
The smooth surface of the lake changed faces often as it mirrored the ever changing skies.....
That smooth surface was occasionally broken when a fish would grab an insect and leave that small, circular ripple in the lakes' surface.....
Our campsite was on the eastern side of the lake so we got colorful sunsets that reflected onto the lakes' surface.....you get black & white.....
I think I could have walked these roads forever.....
.....but we came here for the mountains.....so that's where we went next.....
That smooth surface was occasionally broken when a fish would grab an insect and leave that small, circular ripple in the lakes' surface.....
Our campsite was on the eastern side of the lake so we got colorful sunsets that reflected onto the lakes' surface.....you get black & white.....
I think I could have walked these roads forever.....
.....but we came here for the mountains.....so that's where we went next.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
We dropped the truck somewhere along the Oregon Trail.....
.....and once again took the Jeep up & into the Wind River Mountain Range.....
That road got rough as we ascended those mountain slopes.....
We made multiple beautiful stream crossings as we pursued the Big Sandy Trailhead.....
Now I had been doing a lot of thinking while on this road trip.....and most of that thinking revolved around my displeasure with bouncing around in a Jeep, seeing all of these amazing places that I would have loved to have explored, yet still a month away from full recovery.....unable to really get into the mountains.....
And the fact is that there really is not much enjoyment in this type of activity for me (driving around in a Jeep).....it's like driving to the candy store yet never going inside & never making a purchase.....it all seemed a bit senseless to me.....
When we finally reached that trailhead.....well, honestly, it was a bittersweet moment for me.....and I thought.....maybe it's time to just go home.....I wasn't sure what to do next.....
.....and once again took the Jeep up & into the Wind River Mountain Range.....
That road got rough as we ascended those mountain slopes.....
We made multiple beautiful stream crossings as we pursued the Big Sandy Trailhead.....
Now I had been doing a lot of thinking while on this road trip.....and most of that thinking revolved around my displeasure with bouncing around in a Jeep, seeing all of these amazing places that I would have loved to have explored, yet still a month away from full recovery.....unable to really get into the mountains.....
And the fact is that there really is not much enjoyment in this type of activity for me (driving around in a Jeep).....it's like driving to the candy store yet never going inside & never making a purchase.....it all seemed a bit senseless to me.....
When we finally reached that trailhead.....well, honestly, it was a bittersweet moment for me.....and I thought.....maybe it's time to just go home.....I wasn't sure what to do next.....