Beartooth Road Trip TR: A Coming of Age Tale

Day One: The Sixth of June in the year of our Lord twenty and twenty-one.

A restless night last night made for a fashionably late start this morning. I didn’t get on the road until 11 est. Once I did though, the early legs of my journey were beset by pissin problems. It could have been the couple cups of coffee, or perhaps just nervousness toward the uncertainty of what lay ahead, but I was stopping at almost every rest area. I ran into terrible traffic just west of the NC border which delayed me nearly an hour. I was about to piss myself the entire time too. When the traffic cleared, I found a nice gas station bathroom sink to relieve myself in and was soon on my way.

As I neared Bobby stainless land, my polyuria subsided but the traffic returned. Another lengthy delay quashed my hopes of St Louis by nightfall. By the time I had the metropolis in my rear view, it was high time for some fine dinin. I found a Popeyes and enjoyed a delicious 2-piece leg and thigh with a biscuit.

Back on the road again, I set my sights on an encampment for the night. I decided on Paducah, Kentucky, the place from which I write you.

Kentucky is a strange land and I have found it to be mostly desolate. The roads are in pretty terrible shape and the roadkill picker-upper must have quit because there are deer carcasses every mile, in various states of decomposition. I’m pretty sure I saw a few armadillo too.

I hope for an early start tomorrow with the possibility of reaching Laramie before I get too tired. If not, somewhere in far west Nebraska will have to do.
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Glad you're doing it and nice rig. If shooting for Laramie set your sights on Vedauwoo for camping. One of my favorite roadside campgrounds anywhere. Safe travels!

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Originally Posted by snowaddict91

Glad you're doing it and nice rig. If shooting for Laramie set your sights on Vedauwoo for camping. One of my favorite roadside campgrounds anywhere. Safe travels!

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Thank you on both counts. I think I’ll camp there if I make it that far.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by snowaddict91

Glad you're doing it and nice rig. If shooting for Laramie set your sights on Vedauwoo for camping. One of my favorite roadside campgrounds anywhere. Safe travels!

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I'll second that recommendation. Ironically I'm wearing a UW Cowboys shirt at the moment.

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Dude. How old are you? What age will you become after this trip? I gotta admit; if you're as young as you make yourself seem, thank you for your clear and concise writing. I like it.

Echoing splat. Keep writing. Whatever trade/profession/career/life you want to follow it will be a huge asset.

Vedauwoo has lots of good camping and is quick to get to off the highway. Couple examples from my travels in case you just wanna punch something into the GPS: 41.2328704, -105.4277176 & 41.1714505, -105.3399611

Be mindful of the cougars near red lodge. They’re just waiting for a guy like you


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i likes to sleep in the oogala rest stop
while its out da way
youre welcome in da casa da bum guest room
and the front of the drift boat

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Originally Posted by detrusor

Be mindful of the cougars near red lodge. They’re just waiting for a guy like you


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The demographics in Red Lodge must really be changing.

Either that, or the chicks I used to hang out with are rapidly approaching 40.

Good luck on the drive. Go Bobcats, etc.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by stealurface831

Day One: The Sixth of June in the year of our Lord twenty and twenty-one.

A restless night last night made for a fashionably late start this morning. I didn’t get on the road until 11 est. Once I did though, the early legs of my journey were beset by pissin problems. It could have been the couple cups of coffee, or perhaps just nervousness toward the uncertainty of what lay ahead, but I was stopping at almost every rest area. I ran into terrible traffic just west of the NC border which delayed me nearly an hour. I was about to piss myself the entire time too. When the traffic cleared, I found a nice gas station bathroom sink to relieve myself in and was soon on my way.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0u6Lb6RCz4

get yourself some piss jugs. way of the road buddy

ifin ya go through cody
and ya dont tell em ya aints come of age or they dont ask
libations serves damn good sloshies to go
and the bar in roscoes good
as is the edelweiss
montana st rd 420 is in that hood but outta the way unless your headed to livingston

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Originally Posted by Sirshredalot

The demographics in Red Lodge must really be changing.

Either that, or the chicks I used to hang out with are rapidly approaching 40.

Good luck on the drive. Go Bobcats, etc.

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Did Carl run the bar in town then - the Snow Creek Saloon?

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Originally Posted by splat

Did Carl run the bar in town then - the Snow Creek Saloon?

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Carl is a legend. As of last year he's at the Snag Bar now

Thanks for the words everyone. Glad people enjoyed the write up. Today’s recap to come soon. As long as a don’t get too tired.


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Did your facial paralysis issue get resolved?

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Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

Did your facial paralysis issue get resolved?

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Pretty much. Went to the doctor and he confirmed that it is Bell’s Palsy, caused by pressure on the 7th cranial nerve. Prescribed me an antiviral and after a few days, function is almost fully restored.


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nice info bro, tnx

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Originally Posted by stealurface831

Pretty much. Went to the doctor and he confirmed that it is Bell’s Palsy, caused by pressure on the 7th cranial nerve. Prescribed me an antiviral and after a few days, function is almost fully restored.


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That’s too bad, you could’ve taken that poker face to Vegas and made yourself a fucking fortune.

Bwah, stealurpokerface. Sorry that shit happened... glad it's fixed and I hope you can laugh about it now.

Also hope that the lift is repaired by the time you get there.

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Originally Posted by stealurface831

Pretty much. Went to the doctor and he confirmed that it is Bell’s Palsy, caused by pressure on the 7th cranial nerve. Prescribed me an antiviral and after a few days, function is almost fully restored.


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Glad to hear. Safe travels!

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Originally Posted by Norseman

Also hope that the lift is repaired by the time you get there.

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I thought you were joking. Then I checked the website.

Oh no.



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Quote:

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Originally Posted by stealurface831

I thought you were joking. Then I checked the website.

Oh no.



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They posted on their socials this afternoon that they have the part in hand and are hoping to be back up and running tomorrow. Good luck!

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Originally Posted by snowaddict91

They posted on their socials this afternoon that they have the part in hand and are hoping to be back up and running tomorrow. Good luck!

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Thank fuck and thanks fer lettin me know.


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There’s a whole lot more f good stuff that isn’t serviced by the lift - hope you brought your touring gear.


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Day 2 - 6/7

Part one

I was up and on the road early. I caught the last flames of sunrise over the Ohio and saw nothing remotely scenic until I hit Iowa.
Attachment 376711

Missouri came and went quickly according to the clock. Traffic was nonexistent until I reached the urban sprawl of St. Louis, and even then it wasn’t all that bad. Like I said, I made good time but the time I had alone with my thoughts was agonizing for awhile. I thought about everything I could think of. It was deeply introspective and I think my wiser subconscious broke through the drone of the interstate to deliver some long overdue insights. I experienced emotional growth.

On a concrete picnic table outside a gas station on the outskirts of Kansas City, I decided Laramie was too lofty a goal for the day. I also felt as though I had not taken in any landscapes compelling enough to satiate my expectations of what a roadtrip should be. I decided that I would arrive at my destination, wherever that may be, in time to eat a meal and find a proper vantage point from which to view the sunset.

With Missouri behind me, I made a short passage through southwest Iowa before arriving in Nebraska. The traffic dwindled with the trees. I had never seen open country like that before, though I expected it to be much flatter. The terrain was barren but rolling.

At a rest stop west of Omaha, I booked a room in Gothenburg. I was still some hours from the town and getting hungry. I stopped in Grand Island for an early dinner, venturing well off the highway in search of a proper meal. I settled on a pizza place off Main Street. It was decent, specially for bumfuck, Nebraska.

I arrived at my hotel two hours later only to be greeted by a long line for the front desk. At the front of the line was a large middle eastern man arguing with the cute girl behind the counter. Judging by the looks of those in front of me, this had been going on for some time. He went back and forth between mediocre English and Arabic but I quickly concluded that he was wrong. I wanted to say something but once the cute girl got her manager on the phone, I figured this would resolve soon...




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Yallah habibi

Arabic for "let's go my dude"

Fingers crossed the lifts are spinning for ya.

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Day 2
Part two

At about that time, an older man came through the doors and plopped down on the couch opposite me. He was very drunk and looked like he wanted to have a conversation. I quietly remarked that the situation was a shitshow. He proceeded to tell me he was from Omaha and how he was installing the refrigeration for the grocery store being built in town. He had been living in the hotel for three months, returning to Omaha every Thursday to spend the weekends there. He was working for the owner, not for some corporation. It would be a locally owned grocery store. His wife wanted him to retire but he liked being a few hundred miles away from her during the weekdays. He could drink as much beer as he wanted once he got off work. He asked if I wanted a beer and pointed to the small red Igloo by his feet then gave a puzzled look when I said no before asking if I was sure.

All the while, the situation at the front desk was steadily devolving. The middle eastern man’s voice grew louder and angrier. It came to a head when the cute girl stepped away from the counter and the middle eastern man turned to us an asked if we could believe this shit. The older man ironically remarked that he could not and then stood up. I felt quite certain that I would be breaking up a fight quite soon. I was wrong. While the older man did tell him to shut the fuck up and take a hike, the middle eastern man was too taken aback to respond. The older man turned and sat back down. When the cute girl returned, they reached a compromise.

I checked in when my turn came and went up to my room to deposit my bag and place some bottled water in the mini fridge for later. I figured I was behind schedule for sunset viewing and quickly returned to my car.

I drove north down a two lane road while searching for a suitable spot. The sun was higher in the sky than I had realized so I continued for nearly 30 miles. On a whim, I hung a left down a poorly maintained gravel road. I thought it might lead to a farm house but after some miles, concluded that it did not. The sun began to drop behind the clouds and I took this photo:Attachment 376715

With plenty of light left, I continued west, eventually coming to a fork in the road. I chose the southwest offering and began to navigate back towards I-80 with the help of a downloaded Avenza map. The day turned to dusk and dusk quickly to night. I reached the interstate an hour later and made my way back to the hotel. I went quickly to sleep.


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Concise, with a hint of malice...and a nice sunset release.
Short story of the day?

I wonder if the old man’s wife has a lover...

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Originally Posted by rideit

Concise, with a hint of malice...and a nice sunset release.
Short story of the day?

I wonder if the old man’s wife has a lover...

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Funny. I wondered if the old man had a flame in town. Probably not though. He would’ve told me if he did.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Benneke10

Carl is a legend. As of last year he's at the Snag Bar now

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And you can tell it's a slow night when drinks just appear before you order them, but always make it onto your tab.

He's a pretty damn solid skier, and was consistently around at opening bell on powder days while I lived there.

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Stoked to read along on your journey.


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Photo dump:
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Attachment 377133Attachment 377134
I might finish the day by day TR when I get back home but long story short, the last 48 hours have been nothing less than a grade-a shitshow.

Spent all of yesterday at the campsite absolutely sicker than shit. Got into town earlier today only to learn that an old friend was killed in a drive-by yesterday afternoon. That was the straw that broke the camels back and I decided to bail on the trip a day early. Typing this from a hotel room in bumfuck, SD.


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id tell ya its not all part of comins of age
but it is
drive and be safe on the road home

Sorry about your friend, SUF.

Some nice pics.

Be safe on your way home.

Thanks for connecting mag. Way to get after it. You'd have regretted turning around at first.

Sad news about your old friend. You gots a long ride home, don't dwell on it too much. Life seems to throw hurdles at us as frequently as those signs for Wall drug in SD.

Did yer notabro meetcha in JH for the BtPass gig? That sounded like carnage in a bottle.

Try and come down next winter, or even fall if the books are killing you...

Somehow missed this thread. Great to meet you. Sorry about your friend.

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Thanks for the condolences. It is one of those things that is shocking but upon further thought, not that surprising. We hadn’t seen each other in a few years but had some great times smoking blunts in the woods behind the soccer field. He might have been the one that taught me how to roll a backwoods.
Anyways, a sobering reminder of the fragility of life.

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Originally Posted by Djongo Unchained

Thanks for connecting mag. Way to get after it. You'd have regretted turning around at first.

Sad news about your old friend. You gots a long ride home, don't dwell on it too much. Life seems to throw hurdles at us as frequently as those signs for Wall drug in SD.

Did yer notabro meetcha in JH for the BtPass gig? That sounded like carnage in a bottle.

Try and come down next winter, or even fall if the books are killing you...

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I’ll make it down for at least a weekend of turns next season for sure. Might even make a pit stop in the Hole on the way out to skewl.

Ha! That notabro ended up meeting me at the campsite a day after his eta. Carnage in a bottle like you wouldn’t believe. I wasn’t there to witness it but he took a ride most of the way down the Gardner headwall without his skis on, clipped the rocks, and took out two others in the process! Probably should have died but he was completely fine, as were the others. This was captured on film. I’ll try to procure a link or something.

I’ll give his antics a proper account in the days to come. Suffice to say, you were very right: I should have ghosted him.

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Originally Posted by uglymoney

Somehow missed this thread. Great to meet you. Sorry about your friend.

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Great time tying in with you and yer family. So glad I happened upon you guys.


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Enjoyed the read and sorry about your buddy.

If I have anything to offer, hit up big grove brewery in Iowa city if you’re taking 80 back east. Easy eddy and the bacon jam fondue fries hit different. Safe travels back!


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Wow, you are having your share of troubles - sorry about your friend. Hopefully you made it home safe.