Flyfisher

I only had 1 Airstream and that was 1 too many. I had terrible service experiences with 3 Airstream dealers I took it to for repairs. But worst of all was the absolute pile of crap built by Airstream itself that had zero quality control at that time. (It was so bad that they forced me to sign a non disclosure agreement before they would repair the trailer at the factory.)

For anyone looking to buy a new Ford truck, that don’t have access to one of Ford’s X, A, etc. plan discounts, I don’t think you can do any better price-wise than ordering a new truck from Granger Ford in Iowa. I haven’t kept up with them recently, but they had been selling new Fords at 3% below dealer cost - basically the same price as Ford’s employees get. I believe you could fly there and they’d even pick you up at the airport, and then drive home in your new truck. I don’t have any affiliation with Granger, and have never dealt with them, but I’ve seen many, many excellent reviews of them on Ford truck forums.

Speaking of buying a truck from a dealer in another state, flying there, and driving home with a new truck, Granger Ford in Iowa will let you order a new Ford truck from them at 3% below dealer invoice cost. From what I know, together with their low closing costs, they are the lowest priced Ford dealer in the US. I don’t know how they handle trade ins, if at all, but they get glowing reviews from people from all over the country that buy trucks from them. Even with the travel costs to get there and back home, you’d still save thousands of $$ compared to buying a new vehicle at full MSRP, which is what many dealers are charging these days. (I’m not affiliated with Granger, and have never bought a vehicle from them, but read great things about them every day on the F150 Internet forums.)

Rather than calling this “Yellowstone Closing”, perhaps today’s status report should be listed under the title “Yellowstone Opening” https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/news/220613.htm Well, sorta… Remarkable progress in 4 days, but lots more to do.

Personally, I wouldn’t be too quick in canceling my plans to visit SW Montana this year if you were planning on going there. Things always seem like the end of the world is coming when you’re in the middle of the storm, as the prior posts here seem to portray, but when you look back after the storms have passed by they often don’t seem so bad. Sure, there was plenty of severe damage in the northern part of Yellowstone Park earlier this week, and that part of the Park will be closed the rest of this year, and perhaps beyond. It may take a year, or perhaps longer until a new road is built from Gardiner to Mammoth at the northern entrance, and the Lamar Valley and out to the Northeast entrance will also be closed for sometime as well. However, I wouldn’t expect other entrances to the closed for very long so you’ll still have access to the southern part of the Park. You might also need some type of advance reservation to get into the Park when it does open, but that’s a good thing regardless of the events that happened earlier this week, to limit the Park’s overcrowding. Water levels there have receded significantly over the past couple days, and although still high, they are now at manageable levels. Even with the warm weather now forecast for the next couple days I don’t believe you’re going to see any more significant flooding there this year. (My personal opinion, from an optimistic fisherman’s perspective.) John p.s. I spent 20 years on the banks of the Yellowstone River in Paradise Valley north of Yellowstone Park. There will still be some great fishing there this summer, and hundreds of other enjoyable outdoor activities to do.

I’m also waiting on a F150 hybrid ordered last December. A VIN was assigned to the order, and it’s had a Priority Code 2 (Ford’s highest priority) on the order for a couple months, but there’s still no planned production date for it. At this point I’m hoping it doesn’t get built as a 2022 model, but is carried over to a 2023 model several months from now. Otherwise, I’m probably going to back out of buying the truck if and when it does get here.

Can you do it? Probably. Can you do safely? Possibly. Should you do it? No. P.S. Consider joining the Flying Wallendas instead.

Sorry to hear of your fire. I, too, had a truck fire 3 years ago when my 2012 Ford F-150 caught fire just as I backed it into the storage unit that we rented at the time in Montana. The fire ended up burning the entire building and destroyed all of the contents that were in it, not only mine but of the other tenants as well. I’m guessing the total losses were around $10 million. Although the cause of the fire was inconclusive, I believe it was related to my truck’s air conditioner blower motor. I also have State Farm insurance, and they were very fair with me in handling my claims, which totaled over 900 items, including an RV, truck, boats, ATV, utility trailer, and numerous personal items, etc. I never retained an attorney, although State Farm had/has retained one on my behalf, and they are handling the multiple lawsuits that resulted from the fire. If you do decide to replace your truck and buy a new one, there are some pretty good deals to be had if you’re not in a hurry and can afford to shop around. For example, one dealer in Iowa is presently offering to sell new Ford trucks ordered from the factory at 3% below dealer invoice, with anticipated delivery times of around 3 months, depending on the model ordered.

I carry bear spray, but I normally carry so many fly boxes (mostly unneeded!), and other related items that I don’t think I’d have any place left for a handgun, cell phone, or a Garmin Inreach like you’re carrying. That Garmin in particular is something I’ve never considered carrying, but with the minimal cell phone coverage around there, that’s a really good idea. That guy who was attacked by the grizzly at Baker’s Hole apparently was able to crawl a short distance after being attacked to a place where he had cell phone service where he then called 911. It’s quite possible he knew where there was cell phone service since he lived nearby. Had he not had cell phone service he’d probably have died on the spot. I’ve also stayed at Baker’s Hole a number of times. I’m not going to be staying there this time but I frequently park my truck in the campground parking lot and fish there. (Or, I should say I go to CATCH BiG FISH 🎣 there!) John

I recently read the final investigative report about the fellow from West Yellowstone that was killed by a grizzly this past spring near Baker’s Hole campground, just north of West Yellowstone. That grizzly had a cached moose carcass and was apparently defending it when the guy walked into the area. Your moose pictures, story about fly fishing and always carrying bear spray when in that part if the country reminded me of that grizzly attack, Bill, as it happened just a few miles down the road from where you were. Here’s the report in case you didn’t see it: https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/es/species/mammals/grizzly/Baker's Hole Fatality - final.pdf I’m heading to Montana in a couple days for a month of fishing, if I don’t choke to death from all of the smoke. (Some of your pictures looked like it could have been pretty smokey, Bill.) I’ll be staying in West Yellowstone most of the time. John Here’s a couple pictures from Baker’s Hole campground near where that grizzly attack occurred.

We spent 18 summers on the Yellowstone River, north of Yellowstone National Park and rarely used our awnings, and when we did use them it was mostly in the morning before the wind picked up. I’m sure there are other locations in the west, and elsewhere. where awning use is also limited. My suggestion is to also consider where you’ll be using your RV, and how often you’ll use yours awning(s) versus their cost and convenience.

I do not own an Ollie (yet) but I have stored my RVs, ATVs, boats, trucks, etc. in fully enclosed rented facilities in SW Montana for nearly 20 years. I’ve had electric, but have not had climate controlled facilities. I winterize the RVs, remove the batteries and keep them on trickle chargers during the winter, and have never had a problem with anything come spring. One word of caution: If you’re going to be storing your Ollie in an enclosed facility, pay close attention to its fire prevention/detection. I won’t go into further details here as it can be a whole separate subject, but John Davies comment about working inside with the door down, makes me shudder! (The electric goes off… the lights and power go off… you’re in the dark… there is no easy way out…a fire starts…)

He may have been speaking of Bigfoot trailers. Also, Northern Lite, located in Canada, longtime maker of (IMO) the best made truck campers has plans to make a 4-season trailer called the Boreal. You can see some information about it on their website. It would be constructed somewhat along the lines of an Ollie II, but a bit more spacious.

I have owned a small handful of RV’s, including an Airstream that I bought new as a factory order. I do not presently own an Oliver, but wish I did. Over the years I bought each of my RV’s new, and every one was purchased with the thought being that they were the best I could get irrespective of price at the time I bought them. Sadly, however, the Airstream was the worst of the lot BY FAR when compared to the others I have owned. The company had no quality control whatsoever, their management lacked integrity, and buying it was the worst decision I ever made. And I’m not talking about little problems. I cringe every time I read someone mention Airstream in the same breath as Oliver. Carry on...

I drive past Buffalo every year on my way to and from MT, but have never fished there. In fact, I just drove by Buffalo at the end of last month after fishing for several weeks in SW MT. I would suggest contacting one of the fly shops in Sheridan, like the Fly Shop of the Bighorns, and ask them if you don’t get your answers here. I believe you are looking more for boondocking locations, but I could recommend the Deer Park Campground in Buffalo or Peter D’s RV Park in Sheridan if you’re looking for full service campgrounds to stay in. I’ve stayed in both of those multiple times, as have a number of my friends. I’ve also stayed overnight a few times at the rest stop located on the east side of Sheridan along Interstate 90. That one is nice and clean, and is located a bit off the interstate so it is a quieter than most, and sits on a hill side overlooking the town. Lake De Smet is right next to the interstate just west of Buffalo and I understand it has some pretty big trout in it. I don’t see many people fishing it when I drive by, and I always tell myself I should stop to check it out, but never do. I’m sure there are some small streams in the area, and other lakes to fish in too.