Everyday » Camping

The Sandy Days of January

Mary Lynn — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:49:47 +0000

Rincon Moonrise

Tim and I are hiding out in the Arizona Desert for January. Periodically joined by our fellow Jackson Hole winter escapee, Rob Gowler, we’ve explored the Black Canyon Trail, the Arizona Trail, the 50 Year Trail, Charouleau Gap and every Starbucks from Scottsdale to Tucson.

Chilly-Dipping 2012

Ringing in the New Year with Ann and Scott was the best way to start 2012. It goes without saying that we had to keep our midnight polar bear swim tradition alive. This year’s dip in the pool was at a frosty 45 degrees. It was a good thing that we’d saved that last bottle of champagne.

The Day After, a refreshing New Year's breakfast

Crab cakes and mimosas were the New Year’s morning menu after a big night before. We followed up this meal with black eye pea chili and spinach salad for our yearly dose of good luck, good health and much wealth. Not sure what you eat to ring in a new Sailboat. Tim and I will be munching on everything from kelp to sushi to bring this 2012 dream to life.

Let's Jamboree!

After a festive holiday, it was time to get down to biking business. We drove to Tucson to begin our month of pedaling. Verizon hasn’t seemed to become acquainted with Tucson though, so Tim and I spent as much time driving for cell service as we did on the saddle. While Rob relaxed at primo camping on Pistol Hill with7 bars of ATT “5G”, we drove 40 minutes into town each day for our daily blast of data.

If you’ve not driven in Tucson before everything is at least 20 minutes away. Mileage is inconsequential. Whether it’s across town or down the street. You’re in for at least 20 minutes behind the wheel. Convinced that there must be the perfect trifecta of biking/free camping/Verizon Bandwidth somewhere in town, Tim and I searched from the top of snow covered Mt. Lemmon to the dales of Vail.

With limited success through the week, we returned to Pistol Hill to meet up with Rob and Mike and celebrate the completion of the Arizona Trail with a 35 mile bike ride in the Arizona Trail Jamboree.

Shuttling to the Jamboree Start

Mike and Rob on chilly Saturday Morning

20 miles into a 35 mile ride. Now that's a rest station.

Relaxing over a Mesquite Grill on Pistol Hill

After great rides on Saturday, we drove into the wilderness once more to set up for the work week. This time we went North and found camping, cell service and riding just north of Catalina at Charouleau Gap. The trail head’s busy so we may not stay long, but it’s a good stopping point for now. And the view’s not shabby either.

Catalina Sunset

Posted from Tucson, Arizona, United States.

“Montana. It’s everything Colorado thinks it is.”

Mary Lynn — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 03:04:03 +0000

And so we continue our Montana escapades. After the honeymoon, Tim and I settled down to clean the inboxes and catch up after 2 weeks of the best times 2 people could have with their most loved friends and family.

Monday we decided to see downtown Whitefish (Stumptown) MT, and discovered the superb Montana Coffee Traders. With good coffee in hand, we worked throughout the day and then drove into the Flathead National Forest, a few miles from Tally Lake. Our goal was good cell service and we actually found passable connections high in the hills. Here we stayed for 2 days, exploring the backroads and the shores of fiord-like Talley Lake, the deepest natural lake in Montana at 492 feet.

Deep Blue Talley Lake

By midweek, we returned to town for better cell reception for meetings. This time we settled down in Kalispell, Whitefish’s slightly more industrial neighbor. While here we made a regrettable mistake. We went to Verizon to upgrade our USB modem, the life blood of connectivity when we’re in the backcountry. We were talked into the new MiFi instead. My recommendation? Don’t do it. Run away. We are planning on returning ours as soon as we can.

With subsequently reduced bandwidth capabilities, we spent our next days in town and our nights in the mountains. Tim rode the rolling Ried Divide Trail and came out of the 22 mile ride grinning from ear to ear.

Beautiful Days in Whitefish

Friday, we called our new friends from Glacier, Leslie and Ryan, for a bike ride. They showed us the local Whitefish Trail which winds through the hills around Whitefish Lake. It was a great time capped off with IPA’s and burgers at Haskill Station. We are very much looking forward to their next visit to Jackson.

While we traded notes over dinner, they told us that we had to ride Big Mountain (Whitefish Mountain Resort) to get the best views of the valley. So Saturday morning, Tim and I got on our bikes and pedaled the 8 miles to the top.

Whitefish Panorama from the top of Whitefish Resort

Glad to be at the top

As we cruised back down the much enjoyed downhill, we had to stop for Big Mountain’s most unusual trail marker. It brought to mind a favorite Montana quote….

“In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. We lived at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana, and our father was a Presbyterian minister and a fly fisherman who tied his own flies and taught others. He told us about Christ’s disciples being fishermen, and we were to assume, as my brother and I did, that all first-class fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly fishermen and that John, the favorite, was a dry-fly fisherman.”

Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

Apparently the confusion carries over to skiing as well. Jesus lives halfway up Big Mountain.

Knights of Columbus Shrine on Big Mountain

Tim tears down Whitefish Mountain Resort

That night we got back into Frank to find another area lake. We drove miles of gravel road to reach Ashley Lake and some exceptional free camping at the Ashley Lake Campground. Here we settled in for a relaxing Saturday night off the grid with pressure cooker BBQ to celebrate the last days of summer.

Ashley Lake views

Sun sets over Ashley Lake

On Sunday we finally bid goodbye to Northern Montana after 2 weeks of exploration and drove south to Flathead Lake. We’re now driving I90 on our way home towards Jackson – actually watching Monday Night Football live on our phone as we click off highway miles (ok I am watching, Tim has his eyes on the road). It’s a big leap from off the grid to total connectivity.

Posted from Butte, Montana, United States.

Curtis Canyon

Tim — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 03:00:04 +0000

As locals say in the Tetons, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes.” And yesterday was no exception. Tim and I have been exploring Jackson Hole looking for the rare combination for camping: beautiful, good cell service, free. We never realized it back in the day when we had a bed to go home to, but there are very few places that meet all three criteria.

At last, we drove past Curtis Canyon in the Gros Ventres and discovered a small site out on a remote point high above the canyon. I can’t explain it, but despite its isolated location, the cell service and thus the internet is flawless. We’ve found our home for the next few days.

The Storm Finally Breaks

And We Dry Out

But even though we knew in theory it was ideal, the view was covered in clouds. As we cooked dinner after setting up camp, Tim snapped a picture for the blog. He discarded it, thinking that no one would be interested in the murky, foggy scene in front of us. Seconds later, one sunbeam broke through. The sky broke open with riotous pinks and reds and the air glowed. It was a brilliant reminder: you just never know what you’re going to get. Enjoy it.

Posted from Jackson, Wyoming, United States.

Sweet Sights

Tim — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 03:52:40 +0000

One of the very best camping spots in Jackson Hole. A little muddy getting out here, but once you do there is fabulous mountain biking out your door and dozens of great free camp spots with this view. Welcome to Shadow Mountain.

Posted from Kelly, Wyoming, United States.