Author Topic: Plan SB's Elite Vision Quest Through Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho (Read 111260 times)

Emo EMAW · « **Reply #175 on:** July 16, 2013, 01:56:05 PM »

I'd like to dedicate this link to SkinnyBenny:

Take comfort in knowing that in a moment's notice you could roam. Roam on, SB, roam on.

(Other good western road trip tracks:

There's a bunch more but you'll find them if you like this stuff.)

SkinnyBenny · « **Reply #176 on:** July 17, 2013, 05:17:48 PM »

Quote from: Emo EMAW on July 12, 2013, 08:41:51 AM

SB, it's pictures like what you posted that really prevent me from spending money to travel abroad for vacation. I worry that there is so much to see in my own country and I might die before I ever see everything I would have liked to see.

Yeah. I've seen a ton of the US (been to 49 states) but there's still a ton that I've never seen. America is absolutely huge, and geographically should really be about 5 different countries. So much variety. You ever been to Alaska?

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Fantastic pictures BTW, what kind of camera were you using? The coyote up close was very good, and the scenery, my God.

This one.

It's...okay. Cost about $250-$275 when I bought it like 2 1/2 years ago or something. Best Buy. I'm not a huge camera guy so I just bought what my friend told me to buy. It's bulky as hell for a point and shoot because of the lens, and that can definitely be annoying in my pocket sometimes. I got some great pictures on this trip for sure, but there's something wacky going on with the lens (dust particles or dirt or something on it inside?) that sometimes makes junk show up in the corners when I take pictures of the sky. These pictures actually ended up requiring a ton of cropping/scrubbing out. I don't know. It's okay. Definitely have gotten some really good ones from it, no doubt, but there are some not awesome things about it.

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Another question, when you were on your VQ, alone, did you find yourself longing for company? I used to go fishing to Colorado by myself when I was in college, sometimes for a week. Found myself getting lonely. I wanted to share these experiences with someone. No homo. I bet it was awesome to meet up with PM.

Great VQ Q right here. There were no doubt times that I wished I could've shared it with someone just because what I was looking at was so spectacular that it was hard to describe over the phone. Would've been nice to share it with someone. But I think it was really, really great to experience it alone for the first time too b/c I had no real itinerary or timeline. Just went where I want, when I wanted. No one hassled me about being sure to set up my tent before dark, no "why on earth do we have to detour into Moscow so you can cross the Vandals' football stadium off your list?" No one telling me, "You're getting dirt in the tent," or "Hey SB, I know you're drunk but you're going to get mosquito bites all over if you keep playing guitar by the fire naked." Freedom, man. Isn't that what these 50 nifty United States are really about, anyway???

SkinnyBenny · « **Reply #177 on:** July 17, 2013, 05:18:41 PM »

also I blared tunes as loud as I wanted and there wasn't nothing my mom could do about it

Dr.Spaceman · « **Reply #178 on:** July 17, 2013, 06:06:45 PM »

dang, SB. I was slightly skeptical of the idea before you started the VQ but I must say that it looks incredz. Now I feel like I need to do this at some point in the next few years. Grats!

SkinnyBenny · « **Reply #179 on:** July 17, 2013, 06:14:05 PM »

Quote from: Dr.Spaceman on July 17, 2013, 06:06:45 PM

dang, SB. I was slightly skeptical of the idea before you started the VQ but I must say that it looks incredz. Now I feel like I need to do this at some point in the next few years. Grats!

I rented a car from Costco with unlimited miles and drove it over 4,100 miles in 2 weeks. I think they were kinda mad.

star seed 7 · « **Reply #180 on:** July 17, 2013, 06:15:35 PM »

LCOIQ here, where do you shower and poop?

SkinnyBenny · « **Reply #181 on:** July 17, 2013, 06:32:12 PM »

Quote from: seven on July 17, 2013, 06:15:35 PM

LCOIQ here, where do you shower and poop?

I stayed at campgrounds, which had actual bathrooms. Many of those campgrounds also had coin-operated showers. But I've been to Bonnaroo twice so going 4 days with no shower is no biggie.

TheCatFanSpeaks · « **Reply #182 on:** July 17, 2013, 08:03:04 PM »

Very jealous of #vq2013. Great trip and great report!

SkinnyBenny · « **Reply #183 on:** July 17, 2013, 08:33:34 PM »

Other thread where I post pictures I took of stadiums along the way:

http://goEMAW.com/forum/index.php?topic=28264.0

HerrSonntag · « **Reply #184 on:** July 17, 2013, 11:02:57 PM »

SB, a work buddy who i told about my VQ asked if i was going to come back through the badlands instead of ft. colins, and it got me thinking about maybe staying further north and going through glacier national instead of yellowstone... throwing my tip upside down. So i'm thinking about straight from Portland to Flathead, spending most of the next day in GNC, then driving out in the afternoon to post up in either Bozeman, Butte, or Missoula then driving to the badlands Saturday, and back to Wichita Sunday. Between those 3 citys, weighing taking some time off the Mt. Rushmore/badlands drive, which would be more badass?

Also, any other elite travelers, i was very young the last time i went to the badlands and don't remember it, but weighing the alternative involves alot of eastern co./western ks, should i even make the trip bend through there?

SkinnyBenny · « **Reply #185 on:** July 18, 2013, 12:25:51 AM »

I actually know nothing about the Badlands at all. Want to go there but won't be in the area any time soon. Ft. Collins is a really cool large town/small city, but who knows how long you'd stay there. I mean I went through it twice and only spent a few hours there each time. Badlands might be cooler. Basically, do whatever will get you up to Flathead Lake and GNP.

Know though that whatever you do will probably be turrible in a U-Haul or moving truck.

HerrSonntag · « **Reply #186 on:** July 18, 2013, 12:35:35 AM »

yeah, i have to check that first, i know my buddy drives an old beater that he bought out there and he has no furniture that he needs brought home, i just don't know if he plans on fitting all his other crap in there...

mocat · « **Reply #187 on:** July 18, 2013, 08:08:34 AM »

Badlands is increds but not sure how its going to follow glacier. There's parts of Badlands that are just moon rocks or something. Also, what's the status of crazy horse?

SkinnyBenny · « **Reply #188 on:** July 18, 2013, 12:47:43 PM »

Really nothing could top Glacier imo except maybe Alaska and Hawaii. Truly a gem of these fifty nifty imo.

wELLsculptedbrows · « **Reply #189 on:** July 18, 2013, 01:23:17 PM »

If you're in Bozeman and don't at least spend some time in Yellowstone, you're beyond any help you're going to get from a message board.

"I've been about the world a lot and pretty much over our own country,but I was totally unprepared for that revelation called the Dakota Bad Lands... What I saw gave me indescribable sense of mysterious otherwhere.

"Let sculptors come to the Badlands. Let painters come. But first of all the true architect should come. He who could interpret this vast gift of nature in terms of human habitation so that Americans on their own continent might glimpse a new and higher civilization certainly, and touch it and feel it as they lived in it and deserved to call it their own. Yes, I say the aspects of the Dakota Badlands have more spiritual quality to impart to the mind of America than anything else in it made by man's God." -Frank Lloyd Wright

But I guess a lot of good beers come from Ft. Collins, so it's a coin toss really.

HerrSonntag · « **Reply #190 on:** July 18, 2013, 03:41:59 PM »

I think i just need to take an extra day off, and do all of them

SkinnyBenny · « **Reply #191 on:** July 18, 2013, 03:54:50 PM »

Quote from: HerrSonntag on July 18, 2013, 03:41:59 PM

I think i just need to take an extra day off, and do all of them

Or even two or three.

Boom Roasted · « **Reply #192 on:** August 04, 2013, 03:29:09 PM »

SB! Looks like I've got a new client in Boise and could be making trips up there a couple times a year. Will have to tag on a few personal days to a trip and do my own baby vision quest. If I were to have. Meetings on say a Wednesday and didn't come home till Sunday, what would you do?

Looking through your thread for the third time, I was thinking maybe drive north and explore Idaho forests wed night, get to Missoula and see surrounding area next, flathead lake that Friday, coeur d Alene sat, then Spokane for flight home Sunday. Do I make GNP a priority even though its a very long drive?

This is at min a few months out and could be affected by cats fball so this might be a spring thing. I'm just getting too excited.

SkinnyBenny · « **Reply #193 on:** August 04, 2013, 04:57:30 PM »

Quote from: Boom Roasted on August 04, 2013, 03:29:09 PM

SB! Looks like I've got a new client in Boise and could be making trips up there a couple times a year. Will have to tag on a few personal days to a trip and do my own baby vision quest. If I were to have. Meetings on say a Wednesday and didn't come home till Sunday, what would you do?

Looking through your thread for the third time, I was thinking maybe drive north and explore Idaho forests wed night, get to Missoula and see surrounding area next, flathead lake that Friday, coeur d Alene sat, then Spokane for flight home Sunday. Do I make GNP a priority even though its a very long drive?

This is at min a few months out and could be affected by cats fball so this might be a spring thing. I'm just getting too excited.

Sounds sweet. Keep in mind that Boise is a good distance from the northern part of Idaho that is really nature-y so make sure to check Google maps before you get too far ahead of yourself. If you're coming from Boise, I'd probably wait to do Glacier. To do it right, you really need probably three days minimum . . . and also keep in mind that much of Glacier is limited except during the summer months because there's still a lot of snow and stuff. So if you're going up there, you want to have the time to do everything you should with Glacier. No sense in playing Just the Tip and then having to leave. Missoula/Flathead/Coeur D' Alene is more than enough to keep you busy and having a great time for that amount of days. Try to drive through SW Montana's Gallatin National Forest if you can, you will definitely not regret it. Crank tunes.

HerrSonntag · « **Reply #194 on:** August 07, 2013, 10:51:38 PM »

So, SB, i'm approaching one week to my trip to Portland, followed by a drive back to Kansas.

As it stands now, i'm driving from Portland up through Spokane then pretty much taking I90 back to the Black hills area, then snaking through hiways and biways back to KS.

Thinking about staying near Flathead Lake the first night, Yellowstone area the second night, and Black hills area the third night... and elite insider camping spot tips for any of thos place? Or any Elite stops we need to make on the way?

Emo EMAW · « **Reply #195 on:** August 08, 2013, 08:54:15 AM »

Quote from: HerrSonntag on August 07, 2013, 10:51:38 PM

So, SB, i'm approaching one week to my trip to Portland, followed by a drive back to Kansas.

As it stands now, i'm driving from Portland up through Spokane then pretty much taking I90 back to the Black hills area, then snaking through hiways and biways back to KS.

Thinking about staying near Flathead Lake the first night, Yellowstone area the second night, and Black hills area the third night... and elite insider camping spot tips for any of thos place? Or any Elite stops we need to make on the way?

Be sure to take the Chief Joseph highway out of Yellowstone on your way to Cody. One of the most scenic drives in the country.

SkinnyBenny · « **Reply #196 on:** August 08, 2013, 09:48:37 AM »

Quote from: HerrSonntag on August 07, 2013, 10:51:38 PM

So, SB, i'm approaching one week to my trip to Portland, followed by a drive back to Kansas.

As it stands now, i'm driving from Portland up through Spokane then pretty much taking I90 back to the Black hills area, then snaking through hiways and biways back to KS.

Thinking about staying near Flathead Lake the first night, Yellowstone area the second night, and Black hills area the third night... and elite insider camping spot tips for any of thos place? Or any Elite stops we need to make on the way?

Oh man you are in luck. If you're tent camping then I definitely recommend Big Arm State Park on Flathead Lake. It's about 16 miles away from Polson (which is at the southern part of Flathead), but worth the drive. If you get there early enough and beat everyone you can set up your tent like 5 feet from the water. Might technically be breaking the rules but I did it when there was barely anybody there so it wasn't a big deal. Also if you're feeling like getting weird, Big Arm Campgrounds have yurts. You can stay there for like $45 or so, which is about twice the price of renting the camping space. They're funny looking and would be a good story I bet. But they're up a bit, not by the water. Big Arm Campgrounds also have coin-operated showers and super normal plumbing if you're looking for that. I found a tiny spider in the shower but it was no biggie.

SkinnyBenny · « **Reply #197 on:** August 11, 2013, 09:19:23 PM »

HS, are you IRL excited??

HerrSonntag · « **Reply #198 on:** August 11, 2013, 10:36:50 PM »

Suuuuper pumped, got all my bags packed already!!!

HerrSonntag · « **Reply #199 on:** August 14, 2013, 07:47:15 AM »

Boarding my flight!