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Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route (Jul 2022)

Discussion in 'Trip Reports' started by turbodb, Jul 14, 2022.

  1. Jul 14, 2022 at 6:15 PM
    #1
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    [​IMG]

    July 4, 2022.

    Just six months ago - almost to the day we set out - the Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route (WYBDR) was released by the BDR organization. Totaling 967 miles and blocked by snow until summer, it winds through one of the last frontiers in America - some 48% of the state being public land - perhaps the most remote adventure of all the BDR’s created to date.

    As always, we wanted to run a BDR this summer, and I'd had my eye on Colorado or Utah as both are always beautiful states through which to travel. But the pull of a brand new route - through a state that I've done relatively little exploration of - was simply too great.

    As we travelled the route, we couldn't have been happier. With a late spring and summer, we were the very first four-wheeled vehicle to complete the entire trail, parts of it inaccessible even just a week before we arrived. And, with no fires to speak of affecting the route, we enjoyed warm temps, blue skies, and a pleasantly varied terrain as colorful wildflowers and spectacular views presented themselves around every turn.

    By the end we both agreed, it was our new favorite Backcountry Discovery Route. (Yes, the Nevada BDR and Idaho BDR are still pretty great.)

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  2. Jul 14, 2022 at 7:00 PM
    #2
    Kronk21

    Kronk21 IG @uniquely_Us_adventures

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    Any pictures of the route?? Can’t wait to see more of this route. I love the BDR routes!
     
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  3. Jul 14, 2022 at 7:23 PM
    #3
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    [​IMG]

    Many. Patience.

    ...anticipa

    ;)
     
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  4. Jul 14, 2022 at 7:26 PM
    #4
    Kronk21

    Kronk21 IG @uniquely_Us_adventures

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    I’ve been on that email list for some time now. It’s still the same right?
    Your website has been my inspiration to bring a journal with me on every trip now..
     
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  5. Jul 19, 2022 at 9:23 AM
    #5
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    I Think We're the First - WYBDR Prologue
    Part of the Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route (Jul 2022) trip.

    There are several reasons that @mrs.turbodb and I like to run Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDRs). Some of them are selfish - the trip planning has been done for us by the good folks at RideBDR; some of them are nostalgic - our first trip in the Tacoma was on the Oregon BDR; some of them are practical - we know that the roads - generally - won't be all that difficult, making the trip more enjoyable for passengers; and of course, they also mean that we get to see a large portion of a state in a single shot, feeding our curiosity and giving us ideas for the future.

    After wrapping up the New Mexico BDR last summer, I'd had my eye on Colorado or Utah throughout the winter. Both are beautiful states through which to travel, and though we've spent a lot of time in portions of each, a trip through the entire state would be a special treat.

    But then, just five months ago - in the dead of winter on Feb. 1 - the Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route (WYBDR) was released by the BDR organization. Totaling 967 miles and blocked by snow until July, it winds through one of the last frontiers in America - some 48% of the state being public land.

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    A brand-new route, inaccessible at its release.

    We couldn't resist the temptation to be the first 4WD vehicle to complete the entire route and explore a state that we've both wanted to see more of over the last several years. And so, for the sixth year in a row, we are set out on a BDR. It would be familiar, and yet different.

    Familiar in that we'd take it a stage at a time. Familiar in that there will be a few places that either @mrs.turbodb or I have already seen - though, none that we've both experienced together. And familiar in that we'd planned a few short side trips to lookouts, hikes, and other interesting places that presented themselves along the route.

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    There were hints along the way that were on the right track.

    Different in that we also planned to do a new "Stage X" route through the Red Desert - a shorter, BDR route that forks off of a main BDR and returns to where it started. Different in that we'd be one of the first 4WD, and first solo vehicles to make the trip. And different in that we planned to eat only two meals each day - an early lunch and early dinner - in order to eliminate the need for milk, which always takes up valuable space in the fridge.

    And so, a day before we were to leave, we started prepping food and packing. We envisioned the trip taking 10 days given the travel to-and-from Wyoming, split across nine stages once we got there:

    Stage X: Red Desert | 155 miles.

    Stage 1: Baggs to Centennial | 160 miles.

    Stage 2: Centennial to Elk Mountain | 68 miles.

    Stage 3: Elk Mountain to Alcova | 122 miles.

    Stage 4: Alcova to Atlantic City | 148 miles.

    Stage 5: Atlantic City to Shoshoni | 130 miles.

    Stage 6: Shoshoni to Ten Sleep | 104 miles.

    Stage 7:Ten Sleep to Burgess Junction | 122 miles.

    Stage 8: Burgess Junction to MT Border* | 43 miles.

    * Actually, to the Crow Indian Reservation.

    It was a Wednesday morning when we headed south. Later that evening, we crossed into the state we'd call home for the next week.

    [​IMG]
    Welcome to Wyoming!
     
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  6. Jul 19, 2022 at 2:19 PM
    #6
    benh088

    benh088 Member

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    My wife and I picked up the WYBDR from Medicine Bow to Alcova after driving there through the Medicine Bow National Forest from Glenrock. There are some amazing views and campsites along the route. We didn't see anyone else at all! Plenty of wildlife.
     
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  7. Jul 19, 2022 at 4:08 PM
    #7
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    Red Desert - An Underwhelming Start - WYBDR X

    Having arrived at our middle-of-a-random-field BLM camping location just after midnight, there was no getting up for a pre-6:00am sunrise. Rather, we climbed down the ladder at nearly 8:30am to temperatures that were already in the mid 70s °F.

    With no breakfast to make - as we'd decided to skip bringing milk in favor of more room for lunch and dinner fixings, we set about breaking down the tent and prepping for our first day on dirt. We still had a few hours to drive to the beginning of the trail, but then we'd be setting off on the first "Stage X" route ever released by the BDR (Backcountry Discovery Route) organization - Wyoming's Red Desert.

    And so, it was just after 11:30am when we turned off of WY-789 and onto the wide gravel road that would begin our journey. Almost immediately, the landscape wasn't what I'd expected (though I think it surprised @mrs.turbodb less, as she's generally more up on the industries spread across our country). As far as the eye could see, oil and natural gas wells covered the ground, service roads running between each, shuttling pickup trucks full of workers as we made our way north.

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    There's liquid gold in them tanks, especially these days with average fuel prices of more than $5/gal.

    We weren't on the trail more than 10 minutes before a speeding oil company truck approached us at high speed from the opposite direction. Speeding along at 50mph, the driver made no attempt to slow down or move from of the center of the road, as I hugged the shoulder and lifted a few fingers in a wave. And then, as he raced by, I saw it coming - the rock his tire had flung into the air!

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    @mrs.turbodb screamed when the golf-ball sized rock hit our windshield with a loud bang! Looking back, we were lucky it didn't punch its way through!

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    Ten minutes into the trip, and I was not happy that I had an almost-new windshield to replace, again.

    At the time, I felt like it was the most underwhelming start we'd ever had to a BDR, though as I write this, I can't help to recall our disastrously bad start to the Oregon BDR. Of course, there was nothing to do but to push onward - at the end of the day, costs like this are just part of maintaining a vehicle that can take us all over the country - and it's important to take these types of things in stride.

    Besides, the weather was gorgeous, and we were both looking forward to lunch overlooking the Red Desert.

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    The clouds in the sky were looking nice as we transitioned off of the main oil company roads and onto our first two-track.

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    Over the course of the trip, we'd see several hundred pronghorns, something neither of us expected. At this point though, they were still novel!

    Headed west along Delaney Rim, we found ourselves several hundred feet above the Red Desert to our north, with views down into the colorful badlands that give this place its name. After a few stops for photos, we eventually found a spot - perched out on the edge of a finger - that seemed the perfect place to enjoy some turkey sandwiches and a few cherries that we'd picked ourselves just a couple days before heading out.

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    Colorful sandstone of the Red Desert; it too tapped by a matrix of wells.

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    Parked on the edge, ready for lunch!

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    A familiar foreground. Henceforth, "Tip of the Spear Two."

    Our turkey sandwiches, some potato chips, and a few tasty cherries behind us, we turned away from the rim overlooking the Red Desert as we began the southern segment of this Stage X loop. It was one of the more beautiful sections of the loop in my opinion, and apparently a relaxing section for my copilot - who almost immediately nodded off for her afternoon siesta - as we made our way through gentle buttes towards the old route of the Overland Trail.

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    Winding our way down off of the ridge into some low-lying buttes, I enjoyed the curving trail and views ahead.

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    Like us, the prickly pear cacti were reveling in the late spring.

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    The La Clede Stage Station along the old Overland Trail.

    In operation from 1862 to 1869. The station and nearby fort were both constructed of flat slabs of fossilized snail shell sandstone (Turritella) that is prevalent in the near-by hills. Originally built as a Home Station, it later became a Telegraph Station along the Overland Trail.

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    A marker at the nearby Fort La Clede commemorates the pioneer route that once passed through the area.

    The fort, established in 1863, included a barracks, a corral and a gun tower. On surrounding hills, gun pits were constructed and maintained. In June 1865 Company B of the 11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry - then posted to Fort La Clede - skirmished with Indians some two miles east. The soldiers were drawn into an ambush and were rescued with the assistance of employees of the Stage Station. (The Overland Trail)

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    The fort itself had no windows, only small gun ports that could be used to defend from attack.

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    Today, only a few walls of the two buildings remain.

    With not much left to explore and 92°F temps, we only spent a few minutes poking around the ruins, the mid-afternoon sun beating us back to the confines of our air-conditioned transport. Here, the road turned east - back toward WY-789, where we'd eventually head south to the start of the official WYBDR route, First though, the landscape changed again as we entered a region known as Adobe Town.

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    Well, that looks different...

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    Down, into the maze of badlands and hoodoos.

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    Soon, we were winding our way through drainages, the ashy, eroding badlands, rising up around us.

    It’s tricky to try to describe a place that everyone in Wyoming knows about but where relatively few people have been. Sinking into the landscape - rather than rising above - this is a place that can take hours to find, even if you’re looking, or is easily never be found by those who aren’t. It’s a place where wild horses bunch and scatter and raise their young. It’s a place where pronghorn race cars that dare traipse down the seldomly-used roads.

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    Hoodoos standing watch over this surreal environment.

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    Folds, accentuated over time by water and wind.

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    A heard of horses, racing off with their young.

    A few miles later we climbed out of Adobe Town and back onto the plateau. From here, the lightly travelled two-track slowly became well-defined, eventually meeting up with the wide gravel roads of the oil-and-gas fields to our east. Our speeds increased, we soon rejoined pavement for the final push south.

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    Headed back towards the highway, The Red Desert Stage X route now behind us.

    It was 5:00pm and the border between Wyoming and Montana was calling. With several hours of daylight remaining, it was time to start the official WYBDR.
     
  8. Jul 21, 2022 at 6:35 PM
    #8
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    Baggs to Centennial - "Yeah Buddy," Into the Sierra Madre - WYBDR 1
    Part of the Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route (Jul 2022) trip.

    Unlike most other BDRs we've done, getting to the start of Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route, for us, meant travelling just a bit of the route backwards - south on WY-789 towards Baggs - first. And Baggs - it turns out - is a couple miles north of the Wyoming-Colorado border. So, upon arriving, we drove right through town - determined to run the entire route, from border-to-border. We were, we convinced ourselves, not cheaters!

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    We may not be cheaters, but I guess we were faking it a bit. This wasn't really the first time we'd entered Wyoming! :wink:

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    Well hello Baggs. You seem so familiar! :rofl:

    As any good BDR traveler knows, you fuel up where you can, so after making our way back to town, we topped of our tank before heading north out of town on WY-789. Ten miles later, we turned off of pavement and onto dirt, the first stage officially underway!

    Already, the difference between this stage and the Red Desert Stage X that we'd run earlier in the day was striking. Climbing the eastern foothills of the Sierra Madre, the undulating hillsides were green under the warm evening sun.

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    Don't let the green fool you, it was hot at 6:19pm - still over 90°F!

    In the distance, tanks. Reminiscent of those we'd seen earlier in the day, we wondered if the entire route wound its way through oil fields. But - as we got closer - it became clear that we were now in ranch land; these tanks held water for the steaks that vacationed here from time to time.

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    Stay hydrated, steaks.

    Even though we'd started this stage when most folks in town might have been prepping or even settling down to dinner, we'd gotten a late start to our morning and hoped that we'd be able to climb at least a few thousand feet into the Sierra Madre in order to find a cooler camp site to call home for the night. The roads appeared to be in our favor, and we made good time as we snaked our way through the foothills, stopping here and there to admire the landscape - and sky - around us.

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    An old cabin not far off the track caught our attention, the sun streaming from the west under dramatic skies.

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    The sky wasn't quite so ominous to the north, something we were glad for given our general direction of travel.

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    Not much remained inside, an old stove, and interior walls finished with corrugated steel.

    Continuing around the northern flank of Muddy Mountain, we had an hour of sunlight left as we descended into the Savery Creek Valley, and I for one was starting to wonder whether we were going to end up "settling" when it came to a camp site for the evening. It wouldn't be here - the creek and greenery meant that the mosquitoes were thick - but given that we still needed to make dinner, we knew we needed to find something sooner rather than later.

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    The combination of storm clouds to the south and sun low on the western horizon added tons of visual interest to the landscape in front of us.

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    What do we have here?

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    The Boyer YL Ranch is clearly a fan of the BDRs!

    From the ranch at 6700', the next 10 miles of track took us to 8300' - enough to make the temperatures much more pleasant and still give us plenty of light by which to set up camp and make dinner. In that time, we'd passed through our first grove of aspen, their white trunks glistening in the sun as they lifted their bright green leaves to the sky.

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    Surely a sight to see once fall rolls around.

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    The view from camp - south to Battle Mountain, in the heart of the Sierra Madre - was spectacular.

    There was only one issue with our camp overlooking the Sierra Madre: it was paved. We were - it turns out - on an old spur of WY-70. This spur - it turns out - had once been the highway itself, but a landslide rendered the road impassable. Rather than clearing the material, it was determined that re-routing the highway was a better long-term solution, the original highway spur now signed as a viewpoint.

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    Front wheels up on the curb, we were perfectly level.

    After a quick conversation about the likelihood of anyone else coming along - in the 10 hours before we planned to leave in the morning - we concluded that we were unlikely to encounter anyone else along this lonely stretch of highway, and we proceeded to prep our first dinner of the adventure.

    Our location - paved as it was - turned out to be great in that the pavement resulted in a complete lack of bugs, and that meant we were able to eat our taco-ritos unmolested by the mosquitoes that we'd dodge for much of the rest of the trip. It was - despite the unconventional groundcover - fantastic.

    Though we'd gotten up after 8:00am, we'd driven for more than 12 hours. Tired, we putzed around for a bit after eating dinner, but soon climbed up into the tent for some shut eye.

    The Following Morning...

    As we suspected, our evening on the old WY-70 highway was uneventful and while I'd set my alarm for a few minutes before sunrise, it wasn't until an hour after the fiery ball started climbing into the sky that we actually climbed down the ladder to start our day. Even then, our bodies still screamed that it was really 5:37am; Mountain Time be damned!

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    Not often that our campsite looks like a highway!

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    As we'd find through the entirety of the trip, we'd timed our visit perfectly and spring wildflowers were in full display. (Lupine)

    Soon we were underway, the track quickly turning to dirt less than a mile beyond our camp site. Here, we entered a section of trail known locally as aspen alley, where the trees rose tall as they crowded the road. We'd pass through a few aspen groves over the course of our journey, each time making me wonder if we should have waited until fall to enjoy this route.

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    Into a tree tunnel.

    From there, we began a circumnavigation around the north flank of Bridger Peak. This was a pleasant drive in the cool morning air of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, as the road wound its way through the firs and pines that covered the land.

    It's in the middle of this section that the BDR splits - the first of several "alternate" routes that are designed for "expert" riders who are willing to put up with gnarlier roads in exchange for extra fancy views. I assure you - every alternate route is worth taking; we've never been disappointed.

    [​IMG]

    Having visited once before - albeit in a lightning-and-snow-storm, I knew that the route up and over Bridger Peak would be well worth it!

    So early in the season, getting up the trail did turn out to be a bit of a muddy mess in a couple places, but nothing the nearly-new Cooper ST/Maxx tires couldn't handle with relative ease, and soon we were making our way along the ridge toward the summit. Patches of snow dotted - and in some places, covered - the road. We'd timed it perfectly - a week before, this area wouldn't have been passable!

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    Making our way along the only-recently-passable ridgeline.

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    These Yellow Glacier Lilies (Erythronium grandiflorum) were looking fancy and carpeted vast swaths of ground.

    And then, as we were admiring out surroundings, we noticed a guy walking towards us! To say we were surprised would be an understatement, but we both soon realized exactly what was going on. This portion of the route happened to follow the Continental Divide Trail - which we've followed before - and this was likely someone making another border-to-border journey; one much longer than ours! As we rolled up to the hiker, I slowed down and said good morning.

    "You hiking the Continental Divide?" I asked.

    "Yeah buddy," he replied, a huge grin on his face, his top two front teeth completely missing.

    He was obviously having a great time, and seemed happy enough to chat with us for a few minutes about his journey from the Mexican border a couple months earlier, and the remaining 2-3 months he had on the trail to Canada. Wow. We'd end up seeing four hikers in the span of the next hour - each of them aware of each other, but none of them seemingly friends.

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    "Yeah buddy" guy, our favorite CDT hiker.

    A few minutes later we wound our way up the final rocky trail to the old Bridger Peak lookout. Only the foundation - and a new radio tower - remain at the summit, but it's clear why this location was once used for a lookout; it certainly sports a commanding view of the surrounding area!

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    Columbines near Bridger Peak.

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    This would have been a great place to spend the night, though even at 9:00am as we soaked in the views, the mosquitoes were thick in the air!

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    Headed down from the summit, for another couple miles of following the Continental Divide.

    As the alternate leg over Bridger Peak came to an end, we wound our way down toward the town of Encampment, stopping at a few Wyoming wildlife and CDT informational signs posted along the way. We were a little more than halfway through the first leg, and it was proving to be one of the best starts to a BDR yet!

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    Welcome to Encampment!


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    We loved this barn so much that we backtracked to take a photo. Wish the world had more of this mindset these days!

    Exiting Encampment a little after 10:30am, we were back on well-graded gravel roads for the remainder of the stage - some 50 miles or so - across the North Platte River, on our way to Centennial. Along the way, the landscape varied. First - as seems to be common to all BDRs - was cow-covered ranch land. This being the first stage, we didn't think anything of the wandering cuts of beef, but by the end of the trip, we found ourselves surprised by the lack of active grazing along the route. Perhaps we just hit the trails at the perfect time, but one thing was for certain - we weren't complaining!

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    Out of my way, dummies!

    (To @mrs.turbodb's dismay, I have a tendency of muttering "dumb cows," under my breath any time we pass the tasty morsels.)

    A little further out of town, we began to climb into the Medicine Bow Mountains in search of somewhere to eat lunch. Here, we were presented with a reminder of the fires that have ravaged the west over the last several years - remnants of the 2020 Mullen Fire, which had burned more than 176,878 acres across the Savage Run Wilderness and Medicine Bow Mountains - affecting the forest for decades to come.

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    We only passed through the very northern edge of this massive fire.

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    At Rob Roy Lake, we found a perfect spot to have lunch at the water's edge.

    Inexplicably, as we were eating lunch at the lake, nearly a dozen people converged from all directions - a traffic jam in the middle of the woods on a Thursday afternoon - and we reflected on the luck we'd had to show up at this primo lunch spot just a few minutes before it'd have been snapped up by any number of other hungry travelers. Of course - with a full itinerary ahead of us - we didn't linger longer than necessary, and soon we were wrapping up the stage as we pushed into the town of Centennial.

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    As would happen almost every day, the clouds in the sky added fantastic visual interest to the already-vibrant colors along the route.

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    Centennial didn't have a water-jet-cut sign that we could find, but the old train terminal-turned-museum was enough to make us stop!

    Having pulled into town at 1:00pm, we'd completed the first stage in less than a day. It was too early to celebrate though - because I knew the following stage - where we planned to reach elevations over 12,000 feet, 1,000 feet above the snowy trails on Bridger Peak - had the potential to slow us way down.
     
  9. Jul 28, 2022 at 11:39 AM
    #9
    Toyoda213

    Toyoda213 Well-Known Member

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    At first i was like "thats unlikely of Dan to set up camp on a highway lol" of course as i read through the pictures i seen why. Wyoming looks beautiful. Good stuff
     
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  10. Aug 1, 2022 at 7:08 AM
    #10
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    Centennial to Elk Mtn - Top of the World - WYBDR 2
    Part of the Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route (Jul 2022) trip.

    Having pulled into the Centennial Historical Museum for a photo of the train depot, @mrs.turbodb and I each spotted displays that we wanted to check out, so we popped out of the Tacoma for a few minutes to do just that. I headed over to an old Union Pacific caboose, and she wandered into the museum to see what sorts of historical information was available.

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    One of the nicest cabooses I've come across.

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    I've never seen the original system for running water inside before; I got a good chuckle out of the drain.

    Knowing what we had in store for the rest of the day, even with our poking around, we only spent about ten minutes in town before climbing back into our trusty steed and heading back out onto dirt as we climbed to more than 10,000 feet in the Snowy Range. We had a good number of items flagged here for our attention - including a hike to the highest point at Medicine Bow Peak - but our first stop was at a little Episcopal open-air chapel, St. Alban's.

    [​IMG]
    A pretty little place where we probably wouldn't have stopped, except for the fact that it was marked on track that's distributed by the BDR organization.

    From the chapel, we continued in a westerly direction towards a trailhead that I'd marked as the starting point for our hike. This, it turns out, pleased @mrs.turbodb quite a bit, as she'd spent a week in this area with her dad the previous summer, and wanted me to see how beautiful it was. In fact, when I asked her to take a look at the route prior to our departure to see if there were any things she wanted to add, she suggested the hike to Medicine Bow Peak, and was delighted to hear that I'd already included it on the map!

    [​IMG]
    With snow and wildflowers all around, it was a beautiful afternoon in the Snowy Mountains.

    The only problem - as we neared our destination - was that our high elevation meant there were still deep snow drifts, and soon I was out of the Tacoma, checking for the feasibility of passage.

    [​IMG]
    After a few failed attempts at this drift, I finally got out to walk it - and the next drift along the road - to figure out a plan of action.

    In the end, the snow was simply too soft and deep to pass, and we backtracked a few miles until we could re-route to the trailhead. It was another indication that we were the first to make this journey for the year, as the passibility of the route was only now becoming a reality.

    It was 2:34pm when we set off from the trailhead at Lewis Lake (note: there is a $5 day use fee to park here, or you can use - and I recommend - an America the Beautiful Pass) along the trail that would take us to the top of Medicine Bow Peak. At the time - given the amount of snow we could see around us, and our recent experience on the trail - I think we'd each have given ourselves about a 30% chance of making it to the top. Maybe.

    [​IMG]
    Lots of snow between us and the summit.

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    With high water levels, we had to find innovative ways to keep my sneakers dry. It was - within a few minutes - obviously a losing battle.

    [​IMG]
    Yellow-Bellied Marmot is keeping an eye on you!

    [​IMG]
    Soon we left the edge of Lewis Lake as the trail began to gain elevation.

    There are several ways to reach the 12,018 foot summit of Medicine Bow Peak. It turns out that I'd mapped the shortest - a little over three miles roundtrip - and a little more than a mile into our journey we came to a sign where our trail joined a section of the seven-mile loop that seems like the more popular route.

    [​IMG]
    No one - regardless of the chosen route - can escape the 1,700-foot climb!

    Hiking straight up the face of the mountain - where most people took a more gradual ascent at the other end of the loop - the views of the aptly named Snowy Range were some of the best we've seen. Several times on our way up, we found ourselves stopping just to admire the range.

    And yes, that's our story and we're sticking to it. We most definitely weren't stopping because we needed to catch our breath. :wink:

    [​IMG]
    The Snowy Range from 11,047'.

    [​IMG]
    The Snowy Range from 11,340'.

    [​IMG]
    The Snowy Range from 11,561'.

    [​IMG]
    American pika (Ochotona princeps) is keeping an eye on you, too!

    As with the roads we'd travelled so far, the hillsides here were covered with wildflowers, and we stopped just as often - again, not because we were out of breath - to view them as we did the mountainous region through which we hiked.

    [​IMG]
    I think these little lavender flowers were my favorite.

    [​IMG]
    A living bouquet.

    To our surprise and delight, the trail seemed to pick its way through the snow fields as it climbed higher and higher. Our 30% chance of success climbing to 50% by the time we ran into what I initially referred to as "our turnaround point."

    [​IMG]
    The trail clearly continued, but even we weren't dumb enough to attempt this snow field.

    After a closer inspection, it became clear that while someone had navigated this snow field, they'd done it quite some time ago - the snow now too icy and the grade too steep to allow for a crossing here. Instead, we could see where more recent hikers had turned the already-steep-trail into a straight-up-scramble-towards-the-ridge-trail, and after following suit, we soon found ourselves near the top.

    [​IMG]
    The Snowy Range from 11,956'.

    Somewhat surprisingly, there was relatively little snow at the summit of the Snowy Range, which actually gets its name from the sugary-white Precambrian quartzites that reflect sunlight and look like snow in late summer, even when there is none. (Roadside Geology of Wyoming) Not that we were complaining.

    [​IMG]
    The survey marker at the top of Medicine Bow Peak is illegible from all the hiking poles that have pulverized it.

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    The Snowy Range from 12,018', at the top of Medicine Bow Peak. Oh, and some definitely-not-tired hikers.

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    The view north to green valleys and alpine lakes of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest.

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    The view east towards Gap Point, Brown's Peak, and Lewis Lake, Libby Lake, and the Gap Lakes.

    Unfortunately, just as we were enjoying ourselves at the top, so were the mosquitoes! So, after a few pictures and a little looking around, we began to retrace our steps back down the mountain. Down was certainly faster than up, though we weren't able to entirely escape the desire to stop for some of the same - or at least similar - photos to those we'd taken earlier.

    [​IMG]
    Some areas were blanketed in yellow.

    [​IMG]
    The Snowy Range from 11,148'. Note: as much as I'd like to, I can't promise this will be the last photo of this range.

    [​IMG]
    Mr. Marmot is still keeping an eye on you.

    [​IMG]
    I really liked the pale yellow petals and bright stamens of these flowers that I found near the beginning of the trail.

    [​IMG]
    Back at the bottom, where you can really see the white quartzites that give this place its name.

    It was a little after 5:15pm when we reached the bottom of the trail at Lewis Lake, each of us a little hungrier than when we'd set out a mere three hours earlier. I mentioned to @mrs.turbodb that we should find a reasonably breezy place to eat dinner - so we wouldn't be bugged by mosquitoes - a suggestion that was met with enthusiasm. Of course, we also needed to find camp for the night - and I'd hoped that we'd be camping somewhere in this general area, so we could see the Snowy Range - when the morning light was shining on them - but given the time, it seemed like we might still be a little too early in the evening to call it a day.

    Back on the trail for less than five minutes, our next stop - a parking lot at the Libby Flats Observation Tower - turned out to be the perfect spot to eat dinner as we enjoyed 360° views with a warm wind to keep the bugs down.

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    I don't know why this observation tower was made, but I can only imagine that it was built by the CCC.

    [​IMG]
    The view out over Libby Flats was spectacularly spring. And no, it is not a golf course. The “sand traps” are receding snow drifts.

    Dinner - taco-rittos full of guacamole of course - was delicious, and I think it'd be safe to say that the few others who showed up while we were eating in our rocking camp chairs were just a wee bit jealous. Of course, they were likely headed for showers after a day of exploring, and we still had a week left on the trail, so the jealousy was a two-way street.

    After dinner - with a good two hours before sunset - we decided that a final short hike to the ruins of a miner's cabin and headframe - was easily achievable before we started looking for camp. A popular and well-marked trail only a few hundred feet up the road, we finished the .75-mile loop quickly.

    [​IMG]
    The old miners cabin. @mrs.turbodb related to me that it was not collapsed when she'd visited 10 months earlier.

    [​IMG]
    The Red Mask Mine consisted of a vertical mine tower (headframe), shaft house and boiler. Claimed under the General Mining Law of 1872, the mine was thought to contain rich gold, silver and copper. Only small amounts of silver and trace amounts of gold and copper were ever extracted. The remains that you presently see consist of the collapsed hoisting tower, rusted boiler and shaft house remnants.<cite>USFS Information Sign</cite>

    [​IMG]
    The Red Mask Mine today.

    Our hike complete, it was time to find a place to camp. After a bit of searching, we found a spot that we thought wouldn't be perfect, but would keep us in the area so that I could see the mountains in the morning, and proceeded to set up the tent.

    As we did, I noticed that there were quite a few moths around, and I figured we'd have a few of them nestled around the tent the following morning. In reality, as we nodded off to sleep, I had no idea.

    The Following Morning...

    I wanted to be sure that I was awake for sunrise the next morning, so I set the alarm for 5:15am, and though it still sort-of felt like 4:15am for me, I pulled myself out of bed as soon as it went off.

    [​IMG]
    I'd expected some beautiful sights of the Snowy Mountains, but the nearby lake is what really blew me away.

    [​IMG]
    Nestled away in our private little spot.

    @mrs.turbodb was up not-too-much-later, and as I began to fold up the tent, I realized that we had a serious problem on our hands. Over the course of the night, we'd ended up with a couple moths in the tent, but as I folded up various elements, dozens - and then hundreds - of the fuzzy flutterers were nestled into every nook and cranny they could find.

    [​IMG]
    These three had squeezed into the fold of the zipper.

    Moths, it turns out. look for places to nestle. The seams of the tent - where the window awnings joined the main body, and the main folding seam between the two halves of the floor - are their favorite places, and in the end we had at least a couple hundred of those little buggers that we had to evacuate. The floor seam was the worst, as the only way to clear it was to fold the tent, and when I did, half of the moths flew into the tent. That meant opening it again, and shooing them all out as they frantically fluttered around on the inside. Not fun.

    In the end, I think I got all but about five out of the tent, though we'd be finding them in the bed of the truck - nestled here and there and flying out when things moved - for the remainder of the trip!

    We didn't have far to go until our first stop - to admire the mountains - but within a minute of pulling out of our short spur and back onto the BDR, @mrs.turbodb spotted five moose grazing along the side of the highway!

    [​IMG]
    Nom, nom.

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    Clouds along the eastern horizon meant that there was no direct sun on the Snowy Mountains, but they still rose gorgeously to our west.

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    I guess that's why it's called Mirror Lake.

    Only 15 miles into the 75-mile-long stage, we had quite a bit of ground to cover - including another "Alternate" route that eliminated 10 miles of pavement in exchange for a fun water crossing and winding, narrow forest roads. #win and #win.

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    Into the trees.

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    This section is considered expert due to a relatively wide water crossing. In a Tacoma, it's no big thing.

    [​IMG]

    Good thing I brought the chainsaw!

    After a few miles, we rejoined the main route for a few miles - as it headed north towards Elk Mountain - before forking off again for a 13-mile side trip to Kennaday Peak and the fire lookout perched at the summit.

    Unlike some of the other BDRs we've run, there were relatively few lookouts along the Wyoming route, so we were excited to get ourselves to the few we knew about, eager to see if they were occupied, and to share stories with their occupants if they were!

    [​IMG]
    As we climbed through the trees, we finally got a glimpse of our destination.

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    All closed up.

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    One of the plywood shutters had either been blown off or removed, and it was a bit of a mess inside the lookout. We patched it up as well as we could before heading back down the mountain.

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    In the distance, the snow-capped Sierra Madre.

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    Looking north, Elk Mountain.

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    And away we go.

    Once off the Kennaday Peak spur, we were treated to the BDR staple road: a relatively wide, well-graded gravel road. As the miles ticked away quickly, @mrs.turbodb read me an interesting tidbit about Elk Mountain.

    It is - apparently - a well-known story in Wyoming; a story we'd hear from long-time residents that we ran into a bit later on our journey. Total BS that a private landowner could attempt to restrict access like that, they'd tell us.

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    The infamous mountain. Not on our route, but we still wondered if we could make it to the top.

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    Dropping down out of the foothills and into the fertile farmland to the east of Elk Mountain, this entire valley was irrigated by flooding the fields from the Medicine Bow River.

    [​IMG]
    Hay there.

    There's not much to the small town of Elk Mountain. A post office and general store, the police station, a community center, and church are all that line the main street through town. Gas is available at I-80 a few miles north, and that's where we were headed, the second stage of the WYBDR now in the books.

    [​IMG]
    Elk Mountain, Wyoming. Population 191.

    It would be a hard stage to beat - given the time we'd spent hiking in the Snowy Mountains - but as we'd soon find out, this entire BDR was full of firsts!
     
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  11. Aug 1, 2022 at 8:16 AM
    #11
    Toyoda213

    Toyoda213 Well-Known Member

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    man that one picture of the sunrise lake shot has got to be one of the most beautiful shots youve taken
     
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  12. Aug 2, 2022 at 6:18 AM
    #12
    SquirrelBait

    SquirrelBait Member

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    The way you've written this up and the pictures you've taken made me realize I have been taking my home state for granted.
     
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  13. Aug 2, 2022 at 8:22 AM
    #13
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    Elk Mtn to Alcova - A Most Welcome Detour - WYBDR 3
    Part of the Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route (Jul 2022) trip.

    We had a hell of a time getting out of Elk Mountain. Well, not exactly out of town per-se, but out of the Conoco fuel station along I-80, just a few miles away. With gas prices as they are, I'd downloaded the Conoco app to save $.10/gal; let me tell you - that thing is a piece of crap. Credit cards added to your wallet are "lost" from your profile every time the app is restarted, requiring all the details to be reentered. The problem is that you can only enter five cards total, and the back end seems to remember all the "lost" cards, so pretty soon, you can't add your card anymore. But hey, at least we saved a whopping $1.60 for our trouble. :smack:

    Leaving the frustration behind and pavement behind, the strangest structures rose up in front of us as the landscape changed - from the mountains we'd encountered so far, to Wyoming high-desert.

    [​IMG]
    What the heck is this thing? (41.7529, -106.4492)

    Ultimately, we decided that we ought to just "carry on, nothing to see here" - rather than poke around some strange building on private land - and we pushed north. It was 11:30am at this point, and with outside temperatures in the mid 90s °F, I can assure you that only one of us didn't mind as we ran into our first gate of the adventure. :wink:

    [​IMG]
    This landscape is strikingly similar to the high deserts of Oregon and Nevada, which we do love.

    [​IMG]
    At least it wasn't a barbed wire gate!

    We'd run into three more gates in quick succession over the next mile or so, quite the concentration, given that I think we only ran into a couple more on the entire route! Still, they were easily returned to their original state, and after 15-20 minutes, we found ourselves approaching the ghost town of Carbon [1] [2].



    Note: The ghost town of Carbon and its cemetery - while marked with a waypoint on the official BDR route - is on private property and is historically sensitive. It is important to show respect to this place. If in doubt, enjoy it from the road.


    To our surprise, there were people there, digging! "Some sort of restoration?" I mused, as we found a place to park along the side of the two-track road, and wandered up the hillside to check out some of the rock wall ruins a little further away.

    [​IMG]
    One of the larger remaining ruins of Carbon.

    After poking around a bit on our own, we wandered over to the cluster of folks sifting dirt and carefully excavating under the mid-day sun, to introduce ourselves and see what they were up to. Turns out, they were from the Department of History at the University of Wyoming and had been here for a couple summers, doing research around the old townsite and nearby cemetery.

    As we chatted with the two women in charge - Prof. Kelly and the site manager Aubrey - it was great to share stories with folks who were out enjoying the backcountry, albeit in a slightly different way than we were. We were - as always - curious about what they were up to, and they were similarly curious as to what the heck we were doing out here! After describing the concept of the BDR trails, and some of where we'd been so far on the WYBDR as well as where we were going, they seemed to think it was pretty neat, would explain the increased motorcycle traffic they'd seen, and was also... a bit worrisome.

    [​IMG]
    University of Wyoming history students helping to uncover - literally - some of Wyoming's history.

    Their worry, understandably, is that places like Carbon - which have historically seen very little traffic - might start to become overrun with riders. Unaware of the sensitive nature of these historic sites, artifacts could be inadvertently ruined or even removed. Certainly a concern of ours as well, we conveyed our hope that other explorers would show the same respect we do, leaving things as we find them, taking only photos.

    After chatting for 20 minutes - all of us, I think, enjoying the interactions with a different group of humans out here in the middle of nowhere - we thanked the researchers and covered the last half mile or so to the cemetery.

    [​IMG]
    The Carbon cemetery is enormous. It appears to still be in use to this day, with children of residents visiting regularly to pay their respects.

    [​IMG]
    There are some old residents as well.

    [​IMG]
    It was a tough life for this family in Carbon.

    After wandering in the sun for the better part of an hour between talking to the excavators and looking through the headstones, we were both hot and hungry. The problem, however, was that the only shade for miles around was a solitary tree in the cemetery, so we hopped back into the Tacoma and set off towards the town of Medicine Bow, hoping we would find a shady park where we could cool down and refuel.

    It turned out to be a reasonably short distance to Medicine Bow - the WYBDR following US-30 for about 10 miles - but we're easily distracted, and an ungated wind farm just next to the highway was too much for me to pass up.



    I should note that - like Carbon - the Seven Mile Hill wind farm is on private property. We did run into an employee there who seemed to be OK with me taking a few photos, but it's important - obviously - to be respectful of their operation and to keep a safe distance from the generators. Even from the highway, you can get pretty darn close.


    [​IMG]
    Soldiers of the Seven Mile Hill wind farm.

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    Towering over the Tacoma.

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    Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Each blade requires a "long load" semi to move.

    [​IMG]
    The closest I've been to one of these amazing beasts.

    After a few minutes of geeking out on the windmills, I was back in the truck and we covered the last few miles to Medicine Bow. There, we found a perfectly shady park with several picnic tables in the courtyard of the museum. As usual, I set about snapping a few photos while @mrs.turbodb expertly crafted the turkey sandwiches that would fill our bellies.

    [​IMG]
    Medicine Bow wins the prize for fanciest steel sign!

    [​IMG]
    I always love finding brands when we find abandoned ranches and cabins on our exploration, so it was pretty neat to see this display at the museum.

    [​IMG]
    As we were eating lunch, we got a special treat. The engineer of this train was super cool - as soon he saw me waving, he let off the horn and waved back.

    With lunch behind us, it was early afternoon - 1:30pm or so - when we headed north out of Medicine Bow, toward the Shirley Mountains. The first 30 miles or so was pavement, but with green grass lining the highway, and pillowy white clouds in the sky, I wasn't complaining.

    [​IMG]
    @mrs.turbodb wasn't complaining either, the smooth pavement made her afternoon nap more peaceful. :wink:

    [​IMG]
    Eventually, we turned off pavement for the final approach to the Shirley Mountains.

    [​IMG]
    An old cabin at a Point of Rocks.

    [​IMG]
    We really enjoyed the various fences of Wyoming over the course of this trip.

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    Up we go.

    [​IMG]
    Back in the mountains, it's spring again!

    As with each leg so far, the views as we gained elevation were spectacular. Stretching out into the distance, red badlands wrinkled around us, their folds accentuated by the freckled shadows of the clouds above. And there, churning away, were the powerful turbines we'd admired earlier.

    [​IMG]
    What a view.

    [​IMG]

    Just as we rejoined the route - after our quick jaunt to the viewpoint - two WYBDR riders sped by without seeing us. A little further up the road, we would pick up - and return - a glove that one of them had dropped, thanks and happy trails shared both directions.

    (Is this you? CO plate DNK ###. Contact me.)

    After returning the glove, the BDR riders from the Denver area of Colorado ended up stopping in some shade - though in all that gear, they still must have been hot - as we continued on through the mountains. We'd see them again - they were much faster than we were on the smoother parts of the trail - but only as we dropped down towards the end of the stage at Alcova. For now though, we were in the lead, moving at our leisurely pace, stopping as interesting elements popped up.

    [​IMG]
    A metal yurt-ish-thing. There was a buried power line with a meter mounted nearby, more than 50 miles from the nearest town.

    [​IMG]
    From the inside.

    [​IMG]
    Lodgepole Pine's covered parts of the Shirley Mountains, their branchless trunks reaching toward the sky, their canopies limiting growth below.

    [​IMG]
    I don't know exactly what Lodgepole Pine are harvested for; it seems that each might only be good for a couple 2x4s.

    [​IMG]
    Into the flats.

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    Passed - for the last time - by the bikes.

    It was at this point that the detour for which this story is named takes place. As such, it's worth prefacing the whole thing with a bit more info. You see, the good folks over at RideBDR know that any route they create is bound to have sections that are closed - or otherwise require rerouting - at any given time, so they have a route updates page where riders can get the latest information on a given BDR. Even though there really shouldn't be any modifications to the WYBDR - given that it's the first year of this route - some last-minute road work on the highway (Kortes Road) leading into Alcova - the town, and more importantly fuel, at the end of the stage, caused the need for a bypass around the opposite side of the Alcova Reservoir.

    But the big orange signs posted on the road simply read: "Road Work, Next 7 Miles."

    Now, 7 miles was the entire distance into Alcova, so the genius in the driver seat figured that maybe the road blockage was over and we could avoid the 30-mile reroute around the reservoir. This is in contrast to the motorcyclists, who were immediately in front of us at this point and dutifully followed the directions provided by the BDR organization.

    Anyway, as is probably obvious by now, the signs were wrong and two miles up the road, it was still closed.

    [​IMG]
    We're definitely not squeaking through there.

    It was, as we were turning around, that we noticed a small sign for a "Dinosaur Trail" at a road that seemed to lead down towards Alcova Reservoir. Curious - as always - I suggested that we follow it, hoping that we'd see some cool dino tracks or fossils.

    Climbing out of the truck at the trailhead, it was 98°F, and we could see that the well-trodden trail went straight up the sandstone hillside in front of us. We should have retreated to the comfort of the Tacoma at that point, realizing that - surely - nothing all that amazing could be up such a well-worn route, but we didn't. And of course, by the time we got to the top, it was clear that this trail was more about the educational placards than it was about actual dinosaur bones or tracks (though, one sign did suggest there were tracks - which we couldn't find, and another hinted at bones - also missing in action).

    We did, however, get to see some fossilized sea shells.

    :facepalm:

    [​IMG]
    There's a reason they never made the movie "Jurassic Clams." These are not as exciting as dinosaurs.

    [​IMG]
    Even if there weren't any rocky reptiles, the views were pretty great.

    It was as we were standing at the top of the mesa - each of us quite sweaty at this point after the 400' climb - that I suggested what I think @mrs.turbodb had been thinking the entire time: "Wouldn't it be nice to go jump in the lake?"

    We could see roads down to the water line, and there were most definitely boats out on the water. Figuring that the worst that could happen was utter disappointment, we retraced our steps to the Tacoma and turned the A/C to full as made our way to the water's edge.

    [​IMG]
    After our hike to Medicine Bow Peak the previous day, and to the no-dino-bones mesa, the water was just... so inviting.

    We were overjoyed to find that it was swimmable, and we changed quickly before jumping in to wash the sticky off our bodies. Let me tell you, this detour was the best thing that could have happened to us. Even without soap, it was so nice to get clean - the water temps were perfect, and by the time we climbed out ten minutes later, not only were we refreshed, but our core temperatures were down. Even now, @mrs.turbodb recalls this as her absolute favorite moment of the entire adventure.

    [​IMG]
    With a bit of time, maybe we could have caught a full dinner.

    Well, our little detour couldn't last forever, so after splashing around and cooling down for a spell, we donned fresh clothes and continued on our way. Or rather, we backtracked to the spot where we'd exited the Shirley Montains, and set off through Fremont Canyon on our way to Alcova.

    [​IMG]
    Fremont Canyon is a deep channel that connects the Alcova and Pathfinder Reservoirs.

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    I see you Alcova - with your intricate water-jet art, trying to out-do the colorful sign of Medicine Bow.

    It was 6:00pm when we pulled into Alcova to top off the tank with fuel. At our lowest elevation of the trip so far - only 5300-feet - it was hot, and while we were both ready to find a camp site, we knew that we needed to gain some elevation first. Only one question remained - was that even possible to do?
     
  14. Aug 4, 2022 at 8:58 AM
    #14
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    Alcova to Atlantic City - Disappointment - WYBDR 4
    Part of the Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route (Jul 2022) trip.

    Heading out of Alcova, we were driving into the sun. I'm never a huge fan of this, since it makes it harder to enjoy the landscape into which we are adventuring, and I hoped that we'd find somewhere to camp quickly, or that we'd turn north so that the sun would at least be to the side. Not that I'd looked at the route and known that neither of those things were in the cards. :pout:

    [​IMG]
    When the sun is in your face and everything out the windshield is all shadows, remember - there's always a side view mirror!

    Before we could find camp, our first order of business was to visit a rock that wanderers of the west have been visiting for centuries - Independence Rock. We had high expectations of this short side-trip off of the main route, hoping it'd be similar to El Morro, which we'd visited on the New Mexico BDR the previous summer.

    [​IMG]
    Independence Rock was formed by a process called exfoliation, similar to Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, and you can see where a layer is in the process of sluffing off in the upper left.


    A one-mile trail exists around the rock, and despite having recently removed the sweat from our bodies, we decided that we'd brave the still-in-the-low-90s °F temps to check out some of the signatures.

    [​IMG]
    B.W. and L.H, 1930

    [​IMG]
    D. Harveys, 1856

    [​IMG]
    R.E. Vanvleet

    [​IMG]
    A popular place, apparently.

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    S. Lean, B Lean, 1850

    [​IMG]
    A. Maynes of Massachusetts, July 21, 1849

    In the end, I don't think either of us were all that impressed by what we found at Independence Rock - compared, at least, to what we'd seen at El Morro National Monument. Looking back, this is likely more a reflection on the fantastic nature of El Morro than anything - it really is a place to check out if you're ever in the area.

    Our trek completed - and our bodies now slightly sweatier than when we'd started - we traced a few miles back to the BDR route in search of a place to call home for the evening. By this point we'd both admitted to having looked at the map and acknowledged that our best bet - to escape the heat - was going to be finding something in the shade of a mountain, as we wouldn't be gaining any elevation for quite some time.

    [​IMG]
    With some careful position of the truck to not end up parked on an ant hill, we ended up finding a nice little place in the shadow of some granite outcroppings. Certainly, the clouds were cooperating.

    Having eaten only taco-rittoes for dinner to this point in our journey, we decided that this would be a nice night to switch things up a little bit. Before leaving, I'd made a cold pasta salad, and @mrs.turbodb had prepared a Spanish tortilla and some roast cauliflower, so we pulled those out of the fridge and set about stuffing our faces.

    [​IMG]
    We had our best sunset of the trip on this evening, the glow morphing before our eyes.

    Besides still being very warm after dinner, the mosquitoes decided it was time to eat, so we had no choice but to retreat to the tent. Luckily, with all the windows and doors screened over, we had some nice airflow and the little bloodsuckers were kept at bay.

    Reading of Kindles - and a bit of photo processing to clear up space on the camera - were all that stood between us and some shut eye. Another great day on the BDR.

    The Following Morning...

    [​IMG]
    We awoke to a sunrise almost as nice as the sunset just 9-hours earlier.

    Up early - about 15 minutes or so before the sun broke the horizon - we decided to get an early start to the day in order to take advantage of the cooler temperatures while we could. It wasn't cold by any stretch of the imagination - it was still more than 75°F - but it was a heck of a lot better than what we'd gone to sleep to the previous evening.

    [​IMG]
    I always love it when the sun just hits the hilltops and they glow.

    [​IMG]
    Good morning, sunstar.

    [​IMG]
    Our camp turned out to be at the end of an old mining road, two diggings still apparent on the hillside. For what, we have no idea.

    By 6:15am we were already on the road, the long rays of the morning sun beginning the process of warming the air around us. Elements of the landscape reminded us of Alabama Hills in California or Idaho's City of Rocks, the stacked granite boulders rising from the surrounding desert.

    [​IMG]
    We retraced our path just a little bit, to snap a photo of the mountains in which our camp site was nestled.

    [​IMG]
    Lone Mountain, a little further on.

    Soon, we found ourselves on Beaver Rim, our view of the badlands to the north, spectacular. We'd stop several times as we made our way along the undulating two-track as it followed the fence line, each time sure that the view couldn't get any better. Each time, proving ourselves wrong.

    [​IMG]
    We are somewhere.

    [​IMG]
    An interesting pillar.

    [​IMG]
    Intricate folds.

    [​IMG]
    A playground of pockets.

    [​IMG]
    Oh look, we're somewhere else now.

    Along the way - as we'd experienced along the entire route so far, and would until the end - the primary hoofed inhabitants were pronghorn. Far outnumbering deer and even cows, this guy decided that he'd escort us for a mile or so at 30mph. It was a fun couple of minutes, for both of us!

    [​IMG]
    Follow me!

    Besides the view over the edge, the up-and-down nature of the plateau we were on meant that we could see the twists and turns of the road before as it wound its way through the green grass and sage. Up one rise and down another, we slalomed across the hillsides, the morning air still cool enough for our windows to be open.

    [​IMG]
    Up we go.

    [​IMG]
    Down we come.

    [​IMG]
    Out to the point at the Beaver Rim Overlook.

    [​IMG]
    A good place to enjoy the last of our cherries.

    Eventually the road turned away from Beaver Rim as we passed the halfway point of this stage and turned southeast towards the town of Atlantic City. Only one of us remembers this part of the route, as the curvy nature of the road and sweet smell of wildflowers pushing into the cab was apparently just right for rocking a passenger to sleep.

    [​IMG]
    Beautiful specimen.

    [​IMG]
    Here and there, we crossed paved roads. Nearly all of them were protected by these fences that assisted in arresting blowing snow during the winter months.

    [​IMG]
    Onward.

    [​IMG]
    Even in the desert basins, it was spring! I think this is a Bitterroot Lewisia.

    It was here - as we were perhaps 15 miles away from Atlantic City - that we noticed a BLM sign along the side of the road, marking one of the many offshoots from the BDR route: Gillespie Place. No distance nor direction beyond the sign was mentioned, but a line recommending a high clearance 4x4 was enough to get our attention. A quick look at our GPS showed that - even if we never found the Gillespie Place - we'd meet up with the Oregon Trail if we took the detour, so I turned the front wheels and we set off in a new direction.

    [​IMG]
    I think this is the largest grouse we've ever seen.

    As we stopped to photograph the grouse (?), I happened to spot a roof nestled behind a rise a little to our left. Not knowing for sure, but suspecting that it could be what we were after, I stealthily navigated us in that direction, despite direction from my copilot that, "The Oregon Trail is to the right [the other way]."

    [​IMG]
    We've arrived at the Gillespie Place.

    [​IMG]
    A woman and her daughters settled Gillespie Place in the early 20th Century as a spa that touted radium's alleged health benefits. Probably not such a good idea, looking back on it now. :rofl:

    [​IMG]
    Soon, we did join up with the Oregon Trail.

    Apparently - through this section of the west - the Oregon Trail is also the Mormon Pioneer Trail and Overland Trail, and we followed markers for a few miles to the ghost town of Lewiston, where several old ruins and a single new(er) cabin dotted the landscape.

    [​IMG]
    We first passed by this (more) modern day mining cabin, an open pit visible a few hundred feet behind it.

    [​IMG]
    More interesting was this old mill foundation across the creek, perhaps the mill from the old Bullion Mine.

    [​IMG]
    Remnants of an old settling tank.

    Not wanting to stray too far from the primary BDR route, we took a quick look at the GPS to ensure that our next couple of turns would dump us back out onto the trail. From there, it was only a few miles to Atlantic City, a "ghost town" that is anything but.

    [​IMG]
    Welcome to Atlantic City. No metal sign for us.

    Atlantic City was bustling - to say the least - its claim of 57 residents a stretch for just the main town square. ATVs, side-by-sides, and street legal vehicles of all kinds clogged the streets. We'd been hoping to find a place to stop for lunch - a nice shady spot like the one we'd run across in Medicine Bow - but one thing was for certain: we weren't going to find that here. We needed to push on.

    Luckily for us - we thought - the ghost town of South Pass was only a few miles down the road. We'd planned to stop there to explore some of the old mines and buildings, so we figured we might was well eat lunch there as well.

    Yeah, right.
     
  15. Aug 4, 2022 at 5:19 PM
    #15
    SquirrelBait

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    HAHA Bud tell me the truth, Atlantic City, and SouthPass City were crazy disappointing weren't they. Ill be in that area tomorrow after work. Ill drive the 2 hours to Louis Lake just to the North/West. Looking forward to the next installment.
     
  16. Aug 4, 2022 at 5:49 PM
    #16
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    They were *so* busy that we didn't stop in either. It was something called "Gold Rush Days" in South Pass, where hundreds of people were cramming the streets. Maybe it'd be better on the off-season when we could have the run of the place to ourselves... if there is an off-season.
     
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  17. Aug 5, 2022 at 4:20 PM
    #17
    SquirrelBait

    SquirrelBait Member

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    Its much nicer in the fall.
    If you make it this way again let me know we can go drive some trails that you won't find on a map. I know where theres an old indian sundial.
     
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  18. Aug 12, 2022 at 10:02 AM
    #18
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    Atlantic City to Shoshoni - Through the Wind River Basin - WYBDR 5
    Part of the Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route (Jul 2022) trip.

    Heading out of Atlantic City, we were both looking forward to a leisurely stroll around the ghost town of South Pass and the nearby Carissa Mine. I actually envisioned them as similar to - but perhaps better than - the amazing ghost town of Bodie, California, which I'd visited the previous fall.

    As we approached, it was immediately clear that SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT.

    We'd felt that Atlantic City had been crowded, but South Pass was something else entirely. Above the town, an entire hillside had been converted into a parking lot, and hundreds of vehicles - of all types - were lined up in neat rows, attendants in orange vests directing new arrivals into position. Glancing to my left - and several hundred feet before the stadium-sized parking lot - I noticed that the parking area for the Carrisa Mine was nearly empty. Perfect, I thought, as I started to pull in the driveway.

    [​IMG]
    The Carrisa Mine.

    It was just then that @mrs.turbodb mentioned it was closed, and we saw an orange-vested-man jogging over from his UTV he'd been sitting in nearby. Getting so close to my open window that I felt as though he was Dukes of Hazzard-ing it into the Tacoma, he let us know that only volunteers could park at the mine. As such, we would need to make our way down to the lot and then either walk back over or ride one of the busses that left every 15 minutes.

    As I saw @mrs.turbodb nervously grabbing at her door handle to give herself a bit of room from this overly-friendly fellow, I agreed as quickly as possible so as to get him out of both our personal space.

    On reaching the parking lot - and with a bit more breathing room - another orange-vested volunteer asked us if we were here for "Gold Rush Days." We must have looked confused as we said no, because he launched into a spiel about transportation to/from the lot, the fact that there were food trucks in town, and most importantly, that a 70lb anvil was launched 70-feet into the air every hour, on the hour.

    We thanked him, and then made a sweeping u-turn in the lot. This was not our cup of tea. :puke: We never did get to see South Pass, and we were going to need to find somewhere else to eat.

    Luckily, we found a shady powerline road not far out of town, and after enjoying our sandwiches in the shade, we turned north into beauty of the Wind River Mountains.

    [​IMG]
    After driving across high desert in the previous stage, it was so nice to get into the mountains again!

    [​IMG]
    The mix of rock and vegetation was just perfect.

    [​IMG]
    As we crested the first set of foothills, the higher elevation - and increased water - were immediately apparent.

    Winding our way along the graded gravel road, we remarked to each other how much traffic there was on this section of the trail. Initially we chalked it up to the Gold Rush Days, but then @mrs.turbodb started wondering, "Where is everyone coming from?" She couldn't believe that they'd travelled some 40-miles from Lander, but sure enough, that's where they'd started!

    [​IMG]
    Shortly, we passed the sign for Christina Lake - a place I'd hoped to camp when I'd planned this trip, but we ultimately decided to hold off on until a later time.

    Despite the traffic we pushed on, and only later did we discover that this part of the route is always busy, the BDR site even warning riders that, "This section on Forest Road 300 is one of the highest trafficked sections of the WYBDR so go slow and watch for vehicles on every corner, and Ride Right." Boy, they aren't kidding.

    [​IMG]
    Even with all the traffic, we did find some spots here and there where we just couldn't resist stopping.

    [​IMG]
    Louis Lake, not to be confused with Louis Lane.

    Along this route, Blue Ridge Lookout - built by the USFS in 1938 sits at the crest of the ridge, and is accessible via a half-mile hike or a three-quarter-mile 4WD road. Even with slightly lower temperatures at these higher elevations, we knew better than to set off on foot, and soon we found ourselves as the sole vehicle parked at the lookout.

    [​IMG]
    Probably not suitable for the Tesla.

    [​IMG]
    I must admit to getting a kick out of seeing the look on hiker's faces as they saw our truck parked in the meadow after they had hiked up the hillside.

    There are two granite outcroppings perched along the ridge, and with the old lookout full of people, we quickly decided that it would be fun to boulder our way up the other. This turned out to be a great decision, as it allowed us to get a better view of the lookout - and its fabulous staircase - than if we'd climbed the same way that everyone else had.

    [​IMG]
    Stairway to heaven(ly views).

    [​IMG]
    Living pictograph. Lichen on granite.

    It was so windy at the top of the outcropping - understandable I suppose given our location in the Wind River Range - that I asked my companion if the rocks themselves were moving. She assured me - with perhaps the same chuckle as those reading this story - that they were not. Still, with such strong gusts, there wasn't much we could do up there, so we made our way down - first to the truck, then to the main road - and continued along our way, the road eventually turning to pavement.

    [​IMG]
    Down we go, toward Lander.

    Before reaching Lander, we had one more stop to make: Sinks Canyon. This is a place where the Middle Popo Agie River disappears into a cave in the mountainside, only to emerge again a quarter-mile further down the canyon at a spot known as The Rise. Interestingly, the water takes two hours to make the journey, and more water surfaces at The Rise than disappears at The Sink. Where the water goes for those two hours is still a mystery, but we do know that the sinks are likely an ice-aged feature that were created when channels in the soft Madison Limestone formation eroded away.

    [​IMG]
    It is rather disconcerting to see water flowing at 100 cubic feet per second, just disappear.

    [​IMG]
    Our final push to into town.

    In Lander, we had a few things to take care of. The first was fuel. Our last fill-up had been in Alcova - more than a stage and a half earlier. With 15 gallons in the Scepter military jerry cans, we still had plenty of gas, but the main tank was getting pretty low. Additionally, @mrs.turbodb hadn't been feeling 100% for the last 24 hours or so, and though she wasn't sure how she might have caught it, she wanted to pick up a COVID-19 test to make sure that wasn't the issue. Lastly, we wanted to grab a pair of gloves to replace those that had been lost somewhere earlier in the trip, since taking boxes out of the truck bed in camp can be tough on bare hands. Oh, and we wanted to pick up some mustard, which we'd run out of the previous day.

    Luckily for us, all of this was relatively easily done at a combination of Safeway and Mr. D's Food Center, and soon we were on our way out of town.

    [​IMG]
    Good news!

    [​IMG]
    More Wyoming hay. Rectangular this time.

    Pretty sure that we wouldn't make it all the way to Shoshoni before needing to find camp - it was just after 6:00pm when we were pulling out of Lander - we soon realized that we were in much the same predicament as the previous evening; perhaps slightly worse. Our elevation here was just over 5,000-feet, and once again there were few-to-none trees to be found. Knowing we could cover a lot of ground in two hours - depending on the roads - we pressed forward, hoping for the best.

    [​IMG]
    Headed into the Wind River Basin on our way to Shoshoni.

    We made our first stop at the Rainbow Cliffs. Striped sandstone reminiscent of similar geology in Utah, the road wove in and out of the slowly eroding spires, each rainy season sure to bring new views never before seen.

    [​IMG]
    Rainbow Cliff sunstar.

    [​IMG]
    Suspended stone.

    [​IMG]
    Rainbow badlands.

    Leaving the cliffs behind us, we knew that the next section of trail was not going to be a place we wanted to stop for the evening. In fact, even if we hadn't ready the BDR description - "...this section and goes right through a gas plant on the public road... It feels strange but ride on through (if the lights aren’t flashing)." - I think the sign warning us of toxic gas release was probably enough to keep us moving. In fact, I could tell that @mrs.turbodb was even a bit nervous as I stopped to snap a few photos.

    [​IMG]
    Move along, nothing to see here. And move quickly if the lights are flashing.

    [​IMG]
    One of the few gas plants bisected by a public road.

    [​IMG]
    Extraction enabler.

    For a moment, things turned a little greener once we exited the gas facility and joined WY-135 for a few miles. Still rising and falling in the 5.500-foot range, it was still toasty warm - though a nice breeze was blowing across the valley, and we knew we had to start looking for somewhere to camp. Luckily, I realized I might have just the place.

    [​IMG]
    Open road.

    Prior to leaving on any BDR, I always try to inspect the route for nearby attractions, and in this case I'd found an old Uranium mine that I thought would be cool to check out. It was just off the route, and at the very least I hoped that whatever hillside it was carved into would provide shade from the evening sun. Assuming that is, it was carved into a hillside.

    [​IMG]
    Even if we didn't find the **** Mine, these bluffs sure looked like an interesting spot to camp - and explore!

    [​IMG]
    Well look what we have here....

    It turns out that like many Uranium mines, this one had been sealed off with concrete after the extraction was complete. Even inside the steel door, a second concrete wall made exploration of the shaft impossible.

    That didn't matter to us though, as we found a shady spot to set up the tent and get going on dinner. The sandstone into which the mine had been bored provided plenty of shade and a bit of shelter from the 30mph winds - something we'd be thankful for once we climbed into the tent. And with that, it was time for taco-rittoes!

    [​IMG]
    As we were setting up camp, I noticed this absolutely perfect little succulent. It was the only one around!

    [​IMG]
    After dinner, the breeze helped to keep the mosquitoes away, and we were able to enjoy the mellowing of the sky around us before climbing into the tent for some shut eye.

    The Following Morning...

    To our dismay - and this isn't something I say very often - the wind died down as soon as we climbed into the tent. It was strange, really, though perhaps it's normal in Wyoming, even on the Wind River Plain. At any rate, it made for a warm night, one where @mrs.turbodb resorted to a damp bandana laid over her body in order to keep her cool. I - on the other hand - wasn't so smart!

    Still, by the time we awoke, temps had dropped into the low 70s °F, and it was quite pleasant outside the tent. I took some time to look around and snap a few pictures of the area - things we'd looked at the night before, just after I found that my camera battery was dead.

    [​IMG]
    An old loading structure that was once anchored into the sandstone, the sun rising behind.

    [​IMG]
    A sandstone outcropping, caught by the morning rays.

    [​IMG]
    Our favorite camp site so far.

    Nestled in the sandstone, we'd been shielded from the sun - even after it'd risen over the horizon - but we were still out of camp early to take advantage of the cooler morning temperatures. Exiting our spur, the warm golden glow over the green grass on the hills was a great way to get going and soon we were headed towards Shoshoni.

    [​IMG]
    I've said it before and I'll probably say it again - we timed this trip perfectly.

    [​IMG]
    Back on the trail, we made good time on the well-groomed gravel.

    We'd covered most of the stage as we looked for a camp site the prior evening, leaving us only about 20 miles to cover before being one step closer to the Montana border. Through an oil and gas field - the second of this segment - those miles ticked away uneventfully, and soon we were searching for Shoshoni's water-jet-cut welcome sign.

    [​IMG]
    An old derrick, abandoned in the field, its generator and storage tanks pilfered for a well that is still producing.

    [​IMG]
    Welcome to Shoshoni, where we never did find the prototypical metal sign. (I like this one better!)

    We hadn't expected much from this stage, as it made its way through the Wind River Basin. We'd figured it took one of only a couple paths from west to east - around the Wind River Reservation, setting us up for a run to the Bighorn Mountains. Still, besides the surprise at South Pass, I think the route had surprised us both. Be it the toxic gas warning signs or our fantastic camp at the uranium mine, this stage had certainly left an impression on us.

    And, we had no idea at the time, but we'd soon feel as though we'd left Wyoming entirely!
     
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  19. Aug 13, 2022 at 11:18 AM
    #19
    Sprig

    Sprig Well-Known Member

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    Wow! This is one of the best trip/photo threads I have seen. And the written composition and descriptions are excellent.
     
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  20. Aug 13, 2022 at 11:43 AM
    #20
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    Thanks so much. If you're into this kind of thing, I've got a lot more. My build thread has it (link in sig), but I find it a lot easier to consume here:

    https://adventuretaco.com/index/date/

    Or, for a few more ways to "sort" the trips, the full index page: https://adventuretaco.com/index/

    And I send out emails to anyone who wants to get them when I post a new trip report: https://adventuretaco.com/subscribe/

    Anyway, glad you're enjoying! :thumbsup:
     
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