My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Galvyork.....I'm thinking the Tundra wouldn't be any happier than my truck is with the huge load I've got. I'm thinking I'll stick with my old truck. The ticket ended up being $5,729.65. I'm guessing I've put about $14,000 into the truck this year. In the truck's defense, the service manager said he was surprised at how long some of the parts that they had to replace had lasted.....

JohnnyTravels.....my plan is to stay in Montana until the first of 2017 and then go somewhere south of the border until spring arrives.....

Chet.....I thought the same thing.....sucks to breakdown but I've been lucky too.....

So the truck was in the shop again. They tore it apart and replaced a ton of stuff.....



In the meantime I hung out and waited. I did some hiking at the battlefield.....





The friends that I was staying with we're kind enough to let me use their car until it caught on fire while I was driving it.....





So then I called a tow truck.....the 4th one of the year.....



The shop worked their butt's off finding the parts and the mechanic stayed late and came in on Saturday morning to finish the work and get me back on the road. It was a great visit but honestly, I hate the east coast summer weather and I was happy to be back on the road Saturday evening.....



My plan was to haul *** across the U.S. and be back in Montana as soon as possible.....

 

[unkamonkey]

You are not having any good luck with vehicles.

 

[gtbensley]

I just spent way to much time reading all of your postings. Thank you for taking the time to share them with us all. Good luck with all the truck repairs, looks like it needed some healthy work done.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Unkamonkey.....yep it's been a bad year for the truck but I'm looking forward to more travels in my rig.....

gtbensley.....wow, I thought I was the only one that could do that. I typically enjoy reading through it once during the winter season. The truck is good again.....

And I was on the road again.....I hauled *** across the U.S. and made my way back to Montana. I think my timing was about perfect as fall was just getting into full swing.....



I love it here.....



So I've got myself a place here to hang out for three months before I head south. I've never experienced winter in Montana so I'm looking forward to a few months of that. And then I'm going south. I'm tired and it's time to rest.....



It's been another great year of traveling. I'm very thankful.....

 

[parkkitchings]

I know the feeling. I may be headed south as well but not sure yet. Keep us posted.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Minus eleven degrees in Montana convinced me that I'm no longer tired and it's time to hit the road. I left this morning and logged nearly 400 miles, mostly driving south. The day started with clear skies and low temperatures.....



After a few hours on the highway, the weather turned for the worse.....



Made it to Idaho and ran into a snow storm.....



It's good to be back on the road again.....

 

[chet6.7]

Thoughts of warmer temps and sunny skies can be a good motivator.
Heading to CA or AZ?

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I'm not sure exactly where I'll be traveling this time. It'll probably be much like my last trip this past summer. Certainly I'll be passing through those states Chet, but not sure how much time I'll spend there. A lot will depend on how the truck performs this trip. I'd love to drive to Panama (I was there once decades ago as a hitch hiker so I'd like to see it one more time). I would imagine that this trip will be quite similar to the last, just wandering around without a true destination. I do plan on stopping at Slab City to see what's up there. Seems like a good spot to meet a character or two. Could be fun.....

Since I spent the last there months in a small Montana town, I was a bit stoked to arrive in Salt Lake City. I spent yesterday in town walking around, grabbing a sandwich downtown, and actually walked around the mall (nice to walk when it's warm). I spent my second night on the road just south of town. Driving further south today.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I continued south on I-15 throughout the following day. I found myself obsessed with the temperatures and found that my mood was improving as the thermometer continued to climb. I spent that night in Cedar City, Utah. Dinner at Panda Express pretty much sucked, but then a long walk with the dogs outside of town made the evening. We had a glorious evening sky that night.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The following morning I left the interstate and headed for Zion National Park. After 4 days of mostly traveling, the plan was to spend the day hiking. The first hike of the day was the Pa'rus Trail. This fairly flat trail runs along the Virgin River. The nice thing here is that dogs are allowed on this trail (that's huge for me). Once I'd tired the dogs out, I hiked the Angels Landing Trail (no dogs allowed here).



The park brochure says that the trail has 1,488' of elevation gain, its 5.4 miles round trip, and rates the trail as strenuous. The views of the valley below as you the ascend the mountain are phenomenal. I found myself wanting to take pictures at every turn of the trail.....





The last half mile of the trail follows a somewhat kniferidge to the high point of the trail. The park service has installed chains along most of the ridge to help you from falling to your death. They work pretty darn good.....







With heavy rain in the forecast, I decided not to spend too much time at the top. It took me 2.5 hours round trip (brochure said 4 hours.....I always wonder where the park service gets their time estimates.). I had a few deer follow alongside as I reached the lower portion of the trail.....





As darkness set in, I drove west and left the park.....

 

[chet6.7]

Great pictures....safety chain tester :Wow1:
Hope you find a warmer spot.
https://www.windytv.com/?temp,42.844,-121.311,5

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

As I passed the exit gate from the park, darkness had set in and I knew it was going to be difficult to find myself a good spot for the night. Eventually I came across a dirt road and pulled in for the night. I probably should have been more concerned with the forecast and stayed on pavement, but I decided to take the risk. That night we had torrential downpours, so hard was the rain that it woke me from my sleep. Without the four wheel drive, I would've been in some serious trouble.....



Thankfully we made it out, got back to the interstate and continued our drive south. We finally left Utah for the warmer temperatures.....



Now Interstate 15 crosses the northwest corner of Arizona and you're really not in Arizona for much more than maybe 30 minutes. But that section of interstate is absolutely beautiful as you drive along the Virgin River through an amazing gorge. Once you exit the gorge, it's pretty much Nevada and desert. That night I decided to overnight in a casino parking lot as they're usually very accommodating.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Up early the following morning, we loaded up with groceries and fuel, and continued southwest on the interstate, but not for long. We quickly left the interstate and drove south into the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. I did a search on the internet for free camp spots and came up with a place along the north side of the lake called Boxcar Gulch. It sounded like the perfect place to hang out and relax. I'd been on the road for the past 6 days so I really wanted to rest up for a few days.....



I've found a spot which gives me some great views of the lake, and I'm hoping for a nice sunrise or set while I'm here. I've gathered a bunch of wood from other's old firepits so maybe I'll have me a fire as well. And if I get really brave, I'm swimming in the lake this afternoon.....

 

[galvyork]

I wish I would have seen that you were in Cedar. I would have helped you out with dinner and a place to stay. If you come back through let me know.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Hey Galvyork.....thanks but we're fine in the camper. It's only been a week and we're thoroughly enjoying ourselves at the moment.....

So it's my third night camped along the shores of Lake Mead. The weather continues to improve daily and I've actually gone for short swims in the lake the past 2 days. It's pretty darn cold but it feels great afterwards. The dogs have no issues with it so they're swimming plenty.....





I've done quite a bit of hiking here (Fitbit says about 34 miles so far). Lots of cool places to explore around here. We're all pretty beat at nightfall.....



Each day we're getting visits from a pair of coyotes. They're very inquisitive, yet they keep their distance from us at all times. I really enjoy watching them and listening to their yells and howls......

And dinner is had under the stars around a beautiful campfire each night.....