Back in the U.S.A.

After our clementine less big horn sheep filled border crossing we were back in the U.S.A. I'm not sure if animals dislike Canada but our first hour of driving in the U.S. was filled with Elk, Mule Deer, and Goats. Nothing can keep you awake at midnight quite like random 500+ lb animals crossing the road is if you had the stop sign and they had the right of way. After determining the rest stop was closed we kept driving until we reached Kalispell, MT.

Why Kalispell? Cabelas...

The Cabelas parking lot was the location of our first night sleeping in the truck. Upon our arrival we found a handful of other cars in the parking lot. This eased my concern of dealing with the local law enforcement. While I have to say, the Topper EZ Lift was an amazingly useful tool for making camping in the bed of the truck comfortable, we stood out like a sore thumb. If we had stopped at a parking lot for any other store I probably would have left the topper down. Thankfully everything went great minus a blown fuse. We were greeted by a couple inches of unexpected snow the next morning. Fortunately the topper lift camping system kept us and the entire bed of the truck dry.

Our plan for the day was a supply stop in Bozeman and to locate a camping spot near Jackson, WY. The supply stop was a success and included a mandatory stop for the best fried chicken West of the Mississippi. If you haven't ever been to Roost Fried Chicken in Bozeman MT you're missing out.

After Bozeman we drove through all weather conditions including rain, wind, snow, and sun. But lets focus on the snow part, because driving through 30 miles of one lane 3 -8 ft was a new one for me. Living in Minnesota, I've been through some drifted roads but Driggs ID was on a whole new level. We may or may not have been aware the road was closed but there was no other way from Bozeman to Jackson. Thankfully the Tacoma got us through safe.

In Victor, ID, we ate a Big Hole BBQ and meandered out to a state forest to camp for the night. We couldn't get where we wanted to go so we ended up at a pulloff for a different forest entrance rd and camped there. After a few rounds of cards we went to bed. At around 12:30 AM we were greeted with the flashlight of the county sheriff. Fortunately he just wanted to make sure we were alright and continued on his way. At 7am we woke up to sub zero temperatures outside and still below freezing temperatures inside the bed. This is when I learned the Coleman fuel for the Jet Boil does not work at low temperatures as well as the Jetboil brand fuel.