The loss of summer trips

"jminer" (jminer) 07/21/2020 at 14:30 • Filed to: None

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The last 3 or 4 years I’ve taken multiple trips a year to the mountains which are usually just a few days but it is enough to recharge my batteries. This is of course not happening this year which is harder on me than I expected.

I’m waxing on about these as my phone keeps reminding me of trips in my past. I use onedrive to upload and organize my photos and it likes to ping me about things that I’ve ‘done on this day’. Two years ago this past weekend I was in Helena Montana which has become one of my favorite places.

The top of Mt Helena

These trips are usually only 3-4 days long and I frequently tack them onto work trips regularly which kept the cost way down. For example this Helena trip I worked for 2 days and stayed 2 more leaving the airfare free and only me paying for 2 days of hotel and car for nearly a week in Montana. Other times I’ll drive to Denver or Fort Collins and spend 2 days fishing, hiking, exploring and so on.

A beautiful Vista

The pic below is not of me but it someone else I came across on this trip, a young woman sitting on top of her SUV taking in the sun set across this giant valley. she was reading a book wrapped in a blanket as the temp dropped quickly. I attempted to not disturb her as I assumed she likely came to this spot for the same reason I did, to take in the beauty and solitude. She started a brief conversation with me about this place and the view, it was then silence until the colors finished washing over the countryside and it was dark then we both got back in our cars and went our separate ways.

Natural Beauty

Mountains make me very introspective, philosophical and sappy. There’s something about the awe and beauty of them that helps recharge me. My wife loves this as the stress of work and life melts away and I return centered, focused and more attentive . It really helps keep me sane while working a job that is both demanding in it’s performance and staggering in the bureaucracy I deal with.

It doesn’t help my mindset today that I was on call last week and we had an insane weekend where we had to last-minute patch everything for that Worm-able DNS exploit this weekend. This meant both I had to be attentive and available all week and worked about 20 hours this weekend.

This trip I flew to Helena and had a rental corolla which performed admirably with all the forestry roads I put it through. It left me wishing for another inch or two of ground clearance but as long as I picked my lines carefully and kept the momentum up she got the job done.

Rental Corolla up about 9k feet where it was never built to traverse handling it admirably

Here is a Bronco II that I desperately tried to get the owner to sell me. He found it in the yard of a local shop that did body work and it had been there since the mid 90's. The owner never paid the shop owner for work done to it so it sat until this guy talked him into selling it to him.  He did some work to it like replacing hoses and other rubber components and was dailying it, this thing was in amazing shape .

The cleanest Bronco II I’ve ever seen

At any rate thanks for coming along with me on this journey Oppo - I can’t wait until things calm down enough to be able to take a trip again, this has been hard. I do admit with 30 million folks out of work there are those who have it a lot worse than I. I’m employed, healthy and safe but man is keeping the insanity at bay tough. The posts from the opponauts who live in beautiful areas definitely helps but also fills me with jealousy and further drives my desire to move.

Thanks for being awesome Oppo!

HammerheadFistpunch > jminer 07/21/2020 at 14:35

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This hits the feels for sure.  I’ve been trying my best to escape into the mountains as often as I can, but im missing some of the trips that really fill the batteries.  

smobgirl > jminer 07/21/2020 at 14:39

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Haha. I took a rental Corolla with three (!!!) miles on it to some roads near Garnet, MT that it  never should have been near. It was a blast. 

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > jminer 07/21/2020 at 14:40

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Futureheapowner was up here last summer and we went for a nice drive. I really like Helena too but it is a bit on the dry side for good skiing in the winter. The fishing and water sports are really good tho. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > jminer 07/21/2020 at 14:40

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Is it impossible for you all to get out to Colorado or northern New Mexico in the next few weeks? I can be done safely (with lots of “distance”).

For Sweden > jminer 07/21/2020 at 14:43

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Helena Montana which has become one of my favorite places

what

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > smobgirl 07/21/2020 at 14:45

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Jeezuz I know those roads well 10/10 do not recommend a co rolla on them.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > For Sweden 07/21/2020 at 14:45

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Too cultured for sweden. 

For Sweden > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 07/21/2020 at 14:47

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Is Great Falls just to o fancy?

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > For Sweden 07/21/2020 at 14:53

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It’s home to the Sip-n-Dip lounge , so yes? Also mermaids wearing masks makes my day. 

https://www.krtv.com/news/great-falls-news/mermaids-return-to-work-as-the-sip-n-dip-lounge-reopens

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > jminer 07/21/2020 at 14:54

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You echoed exactly what I am thinking right now. 3 hours in a local national park managed to get me only more hungry for some outdoor action.

The stress of school has really been getting to me lately combined with lack of social in teraction. OPPO has been very helpful for that. Those west coast guys really rub it in, don’t they?

I have to look pretty hard to find anything approaching that level of beauty and amazing stuff around every corner. It’s there, but it’s not obvious. On the plus side, I think I could make jjust about anything I retesting enough to photograph with practice I’ve got here.

A dusty but otherwise unremarkable window.

Nibby > jminer 07/21/2020 at 14:59

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gimme that F250/350 truck next to the bronco

Junkrat aka Rick Sanchez: Fury Road Edition > jminer 07/21/2020 at 15:08

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I get to live where most people vacation. I have a small creek in my backyard and I can walk to the McKenzie River  if need be. I can be on a mountain in less than half an hour during ski season. My trips are usually reserved for drag racing which has been completely nuked this year. I have missed TX2K and Rocky Mountain race week, and will probably miss drag week and FL2K.

jminer > HammerheadFistpunch 07/21/2020 at 15:09

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Your posts definitely help keep me leveled out a bit so keep sharing! It is one of those things I didn’t think I would miss as much as I am.

Back in early June when things were starting to level out I began planning for a quick 3 day trip to Denver but then everything exploded again keeping me safely at home.

jminer > smobgirl 07/21/2020 at 15:10

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I was genuinely impressed with the rental corolla. It made me think about buying one but ended up with my TDI instead.

jminer > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 07/21/2020 at 15:15

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My work has an office in Helena so it gives me a free trip.  I go to explore national forests and fly fish.

jminer > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/21/2020 at 15:20

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That was my plan - to go there for a week but then cases everywhere spiked way up and driving 900 miles each direction didn’t seem like a good idea anymore.

I can do it with a minimal amount of interaction but still way more interaction than staying home and it doesn’t feel responsible to do.

Taylor Martin > jminer 07/21/2020 at 15:29

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I gotta get out there man, those are awesome pictures. Colorado, the Dakotas, Montana, anywhere that’s essentially flat and barren is where I like to be. Mountains are just staggering to look at, I’m with you on that. They penetrate the skies and just look majestic, but they don’t get me all worked up and sappy. Stars are what do it for me, holy moly I get real deep on a dark, star studded night. That’s the other reason, because while sunsets are fantastic the stars to follow just mesmerized me.

Sorry that your trip got blown, but there’s (hopefully) always next year.

jminer > For Sweden 07/21/2020 at 15:42

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It’s beautiful, the people are nice and there’s not many of them.  The town in meh as everything closes at 8 and there’s little good food around but I don’t go there for that.  I go to NYC or SF when I want 24 hour culture and bar hopping.  When I want quiet solitude and nature Montana fits the bill nicely.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > jminer 07/21/2020 at 15:43

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I understand. It’s a tough call, but I’m very, very glad that we got away a few weeks ago. This is going to be our new normal for at least 6 more months, if not another year. We all have to learn to function (and thrive) in spite of it.

How much time have you spent in NW Arkansas? That might be a much closer alternative (not remotely the same, of course).

jminer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 07/21/2020 at 15:43

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Same - I’ve been into Mark Twain here a couple times and while nice it just doesn’t do it for me.  Leaves me a bit refreshed but mostly wanting more.

jminer > Nibby 07/21/2020 at 15:43

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Man is Montana full of so many sweet old trucks.  It’s like paradise out there.

jminer > Junkrat aka Rick Sanchez: Fury Road Edition 07/21/2020 at 15:45

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That’s amazing and is my dream.  I would have moved in March but had an offer retracted due to out global pandemic.  I am very bored of the midwest.

gettingoldercarguy > jminer 07/21/2020 at 15:52

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Yep, we miss it too.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > jminer 07/21/2020 at 15:53

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Is Mark Twain a place?

Nibby > jminer 07/21/2020 at 15:55

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i n e e d o n e

jminer > Taylor Martin 07/21/2020 at 15:59

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I love stargazing too - being out there deep away from light pollution after dark there are more stars than you ever thought existed...

jminer > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/21/2020 at 16:02

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The Ozarks are pretty, I live an hour of St Louis on the north edge of them and grew up exploring them. Lots of trees and greenery and definitely some pretty places. I need to get out more locally which will help, but not quite the same.

I remember you trip out there and man it made me jealous.

jminer > gettingoldercarguy 07/21/2020 at 16:02

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Beautiful pics!

jminer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 07/21/2020 at 16:04

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Sorry - yes Mark Twain National Forest.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/mtnf

It’s pretty but pretty broken up as it was formed after a lot of people already lived in the area.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > jminer 07/21/2020 at 16:10

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I was lucky enough to take a week long trip with my family to a lake 3 hours outside the cities. We cooked our own meals and only ever interacted with the public when gassing up the boat at a marina, so about as isolated as possible. It was a tremendous week and exactly what my soul needed after everything that’s happened this year.

I’ll say that I’m lucky because, as a Minnesotan, I take all my vacations in the winter. Which I was able to do last year, and, god willing, will be able to do in a couple months again. I won’t be surprised if the US is still on the international “no fly” list (because we’re idiots) but I’m fine road tripping, or flying domestically if it makes sense at the time.

I’m also lucky in that my boat lives 10 minutes from me and I can go use it whenever I want. There’s nothing more stress relieving than being on the water for me.

jminer > Nibby 07/21/2020 at 16:16

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I’ve never before or since seen so many old trucks still on the road than in Montana.  Like IH pickups were regularly seen - it blew my mind!

jminer > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 07/21/2020 at 16:19

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That is nice sounding trip ! I also like traveling in Winter as it keeps most other tourists at bay. For the last several years I’ve taken a trip to Denver in December which was always awesome.

Boating is excellent, I’ve got a kayak that usually helps but all the waterways nearby have been full of idiots on jetskis or outboards making a racket which takes away a lot of the enjoyment for me.

Taylor Martin > jminer 07/21/2020 at 16:24

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I could never be a city slicker for that reason alone. Too much light pollution , not enough stars.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > jminer 07/21/2020 at 16:29

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If you’ve never been to Eureka Springs, it’s worth exploring. So many amazing roads to the south and east of there. The Cliff House in Jasper is a great stop for lunch.

gettingoldercarguy > jminer 07/21/2020 at 16:33

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Thanks, hopefully we’ll be back out there sooner  rather than later.

jminer > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/21/2020 at 16:33

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Probably haven’t been in 10 years to Eureka Springs.  It is definitely pretty down there though.

jminer > Taylor Martin 07/21/2020 at 16:34

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That is what I have the hardest time with when I travel to a big city, the lack of stars.

It is on my wishlist to hit the dark sky preserve in Idaho.

https://idahodarksky.org/

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > jminer 07/21/2020 at 16:40

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Float trip?

We did one on the James River near Branson a few years back.

Taylor Martin > jminer 07/21/2020 at 16:41

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Oh man that’s mesmerizing . It’s now on my hit list too. Death Valley is my big target. Big, open, cold, and away from Las Vegas.

I lived smack in the middle of Baltimore and DC, so there was enough light pollution nearby to cancel out most stars, but there was one night when I had gone on some sort of overnight field trip to a campsite or something I don’t re member the details of the trip . All I know is I was younger, so probably around 2012 or something. Me and some guys snuck away from the dinner hall and climbed atop this rickety wooden tower. That night there was a meteor shower and countless stars. Very few memories are engraved in my brain to the point where I could recall most every detail, but that sky is one of them. Deep deep black, stars riddling the cosmos, and every now and again a meteor would wiz by for but a second, and then disappear . It was magnificent, and I’m looking forward to doing that again some day.

Gosh I love stars.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > jminer 07/21/2020 at 17:20

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My reason for traveling in the winter is it’s cold as shit here and I go warm places with pretty beaches where I can drink the sun comes up. It’s wonderful.

Stef Schrader > jminer 07/22/2020 at 12:25

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I gotta say, those Corollas are tough as snot. I remember taking one on some winter TSD rally goat paths a few years ago and it handled that like it was no big deal.

jminer > Stef Schrader 07/22/2020 at 14:03

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I’m right there with you. The hatch was at the top of the list when I was replacing my Focus but couldn’t stomach paying over $20k for a car so ended up with a TDI Sportwagen. It could use a bit more ground clearance but handles the rough stuff pretty well for what it is.

I’ve taken 6 or 8 different vehicles off road on trips like this and the C orolla was the best and the Soul was the worst. Anything more than 15 miles an hour on gravel and it would shake like it was mixing paint!