2002 RT C190P
Wife, Darla the Dachshund, and Me (in that order).
14 days, 3,591 mi total.
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota.
Points of Impression:
1. Highway 12 from Lewiston, ID to Missoula, MT.
2. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, MT.
3. Devil's Tower, SD.
4. Waking up to snow in the Black Hills, SD.
5. Crazy Horse Memorial, Indian Museum of North America.
6. Wounded Knee Memorial at Wall, SD.
7. Fort Laramie N.H.S., WY.
8. Wind River Canyon, WY.
9. Herds of Pronghorn Antelope in WY.
10. Trail Town, Cody, WY.
11. Buffalo Bill Hist. Center, Cody, WY.
12. Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, WY 296, Cody to Yellowstone N.P.
13. Yellowstone N.P., WY.
14. Virginia City and Nevada City, MT.
15. MT 43 from Divide to U.S. 93.
16. Big Hole National Battlefield, MT.
17. U.S. 93 & ID 75 from MT/ID border to Ketchum ID via Stanley, ID.
18. Lots of deer and Antelope along the way with some Elk, Moose and Bison (also lots of bunnies, ground squirrels and chipmunks)
19. Breathtaking mountain vistas, high deserts and prairies, old homesteads and ranches, small old towns.
20. Great people (mostly).
General Observations:
1. Very, very light traffic most of the trip. Often, no vehicle in sight ahead or behind for 5 - 10 minutes at a time. (it was great)
2. Noticeable absence of RV's on the road or in campgrounds. Campgrounds at 10% - 25% capacity.
3. Saw more than usual B's (10-12) - mostly RT and Pleasure Way with one Great West (nice folks from Quebec) and a couple of unidentified units.
4. Fuel Prices: $3.69 to $4.49.
5.Is this one beautiful country or what?
BTW: First long trip with new Toyo Open Country H/T tires and Les Schwab RMX Monotube shocks. Excellent combination - nice, quiet ride and great handling.
I see you were on highway 12 from Lewiston to Missoula. Isn't that a beautiful stretch of road? We found that route at random and drove it a few years ago (before we bought the B). It took us 2 days because we kept pulling over to enjoy the views of the river. We were also through Stanley Idaho on the way home on that same roadtrip. It sure sounds like you were on alot of the same paths that we choose on that trip.
One of these time we would like to take Highway 12 all the way from Minnesota to the west coast. It's sure got to beat taking I-90 or I-80 for scenery.
Julie
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A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~ Lao Tzu
If you don't mind, can you give me an estimate of the total cost for the trip? I'm not a bean counter, I'm an engineer too, but these days with the high cost of beans one needs to have an idea what a trip of yours might cost. You don't have to post on the forum -- send to tjmb@verizon.net if you wish. My wife and I in a 20008 RT 170 Popular want to make a similar trip.
tjmb - regarding cost of trip. I estimate $150/day for gas, campground fees, entertainment (entrance fees etc.), an occasional meal out, and some resupply (fresh veggies, fruit, milk, etc.) along the way. That is within 10% for us.
One could go a bit less expensive - stay in state and national park and forest campgrounds or rest stops and WalMart instead of KOA and Good Sam (we like our hot showers and some creature comforts however). I get 12.5 - 13 MPG at 75 mph down the interstate but 15 - 16.5 mpg at 55 - 60 mph on the secondary roads (slowing down does save gas). We don't count the cost of food we take because we would eat it if we stayed home.
We are planning a cross country trip next year.
We have been looking at the Cody Wyoming area and the Buffalo Bill areas there.
Can you tell us what the points to see there and is it a worth a stop in that area?
We have started an investment account a year ago to cover costs and to plan ahead (or catch up!) on the rising costs of travel these days.
Congratulations on your trip. We can't wait to take a "long" one. We are almost there!
BTW. we stayed overnight last night in our B at a local school parking lot because we had to meet a group of people for a bus trip at 5am. We got permission from the local police dept. because we are locals and we offered to keep an "eye" on the area. Our RT comes in handy in cases like this It was a good boondocking trial run. We love our B!
Quote: We have been looking at the Cody Wyoming area and the Buffalo Bill areas there.
Can you tell us what the points to see there and is it a worth a stop in that area?
Yes, yes and yes again - it is worth it. The Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody is fantastic, worth more than a full day. Nightly rodeo in town during the summer season. Fishing, guest ranches (if you're into that), day trips into the Bighorn Mts or camping up there. And of course Cody is 90 miles (more or less) from Yellowstone, which is worth a week, easy!
JoeRT04 wrote: "We are planning a cross country trip next year.
We have been looking at the Cody Wyoming area and the Buffalo Bill areas there.
Can you tell us what the points to see there and is it a worth a stop in that area?"
Well, it's difficult to say whether it's worth a stop for you or not. It all depends on what you are interested in. I see you are from Cape Cod. Cody has about zero in common with Cape Cod (well, maybe McDonalds). If you are interested in the real west, Cody is about as real as it gets. If you are interested in the real old west, Cody has seen it all - cowboys, indians, cavelry, outlaws, lawmen, prospectors and miners, mountain men, pioneers - and a lot of pieces are left around to see and experience.
Trail Town is a collection of 26 vintage buildings from the region dating from 1879 to 1901. Want to go in a walk around in the cabin where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid planned a bank robbery? It's there. So is Jeremiah Johnson's grave (and the graves of some other notable mountain men and assorted old west characters).
The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is a lot more than just about Buffalo Bill, although there is a lot about him. This is 5 museums and a research center. Plan of spending a big part of the day here.
Take a look at the web sites for both of these attractions.
Also, don't limit your field of view to just the Cody city limits. The real west and the real old west is still there, out in the country side in every direction for hundreds of miles on every ranch, in every town and along every stream and highway. Stop and look around. Talk to the people (you will find them quite friendly and informative).
On second thought - yes, this is definately worth a stop for a few days for you.
You drove two of our favorite routes: US 12 from Lewiston to Lolo and MT 43 from Lost Trail Pass to Divide. We used to live in western MT and had the fun of driving those roads every once in awhile. Our favorite USFS CG's were Apgar and Wendover along the Lochsa River. What did you think of the DeVoto Memorial Cedar Grove and were you able to visit the old Lochsa Ranger Station? We've got to drive Chief Joseph Highway sometime, everyone thinks it's among the finest scenery anywhere.
islandman - If one gets off of the interstate anywhere in N. Idaho or Montana or Wyoming and takes any of the numerous secondary roads it's difficult to make a bad choice. However, I agree that highway 12 and 43 are up there around the top of the bunch.
We have driven highway 12 across Idaho a few times prior and we had reservations at a campground in Billings that evening (big mistake - the reservations, not the campground)so we didn't stop this trip.
Common you guys back east. Get out here. We're talking about some of the best RVing anywhere.
When we drove thru that area the year before we bought our B, we were traveling in a 4-Runner. We were able to get off the main highways quite a bit, and we took a few fire service roads into the wilderness areas along the Lewiston - Lolo route. We have boatloads of pictures of these areas. (Idaho, Washington, Montana) If anyone is interested in seeing them, send me a PM and I'll send you a link to the photos.
* This post was
edited 06/08/08 11:14am by juliev *
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