Summer Road Trip

Part 1

Our summer vacation looked a little different this year... We had a few ideas in mind when we started planning this trip. Our must do's were:

1. Scout for elk in Wyoming since we knew we would be heading back there in September for archery season.

2. Make it to the Under the Big Sky Music Festival in Whitefish, MT

Now we needed to figure out what other stops and a rough timeline to keep us on track. We both took 2.5 weeks off and were excited to use our cab over camper and take the pup, Jax, with us. Since we knew the dates for the music festival, we decided to do a big loop and save the music festival for the end of the trip. We ended up heading through 7 different states but spent the majority of our time in Wyoming and Montana and it was such a treat! Prior to the trip we did a lot of e-scouting and mapped out some hunt plans so that we could make sure to hike in and check them out on our trip. Also, I spent some time planning out the trip as far as must see sights and towns. We ended up seeing three national parks and had a ton of great stops along the way!

Day 1 Austin worked this day so he had to drive 3 hours to get home. While he was driving home I got some snacks packed in the camper, clothes, and Jax's food so that when Austin got home we had less to pack before we hit the road! We brought along a small generator in case we needed it for anything and all of our backpacking gear. After we got loaded up we hit the road in hopes to make it to Reno, Nevada and sleep there. Reno is about 3.5 hours from Redding, CA where we live and once we made it to Reno we still had plenty of energy so we decided to keep going. We ended up stopping for food and finding a gas station in Elko, Nevada to sleep for the night. We were just looking for a quick stop to get some sleep so we could continue onto Wyoming the next day.

It was nothing fancy but it offered a free nights sleep!

Day 2 We woke up rested and grabbed some breakfast bars that I had packed and ate those while we let Jax get out some energy in the field next to the gas station. Next, we got on the road and stopped at a drive thru coffee shop to start our caffeine fix for the long drive ahead of us. Most of the morning we spent driving through Nevada and there was not much to see; luckily, we had some good podcasts to listen to that helped pass the time. The nice thing about traveling with the cab over camper is that when you need to stop for the restroom you can pull over anywhere! That became really helpful because it makes the stops a lot quicker. We ended up stopping once we got to Salt Lake City, Utah because I have always wanted to check it out and we needed some lunch. When we got there it was definitely hotter weather than I had expected with temperatures in the low 90's. We had Jax with us and walked around a little bit downtown and found a spot The Green Pig Pub that had an upstairs patio and was dog friendly. We got to see some of the historic buildings while driving and walking downtown. Overall, it was a nice spot for lunch but with the camper it made driving downtown a little more stressful especially when trying to find parking. We got lucky and found a downtown parking area that was close to our lunch spot! After this we got on the road and ended up driving out towards Park City Mountain. Being a snowboarder I have looked into this mountain multiple times for a winter trip! There were some amazing houses as we drove through the small towns. We ended up stopping in Evanston Wyoming and doing our bulk grocery shopping for the first part of the trip. I went in and shopped while Austin filled up diesel and let Jax stretch his legs. After I finished, we loaded the groceries and hit the road again. We ended up making it all the way to Afton, Wyoming; and followed some of our scouting waypoints into the wilderness.

Scouting

It took almost 2 hours on dirt roads to make it to where we had some waypoints marked. Once we got there we loaded our backpacks that we had packed prior to leaving town and hit the trail. After a few miles we came up to a good camp spot and left our bags there while we spent the last of the evening hours scouting on a hillside and cooking our mountain house. Jax was on cloud 9 since this was his first hiking trip since his TPLO surgery in March. There wasn't any water where we were camped so we made a quick trek to a nearby stream and filtered some water for breakfast and the camelbacks.

Once the sun had set and we had not spotted any deer or elk we headed back to where we left our packs and set up camp. Our tent was quick and easy to set up and within minutes we were tucked in bed and exhausted from the long day of travel. Normally Jax sleeps outside the tent but since there can be bears and he wanders at night sometimes to find water etc we had him inside the tent. Since this is a two man tent it was definitely a tight squeeze but we made it work.

Day 3

The sun was barely rising and we were already awake. Austin and I both were tossing all night long. Neither of us could get comfortable and usually this isn't a problem for us in the back country. Austin was up and out of the tent headed for the scouting hill. I rolled over and tried to fall back asleep. The next thing I knew Austin was running towards the tent gesturing me to get up and come! When I made it to the hillside he had the tripod set up on, he shows me multiple bucks. In my head I was thinking "We are here to scout elk and he's getting this excited about deer". However, when I took a look in the spotter these were some of the bigger bucks I had ever seen. I have never hunted mule deer but it's on my list for future hunts so it was exciting watching them. After spotting multiple bucks we then started glassing the other hillsides.

Moments later we spotted 4 bull elk feeding up a hillside with one that appeared to be the biggest as a 6x6. The velvet on their horns was fun to see since usually when we are hunting elk the velvet is gone. After watching these elk for a while I then spot another big buck feeding towards us just below the bulls. Then we spot another group of elk AND then another AND another. In a matter of 30 minutes sitting in the same spot we spotted elk at all elevations across the ridge from us. There were cows by themselves, cows and bulls, and bulls on their own. This was very exciting for us knowing that we found this area on a map thinking it would be where elk would be since it has: vegetation, timber, 15-25 percent slopes, and water. Then, actually finding elk there literally made the entire trip already worth it and we were only three days in!

We had planned to do some more hiking but after that morning glassing session we knew that elk were here and we opted not to keep looking. After hiking back out we got to the truck and headed out to the next potential hunting spot to scout out. After about 3.5 hours we were almost to the next spot and we came across a trail to a higher lookout point. Austin wanted to hike it and see what it looked like. He said, "I know there won't be any elk here but I just want to see the country". I knew there had to be other intentions because Austin doesn't usually hike unless there is some sort of scouting or hunting involved but I didn't ask questions and was ready to stretch the legs.

After a few miles we reached the pass and guess what?? Austin scouted some mule deer up at the top of the mountain near a small batch of timber. After watching the deer for a while we went over the other side of the pass and sat and enjoyed the views and did some more glassing. When we were just about to turn back around and head for the truck Austin spotted another deer! This was a great catch and fun for me to see the different terrain they will bed on.

After the hike out we drove another hour on a dirt road and found a nice pull out next to the Grey's river to sleep for the night. We enjoyed the mountain air with the running river in the background and I made some dinner while the boys took naps. After a nice salmon and rice dinner we fell asleep before the sun had set.

Day 4

After a chill morning enjoying camp and breakfast we loaded up camp for another day of adventure. Just a mile down the road we landed at our next scouting spot. We loaded the packs again and started hiking. We came across elk sign, bedding areas, wallows, and even saw a couple elk that we bumped during this 7 mile hike. We did a big loop and found different spots with water and good feed for the elk. This was definitely a good find. Just to get to a point where we would hunt was a 4 mile walk. If we were to get an elk down the hike out would be near 6 miles which is a lot further than ideal but it's not out of the question.

It was a hot day of hiking and we all needed a little cool down. We headed down the dirt road again and found a nice spot on the river to pull over. Austin did some fly fishing and I did some stretching, cleaning, and cooking for dinner. After dinner we both felt exhausted and enjoyed an early nights sleep.

Day 5

This morning we woke up knowing we had about 2 hours of dirt roads left until we reached the next highway. Our goal was to make it to Jackson Hole by the afternoon so we didn't have a strict timeline. We made a stop for Austin to do some more fly fishing and Jax and I took a walk and I did a small work out. We ended up in Alpine, Wyoming and stopped for a cup of coffee and some Diesel.

As we drove North towards Jackson we drove along the Snake River and watched tons of guided raft trips floating down the river. We definitely would have loved to do that but hadn't book a trip since we weren't exactly sure when we would be getting out of the wilderness. However, If you are ever traveling nearby I highly recommend a float trip because it looked amazing! We pulled over at a boat ramp and made some sandwiches and watched them launch!

Before we knew it we were in Jackson Hole and exploring downtown. Of course we found the shed horns and did some shopping as we walked around. We had a hard time finding a restaraunt with outdoor seating but eventually found ourselves at Snake River Brewery after a short walk through town! They were able to seat us on the patio and Jax enjoyed the atmosphere.

After an early dinner we decided to try to find a spot to sleep for the night before our big day exploring The Grand Tetons! One of my coworkers had shared an app called iOverlander with me that was very helpful finding free overnight parking along the trip. I pulled it open and we headed West out of town a few miles before pulling off at a marked location from the app. It wasn't anything luxurious but it was another free nights stay for us to get a good nights sleep!

Day 6

Our alarms went off early as we were excited to explore the Grand Tetons! We decided to just get dressed and hit the road and cook breakfast at one of our morning stops. I had read a lot of blogs about the park and we mostly followed one with a few exceptions. Here is the blog because I think she did a great job detailing the park in one day and I will just share our experiences with Jax since that did limit some of the activities.

Our first stop was Mormon Row, we got here at about 0600 just in time for sunrise. It was an amazing view and we were able to beat the crowds. I took Jax on a morning walk and we took in the beautiful views.

Next, we headed to Schwabacher Landing and enjoyed the beautiful views! We took turns walking down the short trail since Jax wasn't allowed. While Jax and I were in the parking lot walking around a small bull moose came feeding out into the meadow. We got to get within 80 yards of the moose and he had no care in the world. It was such a surreal morning looking up at the Tetons, with a bull moose feeding in front of us, and cooking breakfast in the camper enjoying a cup of coffee. I couldn't imagine my morning going any better.

After that, we gathered in the truck and headed to the Snake River Outlook. Other than it being a good stop for Jax and seeing some antelope it wasn't the most impressive stop. If time permits then make the stop otherwise you aren't missing much here.

Further along the road we came across Oxbow Bend. This was a pretty area to stop. Jax and I walked along the paved road as we watched ducks and geese in the river. Across from the river was a lot of marsh land. I could imagine moose or bear showing themselves at any point but not for us.

We ended up stopping at a dam and watching people catch fish and others get in their kayaks to head down river. Bringing a paddle board or kayak would have been amazing for the Snake River but we had limited space. However, next time we definitely would make room because with how hot it was floating the river and seeing wildlife that way would be epic!

Jax loved the views

We kept driving and took the Jenny Lake Overlook loop. We circled the lake and when we got there we found all the people! It was almost 11 o'clock at this point and the parking lot was packed and people were parking on the street. We decided since Jax couldn't go on the trails and it was already 90 degrees outside that I would take a quick walk around and meet back in 20 minutes. Austin stayed with Jax in the truck with the A/C. IF we could have made it happen I would have loved to taken the boat ride across Jenny Lake and hiked to Hidden Falls. Jenny Lake was beautiful and reminded me of a larger version of some of our lakes in the trinity alps.

At this point we had seen what was on the itenerary that was dog friendly so now we changed it up a little. We decided to head to the Teton Village lodge and explore and have some lunch. Jax was able to come along and we sat out on the patio and had a great lunch. Everyone who passed by gave Jax tons of attention and told us how they missed their fur children at home.

It was bout 2 pm and we decided to head back to Jackson Hole, get checked in, shower, and find a spot for dinner. I booked an rv site at The Kudar. It's technically a motel but has some full hook up spots behind the motel. This was nothing fancy but a block from central downtown and the cheapest rv spot I could find. It was still $110 which was insane to me but the gal who checked us in was nice and I got to take the longest rv shower of my life and have A/C for Jax.

After settling in we left Jax to nap in the cool camper and we headed for dinner. We found a great spot when we were walking the night before called Gather. We stopped in and got a spot at the bar since we didn't have a reservation. The food was amazing and the drinks were refreshing!

Dinner really hit the spot and after we decided to stop in at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar for a beverage and see what the fuss was about. We ended up playing some pool and then hearing that a live band was playing at eight. We stayed and listened for a while, watching some swing dancing and then doing some dancing ourselves. Then, we headed back to Jax to get some sleep before the next leg of the trip!

Day 7

You can't drive north without seeing Yellowstone! We didn't realize when we planned the trip that you have to drive through part of the Tetons to get to Yellowstone but now we know... So we did a little back tracking but that's alright. After driving a while we entered Yellowstone. Since the flooding a few weeks prior we decided to shorten our Yellowstone adventure to one day in case the northern part was still closed.

Our first stop on the bottom loop was Old Faithful. We followed the masses of people and got to the parking lot. We walked in with all the hundreds of people and sat and waited until she decided to blow.

After the Old Faithful went off we got back to the truck and started towards the Grand Prismatic Spring. There was a line backed up on the road for miles waiting to get into the parking lot. Since Jax couldn't go on the trails anyways we parked down the road at a picnic area and took turns taking a short job to the viewpoint and walking the loop and then coming back. It was nice to get some movement in anyways and we cooked some breakfast and made coffee.

Next, we got back on the road and decided that the enormous groups of people were not our thing. We ended up taking Firehole Canyon Drive and seeing a pretty waterfall and then made our way out the West Yellowstone Entrance. We wanted to get out in the wilderness without hundreds of people so we did.

We drove north towards Bozeman and stopped on the side of the highway having lunch and letting Jax swim in the river. Austin did some fly fishing and we enjoyed the outdoors and beautiful mountains all to ourselves.

A few stops later we passed through Big Sky Montana and then found ourselves in Bozeman. We couldn't get to Bozeman without stopping at Stone Glacier so we made a pit stop and did some pre hunting season shopping. The nice gentleman working gave us a recommendation for dinner and we went with it. There were soo many good looking restaurants when driving through downtown Bozeman and we ended up at Montana Ale Works. We sat at the bar and met multiple other diners and enjoyed the evening with great cocktails and food!

We used the app again and found and area near a dog park that allows overnight parking. We got there and took Jax on a stroll to the dog park and enjoyed the mountain air. Bozeman was awesome just form the small pieces we saw. I wish we had more time to explore the mountains and get more familiar with the town. After a good nights sleep we ate a little breakfast and hit the Bozeman Crossfit for a workout before starting the next part of the drive.