Less than 2 weeks after arriving back home I was off again. However, I did make some changes – got rid of the old AC unit and put in a much quieter OutEquip 12V unit. It’s not as powerful, but powerful enough and so much quieter – good change.
I also modified my shelf arrangement – works a little better – and I installed a more sensible sink and faucet – it’s now big enough to wash stuff in!
July 19th – with a destination of Northern Idaho for a North West Truck Camper Rally which starts August 5th including a wrong-way to start for a dental appointment in Greensboro, NC, I have 17 days to cover about 3,000 miles… I’ll try to keep this short!
This morning I managed to sell the old AC before setting off – talk about last minute stuff! Headed out on a non-highway route to boondock at Higgins Bridge, SC. The boat ramp was full but just up the road there was a small spot just big enough for me!
Unfortunately found that the Cuisinart Air Fryer had come adrift from the shelf – because I’d over tightened the mounting screw and broken the bracket. Unrepairable!
July 20th: Managed to find a replacement Cuisinart at Kohls – and dropped the old one at Goodwill. Carried on to Greensboro where I stayed with Kate and Linda (1st wife and her mum).
July 21st: Teeth cleaned and inspected followed by 170 miles of mixed highway and non and a great boondock up a forest road in Linville, NC.
The next day was a long 390 miles, followed by another great boondock in the Hoosier National Forest, IN – just west of Louisville, KY. Got a visit from ‘Law Enforcement’ (not Police, not Parks…?) – the guy liked the look of my rig and stopped to chat!
July 23rd: Another long one – 330 miles – to a real campsite at Argyle Lake S.P. – $15. Was able to dump tanks and get water.
July 24th: 355 miles to Silver Lake, Ayreshire, IA. Another fantastic boondock – completely by myself.
July 25th: 412 miles! Made it all the way to Wall in South Dakota. Stopped in at the Drug Store – a real tourist trap that Mindi and I stopped at last year. Hoped to get myself a summer Stetson, but the place was so mobbed I decided against and went elsewhere for some groceries and laundry. Ended up at ‘The Wall’ camping spot we were at last year overlooking the Badlands below. It’s really HOT! Saw 113F at one point. Figured the wall would be windy for some cooling effect – but it was just blowing hot air!
July 26th: 300 miles. Went in search of high ground and some coolness as this heat is forecast to continue all week! On my way, I came across two trains consisting of purely BNSF locomotives. Each train was over a mile long! Apparently they store them like this for when they need them. Amazing!
Found myself a wide open free camping area in the Bighorn Mountains of WY at over 6,500ft elevation. Below the temperature was over 100F, up here it was more manageable – mid 80’s.
Got to see a group of Long Horned Sheep and a large herd of deer…
July 27th: Got it in my mind that I need a dog to travel with! Visited a shelter, but they had nothing suitable… Drove another 250 miles to the Montana side of Beartooth Highway and found a truly epic boondock! Looking forward to doing the Beartooth tomorrow – supposedly one of the most scenic highways in the US.
July 28th: 190 Miles. The Beartooth is very scenic and a fun drive! Came down into Yellowstone N.P. – what a madhouse! Last year we only stopped briefly in early May – before the main season and it was mobbed – this time, in high season it was impossible. I was able to watch massive herds of Bison and some Elk which was interesting, but basically I took the shortest route out of there arriving in Livingstone, MT.
The last couple of days I’ve been feeling very off, with tightness in my chest, so I ended up visiting Urgent Care – who sent me on to the ER – where I got the full treatment! In the end we concluded it was stress and/or altitude as EKG’s and bloodwork all showed no problems. Phew. It was now pretty late so I had to settle for a horrible boondock at a Truck stop!
July 29th: 105 miles. Was an interesting day – mundane start with grocery shopping and laundry – then went to an animal shelter and adopted Bo!
Found a free campsite near Townsend, MT – a nice open grassy area where Bo and I could get to know each other.
Feeling better – getting used to altitude methinks.
July 30th: 60 Miles. Found another boondock, but there are lots of campers around, so not perfect. Need to find quiet spots where Bo and I can breathe easy. I did leave him in the camper for a few minutes to see how he’d react. (I was standing just outside) He started howling and barking so I banged on the door – a few minutes later he started up again… repeat, repeat. Later that evening I discovered he’d emptied his bladder on the bed!
July 31: 122 miles. After visiting the laundromat(!!!) drove to the Lolo National Forest and found a superb boondock. Bo – now Jazza – decided that the chicken I had on the counter for tonight’s meal smelled good – so he snatched one of the thighs! Little bugger! I got it away from him – but not before he dropped it in the dirt! I guess one thigh will suffice!
August 1st: 241 miles. Turns out the gravel road I camped off leads on to numerous trails – so decided to have a go at them. OnX (off-road app) showed them to be easy 2/10’s but connecting via a 3/10… lets give it a go. All was good – the harder trail was very narrow with low headroom, and I could only go very slowly but we made it. Had a devil of a time finding a decent boondock – everywhere was taken – so ended up in a horrid little spot at the end of a trail.
August 2nd: 100 miles. I’m now in the vicinity of where the NWTC Rally will be held. The place is very smoky because of forest fires in Canada and Washinton. Another frustrating day looking for decent places to stay. I did find an awesome one up a very steep trail, but it was right under power lines on the top of a hill. It was certainly cooler because it was blowing a gale. In the end I turned my nose up at it (too cold and windy). I tried the venue for the Rally – Faragut State Park – but they wanted $80 per night for a primitive campsite!!! Bugger that! Instead found a very dull gravel parking lot beside a ski resort for free. Several campers here.
August 3rd: 70 miles. I have to find somewhere better to stay… Got lucky with Beauty Creek Campground – a national park that reportedly fills up. But they had a spot available and I grabbed it for 2 nights! Very small, very quiet. Time for me and Gazza. So far have been unable to get him to accept a leash to go on a walk. I could barely manage to get him away from the camper. If I did, then he’d accept a leash – provided we were heading back to the camper. Made very little progress. This event we’re going to is going to be a major challenge!
August 5th: 60 miles. We did some off-road trails! Excellent! Had to drag a fallen tree out of the way with the truck. Encountered cyclists – one nearly crashing into my bumper as he screamed downhill!
Arrived at the NWTC Rally in the mid afternoon and picked a spot in the wide open field at the back of the group – to work with Gazza. Getting him involved with the people was going to be very difficult.
The NWTC Rally with about 50 truck campers in attendance turned out to be a really excellent experience for Gazza and me. By the end of the event I was able to walk him all over the place – with or without leash – and he’d come when called. He was able to shyly meet people and other dogs and became quite a hit in the group! Not bad since we’d known each other only a week.