Big Brother's Big Tour

[BigBrother-84]

2023/09/06
Day 8, back country ride.
228 / 141 miles (Orange).


Starting at Varney, we drove the Gravelly Range Road.  HUGE!
Rough gravel road, single car large. Big Brother was really happy, remembering his early days on Anticosti Island.
If you wan't to see Montana's back country, I highly recommand this scenic road.

Lot of wildlife and animals:
















Fantastic views:















The signs are... difficult to read:


Can't call it "overlanding", but the exit road, at Red Rocks Wild Life Reserve, was muddy and with deep ruts.



We slept in a campground about 15 miles north of West Yellowstone, on the Big Sky road (Gallatin valley).

[BigBrother-84]

2023/09/07
Day 9, Yellowstone Ntl Park - part 1.
277km / 172 miles (Yellow).


Nice place, we saw Bison herd, partially blocking the road, creating a trafick jam:







We stoped at nice hot water holes and geysers:











We hoped to see the Old Faithfull Geyser, but it was too crowded!  As much tourists as the whole Mont Tremblant resort, but for this single spot.  So we continued our way, heading North.

Stop along Yellowstone Lake, here is Big Bro:


Then, about 2 minutes after leaving this pict spot, Big Bro stopped…. A chance that we were arriving at large shoulder.
I first installed my spare Ignition Module, but nothing to do, engine does not start.
I unplugged the carburetor fuel line, and nothing was coming out… No fuel at all.
Already missing fuel?  Hhhmmm, not 100% sure, but I remember we fueled not so far.
Anyway, don’t worry!  I carry a 5 gallon Jarry Can!  So I poured the fuel in Big Bro’s tank and… nothing.
The fuel pump?  It is NEW!  But what else could it be…. I am carrying the old used pump, so let’s go and swap the pump.
Hurray, it works!  Curiously, we had to “prime” the carb with fuel directly in the carb in order to start the engine, and finally having fuel coming in from the fuel line.

This “new” pump died after only 4000 miles!  I immediately ordered another spare pump (just in case, we never know), will take it at Salt Lake City on next September 10th.


Due to late hour, we decided to change our planning and to turn around Yellowstone counter clock wise.  So we headed East, to Cody.
Nice canyon to go there!





Big Bro in front of our restaurant:

[grumpin]

Wow! You are seeing some sights!

Good job on the fuel pump!

[BigBrother-84]

2023/09/08
Day 10, Yellowstone Ntl Park - part 2.
506km / 314 miles (Dark Blue).


We left Cody early morning, heading North to Red Lodge:





And then turned West to The Beartooth Highway.
What a gorgious scenic road, full of hairpin turns!













In Yellowstone park, we headed South and stopped at Canyon Village:



And before leaving the park, we saw another Bison grazing along the road:

[Gary Lewis]

Beautiful pictures!  And beautiful country!  Glad your trip is going so well.  

I've been to the Lewis & Clark Caverns.  I remember it so well since someone asked the ranger on the cable car if the cable was safe and he said we shouldn't worry as they had a spare in the warehouse.  

And I'm told I'm somehow descended from Meriwether Lewis - although he supposedly had no children.  

Anyway, with only 3 days left I can't wait to meet you!  Travel safely.

[BigBrother-84]

Gary Lewis wrote

I've been to the Lewis & Clark Caverns.  I remember it so well since someone asked the ranger on the cable car if the cable was safe and he said we shouldn't worry as they had a spare in the warehouse.  

Yes, our guide (who is as old as the cavern ) told us this story about the spare cables.
Although there is no more funicular, every transportation systems are gone.

So, let's continue the Big Tour report.

Leaving Yellowstone, there wasn’t any available campgrounds before Jackson Hole.  We looked to take a motel there for the night... but at 350$-550$ a night (on what planet were we?), we continued our way and found a nice campground named Hoback (Bridger Teton National Forest).

9 septembre
Day 11, Hoback to Bear Lake
215km / 134 miles (Purple).


A full road day, ending at Bear Lake.
Some pictures of the road:







Bear Lake is very special, due to its dark turquoise color.
Here is the explanation I found:
«Bear Lake is known as the "Caribbean of the Rockies" for its unique turquoise-blue color.
The intense and vibrant color of Bear Lake is due to the refraction of limestone deposits (calcium carbonate) from the Bear River Range suspended in the lake waters and reflecting the natural blue color back up to the surface.»

[BigBrother-84]

10 septembre
Day 12, another full road day
317km / 197 miles (Orange).


Leaving Bear Lake, we headed to Salt lake City, where I bought a spare fuel pump at a local O'Reilly Auto Parts.

For White Bears as we are, we found that SLC was really hot on that sunny day.

Some picts of this day:





Arriving at SLC:


After picking up the fuel pump, we continued our way to a well organised campground (although not nature close), called Deer Creek State Park, in Provo region.  It has a view on the Deer Creek Reservoir.

[BigBrother-84]

11 septembre
Day 13, SLC (Provo) to Moab
346km / 215 miles (Red).


Still heading South, we went to Moab (hey, not as in "road"... the Locals pronounce it as we do in Frech, mo-A-b, as in "A-bsolute").

We arrived late, installed the camp and slept early, we were plannig a BIG day the next morning.

Some picts of this road day:

[BigBrother-84]

12 septembre
Day 14, BIG tourism day
209km / 130 miles (Blue).


A day in 3 parts.
I'll separate the picts in 3 different posts.

Day 14 / Part 1
Dead Horse State Park + Canyonlands Ntl Park + Shafer Canyon Overlook
93km / 58 miles

AWSOME and SPECTACULAR views on the Colorado River canyon, from the upper plateau of Dead Horse State Park!








From the State Park, we can see the Shafer Canyon and the "landing" of the Shafer Trail on the Ntl Park side, and the begining path of the Potash Trail down the canyon:




We left Dead Horse State Park and went to Canyonlands Ntl Park.
Views from the Shafer Canyon Overlook:

[BigBrother-84]

Day 14 / Part 2
Shafer Trail + Potash trail
56km / 35 miles

My wife asked me why I didn't want to go down the Shafer Trail.  I had no good answer, we are HERE, so let's go!
She regretted it all the way down...

Almost didn't toutched the brake pedal, 4L + 2nd drive, Big Brother compressed like a champ, constant speed no acceleration.

Oh, I can now confirm that Big Bro CANNOT take the hairpins turns.  We had to backup 3 times.  You have to not make a mistake while clutching, let's say.


Shafer Trail:

Here's a link to a short movie.
Pictures are below:









Big Brother at Shafer Trail bottom:


Begining the Potash Trail:




Some views along the Potash Trail:

[BigBrother-84]

Day 14 / Part 3
Arches Ntl Park
61km / 38 miles

Was late, we didn't had time to see all the park.

[Gary Lewis]

Such wonderful pictures!  This is the trip of a lifetime!

I've not done Moab but want to.  However I have done many, many Jeep trails and backing up at hairpin turns isn't unusual at all, even for a regular cab, so having to back up only three times in Big Bro isn't bad at all.  And yes, low range is nice.  Lots of noise but lots of compression braking.

We loved Bear Lake.  And Arches.  And have been to Lake Powell four times, but just not Moab - yet.

[Nothing Special]

BigBrother-84 wrote

....  Still heading South, we went to Moab (hey, not as in "road"... the Locals pronounce it as we do in Frech, mo-A-b, as in "A-bsolute"). ....

I've heard people talk about Moab for so long I don't even think about the fact that people might read it as "Mobe".  But yes, it's Mo-Ab (and for what it's worth, "Hurricane", the Utah town I went to last year, isn't pronounced like the storm, it's "Hurricuhn", I guess Utah just pronounces things weird)

BigBrother-84 wrote

....  AWSOME and SPECTACULAR views on the Colorado River canyon, from the upper plateau of Dead Horse State Park!....

We didn't do Dead Horse.  We were planning to, but decided that seeing everything from the top in Canyonlands and from the bottom on Potash road was enough for the time we had.  But everything in that area is spectacular, so I knew we missed some great views!

BigBrother-84 wrote

....  My wife asked me why I didn't want to go down the Shafer Trail.  I had no good answer, we are HERE, so let's go!
She regretted it all the way down...

Almost didn't toutched the brake pedal, 4L + 2nd drive, Big Brother compressed like a champ, constant speed no acceleration.

Oh, I can now confirm that Big Bro CANNOT take the hairpins turns.  We had to backup 3 times.  You have to not make a mistake while clutching, let's say.
....

I'm glad you did Shafer trail (and lived to tell the tale!)   It's not the kind of road that's for everyone, so I want to be careful not to push people to do it.  But I'm glad I didn't completely talk you out of it.  It's quite an experience, isn't it!?!?

And what did you think of the road going out?  Yes the views are spectacular, but we really felt beat up by the road.  I've heard others who thought the road was well worth it (even one of their favorites), so I'm curious what your thoughts were.

BigBrother-84 wrote

Day 14 / Part 3
Arches Ntl Park
61km / 38 miles

Was late, we didn't had time to see all the park....

I really liked Arches, but I think Lesley would rate it as her least favorite of the four Utah national parks we've been to.  Not that falling below Zion, Bryce or Canyonlands means it's a bad destination by any means!  If you like light-duty hiking and have the time, I thought the hike out to Delicate Arch was well worth the effort.  We were told to get there for sunrise, and I don't think that's a big deal.  The lighting on it isn't very good then (but hiking in the cool of the dark morning had it's advantages).

I've heard that Arches now has a reservation system where you need to get a time to go in.  I know it always had LONG lines when we've driven by it!  For future info, there is an "off-road" entrance to the park farther north.  I haven't taken it, but from videos it looks like you probably need a high-clearance 4WD to take it, but any stock '80s Ford pickup could do it.

Very cool trip!  Thanks for bringing us along!

[BigBrother-84]

Nothing Special wrote

And what did you think of the road going out?  Yes the views are spectacular, but we really felt beat up by the road.  I've heard others who thought the road was well worth it (even one of their favorites), so I'm curious what your thoughts were.

I think that, if my wife didn't "insist" to get down the Shafer Pass, we would have missed a wonderfull trip buy not seeing the Potash Trail.
To tell the thruth, it was far from confortable. Big Bro acts as the ancient horses stagecoachs, with springs under straight shafts... and we were missing the springs under our seats. .
I could tell you about each little rock and bump of Potash Trail.

I would say that half of the road is interesting (the first part living bottom Shafer Pass), but the second half is not so special.  But the first part largely compensates the second one.

So, if your question is about the trail itself, I would say it has some nice spots but isn't so special.  You do it for the views, not for the trail.

But in my opinion, not going down and looking at the canyon only by the top is missing half of the show.

[Gary Lewis]

I can imagine how rough that was.  You are probably sprung much the same way Big Blue was originally, and those leaf springs coupled with TTBs make for a rough ride.  Plus, you don't have on-board air with which to reinflate the tires so you couldn't air down.  OUCH!

But, the view was worth the climb/descent!  

[BigBrother-84]

13 septembre
Day 15, good bye West, heading East!
587km / 365 miles (Pink).


Leaving Moab:




Traveling through the plains, then running hills:






Approaching the Colorado mountains:







Some narrow road works:


Getting into the mountains:

[Gary Lewis]

What road are you taking through Colorado?

[BigBrother-84]

We took Hwy 50.
We slept at Cañon City, and are planning a campground at Boiling Spring State Park tonight.

Better suggestion?

[Gary Lewis]

Hw 50 would have been my recommendation.  Well done!

I've not been to Boiling Spring State Park, but have heard and read good things about it.  And that is only ~200 miles from us.  However, along the way you might want to take a side trip to Little Sahara state park.  This Google map takes you there and then right on to the Church of Christ building in Skiatook.

I'll be headed there as of 4 PM tomorrow, although I have to stop and pick up dinner so it might be more like 4:15 before I get there since Skiatook is such a big place.  But if you get to town earlier than that give me a call.  

[BigBrother-84]