May 2023

I knew most rivers would be unfishable due to the snowmelt this time of year.  But I wanted to get a head start scouting the rivers and campgrounds before the inevitable crowds arrive in late June.  Worst case, I had the lakes to fish.

Meg and I have only been to Montana together once before.  Our same friends that invited us to Panama this year also invited us to join them in Yellowstone for snowmobiling through the park a few years prior.  It’s not important how many friends you have, it’s much more important to know the company you keep.

When a friend suggests a trip in January, in 9-degree weather while riding a snowmobile at 30mph and you say, ‘that’s a terrible idea’, it might be you that has lost imagination and perspective.  I know it sounds like brutal unbearable conditions, but it was an incredible trip.  Keep in mind you’re provided with full high-end snow suits.  Also remember, most people aren’t aware of this opportunity and the park is basically empty; especially compared to the crowds that are about to converge on this area.

If you want to see ‘Old Faithful’ with almost nothing around but some Bison, this is the time for you.

I even stopped to check out the trout stream, and I have to admit, I was kicking myself for not bringing a fishing rod.

Back to this trip… 

Trigger and I left on the five-day journey from our home in the Keys to Bozeman, MT.  There’s not a lot to see or do along the way, so we boondocked most of the way here.

We did stop and get a legitimate campsite on the way as the road to Bozeman runs through the northeast corner of Wyoming.  As a kid and after seeing ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’, I always wanted to visit Devil’s Tower.

As we were approaching Wyoming, it started to rain and there appeared to be an odd fog in the air.  I wasn’t quite sure if it was fog or haze as you can tell from the picture below.  However, the next morning a Ranger informed me that it was smoke from Canadian wildfires being pushed down by the Jetstream.  The fire was immense and I can only hope our neighbors to the north get some rain soon.

One day left to drive to Bozeman. Trig and I were excited to pick up Meg at the airport slightly after midnight and start our adventure.