The Grand Expedition Colorado to Alaska to Baja...

[aero]

Well I was able to get things wrapped up and hit the road this past Tuesday. I didn't get to repack or organize what I had to slip it down and it'll have to happen on the road.

I headed west to spend a few days helping out family before I began the official expedition. But... Everything i need is in the truck and I've camped every night to see if i need to make any adjustments or last minute stuff.

I have had a little time each night to start going through the stuff in the truck. It's very fully packed and I'd sure like to get a little bit of extra space if i can.

My biggest gripe so far is the Plano roof boxes. They are fantastic, I just wish they made some that are the same but deeper. Then i could store larger stuff up there.

I'm still having issues with the upload to this website, it'll get to the page, just won't ever load the picture but works fine other places.

This weekend I'll be heading north and making my way into Wyoming!

 

[Dougnuts]

Safe travels!

 

[aero]

Working on pictures now

Chapter 1: The First Week


OK kids! Finally found some service. Here it goes. Have only had service to unreliably send a text here and there so far this trip. Currently stationed in Wyoming at a high end mexican joint since there is service here. You might've seen one of these places on the "best of" lists in your area... Taco Bell. :rofl: Pictures are straight out of the camera/phone never had time to edit them at all.


Last week I spent a few days helping my cousin with some work before bouncing. I slept in my truck in the NF outside his back door so I could try and get the truck a little more organized and see if I needed to make any modifications before hitting the road. I realized I packed too much, and am still slowly thinning stuff out and trying to find thrift stores along the way to donate stuff at.

Saturday afternoon I headed north to find a camp spot on Rabbit Ears Pass before meeting a few hoonigans for a trail run on Sunday. Being the July 4th weekend, I figured it would be hard to find a spot, but it seemed that there were not many people camping. I found a few spots relatively quickly and settled down at one that had an awesome view.

0701171433 by Brandon M, on Flickr

As you can see, I already have the mosquito nets out. It was INSANELY buggy... I literally had mosquitoes following me even though it was windy which I was hoping would keep me safe. Not wanting to drench myself in bug spray, I gave up and headed to another spot on the west side of Rabbit Ears Pass. It was a night and day difference. It was still a great view.

0702170708_HDR by Brandon M, on Flickr

I have yet to use my tent or hammock. I always end up sleeping in the truck since its easy, comfortable... and easy. I am debating on working an RTT into the equation just so I can use the back seat for storage and make it much easier to organize and access stuff. The bed of the truck is currently plenty full and its a pain taking everything out to get to stuff in the back.

Then I connected with a few Tacoma guys to run some trails from Steamboat area north into Wyoming. We knew we would be in for a lot of labor to get the trails open due to downed trees and possible snow. But that's half the fun... getting the trails properly open so the low-lifes quit driving around stuff and ruining the trails.

0702171000a by Brandon M, on Flickr

This trail was great, and I saw the benefits of having a suspension that was meant for these kinds of roads.

The first few trees that we had to remove were nice and easy, until we got to the big one we knew was coming.
0702171120 by Brandon M, on Flickr

0702171124c by Brandon M, on Flickr

With three saws running, we cleared the trail of this mess in what seemed to be 45 minutes or so. Dropped the large tree (that had a 25" diameter) and then winched it to the side of the trail with great precision.

The trails were pretty tight in spots, I managed to get the top of a tiny green tree wedged between my slider and rocker panel on the passenger side. I thought it was under the slider, kept rolling forward, and I now have a nice deep scratch front to rear on the rocker panel, it broke the mounting tab off the rear fender flare and managed to crease the bed at the front where it broke the fender. I still need to work on fixing that, I just washed the truck, so may be applying some gorilla tape just to keep it from snagging on something else and finishing the uninstallation of it.

We snow bashed our way to the top of the mountain. It was uphill, off camber, somewhat deep, but we made it.
DSC03724 by Brandon M, on Flickr
DSC03789 by Brandon M, on Flickr

We encountered some trailer trash who decided to drive over the alpine tundra even after we yelled at them for being off trail. Pictures of their registration stickers (2 out of 4 had them) will be forwarded to the forest service who will hopefully take care of it. :fingerscrossed:


We hit the Ellis Trail which was newly re-routed by the forest service. Long story short, it was a large letdown, but the trail to begin the day was awesome, so it was a great day in the woods although VERY dusty. Basically the new trail is three or four old maintained mining roads that are connected by short narrow switchback sections and is rated as "most difficult". It would be tough for a full size to get through without damage, but... I would not recommend going out of your way to run it....maybe if you are in the area, but theres a lot of better stuff around.
0702171641 by Brandon M, on Flickr

One of the guys had the dream of building a bench from a log... we laughed it off. But then figured there was a lot of daylight to kill, lets do it! Armed with a couple saws...

0702171959 by Brandon M, on Flickr

Two chainsaws, a coping saw, and a drill with a 1/2" bit... and we were done. No scews, only wood. It was VERY comfortable. We are hoping it'll last until next year and eventually become a destination for campers in the area. While I was working on these pictures there was a deer that was not sneaky at all creeping through the woods. I hit it with a flashlight and it continued acting like we could not see it... creeping, loudly through the trees.
DSC03891 by Brandon M, on Flickr

Out of picture space... to be continued.

 

[aero]

Chapter 1 Continued: The First Week

On Monday I wasn't sure of my plans. The rest of the crew headed their ways, I organized the truck while making breakfast. I brought 303 Aerospace Protectant with me and detailed the interior because it was covered in dust. I then used the shower for the first time on the road. It worked fantastic and felt great getting that nasty sand out of my hair.

I decided to head towards Walden since I really wanted to see some moose to test out the new camera lens on and I hadn't been to Walden before. I swung by Hog Park Reservoir that was just north of our camping spot.
0703171017_HDR by Brandon M, on Flickr

I had learned that the Never Summer Wilderness was actually a place... I thought it was just a brand! I ended up driving up to the trailhead, I think its Baker Pass (@Squeaky Penguin is that what it is?). I thought I could drive up all the way, but after 1.8 miles of the tight trail, I ended up at a cul de sac designed for golf carts. I parked off to the side to not obstruct the trail for other users and started hiking up the 4 mile hike. It started to get a little cloudy so I turned back after 1.5 miles. I saw no critters but plenty of crap all over the trail.

0703171516_HDR by Brandon M, on Flickr

I found a creek crossing that helped me clean off the truck as there was a little spring shower.

[video]https://youtu.be/382f68a2qJ8[/video]


Then I went and found a camp spot, and once again, the mosquitoes were crazy. There were multiple sites available in the area, crazy for July 3rd!

0703171730a by Brandon M, on Flickr


In the morning I decided it was time to get into Wyoming. I first went to the wildlife area near Walden... found a few critters there.

DSC03927 by Brandon M, on Flickr

Then I headed up to Independence Mountain for lunch... seemed appropriate for July 4th. Again, on top of the mountain, I put out the awning and instantly got swarmed by some large fly/bee insect things. I put away the awning and they went away. I drove down another side of the trail, heard the tire hissing. I put a hole in the tread, center of tire. it looked like I was braking when it hit something sharp since the cut was at an angle. I stopped to patch it and got attacked by mosquitoes. I aired it up and found a place with less bugs. Got it repaired and headed into Wyoming. It was very hot in Wyoming. I hit the forest service roads in the Medicine Bow National Forest as soon as I could. I ended up finding an OK spot since I was sick of trying to find one. I had a tiny amount of service and saw that just up the road was State Highway 130, called the Snowy something or other. WOW.... it reminded me of the Alps or something. The roads were nice, pullouts and scenic areas everywhere, and nobody on the roads. It is beautiful up there... and this is what I could see from the main highway.

0704171948_HDR by Brandon M, on Flickr

Then went a bit west of this to find a camp spot for the night. Bounced my way to a hidden gem of a site. As I pulled in, two deer ran across the road and two bald eagles flew over the lake. Wish I had my camera out for that!

0704172044_HDR by Brandon M, on Flickr

I woke up this morning and took a bit of a hike further down the road. Passed a few more little lakes before finding a beautiful one called Dipper Lake. After hanging out here for a minute, I bushwacked back to the truck hoping to find some animals. I saw an elk across a meadow but it was well gone by the time I got there. I ended up climbing down the scree field in the distance in the above picture and walking around the backside of the lake. By the time I made it back to my truck, there was an older gentleman who looked like he was scouting a fishing spot. Turns out he and his wife used to come to this area all the time, and hes hiked up the mountain in the background 8 times (hiked down 7 since he was stuck with a friend in an August snowstorm for 24 hours and they had to be rescued). His wifes ashes were spread all over the areas that they liked to visit and this was one of those areas. We talked for a while until he continued back on his way. It was a really great start to the day, I look forward to meeting more people like him along the journey.

I drove the truck up to that Dipper Lake since it looked like the perfect place to learn how to paddleboard. I dropped her in and away I went. I never fell although I came close a few times. I found a nice powder white sandy beach to work on my skills! The sand was REAL cold... strange.

0705171203a by Brandon M, on Flickr

During this paddleboarding, I left the tailgate of my truck open since there was nobody for miles... and I wasn't planning on being gone for long. I return to a bees nest on my truck! ****** :annoyed:

0705171227a_HDR by Brandon M, on Flickr

They were all over the bed. This was after I removed one bin and jeans and a shirt with my paddle without being stung. The awesome part was that my windows were also cracked and my keys were inside the bed. After a while I managed to get the other bin off the tailgate, and got the keys with my paddle and took the bees for a quick ride down the trail. Most of them left but I had to shoo a few stragglers. They kept harassing me until I headed out. I was going to stay there, but I didn't feel like dealing with them. I headed into the town of Saratoga where I was going to hit up the free 24/7 hot springs later in the day. There wasn't much to do in the small town and at what felt like 100 degrees, I had no interest in a hot springs adventure. I headed north and am currently in Rawlins, WY since there was a car wash and cell service. I'm going to head west shortly to Wyomings Red Desert or the Great Basin Divide. Fun fact... none of the rain that falls there drains into any ocean directly or indirectly. Its going to be crazy hot... but there are lots of wild critters, the largest herds of wild horses in the world, elk, and everything else.

Well.. its about that time...

 

[aero]

The combination of having the Sparco seat that sits 1" or so lower than the stock seat (trying to re-learn the tire placement with the lost view over the hood) and the trails near Steamboat being pretty narrow (ATV/UTV users cutting trees just large enough for their rigs)... and us squeezing through most, the truck has taken a beating within the last week.

Damage tally:
Front bumper more scuffs on both corners, passenger side earned deep scratches front to rear because a downed tree jumped on top of the slider instead of under. It also creased the front corner of the bed and broke the fender flare. Rear of the bed got dented at some point by rocking into a tree. Drivers side doors have a deep scratch on them. The rear drivers tire got a puncture that I plugged. Will try and find a Discount Tire to have them patch it from the inside before too long.

All part of the game I suppose! I did finally find a car wash tonight, part of the reason I stopped here, so it looks much nicer now.

Anyone want to buy a lightly used Tacoma in 6 months? haha

 

[zigsrig]

Godspeed friend. Can't wait to see your journey unfold!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Reh5108]

I'm jealous! You must end your trip on "the bench"

I can't wait until it is my time to do this!

Safe travels!

 

[RubeGoldberg]

Safe travels, buddy. Following the adventure!

 

[ExplorerTom]

Subscrizzled.

We are all totally jealous and living vicariously through you.

 

[aero]

Thanks everyone. It's starting out as an awesome trip and I've been lucky to meet/hang out with/camp with some cool people so far. I'll try and keep updates with pictures on a weekly'ish schedule... Since that usually means heading into a town to have enough service to work through pictures, upload them, etc.

I actually do have slow but consistent service at this epic spot with a view of the Tetons. I did a 10 mile hike... Was planning on two miles so my knees are killing me. But currently watching a pretty good lightning storm behind the Tetons.

The mountains are really hazy/clouded or else I'd try for some pictures. But you would just see a glob of light. Unless it starts working this way.

I am also updating the first post, that I'll keep updating (mainly every area i camp in as well as the ongoing post of stuff people suggest for me to see later in the trip.

 

[aero]

Week 2: History and Tourists

After I signed off last week, I drove west from that classy Taco Bell I was hanging out at and into the Red Desert. I drove, and drove, and drove along some fairly smooth, very wide gravel roads. The area is littered with oil rigs with some BLM land and roads sprinkled in the mix. After driving for a while, I finally just picked a random BLM road, drove for a while in the pitch black and found a random place to stop for a nap.

When I woke up, I found myself in a sage desert.. Not much showing for the “red” desert.

0706170635_HDR2 by Brandon M, on Flickr

DSC039472 by Brandon M, on Flickr

I continued north, then west and ended up in Lander. I picked up a few supplies, an important ice cream cone since it was VERY hot while making use of the internet access in town. I snagged a burger before driving up Sinks Canyon. Pictures did not turn out well, but the river in the canyon goes into a cave, travels about ¼ mile down the canyon and pops up on the other side of the highway. Nobody is really sure where it goes in the meantime or how it gets there. They suspect there are small channels that the water goes through. It is the same water (as they confirmed with dye tests), but apparently more water comes out than what goes in. At the rise area, there are HUGE fish. They are well fed, likely mostly by the fish feed that is available to throw to them.

I continued up the canyon and still being picky about camp spots, I ended up driving south through Atlantic City, and by South Pass City. In the 1800’s, there were substantial gold deposits found at the Carissa Mine and people flocked. The mine closed/opened and changed ownership many times over the years before being closed for the last time in 1949. South Pass City is among the smallest continually inhabited cities in Wyoming, the current population can be counted on one hand.

07061717022 by Brandon M, on Flickr

I decided to head towards the sand dunes that are also in the Red Desert. While on my way there, I found a trail that most of us have all heard of!

DSC041092 by Brandon M, on Flickr

Quite a surprise trail to randomly turn onto! I am mapping trails with trailsoffroad.com so this was a no brainer. The section I did went by a few different names as the trails used the same tracks in this area. The California Trail, Seminoe Cutoff of California Trail, Mormon Trail, and the Pony Express Trail shared these tracks. It was quite interesting to realize that I was on the same trail that thousands used to settle the west. I stopped at the Pacific Springs Station that was established along the Pony Express route and was originally established in 1860-61. There are three structures that are mostly standing with a few others that have succombed to the elements over the years. This was my campsite for the night.

The Pacific Springs area was an area that was used very often by the travellers coming through. It offered clean water and grazing land for the livestock. In the area, there are grave site remains of those who did not make it any further.

DSC040322 by Brandon M, on Flickr

DSC040452 by Brandon M, on Flickr

DSC040522 by Brandon M, on Flickr

After all that hard work, escaping without catching dysentery or losing my wagon while fording the river crossings, I started to head north towards the Tetons.

 

[aero]

I lucked into a perfect camp spot across the valley from the Tetons while having a landscape view of them. I shared the spot with a great family from California who were also in the area to check out the Tetons and Yellowstone. Both nights we were lucky enough to watch the lightning storms over the mountains.

0708171927_HDR by Brandon M, on Flickr

DSC041772 by Brandon M, on Flickr

The next day my plan was to do a small hike in the Tetons (2-3 miles), then find water to fill up the water tank in the truck. I started the hike… somehow missed the turn to the closer lakes, and only realized it when I was hiking a good way above them. It was warm and much more humid than I expected. But since I already passed the first lakes, I decided to continue to the next ones. Yeah…. Those were the lakes I was shooting for on this quick hike.

0709171258_HDR2 by Brandon M, on Flickr

But, as I hiked higher, I was awarded with a nice cool breeze and a bit of cold rain. Then a bit of snow to hike over and through. The view was well worth it! Now it was time to hike all the way back down, nearly 5 miles and 3,000 ft elevation. What I didn't mention yet was I have this inherited condition called crappy-knee-itis. They don't mind climbing up, but the impact of going down, they quickly get sore especially when I dont use poles which were stowed nicely in the truck.

0709171406a2 by Brandon M, on Flickr


I survived, went to the visitor center to fill up the water tank, as I was passing the dam, I figured it would be a fantastic place to ice my knees in the cold water. It was a horrible place to do it since the views there were also nothing special to look at.

0709171731c2 by Brandon M, on Flickr

I went back to the campsite, and hobbled around until it was bed time. Thankfully when I woke up in the morning, I was able to walk without pain. I planned to drive through Yellowstone and find somewhere to camp once I got up there. I drove past Old Faithful and figured I was obligated to go see it since I have never seen it before. I thought I was at Disney with the amount of cars and people wandering around. There were huge crowds that were waiting around for it to erupt; at that point it was about 23 minutes past the “expected eruption time”. I continued walking around to the smaller features figuring if it kept delaying and turned out to be the BIG blast, extra distance would help. It erupted to a crowd full of “ooh's and ahh's” followed by applause. Good boy Ole Faithful.

0710171357a2 by Brandon M, on Flickr

The next thing on the to do list; get as far away from the crowds as possible, ASAP. I continued northeast, through Cooke City and onto the Beartooth Pass Highway. I found a camp site fairly early since I was ready for some dinner. Just under 9k ft elevation, fantastic views, quick access from the highway; SOLD!

07101717432 by Brandon M, on Flickr

Next up, I'll likely head east, bouncing back and forth across the Wyoming and Montana border. I really wanted to do the Morrison Trail, but due to the current snowpack, its looking like it will not open as scheduled on the 15th of this month. Theres quite a bit I want to see and knock out along the way, I'll be sticking to shorter hikes… hopefully get the knees used to it. I previously did a lot more mountain biking which my knees had no issue with, this slow hiking stuff is new for them.

Thanks for reading, I've been throwing together some short videos on my Youtube channel. I'm new to the drone and video editing, so go easy on me!
And follow me on Instagram, aero3685, I get to throw pictures up there more often since I can do that when I have a few minutes of minimal service.

 

[NoahGenda]

damn son, are all these pictures with your cell phone? If so, then thats the phone I am getting!

Im leaving end of this month and hitting the road for a year, hopefully we cross paths!

 

[aero]

damn son, are all these pictures with your cell phone? If so, then thats the phone I am getting!

Im leaving end of this month and hitting the road for a year, hopefully we cross paths!

The last two posts, the night pictures and the picture of the antelope we're taken with the camera. All others were taken with the LG G5... i had no idea it was so great, it has very quickly taken over most camera duties since it's easy!

 

[aero]

Update coming soon.. lots of no service camping. But I'm trying to find a place to relax for a few days.