Take it slow to Idaho

jkjenn

Looks like my fall trip will take me to  the Tetons, Yellowstone, and Idaho this year during the end of Sept - beginning of October. We are leaving plans very flexible and adjusting to Covid and fire closures, as needed.

If, and it's a big if, weather looks good and Going to the Sun is open, we might sneak up to West Glacier.

Ashton, Stanley, and the Bitterroot Valley are the most likely stops with McCall and maybe even the Palouse as outliers. 

We will go prepared to winterize if needed and are hoping we don't run into too much trouble finding spots. We are more than willing and expecting to boondock, overnight park, and use Harvest Hosts, as needed.

Let me know if you will be in the area and are interested in meeting up!

TNOutback

@jkjenn you just had to rub it in . . . . 

Sounds like a great trip plan.  Take extensive notes on routes, camping spots, etc. for us!

jkjenn

TNOutback said:

@jkjenn you just had to rub it in . . . . 

Sounds like a great trip plan.  Take extensive notes on routes, camping spots, etc. for us!

I have a number of options outlined because we just don't know what we will face. Due to the fires and dry weather, from a photography perspective, there is a huge risk of bust this trip, but I imagine, even if the photos are not great, the adventure will be.

DougH

@jkjenn Will be in that area, but a couple weeks earlier.  On the fires front...there's an excellent app and web site maintained by a number of meteorologists called OpenSummit, and OpenSnow.  I've used their service for a couple years to find good skiing.  OpenSummit, if subscribed to, shows both surface smoke or sky smoke as layers.  The latter (sky level smoke) can make for beautiful sunset pics, but the former certainly can be unpleasant to travel in.

jkjenn

Thanks! have been using those sites and the Inciweb site for a few years.

The smoke can create amazing colors, but thenhaze causes you to lose detail.

trimtab

Thank You jkjenn for info on Open Summit!

DougH

@trimtab Joel only charges $19/yr and it's well worth it. Like many forum members, I like cross country skiing in the back country, and its a lot more fun on fresh powder, than on old corny snow.  OpenSnow is amazingly accurate spelling out exactly where to go for the freshest stuff.  And if you just like to hike mountains, or near them, OpenSummit shows current conditions and forecasts for most mountains in the West.

If @jkjenn gets enough folks to gather in ID, WY or MT in one campground do we call that uCamp 20.5?

jkjenn

DougH said:

@trimtab Joel only charges $19/yr and it's well worth it. Like many forum members, I like cross country skiing in the back country, and its a lot more fun on fresh powder, than on old corny snow.  OpenSnow is amazingly accurate spelling out exactly where to go for the freshest stuff.  And if you just like to hike mountains, or near them, OpenSummit shows current conditions and forecasts for most mountains in the West.

If @jkjenn gets enough folks to gather in ID, WY or MT in one campground do we call that uCamp 20.5?

Did @DougH just volunteer to plan an event?

I will tell you what, the Tetons make the most sense and if folks want to plan to meet up there, let me know. I will be boondocking (hopefully) but even if we don't camp at the same spot, we could meet up. 

This is a photo trip, so hopefully that means I will be away from the campsite quite a bit, but I would always make.

DougH

Wow almost a foot of snow in the forecast for N. Colorado on Tuesday.

robinjh7

Hi! Still waiting on delivery of our 320S so rented one and are currently driving. Does this count as our maiden voyage??? 

On topic: We camped last weekend (tent trailer) on BLM land by Ashton, Idaho, along the Yellowstone Highway. The smoke was so bad, we couldn’t even see the Tetons, and we usually do. Hope it’s gone by you trip!!!

jkjenn

robinjh7 said:

Hi! Still waiting on delivery of our 320S so rented one and are currently driving. Does this count as our maiden voyage??? 

On topic: We camped last weekend (tent trailer) on BLM land by Ashton, Idaho, along the Yellowstone Highway. The smoke was so bad, we couldn’t even see the Tetons, and we usually do. Hope it’s gone by you trip!!!

I have been monitoring the webcams in Western states and the smoke is a concern. We are keeping our plans very flexible and will adjust as needed. 

ontheroad

@jkjenn have a great time..safe travels..and I'm interested in meeting up..but there's a slight problem...tehehehe..won't be in the area  :(

jkjenn

ontheroad said:

@jkjenn have a great time..safe travels..and I'm interested in meeting up..but there's a slight problem...tehehehe..won't be in the area  :(

Hahaha...next year... it has been too long!!! I cannot wait to hit the road...8 more days.

jkjenn

We are completely reconsidering Idaho. The skies look awful on the webcams and the precipitation forecast is not promising. Thinking about going to the Tetons and then dropping down to CO.

VictoriaP

jkjenn said:

We are completely reconsidering Idaho. The skies look awful on the webcams and the precipitation forecast is not promising. Thinking about going to the Tetons and then dropping down to CO.

Right now the estimate is for western WA smoke to start clearing out Monday, with eastern WA a day or so later, and presumably ID after that. But yeah, the northwest will be entering the rainy season soon enough...

jkjenn

VictoriaP said:

jkjenn said:

We are completely reconsidering Idaho. The skies look awful on the webcams and the precipitation forecast is not promising. Thinking about going to the Tetons and then dropping down to CO.

Right now the estimate is for western WA smoke to start clearing out Monday, with eastern WA a day or so later, and presumably ID after that. But yeah, the northwest will be entering the rainy season soon enough...

Idaho seems tog et smoke from NorCal and they have their own fire.

Also, looking at the longer range precipitation forecast, I don't see Idaho, WA, or Oregon getting substantial precipitation any time soon. This will be a trip where Rocky does not get left at the camper. Too much risk.

It's OK. Going to Colorado will probably be comforting for me in 2020. There is a Finnish word  (Sielunmaisema) that means, "a landscape that you always carry with you, one that immediately feels like home." There are some places in Colorado that this true for me.

VictoriaP

jkjenn said:

VictoriaP said:

jkjenn said:

We are completely reconsidering Idaho. The skies look awful on the webcams and the precipitation forecast is not promising. Thinking about going to the Tetons and then dropping down to CO.

Right now the estimate is for western WA smoke to start clearing out Monday, with eastern WA a day or so later, and presumably ID after that. But yeah, the northwest will be entering the rainy season soon enough...

Idaho seems tog et smoke from NorCal and they have their own fire.

Also, looking at the longer range precipitation forecast, I don't see Idaho, WA, or Oregon getting substantial precipitation any time soon. This will be a trip where Rocky does not get left at the camper. Too much risk.

It's OK. Going to Colorado will probably be comforting for me in 2020. There is a Finnish word  (Sielunmaisema) that means, "a landscape that you always carry with you, one that immediately feels like home." There are some places in Colorado that this true for me.

What a gorgeous sentiment! The Pacific Ocean and the French Quarter of New Orleans would be mine. Sadly, neither seems in the cards this year. 

But yes, sounds like Colorado is the right move for you this trip! Very jealous.

DougH

@jkjenn Camped at 8000ft 35F last night in the southern Colorado mountains.  Alde had the high altitude fan failure / freight train in the morning, but there was still enough hot water for a shower.

However, even here the mountains are a little hazy.  Worse, a third of the aspens have lost their leaves, and the other two thirds are a green / gray color and kind of curled up.  Argh!

I'll head north through Salida over to Nederland today and see if the leaves look better there.

jkjenn

Well, itnis what it is and if it's a bust, there is always Moab,  or New Mexico.

The report from the San Juans sounds decent. 

DougH

I'm just north of Mosca now (West of Great Sand Dunes NP), and some of the other hardwoods have a few splashes of yellow.  So even if it's not a good aspen year, there's always the rest of the experience.  Its a bit early for the oaks this far South.

Pic below is of the Crestone peaks from maybe 20-30 miles away.  Mountains aren't washed out... just a little hazy.

jkjenn

DougH said:

I'm just north of Mosca now (West of Great Sand Dunes NP), and some of the other hardwoods have a few splashes of yellow.  So even if it's not a good aspen year, there's always the rest of the experience.  Its a bit early for the oaks this far South.

Pic below is of the Crestone peaks from maybe 20-30 miles away.  Mountains aren't washed out... just a little hazy.

Yeah, but that haze causes the peaks to loose their detail. It was much clearer in the San Juans yesterday.

DougH

Well even if it takes a month, we're going to find some fall color gosh darn it.  My morning latte from that same spot looking East towards Crestone.

jkjenn

Looks like a good spot, Doug! Maybe we will bump into you.

DougH

Looking forward to seeing your pics, even at 800x600.  Always so impressive.

Homebodyatheart

I'm in Eastern Washington and right now you don't want to be anywhere in the West that has any wildfire smoke. It's beyond awful, and incredibly hazardous for breathing. There's almost no wind so it is just sitting in the air. I came home two days early after just one night camping because of the smoke, and I'm glad I did! There is almost no one driving around, almost no birds or squirrels about, even the local wild turkeys are hunkering down. The Air Quality Index goes to 500 points, and we are at 496 now, and we aren't the highest around! Have safe and wonderful travels!

jkjenn

The 7 day precipitation forecast should help the far west coast of OR and WA and also northern Idaho, and Western Montana. 

We reserve the right to change plans, again. 😁

DougH

For CO leaf peepers:  there's a few stands of trees with fall coloring in the Breckenridge Frisco area.  The whole I70 corridor from there West past Vail and Edwards has healthy trees not impacted much by the cold blast.  Looks like good color is still a week away in that area (just drove through it).

jkjenn

DougH said:

For CO leaf peepers:  there's a few stands of trees with fall coloring in the Breckenridge Frisco area.  The whole I70 corridor from there West past Vail and Edwards has healthy trees not impacted much by the cold blast.  Looks like good color is still a week away in that area (just drove through it).

I was just perusing the webcams....lots of places with healthy looking leaves...the area down around Dolores could be a homeowner this year.

DougH

DougH

@jkjenn They say this coming week will be peak for most areas of Colorado.  I'm hoping the moderators will forego normal sizing constraints on any pics you can share once you get back...

Lake City CO, East of Ouray, courtesy r/Colorado:

jkjenn

Foliage is gorgeous in central CO, as well. Just left the Collegiate Peaks region.