The Disjointed Rambling of an Indecisive Boondocker...

We're gonna move... we're not... we're gonna move... we're not! It's been kinda like that lil' girls game where they pull the petals off a flower... "He loves me, He loves me not..."

The original plan was to haul out of here sometime... aaaaaaabout.... Now!... or... three days ago...

Uh... didn't happen...

Yeah... Risking the Forest Ranger Fairies wrath I'm sure... cuz at this point... by Federal Regulation... We're campsite poachers now!

Bad Baaaad Cowboy! :)

Yeah well... if the Great Obum can sit in the White house gettin' paid big dinero to do nuthin'... along with the rest of the DC Parasites, I guess I'm not gonna get my shorts in a knot 'cause I travel too slow! :)

It's not like I've been doin' nuthin' here... I've gotten a lot of my chosen "work" done parked in this Bitterroot Montana Camp.

The "Book" has grown into some "New" writing territory for me, at least from my perspective. We'll (spelled...ME)find out later this summer if that's a good thing or not! :) and got some website work done, both writing pages and kicking off my lil' video effort, which, so far doesn't seem to have done any damage...

... as my huge, BK Gore, one worn out Ol' Buster, Cowboy Publishing Empire continues to keep on slowly growing. :)

Yeah, You have to draw lines in the dust, around my tracks... to see 'em move... but.. they are moving, and trending up the hill... rather then down!

So, all things considered, from the number of you folks stoppin' by to see what I'm up to, to the rate at which my e-books are moving "off the shelf" and the contribution google is making to my pantry, * Thank you very much :) *... this lil' deal of ours continues to be sustainable...

Yesterday, was sittin' at the table, doing some of that work, moving the story along, and it started gettin' dark... only... it wasn't much after noon...

*Afternoon Thunder Boomer Rolling through the Bitterroot*

A pair of storms came boomin' through... The kind I just admire. Days of rain, after days of rain get old and dreary... but... When, on a Sunny day... a big, dark, Thunder Crasher comes flashin' over the mountains, Lightening Cracking and the rain comin' down in sheets... and then it passes on by leaving the air fresh and the scent of the pines strong in the breeze... It is Fine! :)

Now that Buck, he wouldn't agree. Makes me just shake my head. A dog that'll take on a Freight train... or a Bull Moose... get kicked in the head and come back snappin'... tries to sit on top of your head... scratchin' and clawin'... quivering like a school boy at his first dance...

... if one bolt cracks... five miles away... just pathetic...

But, after the storm passes and you walk out for a mountain stroll... you can see that it has it's benefits. Even after what is passed around as "thousands of acres destroyed" ... by folks tippin' off the edge of sense... you can see... that life goes on... and even... Life Requires Death... You have to make room for new... so... some of the old has to go first...

There's always something "new" coming along... and there always seems to be some... difficulty... before any "New", worth having makes its arrival...

Like calving... That Ol' momma cow sure bellows at the "Discomfort"... but she seems almighty glad for a while, once that calf is on his feet...

... and, to tell the truth? if the badly overgrown forest hadn't burned out of here... these flowers wouldn't have had anywhere to grow... it's certain the Do-Gooders weren't gonna let anyone WORK... and do any logging to open things up... just sayin'.

So... it's comin' up on the end of the month... and tallyin' up expenses... not likely to spend much in the few hours of June that are left...

Now... I don't publish my whole, every nickle and dime budget like some folks do... that's a little too open for me... but, for those folks, who might be like me, more toward the lower end of the scale of RV economics then the top... Here's a few items of interest for the month of June... if you're wondering "What's it gonna cost me".

If you've followed HOW I travel... here's some of the numbers for how that works for me...

Fuel: I've been Budgeting $500 bucks for the truck... With $4 diesel that part HAD to get raised, while shortening up miles traveled at the same time... We spent, $426.81

Camp Fees: I budget a hundred and eighty bucks($180). In June, we've spent $57.

Groceries: and I don't include dog food or meals out here... Budget - $300... we spent $270.54

Now a guy could get into real Cranial Colonic Inversion territory with budgeting. And, if you spend all your time, worryin' 'bout where every lil' nickle and dime is going... well... It's my opinion, you're missin' the boat..just keep an eye on it... don't get all paranoid...

So... all the Miscellaneous, this and that expenses, like dog food, get lumped into the... ready for it? ... yup, you got it... "Miscellaneous" category! :) ... Budgeted - $400 bucks... we spent $209.23

So far under budget, not too bad for a guy without a college ejucashun huh? :)

Buuuuuuut... it ain't ALL roses 'round here. This year, bein' cold and wet like it's been... my $35 propane budget got dented with total propane burnt of $64.12! :) which still has us a pretty long way under the budget... (uh... that's the WHOLE budget)

So... I'm sitting here waiting on that damned lil' Murphy bugger... He's bound to show up soon ain't he?

Likely we'll be moving Monday. All the long weekend folks will be headed home in the afternoon... and I'll just roll us in to Seeley Lake... and take their place! :)

Gonna park herself with the dogs and the rig somewhere round there for a week or so... while I meet up with some old guys ridin' out of Canada for an Old Guys Ride to the Black Hills...

From the Boondocking Camp of a Rambling Biker Cowboy
Brian

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Not Being on Vacation... I Sometimes Feel Obliged to Work!

Yeah I know... It's an ugly word for some folks :) but gimme a minute here... I'm talkin' WORK, not Job... there's a big differ'nce! :) and That difference... is what this way of Living makes room for... if you work it out right.

Now, doin' that Workin' Out... can take some Doin'! But if you keep yourself focused, you can get there.

That's the trick, keepin' your eyes on the prize. Life has a way of throwin' a lot of distractions and obstacles at you. Just keep ignoring the distractions, and sawin' up the obstacles, and you'll keep movin' along. Trust me.

So... what have I been up to? The last few days, my "Rambling Parts" have been rambling at a pretty high rate of speed, which has had me stackin' words much of the day. I've been averaging pretty near 3500 words a day on my newest story. Now, that's a fine thing, except, just stacking words, if you're not doing it carefully, you'll only end up with a disorganized dictionary.

I'm kinda prejudiced, but I think I'm doing kind of a nice job, so my excitement is building on it... which stimulates those Rambling parts some more... and... you get the picture... I sit there tappin' away for hours, 'cause I'm so anxious to find out what happens!

Before you know it, I've got a crick in my neck, my eyes are crossed, and pretty near the whole day is shot!

The benefit of all my "suffering" :) is;  "A Pair of Second Chances" (that's the current "working" title), is comin' right along!

Well, even when you're flyin' along through a story, sometimes you come to a part that needs to simmer for a bit, to come clear in your head. When that happens, there's nothin' like a walk in the mountains to help clear things out. Almost as good as rollin' the scooter.

Mid day, to give me a break, a herd of Elk that lives in the area wandered by above camp... Their condition seems pretty good, in spite of their low numbers... I don't believe I've ever seen as many sets of twins in a herd as I've seen this spring...

*Two pairs of Elk Twins on the Bitterroot*

Then, yesterday afternoon, climbed in the truck, to run a couple miles on up to the top of the mountain behind us, to walk from there... only... when we got there, the weather wasn't exactly the best to be walkin' around on top of a mountain in...

 
 So, we settled for, mostly, the drive up the mountain, what with lightning startin' to flash. Coming back down, there was another storm working, on off across the Valley of the Bitterroot...

* A Montana storm on the Bitterroot*

... and found some new flowers... and as always, no idea what you call 'em... but I'm not too concerned about that... They're just as fine to look at, whether you know 'em or not.

... and takin' those couple of breaks did its job for the "Story"... with the situation comin' clear, and the Ol' boy gettin' himself in and out of a couple of tight spots as I either walked... or drove along! :)

Even, went off on a tangent, when something else that's been "simmering" finally clicked... and the design for a New Photo Album arrived between my ears, where I've been impatiently waiting for it...

... and spent an hour or so, laying things out and cutting leather...

I was starting to get a lil' anxious... since the Wedding is at the end of July! and it does tend to take me a lil' while to get one built...

But now... with a "Plan" for this bit of custom leather bright and shiny in my head... I'm a lil' less distressed.

So... though some folks might not see me moving much, I do try to stay busy...

Keep on keepin' on folks, just remember... when you're full timin'... it don't mean you're on Vacation! :)

Not on Vacation in Montana
Brian

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Payin' the Bills, Blue Skies, and Montana Traffic Jams...

Been doin' not much and workin' hard all at the same time.

Took a nice ride on back to Salmon, Idaho the other day, to find the only bank I could leave a bill payment at... and yesterday we put the Raider in the wind on a two up ride off the mountain and around to Painted Rocks State park, on Montana 473, below Conner.

It's real pretty back in there, and a nice ride. For me though, it's was one of those peculiar places that's real pretty to look at... but I just can't seem to catch much of it in a photograph.

Oh well... guess there's some places you'll just have to go see for yourself :)

I'm guessing this would be a pretty rough place for a warm lovin' guy like me to spend a winter...

But... summers with a nice speedboat might could be some fun :)

After an hour and a half or two of leaning through the cool breezes in the Montana Mountains we caught a late lunch in Darby, at a lil' place called "Deb's".  'fore we headed home for the Eagle on the Mountain...

and... due to the fact that I pay such close attention to what's goin' on around me... we didn't run over the Big Horn Ewe and her kid, takin' an afternoon stroll down the Center line... :)

I managed to catch this one with my HD170 Stealth Motorcycle Camera... But it missed the Bald Eagle catchin' a fish in a pond as we passed, the fawn running through a meadow as we passed, and barely caught the Buffalo along the West Fork Road on the way to Painted Rocks...

That's OK... I needed to get home and get "Ben" out of some more trouble in that new story I'm building...

Boy... If you thought "Jeb" was good at finding difficulties in my last story, "A Matter of Honor", "Ben", the guy making noise and breaking things in the upcoming New story, is giving that Old Time Westerner a run for his money! :) I think you're gonna like this new one, even better then "Honor"... and at the rate I'm finding out what happened :)... I should have it out by the end of the summer... though, I'd really like to finish up before then...

I'll get back to it... so I don't have to sit up 'till midnight tonight... ''cause I couldn't sleep without knowin' what happened! :)

Tap Tap Tappin' on the keyboard... under Wide Montana Skies
Brian

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MeowMomma was Right...

Back ten days ago, "Meowmomma" said we needed to try out the Burgers at Nap's grill in Hamilton...

Well... we had a date for a Rendezvous with Sharlotte and Jim yesterday at dinner time... (that's Noon for all you citified folks!) and I proposed either the Pizza at Kodiak Jax... or... try something new and we could all risk it together at Nap's...

 ... and of course, Heidi who avoids pics in the first place... was behind the shutter...

Everybody else agreed the Burgers were very good... so... if you don't like 'em... it's them other peoples fault! ... and... as long as you're there... get a Huckleberry Shake to wash it down...

We sat there tellin' yarns and stretchin' the truth for four hours! Almost had to buy supper too! :) But... they had to roll back to Missoula and we had to get back south of Sula so we finally broke camp and went our ways... Pretty pleasureable afternoon. :) Many Thanks Jim and Sharlotte!

Today... 'cause I've procrastinated to long... I must gear up, climb on that motorcycle sittin' outside under the nose of this fiver... and ride 60 miles south, back over Lost Trail pass, one more time... to get to Salmon Idaho... to find a bank of the correct variety to make a payment... that it's too late to mail... poor me... 120 mile round trip... on a motorcycle...

It's sixty south... or ninety north... North is traffic and mostly straight roads... south is the pass and a bit of foothills/canyon on the other side... twisties and sweepers to tickle a bikers heart... hmmm ... well... it is shorter south and so that'll be more... efficient... :)

What an imposition! :) ... ride 75 miles the other day for a cup of coffee... now 120 miles to pay a bill...  What a burden... poor poor me...

What excuses a man comes up with to road that Big Red Cruiser! :)

Well the bill is waiting, so...

Splittin' the Wind in Montana
Brian

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Four Wheelin' the Montana Back Roads...

With the Sky as wide as it can get, and bluer then it's been... the wonderin' of what lay over the other side of the Mountains across the valley drew me across...

... so we warmed up the old Imogene pass climbin' Dodge and started workin' our way up the track, that was juuuuust wider then the truck. It's the track, runnin' across, just below the crest...

Not as snug as Imogene... but... it got kinda tight meeting two trucks comin' down, them squeezin' between the mountain goin' up on their right ...

... and me hanging on the lip... with the ground disappearin' altogether out the right hand window. :)

*Long Views... and juuuuust enough room to pass? :) *

From our camp... you just see a yellow tint to the Mountainside, looking across the valley... when you get up closer...

*A Sea of Yaller Daisies on a Montana Mountainside*

... you really can't do it justice with a camera... a fella just needs to get out and walk in it...

The road curls back into the mountain and climbs up through a rocky area where the fire burned a lot hotter then the places we'd walked before...

... until you top out through Gibbons Pass... this is the way the Nez Perce' came when they tried to escape the army back in 1877... they had a big fight just a few miles east at the Big Hole battlefield... not one of the shinier moments of our history...

Wasn't long after this that Chief Joseph made his "I will fight no more forever" speech... that has echoed through the years...

That 30' Jayco don't look so big from here... Do it? :) ... if you look... reeeeeallll close... you can see it... See that lil' road comin' in from the right... about center picture above? see that first lil' grove of trees as you come in from the right margin along that lil' brown road?... and that tiny lil' white spot in front of 'em?

... Yup... that's home. :)

The only thing... that measures up to, and holds its own, for me, to a fine Motorcycle... are Long Views in Far country...

OK... sometimes... alright... Lots of times... the closeup views are pretty nice as well...

 

After you top out on top of Gibbons pass the road opens up a lil' bit... You could drag a fiver in from the other side... coming onto Forest Road 106 off of Montana 43...

We worked our way along... pretty much from the area of the Sula Ranger Station down 106 to Hwy 43...

Between the Hogan Cabin and the hwy, there was one big Motorhome... maybe a 36 footer boondocked with their atv's along the road as we passed through... though... the hiking is better... where our Jayco is settled in!

The Hogan cabin would sure make a nice "Writing Shack" for an itinerant word whittler... wouldn't it? :)

The Cabin sits at the top of a few hundred acre meadow on top of the Divide... just below it you come back to the highway... and come back down off of Lost Trail Pass... and back to camp... makes for a nice lil' tour through the Montana Mountains...

Just don't try to pull your whole rig up that road from Sula! :) It's one of those you'll have to really be good at backing up a long fiver... 'cause... if you try to climb it with your rig... you WILL... be backing down! :)

Gotta go and get shined up now... supposed to meet some folks for lunch in Hamilton...

Another Montana Morning
Brian

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Shhhh.... Don't Tell No One....

..... but... I think maybe summer has got to montana... so... keep it quiet... OK? Don't want that damned Murphy screwin' things up! :) Second day I woke up to a blue sky out the window... Now... THAT's unusual! :)

Yesterday I took the Raider on a nice run back over Lost Trail pass, turned at the top to run over Chief Joseph pass and on to Wisdom, for a cup of coffee and a conversation with the gal at the gas station/convenience store in which we solved all the problems of Montana and the World...

*You see a few bikes climbing Lost Trail Pass*

 ... and it only took us 20 minutes... Sheesh! Them politico bozo's back yonder in D.C. have had what... a couple of hundred years! :)

While I was getting that two wheel fix Heidi and the dogs took a couple of walks... and found one of the Ladies that those "Drummers" we heard in the lower campground were trying to attract...

 Dumbest birds the Boss ever made... Goonie Birds might be clumsy when they try to take off... or land... but these feathered Einsteins... it's a wonder they aren't extinct... Most birds bust out of dodge when you get too close... these tend to go into an epileptic fit... curious...


When I got back from splittin' the wind we took a stroll out where she'd heard something "Whining"... we decided it was likely an Elk calf that got separated from it's momma... I couldn't find any sign of canines, domestic... coyote, or those lil' red riding hood terrifyin', critters...


But... we did find a herd of about two dozen of these...

 Somethin' spooked 'em back up the drainage... and they come streamin' back through the trees off a few hundred yards away... momma's mewin' at the calves... the calves callin' back... Heidi decided that a calf callin' could have been what she heard... 

That's a calf that ain't gonna last long in this country... talked to a guy who drove up the logging road, as we we headed out... his account is that the elk herd has fell from 3500 to 700 in this unit, and ever'body pretty much agrees, those 2800 missing Elk? are in wolf bellies... whatever the count... fish and game has closed this area to elk hunting... and that pretty much says it all... save the wolf... lose the elk... 

I wonder... if a herd of 3500 couldn't sustain the pressure... how are 700?

It looks like the "Flower Season" is just now getting its legs around this part of Montana right behind the calving... we may just be parked in a good place at just the right time... for quite a botanical show... 


Can't you just see it? a Bunch of bearded, do ragged bikers... Harleys sittin' quiet along the roads... as they stroll through the flowers in their leathers? oooohhhhh! ..... ahhhhhhhhh! "Yo! Cutter! Come look at this Posie! ain't that the most beautifulest thing?".... and a Beer Booth at every logging road intersection ?! :)

But... maybe you're not a Harley ridin' flower picker? or a beer drinker? and Elk or their consumers don't tickle your whiskers?


There's lot's more of those Feathered residents flappin' around to find, if that's what ya'll are in to...

I've seen plain Old robbins... some lil' yellow birds... and tiny little things that flick around in the pines so fast you can't even see what color they are...


There's other critters in this country as well... coming back from Wisdom yesterday... 'course it didn't show till the battery on my bike camera died on me... A Marten started across the road in front of me... got to the center line as I approached, changed his mind and direction... and ducked back into the timber... Big sucker... 


I hadn't seen one of those... in... I can't remember... Might have even been a Fisher I suppose... big enough... I gotta keep that battery juiced up!!!

*Even after catastrophe... There's a chance for new life*

With the weather guys claiming 80 degrees for today... we should do... something... maybe... just sit in the shade under the awning... and soak it up?


Gonna have to drink another cup of coffee... and think on it..


Just Breathin' Easy in Montana
Brian


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RV Boondocking... How Hard Can it Be?

My answer... Not Very.

Along with "How do you find and get to your camps?" I get asked a lot about the "Necessities"...

Water, Power and the big Nasty... Dumping!

Honestly? I don't see what the big deal is. The rigs are all built, with ALL the facilities you need. The only real difference twixt your house on wheels, and an old, sticks and bricks anchor... is... Capacity.

... and again... just bein' honest here... Folks that live in houses... tend to be pretty careless. Flip a switch, run the faucet... flush the pot...and never give it a thought...Just write the check at the end of the month.

And... at the end of the month, most express lil' surprise... when their water bill tops out over 12 or 15,000 gallons!

I'll tell ya'll what... when you're dumpin' that fresh water into your rig at five gallons a jug... hauled out from your last trip down the mountain (I fill my jugs in Nat. Forest Campgrounds & Pic Nic Grounds a lot)... you quickly learn to not leave that faucet runnin' when you're brushin' your teeth... or washing your hands even!

The two of us? we use less then 25 gallons a day... between the TWO of us combined... a lot closer to 5 or 8 gallons a piece. That's dishes, cooking, flushing, and a Navy shower!

Uh... folks... Thats LESS... then 500 gallons a month! What's that... something like 3% of what's about the average American household usage?... so... all those tree huggin', ratty haired, "environmentalist" buzzards accusing me of operating a "Wasteful RV" can go have surgery... To correct their Cranial Intestinal Inversion!

Now, early on, ya have to think about it. Wasteful habits take a while to erase... but... after a bit? The good habits you build just become automatic.

Same thing when it comes to power. I've got a generator... but I only have to use it... when the weather is, too bad... for too long... The rest of the time... The Solar panels on my rooftop (of which I only have 40% of the planned layout) provide ALL my electrical power! ... and folks... I spend a LOT of time punchin' this keyboard!

What I Don't Do... is leave lights burning in places I'm not... I keep the furnace a lil' lower and use sweaters and lap blankets, and an extra blanket on the bed in the cool weather... I use a "Pocket Inverter" when all I'm doing is running the laptop... unless I'm feeling lazy and don't want to move cords around... and then just punch the button on the big 2000 watt inverter and say to hell with it! :) ... so see... you don't even have to get all fanatical about it!

Now... that big Nasty... Dumping... Everybody seems to focus on... Dumping, when you're boondocking...

It's not a whole lot different then when you're down in a Nat. Forest or BLM campground... except you're farther from the dump stations... so... you have to exercise a lil' forethought... now look... If ... I ... can do it... YOU... can do it...

Go into camp with your tanks empty. On your "Day Trips"... think about it 'fore ya'll head back to camp... Use the facilities along the road... before you go back... take that lil' bit of Load, off your Black Tank. :)

Guys... quit bein' so dang Dainty! You're out in ten jillion acres of Far Country... and you got born, equipped with a special tool to make waterin' the bushes a pretty simple chore! Why use a pint of water to wash away another pint of your own? ... and then have to haul both pints back on down off the mountain?

Quit bein' so squeamish! Take yourself a short stroll... find a thirsty bush... and Go back to Nature! :)

And for finding Dump Stations? Sheesh! They're everywhere... State rest areas, Nat. Forest/BLM/Corps. of Engineer campgrounds.

Many small towns, like Mackay, Idaho have dump stations in roadside parks... use the sanidumps or rvdumps websites to find one... Just learn to pay attention to both the locations as well as.. your need to empty a tank... you'll quickly develop a good rhythm and do just fine.

Our Black tank often carries us more then two weeks... the grey tank? ...uh... like I've said before... when you're out in the emptiness of Far Country... Think "Tent Camper"... :) How do THEY deal with their Wash Water?

But... bottom line? I live real comfortable, and I don't have to think about it much, or work anywhere near as hard... a lot less... then all the hassles and heartburn involved in working for, and supporting the Sticks and Bricks Prison I left behind!

and you know what?... there are benefits to adopting the RV Boondocking way of Living...

You can't get these views, down in town... and they change every few minutes...

... and looking up as you work in the evening...

*The current evening View from my RV Boondocking "Workstation*

Just a little time to learn the ropes...  and you'll be RV Boondocking with the best of 'em!

Livin' High on the Mountain
Brian

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Getting High in a Bitterroot RV Boondocking Camp in the Montana Rockies!

I don't know if a week goes by that I don't get an email asking how I find good RV Boondocking camps. Every once in a while, I run through it again. I've written 'bout it in my RV Boondocking Tips section and The Book ... at one buck 75, I think that might be worth your time. ;)

Then, as we were preparin' to make this last move, yesterday, it hit me. "Brian I said", I call my self Brian... well, at least when I'm not kickin' me and using bad words and dirty names for some fool mistake...

anyhoo, "Brian" I says; "Ya'll just got that spankin' new video camera. Whyn't you just SHOW 'em how you go 'bout it?"

"Geeze!" I replied to my self... "Ya'll shore is a smarter Cowboy then your looks give ya credit for boy!" :)

So... here is the RV Video Show of Moving camp. We moved from a paved, pay to play, National Forest Campground, that we've shared with other folks; To the Solitude of a shining, high above the Valley of the Bitterroot, genuine, unadulterated, double rectified, motorcycle equipped, RV Boondocking, Long Camp, site!

Just like Cowboy's... the good camps are out there, you just can't see 'em from the road!

Still learnin' the video deal... My accompanyin' music runs out a lil' too soon... but it's kinda nice while it lasts!... least I like it :) see what ya think...

There's a few "Rules" you'll want to keep in mind;

1. Never just start pullin' a big rig up a narrow forest road... you don't want to have to have to back your rig down the road in this video if you find no where to turn around... Do You? Always scout the possible roads on foot, in your tow rig, or in your toad. Play it safe. That's why we use "Organized" National Forest/BLM or other camps, first, in unfamiliar areas... and then, pull out to the camps we've found on our scouting trips.

2. Take it easy. There's no hurry... Take your time pulling up those narrow roads. You'll get there! I was in first gear most of that lil' haul. Bust an axle 'cause you come zippin' around a corner and couldn't stop in time to avoid that big rock that fell down, and you drug a trailer axle over it... and it ain't MY fault! :)

3. Watch your tire position on those narrow roads and tight turns. You don't have to watch so close going down paved roads... but, if you hang an 8' wide rig... off an 8' wide road... and find a big ol' rock... or worse... a deep, deep ravine... you'll be wishin' you'd paid better attention! :)

4. Never pull out into a meadow, without stopping and walking it first. Make sure the ground is clear of big, axle busting rocks, and that the ground itself is firm and dry enough to allow you to pull in... and back out again, without doing damage.

5. Keep a clean camp. There's nothing worse then pulling into an area that people used before you... that's cluttered with beer cans, broken bottles, a fire pit full of plastic bottles and other assorted bits of junk and camper detritus... Not to mention... though they are your neighbors up here... having a 900 lb. Grizzly grace ya'll with an up close and personal experience... 'cause your camp put out such a stink to attract him... is not going to improve your Boondocking memories.

6. Chock your wheels, and pad your jacks... It's a good idea to distribute the weight of your jacks... so they don't sink into the ground... which kind of says you pulled out onto Too Wet ground anyway :) but even on dry ground they can sink in... or if it rains hard while you are in camp...

7. Which brings up; If it does rain... IF... it rains hard and the ground goes soft on you while you're boondocked... The right thing to do... is stay put. Wait a couple extra days if necessary, to let the ground firm back up, before you move... and don't go runnin' in and out tearin' things up in the interim... like some recent neighbors of mine... Be Responsible... Take the time to come and go PROPERLY... and leave nothing but
some transient, shallow, and temporary tracks...

8. Pull into camp with your waste tanks empty and your water full.

9. Use only places that you'll not do damage... Don't pull too far off the road... and for the most part, try to use sites that have been "Traditionally" used in the past... Increasing population puts increasing pressure on everything. We need to do the best we can to minimize our impact.

10. People are always asking where we dump... and the answer is; all over the place. Many Wyoming rest areas have dumps. A LOT of  National Forest Campgrounds have dump stations. Most, if not all, National Parks do. I use sani-dumps website to locate Dumpstations... and... I use the individual National Forest websites as well (every one we  travel thorugh is bookmarked on my laptop), to locate nearby Dumpstations
in the forest. Basically, we just keep our eyes open and dump almost whenever we have the chance.

Truthfully, especially if we've been moving (and the "Stuff" is well sloshed around! :) ... I'll dump if I only have a quarter black tank full. I've never had an issue... but I know some recommend you only dump if you're at least 3/4 or so... I want to hit the bush with that tank empty... the grey water... ummmm..... Think "Tent Camper"... and use your imagination! :)

Well... that's a quick run through of how I go about it... Make your preparations... Remember the 7P's I've mentioned before. P-roper P-rior P-reparation P-revents P-athetically (cleaned up for general audiences!) P-oor P-erformance!

Make your scout... Take your time... and find the best camps you've ever lived in.

Montana Boondocking on the Bitterroot
Brian

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Still Under Wild Montana Skies...

We went hunting a camp.

Took a run in the truck out 38 through Sula... and found a nice lil' NF campground, right along the river... but... bein' as finicky as I am... decided that spot, free though it is... was too tight... and the timber to heavy and close... so we kept scoutin'.

Coming back down from that farthest spot we'd run to, we came a couple miles and turned up a forest access road... 

Just the kind of trail a guy needs to drag his fiver into the bush on! :) ... and up and up it twisted and rolled...

I kept thinking... that if this thing would climb up over the ridge we were ascending... we just might find a flat spot up on top... and... with just a might of luck... bein' up high, and on the Hamilton side of the ridge... a lucky fella might could catch some signal from down in the valley...

Now... bein' so wise and weathered in such matters... :) ... That's exactly how it worked out! :) Rolled into the woods a lil' bit over 3 miles... up on top of a ridge... and found a nice lil' spot, of firm ground a fella could back the rig in on... a couple of lengths off the road... and... five bars of 3G... now, can you do any better?

*View from a Prime Boondocking spot on the Bitterroot... Under Wild Montana Skies!*

Well... maybe.

Went on in to Hamilton, picked the Raider up from the tire shop and rolled on back to camp... Did an hours work or so and then, under a clear blue Montana sky, took off from camp up a road we'd not yet walked... a couple miles or so...

It's a poor picture of this Ol' Hawk... but you should have heard him screamin' at us...

... I told you Wild Montana skies! :)

It was a good climb. And, we kept sayin'... "just up to that next point". I finally saw up ahead where it seemed to level out... and I got to thinkin'... that just might could hold a camp too, so we kept hoofin' it up the mountain.

We passed another lil' creek... gurgling down the mountain...

... and from that spot where we did indeed find another sweet camp location... I could zoom in on a single Bike... rumbling up the highway, far below, climbing toward Lost Trail Pass...

We'll go back and check out this spot again... We kind of liked it... more open, plenty of hiking... It just has a really nice "feel" to it.

*Southern View from a likely RV Boondocking Camp*

... and you can't really complain 'bout the views from here either! :)

Near...

... or Far...

So... with the choice twixt one of those two... we'll likely move Friday noon...

... and I may, eventually, get our location updated on the google map... not sure what the issue is there... haven't been able to make the thing work since we were way back in the Escalante/Capital Reef area... the system is just 'spastic'... and I end up gettin' frustrated and shuttin' it off... may have to delete the thing out and start all over... we'll see what happens...

Until then... I'll get my nose back to the grindstone... It's a tough job, doin' all this scoutin' :) but... I gotta still do what's necessary to keep the diesel tank full... so we can go on... scoutin' fresh campsites, right?! :)

... and I'm needful of another good, Long Camp right now... I've got the Hero, in the story I'm workin' on now... into another genuine jackpot... and I'm anxious to find out what happens! :)

Gettin' Higher in the Rockies
Brian

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Wild Montana Skies...

The eastern sun comes in my window each morning as I sit at the table... well... Ok... It's shining this morning. The last few having been overcast and raining :) ... but it's still a shining view I have, looking out across the narrow end of the Bitterroot Valley, through the timber.

*South end of the Bitterroot Valley*

Rode the Raider into Hamilton yesterday, for a tire, starting out through a light mist. I managed to catch 'em a bit off balance... so I just left it there, and will pick her up today...

We've been catching an hour or two, late each afternoon, where the clouds have been opening up, and allowing at least a short hike... without rain gear...

Of course, the only problem with that is... it takes away that excuse I have that allows me to sit at the table writing... with less guilt about being in country such as this, and NOT being outside in it! :)

Somehow... telling myself I still need to make a living just ain't gettin' it done :)

I gotta keep the windows closed up... and my Ipod plugged into my ears... 'cause just behind the rig is a small stream... the water gurgling over the stones... is akin to the far distant wail of a freight train in the night... it just pokes and prods a mans urge to Yonder...

*High in the Montana Rockies, and bound for the Columbia*

The road from here to Hamilton winds through Sula, and Darby... Just east of here is the Battlefield where Chief Joseph gave the U.S. Army a run for its money... Just south of there of course, is Yellowstone... to the North and west is Lolo Pass and the Clearwater River that I ran down last summer on my way back from Alaska...

No shortage of trails calling out to a gypsy biker...

Not sure where we go from here... supposed to be running to the Black Hills on a Bike run in three weeks. The end of July making a bob-tail run back to Fort Collins for a wedding...

Likely we'll hunt around for a boondock camp to set up in... and not wander too much farther north till, after the wedding...

You'd think that, not having a schedule for the most part, would make life easier wouldn't you? :) but, just like the creeks that keep flowin'...

... Life just keeps rollin' along, throwin' out choices a Yonderer has to make...

The Light you can see up through these trees, is 'cause the forest was opened up by a huge old fire... and now flowers are bloomin'...

So... even if your choices slap you hard. Make you think your chances are ruined and your future is toast... cut yourself a break...  breathe slow an' easy... can you catch that scent? It's the rains that will come and renew the land... The colts will run and the flowers will bloom again! :)

 

The sun is shining on this particular morning in Montana... I've got a motorcycle with a fresh tire, waiting on me up the valley... and as always, in a boondock camp... chores to be done...

So... I better get to 'em

Take Good Care
Brian

Return to the main site of goin' RV Boondocking or Visit my Sister website Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road