|
|
| Truck Campers Related Tips |
|
|
|
realter
On the go USA,
Senior Member
Joined: 01/27/2005
View Profile
 Offline
|
What do you do when you get a flat on a dirt bike miles from yur camper? I really enjoy the picures, hope to go there in the next few years.
|
btggraphix
Golden, CO
Senior Member
Joined: 03/08/2005
View Profile
|
realter wrote:What do you do when you get a flat on a dirt bike miles from yur camper? I really enjoy the picures, hope to go there in the next few years.
Well, if you have the tools with, and a spare tube (a front will generally work for either wheel in a pinch) and a means of airing back up, you change it in the field. The enduro riders can change a flat in less than 10 minutes. It takes me quite a bit longer, but I can do it. If you don't have the tools or parts, there isn't much choice; you ride it out. One time I got a pinch flat launching off an obstacle (the rockpile...which is like a 6-7 foot drop straight down off a ledge) and had to ride down what is a nasty nasty 4WD road with a flat front tire. It's not easy and you can damage your rim, but if it's the only choice, it's the only choice. I've also ridden miles and mile of flat gravels roads and such to get back before. With the flat in the picture, we were maybe 15 miles from camp, with maybe 4 miles of it being tough at all....so I used my air canisters. I aired it up again right before leaving the spot we were in, then rode fast for awhile until it was pretty flat again, and then I used another cartridge. That made it a bit easier to ride back - but I only had three of the canisters and it leaked pretty fast.
In the next installment, though I have no pictures, I'll mention changing the tube at the campsite to get ready for the Going to the Sun Road ride. I should be able to knock it out today.
|
btggraphix
Golden, CO
Senior Member
Joined: 03/08/2005
View Profile
|
jefe 4x4 wrote:Brian,
You got me with the "that's where we spread my Dad's ashes". We did that too with my Dad's ashes. Some obscure place in N.M. that he wrote about (he was a Western Lore writer), the four brothers (his sons) took turns......................................................................choke........
Thanks for posting. This was a very different kind of trip for us, and a nostalgic one for you.
I for one am certainly enjoying the variety of trip/expeditions posted on here.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see these kinds of spectacular trips posted on the other RV forums.
regards, as always, jefe
Thanks Jefe - glad to make an impact on you. I've gotten some nice comments back from people about this part of the story. As I told another via PM, I had gone back and forth on posting a trip report on our trip last summer to put in the bench and spread his ashes - but I pretty emotionally raw afterwards. I put together an E-mail with pictures to my friends and family, and never really decided on putting one on rv.net....which kind of made the decision for me. Sending the E-mail did feel good though, and perhaps this winter when everyone is having the Jones for a camping trip, perhaps I'll go ahead and pst up the pictures from the 08 summer trip. It would probably feel good to do and I think others like you would enjoy it.
Regards to you and your father's memory as well my friend.
More pictures, coming right up!
|
btggraphix
Golden, CO
Senior Member
Joined: 03/08/2005
View Profile
|
Next round.......
So, after messing around in Kalispell long enough, we got into Glacier late in the afternoon. The tunnel under the railroad to get into West Glacier says 13'4", so at 13'2" I was a little nervous! Had my wife climb the ladder and watch as we went under - and speak into the microphone/camera to let me know. It was no problem. We headed on into Apgar and had to resist stopping to admire Lake McDonald and the amazing view.....turned towards the campground and set up camp. The campground here is quite large, with many loops. They gradually close them off as the year gets towards the end, but we were still able to find a number of sites to choose from. Outr friends had more trouble pulling the boat through a few sites, but eventually we found two good ones. We claimed the sites, and then jumped into his rig and went immediately back to the boat launch. It's pretty shallow water and a gravelly bottom - I don't think I'd want to back up a large rig with boat trailer and camper into that soft bottom without 4WD just in case....but we had no problems getting it into the water and getting ready to take off.
A truly beautiful spot....
In the above picture, you can see the burned forest on the left/north shore of the lake....that's from back sometime after 2000 or so.
After all those times to Glacier - I had never been in a boat out on the lake (except perhaps the tour boat I guess.)
Lake McD. is very deep, considering how narrow it is. Captain Rich is amazed:
Here it finally creaped over 400' - I think we saw a max of about 450' or so. And there's fish down there!
Looking back towards Apgar:
Tour boat:
We headed up to the far end of the lake, and stopped at Lake MacDonald Lodge for some food and drink. The lodges in Glacier are all amazing and one of a kind. Built by the railroads to help encourage tourists in the early days and help promote travel by rail. Each one is well worth a visit - my favorite is actually the Many Glacier Hotel on the east side (didn't make it there this year) but they do start closing around mid-September. This one is open a little later then most.
Of course, this late in the year things are way less crowded. We were able to order food and drinks, and take them out onto the patio....which we had to do because of the manly dog we had with:
I also wonder if during the season we'd have even been able to get a spot at the dock:
Back on the lake in the setting sun to head back. It's a fairly long lake...it might have been 8 miles or more from the lodge back to Apgar. This is looking northeast towards to Garden Wall (in the sunlight in the back of the photo.) The Going to the Sun Road goes along the lower portion of that wall, from low left, to high-right...Logan Pass would be around the corner behind the big peak:
My John Wesley Powell pose (used to be the Lewis & Clark pose) but sicne doing the Grand Canyon this year we changed the name.
How prophetic the pose turned out to be. Sometime not long after this photo was taken, then engine died, out of fuel. Now, not being a boater, I take no responsibility for this issue  but there we were...over a mile from the dock, in a 2700 pound boat with no fuel. "Paddles?" I ask, to find out that the only paddle we have is a freebie they gave him with the boat when he bought it new. It's short, and aluminum, with a screw on head. The sun is setting, we are still dressed for daytime, and the ladies are getting cold....
So we commence paddling, and immediately the head pops off, and starts floating away. We manage to get it again, but it's getting dark and hard to see. I emptied out all of my pockets, and take of my shoes in case I have to go diving for the paddle head if it falls off again.
Anyway, we begin paddling, and each do about 10 stokes before handing it to the other guy to try to keep it straight. The sides of the boat begin beating us up...I had bruises all across the side of my chest and inside edge of my arm by the time we got back. It took us over an hour...maybe 1.5. Thank god is wasn't windy or we might have had to hunker down and wait to we made landfall somewhere. Sorry I didn't get any pictures!
So we get back pretty late to camp, with the plan being to ride the G-T-T-S-R the next day, but I still have a flat tire to change. We get back to camp not really feeling like doing it, but I figured better than in the morning. It's after quiet hours and I have a tenter nearby (on a big street bike he's riding across the country) so I have to be quiet too. As I dive into the job, discover the guy that sold me the tube sold me the wrong size (by a substantial amount) but at least it is bigger and I manage to make it work. I apologized to the guy in the tent in the morning if I made any noise and he was pretty amazed I had changed a tube without making more noise than I did.
Hey look....swelling has gone down, but the color is brightening:
Anyway, up bright an early for the short walk over to the village of Apgar, for the traditional Buttermilk pancakes with Huckleberry syrup on them, at Eddies Cafe. Here's another look at Lake McD that morning:
The Village Inn has the view above, from essentially every room. When we were kids, my grandparents would often stay here, while we camped over in Fish Creek nearby. We'd always hang out at the inn on the beach while the grownups had their drinks and normally we'd end up eating sandwiches there as well for dinner. Just past the Inn in this picture is where MaCDonald Creek exits from the lake. I guess in the winter time the Bald Eagles are everywhere.
After pancakes, it's onto the bikes and up towards Logan Pass. There is still a ton of construction going on, and we had to stop and shut down the bikes a number of times - so it took a lot longer than normal. It was also a cold morning to be riding the bikes. However, other than perhaps a convertible, there is probably no better way to see the sights as on a motorcycle. This was my second ride over the top. last trip with our friends and a Class C, we unloaded the cammper in the lot at Lake MacDonald Lodge and drove in the truck.
Here's a stop looking at Heaven's Peak:
And looking to the right from the same spot:
There's actually a portal in that tunnel that allows drivers to look out at Heaven's Peak as they are driving through. In the rocks to the right you can see evidnece of some of the earliest life forms on the earth in the form of Stromatilites (basically algal mats) that formed in shallow seas over 1 billion years ago. The geology in Glacier is amazing - and not just the recent scuplting by the glaciers, but the rocks themselves are amazing.
Apologies, but riding the bikes kept me from taking too many pictures of the drive....
Logan Pass (the top):
A zoom of the garden wall in the background of the above picture:
There is an incredible trail called the Highline Trail that leaves from Logan Pass and hugs the wall for miles and miles. It's worth a short walk at least because in the first 1/2 mile or so it is narrow, and perched up on the cliff directly above the road way down below. Not for the faint of heart but very cool.
Being a part of the first international "peace" park, they celebrate both countries in Glacier and Waterton Lakes parks:
We rode all the way down to the Wild Goose Island overlook. We would have loved to get the boat into Upper St. Mary's Lake, but of course, didn't have time to even make it to that side of the park this time. I guess now that I've been in a boat on Flathead and MacDonald, I'm getting spoiled and want to put it on every lake I see...at least while someone has one...
Back to the campsite at Apgar:
The next leg was going to be heading up the North Fork Road which follows the north fork of the Flathead River all the way into Canada and follows the western edge of the park. The road is bumpy and dusty and long. Past the town of Polebridge if you are going towards Kintla Lake (our plan) trailers are highly discouraged, as are RV's in general. You can take them to Bowman Lake though. Boats are limited to 10HP on Bowman, and non-motorzied on Kintla. So there is no point in taking the boat, but we do plan on doing some exploring via the dirt bikes, so we are taking our trailer. Initially we had thought about taking it to Kintla, then turning around and riding the roads to Bowman and the outside road that goes to the Canadian border, but time is short and I really don't want to take the trailer to Kintla. There is nowhere to park is and I hate to be 'that guy' that has the giant rig with trailer on a single lane road! So our plan became to keep both sites paid for at Apgar and leave Rich's his boat there, and plan on staying there the final night. We drive to Polebridge and leave the bike trailer there while we go to Kintla, (for just one overnight) and then do a quick ride the next day on our way out, up to the Canadian border.
That'll be the final episode - the North Fork (of the Flathead River) Valley.
|
Nemo667
Louisiana
Senior Member
Joined: 10/28/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
Brian,
...Not sure how I missed this H U G E awesome report but I managed somehow.  Love the pictures the ashes and all the commentary. Looking forward to the finale...Montana is on our list. 
Ben
2007 F-350 SRW 6.0L Auto CC SB 4X4
2006 Outfitter Apex 8, 220W Solar and 3 AGM's
2008 Jeep Rubicon 
|
|
|
btggraphix
Golden, CO
Senior Member
Joined: 03/08/2005
View Profile
|
Nemo667 wrote:Brian,
...Not sure how I missed this H U G E awesome report but I managed somehow. Love the pictures the ashes and all the commentary. Looking forward to the finale...Montana is on our list.
Ben
Thanks! And looking at your USA map, there DOES seem to be a conspicuously empty area - say everything north of the 40th parallel and west of the Mississippi!
|
whazoo
Arizona
Senior Member
Joined: 10/12/2007
View Profile
|
Hey Brian, another round of great pictures. Love you're Titanic impersonation, too bad for what it preluded. I'm thinking there will be a run for Montana next spring by the entire tc nation, and an avalanche in sales of dirt bikes.
|
Nemo667
Louisiana
Senior Member
Joined: 10/28/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
whazoo wrote:Hey Brian, another round of great pictures. Love you're Titanic impersonation, too bad for what it preluded. I'm thinking there will be a run for Montana next spring by the entire tc nation, and an avalanche in sales of dirt bikes. Hmmm...this oilfield aint much right now...I'm thinking Ben & Daves Power Sports of Missoula MT...let me know Dave...
|
btggraphix
Golden, CO
Senior Member
Joined: 03/08/2005
View Profile
|
Nemo667 wrote:whazoo wrote:Hey Brian, another round of great pictures. Love you're Titanic impersonation, too bad for what it preluded. I'm thinking there will be a run for Montana next spring by the entire tc nation, and an avalanche in sales of dirt bikes. Hmmm...this oilfield aint much right now...I'm thinking Ben & Daves Power Sports of Missoula MT...let me know Dave...
As long as you boys know the difference between a 110/100x18 and a 5.10x18 tube, I'll start buying my tubes there.....
|
whazoo
Arizona
Senior Member
Joined: 10/12/2007
View Profile
|
btggraphix wrote:Nemo667 wrote:whazoo wrote:Hey Brian, another round of great pictures. Love you're Titanic impersonation, too bad for what it preluded. I'm thinking there will be a run for Montana next spring by the entire tc nation, and an avalanche in sales of dirt bikes. Hmmm...this oilfield aint much right now...I'm thinking Ben & Daves Power Sports of Missoula MT...let me know Dave...
As long as you boys know the difference between a 110/100x18 and a 5.10x18 tube, I'll start buying my tubes there.....
Make that Ben and Dave's Mondo Power Sports, I'm in!! (Do we get the mineral rights to that oil field too?) And Brian, here in Arizona where we have things like Jumping Chollas that eat inner-tubes, we use "Slime". I've not had a flat in years. Of course there are other types of flats that Slime won't work for, like a long pinch. But after getting back from a ride and pulling all the cactus needles out of your tires you're sold.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
