My Journey
- Thread starter YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
- Start date
Pacific Northwest yetti
Expedition Medic
Glad to see the adventure continue , thanks for posting
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
furbucket.....exactly.....and sometimes I love nothing more than anything.....
Sierra Valley.....I'm not so sure that I ever left but thank you.....
chet6.7.....oh yeah I understood. That song brings back fond memories of my youth. What I would give to be wild & young again.....
PNWY.....for sure. Hopefully the adventures are never ending. The postings.....who knows their future.....
At the first Y in the road we were forced to make a choice. The Wilder Trail would have led us further into the prairies and eventually back to the paved highway (I think). Our other option, the Musselshell Trail would take us to a turn off that would eventually take us down to the Missouri River.....
I decided to go for the river route so we chose the Musselshell Trail and not too far down the road we connected with the Sand Creek Trail.....
This.....I guess you could say is where things began to get a bit more interesting (or maybe I should say challenging). We passed by a homesteaders' old log home.....dang, it must have been an incredible life living there back then.....
Now the road was still pretty good up to this point.....and we were happy campers stopping often and wandering out into the prairie.....again.....just to see what we could see.....mostly deer.....
The road took us to a bluff high above the Missouri River. And just then my son called so I stopped there to chat and to marvel at the amazing views.....
While stopped there I began to hear the bugling of the elk that were grazing in the lower areas alongside the river.....it was absolutely the most satisfying sounds that my ears had ever heard.....
Eventually we moved on and the road became just a bit more challenging as we drove along the ridgeline overlooking the Missouri River.....
Sierra Valley.....I'm not so sure that I ever left but thank you.....
chet6.7.....oh yeah I understood. That song brings back fond memories of my youth. What I would give to be wild & young again.....
PNWY.....for sure. Hopefully the adventures are never ending. The postings.....who knows their future.....
At the first Y in the road we were forced to make a choice. The Wilder Trail would have led us further into the prairies and eventually back to the paved highway (I think). Our other option, the Musselshell Trail would take us to a turn off that would eventually take us down to the Missouri River.....
I decided to go for the river route so we chose the Musselshell Trail and not too far down the road we connected with the Sand Creek Trail.....
This.....I guess you could say is where things began to get a bit more interesting (or maybe I should say challenging). We passed by a homesteaders' old log home.....dang, it must have been an incredible life living there back then.....
Now the road was still pretty good up to this point.....and we were happy campers stopping often and wandering out into the prairie.....again.....just to see what we could see.....mostly deer.....
The road took us to a bluff high above the Missouri River. And just then my son called so I stopped there to chat and to marvel at the amazing views.....
While stopped there I began to hear the bugling of the elk that were grazing in the lower areas alongside the river.....it was absolutely the most satisfying sounds that my ears had ever heard.....
Eventually we moved on and the road became just a bit more challenging as we drove along the ridgeline overlooking the Missouri River.....
We spent a long afternoon on the other side of US 191 from Sand Creek Rd in August 2022, cross country from the McClelland Ferry with popup camper in tow (I know, I know). Same increasingly sketchy two-track roads within the C M Russell NWR. But after only NEARLY becoming marooned crossing Two Calf Creek, we reached the James Kipp Rec Area campground and breathed many sighs of relief. Within only a few days, my wife started speaking to me again. Awesome country! Loving this tour you're providing!
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Foy.....I was once on that same stretch of road that you speak of in the Jeep.....it was after a storm and I didn't make it too far up that road that day. Those dirt roads quickly become impassable (as the signs that are posted everywhere state). Your story reminds me of the first time my ex. flew out west to go camping with me in my BigFoot truck camper (yes, she refused to ride cross country with me). Anyhow, our first off road trip in the canyons had her crying so we spent the next few nights in a hotel (no exaggeration). Then she flew home.....
Just beyond that last picture that I posted, the road began the decline to the Missouri River basin. Had I been thinking as I usually like to think that I do, I would have gotten out of the truck at or near that point, and scouted the next section of road. That next +/- half mile of road might have been the scariest section of road that I've ever taken any of my big rigs on. The camper top was ripping pine branches from the trees.....some maybe two inches thick. Branches were falling onto the hood of the truck and I thought for certain that some branches were penetrating through the fiberglass. The truck was sliding into foot or deeper ravines, the pitch was steep. It was total chaos.....then it wasn't.....
(I took this picture as we neared the end of our near death experience.....higher up.....believe me.....it was much steeper, the ravines deeper, and the overhanging branches much thicker.....and remember, this is a 12,000 pound plus vehicle with a high center of gravity. I guess what I'm trying to say here.....is that I'm really stupid.....).....
From that point onward, things mellowed out pretty good but I will say that I stayed nervous and was attentive until we hit the pavement. I knew that we'd have to climb out of the lowlands eventually.....and I knew not what lay ahead.....
Fortunately for us, the ascent was gradual and all went well.....
The next concern for us that day was that thunderstorms were moving in.....
And I knew that we needed to camp near the pavement.....otherwise we could or would have been stranded in the mud.....
I found ourselves a nice spot not more than a half mile from the paved highway and that's where we camped that night. It was another high point with great prairie views.....higher than the paved highway.....
Thunderstorms rolled through that evening.....it was so beautiful watching the bolts of lightning from high in the sky down to the surface of the prairie. I tried my darnest to get some great photographs of those lightning bolts but to no avail......I settled for more sunset shots.....so much less challenging.....like an almost flat road through the prairies.....
What a wonderful world it is.....what a wonderful sleep we had.....
Just beyond that last picture that I posted, the road began the decline to the Missouri River basin. Had I been thinking as I usually like to think that I do, I would have gotten out of the truck at or near that point, and scouted the next section of road. That next +/- half mile of road might have been the scariest section of road that I've ever taken any of my big rigs on. The camper top was ripping pine branches from the trees.....some maybe two inches thick. Branches were falling onto the hood of the truck and I thought for certain that some branches were penetrating through the fiberglass. The truck was sliding into foot or deeper ravines, the pitch was steep. It was total chaos.....then it wasn't.....
(I took this picture as we neared the end of our near death experience.....higher up.....believe me.....it was much steeper, the ravines deeper, and the overhanging branches much thicker.....and remember, this is a 12,000 pound plus vehicle with a high center of gravity. I guess what I'm trying to say here.....is that I'm really stupid.....).....
From that point onward, things mellowed out pretty good but I will say that I stayed nervous and was attentive until we hit the pavement. I knew that we'd have to climb out of the lowlands eventually.....and I knew not what lay ahead.....
Fortunately for us, the ascent was gradual and all went well.....
The next concern for us that day was that thunderstorms were moving in.....
And I knew that we needed to camp near the pavement.....otherwise we could or would have been stranded in the mud.....
I found ourselves a nice spot not more than a half mile from the paved highway and that's where we camped that night. It was another high point with great prairie views.....higher than the paved highway.....
Thunderstorms rolled through that evening.....it was so beautiful watching the bolts of lightning from high in the sky down to the surface of the prairie. I tried my darnest to get some great photographs of those lightning bolts but to no avail......I settled for more sunset shots.....so much less challenging.....like an almost flat road through the prairies.....
What a wonderful world it is.....what a wonderful sleep we had.....
AbleGuy
Officious Intermeddler
We really appreciate the great amount of time and effort it takes for you to keep all of us up to date with your travels
Wife and I traveled almost 6,000 miles this late summer and fall and I just couldn’t find the motivation to put that kind of effort into posting a lot
Your’s is probably the most enjoyable and entertaining thread on Expo these days and frankly has been for a while
And your simple but artistic pictures describing what you experience along the way add so much to your writing
Thanks for bringing us up to date with your adventures
May the road continue to bless you and your pups …
Wife and I traveled almost 6,000 miles this late summer and fall and I just couldn’t find the motivation to put that kind of effort into posting a lot
Your’s is probably the most enjoyable and entertaining thread on Expo these days and frankly has been for a while
And your simple but artistic pictures describing what you experience along the way add so much to your writing
Thanks for bringing us up to date with your adventures
May the road continue to bless you and your pups …
Yep, looks totally familiar: a banzai descent on a rutted and steep gravel free segment of bentonite surfaced road.
For our 2010 and 2011 trips, my wife was restricted by available PTO so I drove the old diesel solo and picked her up at the Bozeman airport. Then she accompanied me in 2015 towing the popup and I promptly got in trouble with her twice in successive days by sticking my nose into roads not entirely suited for 41' nose-to-tail and 12,000 lbs of truck and trailer.
One would think I'd have learned valuable lessons from such conflict in 2015 and later in 2020, at least enough to refrain from repeating the same actions expecting a different outcome, and one would be wrong.
As per AbleGuy: Many thanks for taking us along!
For our 2010 and 2011 trips, my wife was restricted by available PTO so I drove the old diesel solo and picked her up at the Bozeman airport. Then she accompanied me in 2015 towing the popup and I promptly got in trouble with her twice in successive days by sticking my nose into roads not entirely suited for 41' nose-to-tail and 12,000 lbs of truck and trailer.
One would think I'd have learned valuable lessons from such conflict in 2015 and later in 2020, at least enough to refrain from repeating the same actions expecting a different outcome, and one would be wrong.
As per AbleGuy: Many thanks for taking us along!
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
AbleGuy.....thank you. That's unfortunate that you didn't do a trip report since your writing style is very entertaining. I sometimes comment that the only reason I'm here on XP is to read other trip reports and to post my own. All that being said, I definitely understand. These days I often think of quitting.....
Foy....."a banzai descent on a rutted and steep gravel free segment of bentonite surfaced road".....now that's exactly what I was thinking at the time.....well, maybe not exactly but damn that sure is a good description.....thanks.....
Now I would guess that this was probably our fifth time over the past few decades that we had visited this area and there was one place that stands out above all (literally) that was nearby and that I had always bypassed.....the Little Rocky Mountains.....another island mountain in Montana.....
And so it was that we headed north on Highway 191.....passed by and through Dy Junction (there is absolutely nothing to see here).....and continued driving north.....
At the intersection with 7 Mile Road, we took the left hand turn, left Highway 191 behind and drove.....well.....7 miles west.....to Zortman, Montana.....
The plan here was to climb a mountain.....Antoine Butte (5,720'). I didn't have one bit of information on this peak and had no idea if it was even possible. Well, unfortunately, it wasn't possible.....if you're starting from Zortman, Montana.....
We parked in the downtown area where there really wasn't much to see. We then hiked up what appeared to be a Forest Service Road but unfortunately it was gated (a huge mining operation laid ahead) maybe a mile up the road.....all was not lost as the temporary change of scenery from prairie to mountain was welcomed.....
(We also tried several other approaches and what we found were more gates and more mining operations.....as best as I could tell.....the Little Rocky Mountains are being destroyed by the ongoing massive amount of surface mining).....
Next on our agenda was to visit the 67,960 Anchor Ranch that the American Prairie Reserve had recently purchased. If you're not aware of this recent acquisition, maybe take a few minutes to educate yourself and check out their website.....this is a huge big deal.....
From the American Prairie Reserve website.....
"The acquisition of these properties, particularly Anchor Ranch, ensures the permanent protection of critical wildlife habitat and public access in this portion of the Upper Missouri River Breaks. It also represents a powerful win for public access, as American Prairie plans to reopen access to nearly 50,000 acres of public land after years of closure and controversy.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure an important piece of ecologically and culturally significant land,” said American Prairie CEO Alison Fox. “But this acquisition is equally important as a way to return public access to the people so they can explore, hunt, and recreate on land that’s been off-limits for many years.”
Located 69 miles southwest of Havre, Montana, the Anchor totals 67,960 acres, including 22,837 acres of deeded land and 45,123 leased acres, making it the second-largest land purchase in the non-profit’s 24-year history, and significantly advancing the organization’s mission of prairie ecosystem conservation.
Under American Prairie’s ownership, access to a 3.8 mile section of Bullwhacker Road will be opened to the public, providing access to nearly 50,000 acres of public land that’s been a point of dispute and lawsuits for years."
At this point in our travels we were somewhat close to Landusky, Montana and Highway 66. I no longer remember the name of the road that we took next but the one thing that is for certain.....we drove west on a gravel road that eventually turned into "a banzai descent on a rutted and steep gravel free segment of bentonite surfaced road".....
We passed through tribal lands.....
......and I suspect that we passed through private ranch land as well.....
.....and, more than likely, wide open expanses of government land too.....
Foy....."a banzai descent on a rutted and steep gravel free segment of bentonite surfaced road".....now that's exactly what I was thinking at the time.....well, maybe not exactly but damn that sure is a good description.....thanks.....
Now I would guess that this was probably our fifth time over the past few decades that we had visited this area and there was one place that stands out above all (literally) that was nearby and that I had always bypassed.....the Little Rocky Mountains.....another island mountain in Montana.....
And so it was that we headed north on Highway 191.....passed by and through Dy Junction (there is absolutely nothing to see here).....and continued driving north.....
At the intersection with 7 Mile Road, we took the left hand turn, left Highway 191 behind and drove.....well.....7 miles west.....to Zortman, Montana.....
The plan here was to climb a mountain.....Antoine Butte (5,720'). I didn't have one bit of information on this peak and had no idea if it was even possible. Well, unfortunately, it wasn't possible.....if you're starting from Zortman, Montana.....
We parked in the downtown area where there really wasn't much to see. We then hiked up what appeared to be a Forest Service Road but unfortunately it was gated (a huge mining operation laid ahead) maybe a mile up the road.....all was not lost as the temporary change of scenery from prairie to mountain was welcomed.....
(We also tried several other approaches and what we found were more gates and more mining operations.....as best as I could tell.....the Little Rocky Mountains are being destroyed by the ongoing massive amount of surface mining).....
Next on our agenda was to visit the 67,960 Anchor Ranch that the American Prairie Reserve had recently purchased. If you're not aware of this recent acquisition, maybe take a few minutes to educate yourself and check out their website.....this is a huge big deal.....
From the American Prairie Reserve website.....
"The acquisition of these properties, particularly Anchor Ranch, ensures the permanent protection of critical wildlife habitat and public access in this portion of the Upper Missouri River Breaks. It also represents a powerful win for public access, as American Prairie plans to reopen access to nearly 50,000 acres of public land after years of closure and controversy.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure an important piece of ecologically and culturally significant land,” said American Prairie CEO Alison Fox. “But this acquisition is equally important as a way to return public access to the people so they can explore, hunt, and recreate on land that’s been off-limits for many years.”
Located 69 miles southwest of Havre, Montana, the Anchor totals 67,960 acres, including 22,837 acres of deeded land and 45,123 leased acres, making it the second-largest land purchase in the non-profit’s 24-year history, and significantly advancing the organization’s mission of prairie ecosystem conservation.
Under American Prairie’s ownership, access to a 3.8 mile section of Bullwhacker Road will be opened to the public, providing access to nearly 50,000 acres of public land that’s been a point of dispute and lawsuits for years."
At this point in our travels we were somewhat close to Landusky, Montana and Highway 66. I no longer remember the name of the road that we took next but the one thing that is for certain.....we drove west on a gravel road that eventually turned into "a banzai descent on a rutted and steep gravel free segment of bentonite surfaced road".....
We passed through tribal lands.....
......and I suspect that we passed through private ranch land as well.....
.....and, more than likely, wide open expanses of government land too.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
We spent the next few days and nights hanging out alongside this roadway whose name I can't recall.....
Often when I write about the prairie, I write about the silence and the loneliness of these lands.....
These truly were once again the dominant features of these wide open spaces.....
We stopped often.....we walked along the road and we walked into the tall grasses that were the perfect environment for the game birds.....and I don't think that I've ever seen so many game birds as I did along this stretch of road. The dogs were in heaven chasing game birds all day.....they were everywhere.....
Occasionally the dogs would disturb deer that were resting in the tall prairie grasses.....and a short chase would occur.....
As we drove further to the west the landscape began to change.....
It was so beautiful hiking along the ridgelines overlooking the Missouri River in the valley below.....
Sadly we never made it to the newly acquired Anchor Ranch. The road took us to another steep drop off and this time I decided to scout the road ahead of us. I walked part way down the mountain, looked back and up at my rig, recalled the terrifying descent from a few days prior, and just decided that it wasn't worth the risk.....
We backtracked on the same roads that we had traveled on before, met a Game Warden who told me that I'd made a wise decision since the road ahead had been temporarily closed for the installation of a culvert so I would have never made it anyhow.....
Often when I write about the prairie, I write about the silence and the loneliness of these lands.....
These truly were once again the dominant features of these wide open spaces.....
We stopped often.....we walked along the road and we walked into the tall grasses that were the perfect environment for the game birds.....and I don't think that I've ever seen so many game birds as I did along this stretch of road. The dogs were in heaven chasing game birds all day.....they were everywhere.....
Occasionally the dogs would disturb deer that were resting in the tall prairie grasses.....and a short chase would occur.....
As we drove further to the west the landscape began to change.....
It was so beautiful hiking along the ridgelines overlooking the Missouri River in the valley below.....
Sadly we never made it to the newly acquired Anchor Ranch. The road took us to another steep drop off and this time I decided to scout the road ahead of us. I walked part way down the mountain, looked back and up at my rig, recalled the terrifying descent from a few days prior, and just decided that it wasn't worth the risk.....
We backtracked on the same roads that we had traveled on before, met a Game Warden who told me that I'd made a wise decision since the road ahead had been temporarily closed for the installation of a culvert so I would have never made it anyhow.....
ITTOG
Well-known member
So true. I often struggle in the flatlands. Partly because I have spent my entire life living in the flatlands. Partly because I am not as introspective or as deep a thinker as you. Your insight often cause me to think deeper than usual. I suspect this is the case for many that enjoy your posts. I especially enjoy it when our views are different, which is a real learning opportunity.
You're killing me, Jerry. Around August 11-13 of this year, we re-routed from a traverse from the west side of the Bears Paw Mountains to Zortman due to the passage of several large thunderstorm cells on the 10th. But since you were in Zortman, was the Miner's Club Bar and Restaurant open? I could't find out for sure but I'd read that when it was, they served a mean steak. I do understand that neither bars nor steaks are your cup of tea, but we were intrigued by the remoteness of Zortman and thought is might be a lot like Jarbidge, Nevada.
Anyway, I'm guessing you were on Timber Ridge Rd, west of Hays. It appears that Timber Ridge Rd takes you to Bullwhacker Rd and Spencer Ridge Rd, as the pictured signage confirms. Also, the signage "Chinook 41 (or was it 61? I can't read it clearly) was another clue. I've long been interested in some really cool igneous rock bodies in the Bullwhacker Creek and Cow Creek areas. They're called diatremes and are the structures formed by kimberlites blasting up from the Earth's mantle. There is a sprinkling of them across the north side of the Breaks from south of the Sweet Grass Hills all the way across to around the south side of the Little Rockies and they've been thoroughly prospected for diamonds since the early 1980s. I did diamond exploration in the early 1980s on the UP of Michigan and my outfit sent other crews to the north side of the Breaks. My outfit also had a crew in Zortman for a few months doing gold exploration. I expect the 1980s-1990s open pit mining and the resulting heap leach recovery disaster arose from some of their work. As we used to say--we don't mine 'em, we just find 'em. Helped with the guilt when something went sideways long after we were gone to other projects.
Hope you've got more to share from the American Prairie Reserve. I'm hoping we can finally get out there in 2026, old truck, old driver, and weather allowing.
Anyway, I'm guessing you were on Timber Ridge Rd, west of Hays. It appears that Timber Ridge Rd takes you to Bullwhacker Rd and Spencer Ridge Rd, as the pictured signage confirms. Also, the signage "Chinook 41 (or was it 61? I can't read it clearly) was another clue. I've long been interested in some really cool igneous rock bodies in the Bullwhacker Creek and Cow Creek areas. They're called diatremes and are the structures formed by kimberlites blasting up from the Earth's mantle. There is a sprinkling of them across the north side of the Breaks from south of the Sweet Grass Hills all the way across to around the south side of the Little Rockies and they've been thoroughly prospected for diamonds since the early 1980s. I did diamond exploration in the early 1980s on the UP of Michigan and my outfit sent other crews to the north side of the Breaks. My outfit also had a crew in Zortman for a few months doing gold exploration. I expect the 1980s-1990s open pit mining and the resulting heap leach recovery disaster arose from some of their work. As we used to say--we don't mine 'em, we just find 'em. Helped with the guilt when something went sideways long after we were gone to other projects.
Hope you've got more to share from the American Prairie Reserve. I'm hoping we can finally get out there in 2026, old truck, old driver, and weather allowing.
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