Yep, I am putting a bit on faith that the weatherman is correct about low temps only dropping into the high 20’s the remainder of the month!

 

Beautiful day today at 73 degrees, heading camping tomorrow high 43 degrees and the low down to 25 degrees with snow! O’Boy!
Bill

 

Not gonna lie, a little jealous of your temperature today. But a nearly 50° swing in a day! Oof.

Today's HIGH temperatures in Wisconsin:

 

Wow. While I understood that such low temperatures were technically possible, I thought they needed specialized laboratory apparatus.

The warmer weather is making me think of giving my RL her head and running out West. Maybe head up the front range and see that mountain with the presidents. Take a left and have a gander all the way to the Olympics.

 

Wow. While I understood that such low temperatures were technically possible, I thought they needed specialized laboratory apparatus.

The warmer weather is making me think of giving my RL her head and running out West. Maybe head up the front range and see that mountain with the presidents. Take a left and have a gander all the way to the Olympics.

We’ll be at Mt Rushmore and Devils Tower the first part of June. On your way across Montana give us a shout!
Bill

 

Break-in run for the upcoming season!

A skiff of the white fell overnight!
Bill

 

In late December we took our 2023 Ridgeline RTL with our 2023 Lance 1575 on a two month trip out west. We started in North Carolina with our destination in Quartzsite, Arizona. I wanted to keep the driving down to 2 to 3 hundred miles per day and tried to plan our stops at state parks when possible. Our trip took us through South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana ,Texas, New Mexico, and finally Arizona. I highly recommend RVtripwizard which once you pick out your route the program lists the campgrounds near the chosen route. RVtripwizard also lists points of interest such as fueling stations, Walmart, and Cracker Barrel stores. Another nice thing it offers is low clearance bridge locations so you don't turn a fun trip into a disaster. The route I chose was off the interstates and the scenic route which for us took a more southern route. The route was great as there was less traffic; It also took a lot longer time as we ended up at Quartzsite ten days later. Most state parks we stayed for only one night except when we ran up on an ice storm where the highway was closed where we stayed for two nights. We weren't in a hurry so that didn't matter anyway. We never made any reservations because who is crazy enough to camp in December, January, and February anyway! Once we arrived in Quartzsite, we stayed there for two weeks enjoying the desert and the annual RV trade show. We enjoyed taking day trips exploring the desert and checking out other campgrounds like Joshua Tree in Cali. From there we travelled north to the Grand Canyon and took the train out of Williams, Az. to the south rim of the Grand Canyon while boondocking in Williams. From there we went over the Kaibab mountains on into Utah where we visited the Mighty Five Utah National Parks of Zion, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef, and Arches.
After all of that awesome sightseeing we turned and headed back east through Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and finally back home to North Carolina. The entire trip was 8400 miles and the average fuel mileage was 13 mpg which included time when we weren't towing the camper. Throughout the trip the Ridgeline did a great job of towing without a WDH and even going up through the mountains it performed quite well. I will say that the paddle shifters came in handy while pulling or descending grades. For me and the wife and our dog it was a very memorable trip that I had been planning for a long time.

 

In late December we took our 2023 Ridgeline RTL with our 2023 Lance 1575 on a two month trip out west. We started in North Carolina with our destination in Quartzsite, Arizona. I wanted to keep the driving down to 2 to 3 hundred miles per day and tried to plan our stops at state parks when possible. Our trip took us through South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana ,Texas, New Mexico, and finally Arizona. I highly recommend RVtripwizard which once you pick out your route the program lists the campgrounds near the chosen route. RVtripwizard also lists points of interest such as fueling stations, Walmart, and Cracker Barrel stores. Another nice thing it offers is low clearance bridge locations so you don't turn a fun trip into a disaster. The route I chose was off the interstates and the scenic route which for us took a more southern route. The route was great as there was less traffic; It also took a lot longer time as we ended up at Quartzsite ten days later. Most state parks we stayed for only one night except when we ran up on an ice storm where the highway was closed where we stayed for two nights. We weren't in a hurry so that didn't matter anyway. We never made any reservations because who is crazy enough to camp in December, January, and February anyway! Once we arrived in Quartzsite, we stayed there for two weeks enjoying the desert and the annual RV trade show. We enjoyed taking day trips exploring the desert and checking out other campgrounds like Joshua Tree in Cali. From there we travelled north to the Grand Canyon and took the train out of Williams, Az. to the south rim of the Grand Canyon while boondocking in Williams. From there we went over the Kaibab mountains on into Utah where we visited the Mighty Five Utah National Parks of Zion, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef, and Arches.
After all of that awesome sightseeing we turned and headed back east through Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and finally back home to North Carolina. The entire trip was 8400 miles and the average fuel mileage was 13 mpg which included time when we weren't towing the camper. Throughout the trip the Ridgeline did a great job of towing without a WDH and even going up through the mountains it performed quite well. I will say that the paddle shifters came in handy while pulling or descending grades. For me and the wife and our dog it was a very memorable trip that I had been planning for a long time.

Sounds lovely. I consider that model Lance a possible upgrade for my R-Pod. From your photos I’d guess you stayed warm. I drove along the edge of Joshua Tree this spring but was told the fires had destroyed much so I carried on. Did I miss much?

Welcome to this forum!

 

 

We’ll be at Mt Rushmore and Devils Tower the first part of June. On your way across Montana give us a shout!
Bill

We’ll be at Mt Rushmore and Devils Tower the first part of June. On your way across Montana give us a shout!
Bill

Hope this link works…

[/https://crazyhorsememorial.org/event/volksmarch

June 7th is the Crazy Horse Volksmarch. A hike but well worth it. His head is the size of all four presidents combined!

 

Recently built out a Utility Trailer with a frame, put a Roof top tent and a back porch and drove across country with it.

Here is the video: Cross Country With a Toddler & DIY Utility Trailer Camper Build

Stay tuned in to my channel I will go over the whole build very soon. Simple and cheap without going into debt on a camper you use once a year.

 

1300 miles of uneventful towing so far. Our Ridgeline is doing a commendable job of showing us some very diversified and beautiful new territory not experienced before.

Makoshika State Park in Montana

Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Dakota

Mount Rushmore South Dakota

Devils Tower Wyoming

Now a two day, 500 mile, run back home with a stop somewhere in between.

Maximum tranny temp experienced has been 198 degrees.

I had mentioned previously that we have experienced some hydroplaning towing this rig in the past. Since then I have adjusted the hitch a bit resulting in more weight being transferred to the front end. So far this trip we have experienced no hydroplaning, even with some pretty significant raining.

Bill

 

1500 miles of uneventful towing so far.

Makoshika State Park in Montana

View attachment 467611

Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Dakota
View attachment 467612

Mount Rushmore South Dakota
View attachment 467613

Devils Tower Wyoming
View attachment 467614 View attachment 467615

Now a two day, 500 mile, run back home with a stop somewhere in between.

Maximum tranny temp experienced has been 198 degrees.

I had mentioned previously that we have experienced some hydroplaning towing this rig in the past. Since then I have adjusted the hitch a bit resulting in more weight being transferred to the front end. So far this trip we have experienced no hydroplaning, even with some pretty significant raining.

Bill

Another 400 miles today. The first leg across Wyoming was somewhat challenging bucking 40 MPH winds reducing us to 3RD gear and 55 MPH at times. We only got a lil over a hundred miles out of a couple of tankfuls. Remainder of the trip has been uneventful, mostly watching for prolific numbers of pronghorns everywhere we looked. We have so far also seen bison in each state so far. The trip odometer now reads 1750 miles. A quick hop of 120 miles will return us home tomorrow.

Added note: Maximum transmission temperature realized today was 204 degrees.

Bill

 

This weekend our Ridgeline will be guiding our trailer and us over the divide to western Montana for a week of camping, kayaking and fishing! It sure is busy showing us a good summer!
Bill

 

I bought a portable propane grill for the backyard with the idea I could take it camping as well in my RL. After 20 min on low it reads 550F at the grate using a thermocouple, and then with 10 min more on high it reads 700F. The thermometer on the grill lid reads 450 and 600F during at the same run. This is my first grill. That sound OK to you guys or do I need to take it back?

 

Does it cook OK?

 

It gets it’s first cook today. I was wondering if that was normal or if I needed to take it back and swap it.

 

Here are some pictures and info from our camping trip to Glacier National Park.

We spent a few days on the east side of Glacier at Two Medicine Campground and then moved to the west side of Glacier to Fish Creek Campground.

We got to our first campsite at Two Medicine Campground just before 7pm on Sunday and got set up:

I was surprised to find that each campsite had its own potable water spigot, but with no hose threads and a spring loaded valve so you can only use it to fill containers. We had bought bottled water for drinking and cooking at the grocery store in Browning on our way in, so we used the park water for showering and cleaning.

That evening we went for a short walk down to the lake and this mama moose and calf popped out to say hello:

We backed away and let them be.

The next day on Monday we hiked up to Aster Falls and on up to the Aster Park Overlook. From the overlook we could see our campground. It's all the way at the very, very tip of the lake:

That evening we went to go check out Running Eagle Falls. Water from Two Medicine Lake flows out on Two Medicine Creek near our campsite and not far away goes over a waterfall. Running Eagle Falls (also known as Trick Falls) is simple to get to and a unique waterfall because it's actually a double waterfall where most of the water dumps into a hole above and dumps out below forming the wider falls. When the water level is high, some water floods past the hole and dumps over the top creating the narrower and taller falls.

The next morning on Tuesday we got up early to watch the sun rise on Sinopah Mountain across the lake:

Then we headed onto Going To The Sun Road from the east entrance. We got REALLY lucky because they just opened Going To The Sun Road for the season the day before.

From the west entrance at Apgar, they've implemented timed entry onto Going To The Sun Road because it's so busy. So to enter from the west, you have to reserve a time slot between 7am and 3pm. Outside of those hours there are no reservations required; just drive on. But at least for now, there are no restrictions on the east entrance at St Mary.

Going To The Sun Road is truly amazing. Everywhere you look there is unbelievable scenery.

More...

 

On Wednesday we moved from Two Medicine Campground on the east side of Glacier over to Fish Creek Campground on the west side of Glacier.

Both campgrounds were nice, but we preferred Two Medicine to "get away". Two Medicine was less busy and the views from our camp were a lot better. But Fish Creek Campground is very close to the west entrance of Going To The Sun Road and very close at Apgar there is touristy shopping with food, ice cream, pie, camping supplies, etc...
And crystal clear Lake McDonald is nearby:

We did the Trail of the Cedars nature walk. I guess this is one of the farthest east groves of cedar trees in the US.

Of course it had a small waterfall of crystal clear blue water, because those are everywhere!

There are several other waterfalls right next to the road that are easy to stop and check out.

On Thursday we headed back onto Going To The Sun Road to check out some hikes. We didn't have a reservation so we just got around and got to the entrance near Apgar Village before 7am.

We did the 3-falls hike to see Baring Falls, St. Mary Falls, and Virginia Falls. Each waterfall is more impressive than the last.
St. Mary Falls:

Virginia Falls is the tallest and dumps right onto flat rock, so you can walk right up to the bottom of the falls if you dare. I stood right in front of the water and got soaked! It's really cold and windy right there due to the downdraft caused by the falls. It feels great after the last uphill leg of the hike. The falls blew my hat off and I almost lost it over the edge of a cliff, but my wife was able to reach it with her hiking pole. It's very difficult to get a good picture up close to the falls because there's so much swirling mist getting everything soaking wet. Here's a picture down from the falls a bit:

I took this picture out the drivers side window. Notice how there's just a really short stone wall right there keeping a car from plummeting over the edge of a cliff! Love that road.

We also drove over to Hungry Horse Dam just to check it out. You can walk or drive across it and lean over the concrete wall to look down the dam face.

Overall it was a great trip and these pictures only scratch the surface.

 

On Wednesday we moved from Two Medicine Campground on the east side of Glacier over to Fish Creek Campground on the west side of Glacier.

View attachment 468503

Both campgrounds were nice, but we preferred Two Medicine to "get away". Two Medicine was less busy and the views from our camp were a lot better. But Fish Creek Campground is very close to the west entrance of Going To The Sun Road and very close at Apgar there is touristy shopping with food, ice cream, pie, camping supplies, etc...
And crystal clear Lake McDonald is nearby:
View attachment 468504

We did the Trail of the Cedars nature walk. I guess this is one of the farthest east groves of cedar trees in the US.
View attachment 468505

Of course it had a small waterfall of crystal clear blue water, because those are everywhere!

View attachment 468506

There are several other waterfalls right next to the road that are easy to stop and check out.
View attachment 468507

On Thursday we headed back onto Going To The Sun Road to check out some hikes. We didn't have a reservation so we just got around and got to the entrance near Apgar Village before 7am.

View attachment 468508

We did the 3-falls hike to see Baring Falls, St. Mary Falls, and Virginia Falls. Each waterfall is more impressive than the last.
St. Mary Falls:
View attachment 468509

Virginia Falls is the tallest and dumps right onto flat rock, so you can walk right up to the bottom of the falls if you dare. I stood right in front of the water and got soaked! It's really cold and windy right there due to the downdraft caused by the falls. It feels great after the last uphill leg of the hike. The falls blew my hat off and I almost lost it over the edge of a cliff, but my wife was able to reach it with her hiking pole. It's very difficult to get a good picture up close to the falls because there's so much swirling mist getting everything soaking wet. Here's a picture down from the falls a bit:
View attachment 468510

I took this picture out the drivers side window. Notice how there's just a really short stone wall right there keeping a car from plummeting over the edge of a cliff! Love that road.
View attachment 468512

We also drove over to Hungry Horse Dam just to check it out. You can walk or drive across it and lean over the concrete wall to look down the dam face.
View attachment 468513


Overall it was a great trip and these pictures only scratch the surface.

Looks like you were able to take in most of highlights! 👍
No boat trips?
How was the road into Two Medicine?
Whatcha think of the road, and view, between Two Medicine and Kiowa Camp?
You used to be able to tour down into Hungry Horse Dam, 911 ended that! 😡

Bill

 

Remember, more people are killed by moose than bears (at least in Alaska, but probably the same in the liwer 48).

 

According to this sign, dihydrogen monoxide is the greatest killer in Glacier!

 

I got another piece of advice from someone who lives in the area (well, actually near Flathead Lake). They said if you hike in groups of three or more, grizzlies won't attack you. If it's just one or two of you, good luck!

And again, the most dangerous bear is a mother with cubs, just as the most dangerous moose is a cow with a calf.

 

This is the 2nd time we encountered a mama with young while in a national park. The first time was this grizzly in Yellowstone in 2022:

More pics and the bear story here:

https://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/posts/3436510/

 

Absolutely gorgeous!

 

One of these days I might end up with a. travel trailer, but for now, I'm loving the Ridgeline for tent camping. I spent last weekend in Cades Cove in GSMNP. Hiked up to Gregory Bald where I got up close with a black bear. 3k feet of elevation gain made for some amazing views of the Cove. Drove across Parson Branch Rd to the Tail of the Dragon then back to Townsend via Foothills Parkway.

The flame azaleas were in full bloom with amazing colors.

A lone black bear was foraging at the summit and didn't seem to care that a dozen or so people were even there until he seemingly caught a whiff of some snacks in our packs and got curious.

The drive across Parson Branch had been on my list for a while. The last time I was in the Cove, there Hannah mountain wildfire had just broken out, closing Forge Creek and Parson Branch

Onto the Dragon and Foothills parkway. Killboy was out snapping pics, as usual. Snagged a nice shot of the TrailSport in the curves. I was surprised how well the RL, even with AT tires handles the twisty mountain road.

The trip concluded with a scenic drive on the western section of Foothills Parkway from US129 to Townsend.

 

TNTA2 did you take the road at Cades Cove visitor center out to the dragon. Sounds like you did…. Did you get to the end of the two way where there is a sign stating 4WD High Clearance only and turns into a one way to the dragon 129? We were just there and with all the rain and not knowing I turned back at the sign. Khazbar had a dip in the creek there going by Momma and her cubs he barked and they ran back into the woods.

 

Noticed I made the killboy pic 6/21 5pm or so…

2nd summer with our camper and really enjoying it. I am 6’ 3”. and the bed is 7’ and easy to pull are the main reason for going this route. It’s been to the Pacific S Cal to the Atlantic coasts.

 

Another successful camping trip. Nice weather, beautiful scenery, serene kayaking, quiet campground, and we even caught some nice rainbow and brook trout!

 

Another successful camping trip. Nice weather, beautiful scenery, serene kayaking, quiet campground, and we even caught some nice rainbow and brook trout!



Just like when some new member says they have a Ridgeline everybody asks for pictures... We need to see pictures of those fish Bill! 😎🎣