Re: OT - 4x4 Guidebook for Montana?
 

"Will Honea" <whonea@codenet.net> wrote in message
news:JxX2tWiP5BNp-pn2-443WXbmdNf0i@anon.none.net...
> Today, these have pretty well disappeared to be
> replaced by much larger (and father apart) facilities boasting running
> water, electricity, and lights - lots of lights - similar to the ones
> you saw in Montana.

the ones in north dakota were the coolest. theyre equipped with kiosk
stations that offer you free dial up internet service or pay broadband
access. was cool to stop at the rest stops to browse a few message boards.
every time we'd come up on a rest stop the wifey would say over the cb
"lemme guess, you gotta go AGAIN?". if she only knew i was stopping to talk
about jeeps. ha ha


--
Nathan W. Collier
http://7SlotGrille.com

Re: OT - 4x4 Guidebook for Montana?
 

"Will Honea" <whonea@codenet.net> wrote in message
news:JxX2tWiP5BNp-pn2-443WXbmdNf0i@anon.none.net...
> Today, these have pretty well disappeared to be
> replaced by much larger (and father apart) facilities boasting running
> water, electricity, and lights - lots of lights - similar to the ones
> you saw in Montana.

the ones in north dakota were the coolest. theyre equipped with kiosk
stations that offer you free dial up internet service or pay broadband
access. was cool to stop at the rest stops to browse a few message boards.
every time we'd come up on a rest stop the wifey would say over the cb
"lemme guess, you gotta go AGAIN?". if she only knew i was stopping to talk
about jeeps. ha ha


--
Nathan W. Collier
http://7SlotGrille.com

Re: OT - 4x4 Guidebook for Montana?
 

John Davies <johnedavies@comcast.net> wrote in message news:<99f0pv4v31tq2v3nbruhrts7ggc7fio04r@4ax.com>. ..
> I am planning a vacation in SW Montana and wonder if anyone knows of
> any books that include back-country info. I am interested in
> relatively easy (but scenic) routes that my family can enjoy and I can
> navigate with a small utility trailer. Primitive campground info would
> also be welcome.
I did my masters thesis in geology on the igneous rocks of Beaverhead
county. That was in '80 and a lot of the place has changed, but we
were back there last summer and a lot is still the same. Headquater
in Dillon at the KOA. It is pretty decent. Just south of the college
is the government place where you can get BLM maps that show you what
is what kind of private land. Comming form Texas where there is *NO*
public land to a place like Montanna where more than half is public
was a big bonus. West of Dillon in the Ruby range there are nice
garnets in the streams. It is a metamorphic terrain and there are
places where the garnets that are weathering out of the rock are the
size of peaches. The Pioneer range is my favorite. There is a lake
up there called Minneopa that you will want to fish. You can drive
there not much problem. Follow the trail, it is a good trail and well
marked, as if you were going to the next lake. It will take you
around to where the creek feeds into Lake Minneopa and you can walk
down to a nice gravel area to fish. If you are into that I can give
you more details. There is a nice lake down from Bloody ---- Peak
that is a sucker trap. It looks like an easy hike but it takes two to
four hours even if you have done it before. Another great spot is
Lake Agness. This lake has greyling and it is worth the trip to catch
one of these fish just to see what one looks like. The beavehead
river a little south of Dillon is great wade fishing and so is the
creek at Bannock. Bannock is a good stop with the kids anyway. The
road up from Argenta just past Argenta is a great place to stop and
give the kids rock hammers and sent them scurrying up onto the
outcrops to wack on rocks. I did this in the late '90s with my kids.
While they were climbing and chipping and having a good old kid time I
took nice, rounde quartzite cobbles and crammed them into every nook
and crany of the minivan. This is probabbly why the brakes died a
week later going through the Wind River range.

In April of 80 I married the girl of my dreame and we lit out to
Montana to collect rocks for my geology thesis. I had a job as a
teaching assistant for Geologic Field Mapping class and was to collect
rocks as well. In the parking lot of the little normal college there
was a dead '49 Willys pickup. It was advertised for $550 and I got it
for $350. The resurrection of the thing is a favorite bed time story
of my kids, but anyway, when we drove that Jeep through Rattlesnake
Creek south of Argenta we gave her the name 'Molly Brown' because she
earned it.

If any of this sounds like fun let me know and I can write more.

Molly is still in our driveway all these years later.

Re: OT - 4x4 Guidebook for Montana?
 

John Davies <johnedavies@comcast.net> wrote in message news:<99f0pv4v31tq2v3nbruhrts7ggc7fio04r@4ax.com>. ..
> I am planning a vacation in SW Montana and wonder if anyone knows of
> any books that include back-country info. I am interested in
> relatively easy (but scenic) routes that my family can enjoy and I can
> navigate with a small utility trailer. Primitive campground info would
> also be welcome.
I did my masters thesis in geology on the igneous rocks of Beaverhead
county. That was in '80 and a lot of the place has changed, but we
were back there last summer and a lot is still the same. Headquater
in Dillon at the KOA. It is pretty decent. Just south of the college
is the government place where you can get BLM maps that show you what
is what kind of private land. Comming form Texas where there is *NO*
public land to a place like Montanna where more than half is public
was a big bonus. West of Dillon in the Ruby range there are nice
garnets in the streams. It is a metamorphic terrain and there are
places where the garnets that are weathering out of the rock are the
size of peaches. The Pioneer range is my favorite. There is a lake
up there called Minneopa that you will want to fish. You can drive
there not much problem. Follow the trail, it is a good trail and well
marked, as if you were going to the next lake. It will take you
around to where the creek feeds into Lake Minneopa and you can walk
down to a nice gravel area to fish. If you are into that I can give
you more details. There is a nice lake down from Bloody ---- Peak
that is a sucker trap. It looks like an easy hike but it takes two to
four hours even if you have done it before. Another great spot is
Lake Agness. This lake has greyling and it is worth the trip to catch
one of these fish just to see what one looks like. The beavehead
river a little south of Dillon is great wade fishing and so is the
creek at Bannock. Bannock is a good stop with the kids anyway. The
road up from Argenta just past Argenta is a great place to stop and
give the kids rock hammers and sent them scurrying up onto the
outcrops to wack on rocks. I did this in the late '90s with my kids.
While they were climbing and chipping and having a good old kid time I
took nice, rounde quartzite cobbles and crammed them into every nook
and crany of the minivan. This is probabbly why the brakes died a
week later going through the Wind River range.

In April of 80 I married the girl of my dreame and we lit out to
Montana to collect rocks for my geology thesis. I had a job as a
teaching assistant for Geologic Field Mapping class and was to collect
rocks as well. In the parking lot of the little normal college there
was a dead '49 Willys pickup. It was advertised for $550 and I got it
for $350. The resurrection of the thing is a favorite bed time story
of my kids, but anyway, when we drove that Jeep through Rattlesnake
Creek south of Argenta we gave her the name 'Molly Brown' because she
earned it.

If any of this sounds like fun let me know and I can write more.

Molly is still in our driveway all these years later.

Re: OT - 4x4 Guidebook for Montana?
 

John Davies <johnedavies@comcast.net> wrote in message news:<99f0pv4v31tq2v3nbruhrts7ggc7fio04r@4ax.com>. ..
> I am planning a vacation in SW Montana and wonder if anyone knows of
> any books that include back-country info. I am interested in
> relatively easy (but scenic) routes that my family can enjoy and I can
> navigate with a small utility trailer. Primitive campground info would
> also be welcome.
I did my masters thesis in geology on the igneous rocks of Beaverhead
county. That was in '80 and a lot of the place has changed, but we
were back there last summer and a lot is still the same. Headquater
in Dillon at the KOA. It is pretty decent. Just south of the college
is the government place where you can get BLM maps that show you what
is what kind of private land. Comming form Texas where there is *NO*
public land to a place like Montanna where more than half is public
was a big bonus. West of Dillon in the Ruby range there are nice
garnets in the streams. It is a metamorphic terrain and there are
places where the garnets that are weathering out of the rock are the
size of peaches. The Pioneer range is my favorite. There is a lake
up there called Minneopa that you will want to fish. You can drive
there not much problem. Follow the trail, it is a good trail and well
marked, as if you were going to the next lake. It will take you
around to where the creek feeds into Lake Minneopa and you can walk
down to a nice gravel area to fish. If you are into that I can give
you more details. There is a nice lake down from Bloody ---- Peak
that is a sucker trap. It looks like an easy hike but it takes two to
four hours even if you have done it before. Another great spot is
Lake Agness. This lake has greyling and it is worth the trip to catch
one of these fish just to see what one looks like. The beavehead
river a little south of Dillon is great wade fishing and so is the
creek at Bannock. Bannock is a good stop with the kids anyway. The
road up from Argenta just past Argenta is a great place to stop and
give the kids rock hammers and sent them scurrying up onto the
outcrops to wack on rocks. I did this in the late '90s with my kids.
While they were climbing and chipping and having a good old kid time I
took nice, rounde quartzite cobbles and crammed them into every nook
and crany of the minivan. This is probabbly why the brakes died a
week later going through the Wind River range.

In April of 80 I married the girl of my dreame and we lit out to
Montana to collect rocks for my geology thesis. I had a job as a
teaching assistant for Geologic Field Mapping class and was to collect
rocks as well. In the parking lot of the little normal college there
was a dead '49 Willys pickup. It was advertised for $550 and I got it
for $350. The resurrection of the thing is a favorite bed time story
of my kids, but anyway, when we drove that Jeep through Rattlesnake
Creek south of Argenta we gave her the name 'Molly Brown' because she
earned it.

If any of this sounds like fun let me know and I can write more.

Molly is still in our driveway all these years later.

Re: OT - 4x4 Guidebook for Montana?
 

On 18 Oct 2003 20:36:11 -0700, jcwelch@hal-pc.org (John Welch) wrote:

>If any of this sounds like fun let me know and I can write more.

Excellent! Any more hints about gems in particular, and rocks in
general would be greatly appreciated. We are going to purchase
"Roadside Geology of MT" for a reference. Can you recommend a good MT
rock hounding book or url?

My wife wants gems, but we are going to try pebble mosaics, so any
other small "pretty rocks" would also be great. We obviously can't
haul 2000 pounds of rock on a vacation trip, but a few big buckets of
really nice of stuff are certainly practical.

Thanks.

John Davies
Spokane W USA

Re: OT - 4x4 Guidebook for Montana?
 

On 18 Oct 2003 20:36:11 -0700, jcwelch@hal-pc.org (John Welch) wrote:

>If any of this sounds like fun let me know and I can write more.

Excellent! Any more hints about gems in particular, and rocks in
general would be greatly appreciated. We are going to purchase
"Roadside Geology of MT" for a reference. Can you recommend a good MT
rock hounding book or url?

My wife wants gems, but we are going to try pebble mosaics, so any
other small "pretty rocks" would also be great. We obviously can't
haul 2000 pounds of rock on a vacation trip, but a few big buckets of
really nice of stuff are certainly practical.

Thanks.

John Davies
Spokane W USA

Re: OT - 4x4 Guidebook for Montana?
 

On 18 Oct 2003 20:36:11 -0700, jcwelch@hal-pc.org (John Welch) wrote:

>If any of this sounds like fun let me know and I can write more.

Excellent! Any more hints about gems in particular, and rocks in
general would be greatly appreciated. We are going to purchase
"Roadside Geology of MT" for a reference. Can you recommend a good MT
rock hounding book or url?

My wife wants gems, but we are going to try pebble mosaics, so any
other small "pretty rocks" would also be great. We obviously can't
haul 2000 pounds of rock on a vacation trip, but a few big buckets of
really nice of stuff are certainly practical.

Thanks.

John Davies
Spokane W USA

Re: OT - 4x4 Guidebook for Montana?
 

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice! I appreciate it greatly,
especially since I no longer drive a Jeep, but a Japanese product....
I still hang out here because this group is highly entertaining and a
great resource for technical advice of all sorts.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA
http://home.comcast.net/~johnedavies/page2thb.htm

Re: OT - 4x4 Guidebook for Montana?
 

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice! I appreciate it greatly,
especially since I no longer drive a Jeep, but a Japanese product....
I still hang out here because this group is highly entertaining and a
great resource for technical advice of all sorts.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA
http://home.comcast.net/~johnedavies/page2thb.htm