The Nomadic Life

[bigbill]

LOL stop you all are convincing me. I just changed all fluids, plugs, front springs/shocks and a new sway bar. The truck drives like new.
I need to think about this.

I see FB marketplace ads for Wyoming/Montana and there is a constant stream of gas trucks with low miles and high end trim (Lariat, Denali, etc). Gas trucks are less of a hassle in cold climates, but everything gets a block heater when we get there.

[Too Tall]

I see FB marketplace ads for Wyoming/Montana and there is a constant stream of gas trucks with low miles and high end trim (Lariat, Denali, etc). Gas trucks are less of a hassle in cold climates, but everything gets a block heater when we get there.

I'll need a stiff drink before I go back to Rock Springs. Still have nightmares about the coal mine.

Worth a look, thanks.

[froze]

Josh, gas 3/4 and 1 ton pickups don't hold their value but that works to your favor. A 2-3 year old 2500 or F-250 can be had for a decent price. If we get ourselves down to a single living quarters 3 horse trailer with slide outs, we'll only need one diesel truck, likely a one ton. The second (actually third) vehicle will be some kind of AWD SUV for the Wyoming winters. I think I'd like a smallish travel trailer that we can pull with the SUV. If we're going to take a bunch of dirt roads in the Bighorns to get to a fishing spot, we might as well stay for a few days.

Around where I live in NE Indiana, 3/4 and 1 ton trucks were a lot more expensive used than the Tundra I bought, I shopped around for a 3/4 to 1 ton for about a year, I was paying cash, but I didn't want to use up the entire car fund buying a truck. Then I got lucky and found a 2010 Tundra 5.7 flex fuel 4x4 with the double cab and the longer 6 1/2 foot bed with just 80,000 miles for about $5,000 less than anyone else due to a labor day sale. Tundra's do cost more used than any other brand of 1/2 ton truck will. Maybe different parts of the country the prices are different? I do know that in northern states those 3/4 and 1 ton trucks are used a lot for work, so maybe that's why the prices are higher in certain states?

I could have saved some money buying an America 1/2 ton but all my American 1/2 trucks I had were not great trucks, and I had 2 Fords, a Chevy, and a Ram, One of the Fords and the Ram were the worst trucks, the Chevy wasn't as good as the last Ford I had. Neither of those trucks made it past 125,000 miles without the trans going bad, and the bad Ford blew it's engine with just 74,000 on the odo. The Ram and the better Ford rusted out extremely quickly, the body rot on the Ram was horrible and it started fast, the Ford the frame rusted out! I decided no more American trucks and thought I would try a Toyota instead.

My Toyota now has 127,000 miles on it and not a single repair, nor a spot of rust, my American ones, besides the trans, had several repairs along the way, not to mention they all rusted. That reliability that I get from my truck is well known to buyers, which is why they are more expensive than the American counterparts on the used market.

[froze]

I see FB marketplace ads for Wyoming/Montana and there is a constant stream of gas trucks with low miles and high end trim (Lariat, Denali, etc). Gas trucks are less of a hassle in cold climates, but everything gets a block heater when we get there.

A block heater AND a battery heater!

Right now where I'm at its been below 0 degrees, last night it got down to -8, my Tundra parks outside, so in the winter I put a shop light under the hood, it seems to keep it just barely warm enough, but where I live it doesn't stay like that, those types of temps will only last 2 to 3 days then it will go up into the 30's, so I simply don't drive the truck when it's that cold just to be safe. I did start up once in that sort of temp to see what would happen, had the shop light in it, and it started up, so if I really needed the truck I think it would be fine. But where you're going, or at, you need a block heater and a battery heater if the truck will be parked outside.

[bigbill]

I'll need a stiff drink before I go back to Rock Springs. Still have nightmares about the coal mine.

Worth a look, thanks.

I wouldn't want to live anywhere along I-80, but the high winds and shit weather scare off the people who might otherwise move to the nicer parts of the state. We're moving to a small town, but my wife is from there and we've spent the last four summers with our trailer on the property. Now we'll have a house with a nice garage and still have the horse property with full hookups. A year after I get my WY driver's license, I can get a free hunting/fishing license with my VA status. I'm tying my own flies as well.

[bigbill]

Unrelated but related. I received a recall letter from Ford today concerning my 2020 F-250. My HP fuel pump failed on I-70 about 45 minutes west of Grand Junction in 2022. Ford paid for the repairs under warranty but the dealer's service manager interrogated me about driving habits, where I bought fuel, just about anything to void the warranty. Now, my truck has been identified by VIN as having a pump that could affected by "aging biodiesel" that builds up on the cam to cause pump failure. Huh. Supposedly they're working on a software update but I'm not sure how that helps buildup of biofuel on a cam. It's probably moot since my truck now has a 2022 pump, but Ford has an 8-9 month period where 2019 and 2020 6.7 engines had a significant fuel pump failure problem. I'd like to staple the recall letter to the service manager's forehead.

[Too Tall]

I wouldn't want to live anywhere along I-80, but the high winds and shit weather scare off the people who might otherwise move to the nicer parts of the state. We're moving to a small town, but my wife is from there and we've spent the last four summers with our trailer on the property. Now we'll have a house with a nice garage and still have the horse property with full hookups. A year after I get my WY driver's license, I can get a free hunting/fishing license with my VA status. I'm tying my own flies as well.

Now that you mention it. Friday after work I'd load three Gerry Cans of gas and my gear than head out into the Mtns. Once you get far enough off the beaten path north of Rock Springs there are forgotten streams and small canyons with rushing water. I'd fish these streams and never missed. Exploring the ever shifting sands was a treat. The wind would uncover 100 yr. old abandoned structures and the flattop hills were gorgeous vantage points to see. On a full moon night you can see everything moving for miles. I miss that part.

[bigbill]

Now that you mention it. Friday after work I'd load three Gerry Cans of gas and my gear than head out into the Mtns. Once you get far enough off the beaten path north of Rock Springs there are forgotten streams and small canyons with rushing water. I'd fish these streams and never missed. Exploring the ever shifting sands was a treat. The wind would uncover 100 yr. old abandoned structures and the flattop hills were gorgeous vantage points to see. On a full moon night you can see everything moving for miles. I miss that part.

I enjoy all the public lands. We visited Gebo a few weeks ago when we were looking at houses in Worland. Gebo was a coal mining community but it was on public land and was forced to shut down in the early 1900s. When we camp and fish at Medicine Lodge Creek SP I take my MTB to explore all the BLM roads surrounding the state park. I just have to open and close gates. If you've ever been up in Burgess Junction off Hwy 14 between Greybull and Sheridan, there is something magical about fly fishing at 9K feet of elevation while keeping your head on a swivel because of all the moose. At least the Bighorns don't have grizzlies, yet. For me, the area offers opportunities for history research. I have contacts within the Crow, Arapaho, and Shoshone communities. I'm writing my paper for a history conference later this year, but for the 2026 conference, I will research and write a paper on the black farmers of Goshen County. https://www.nps.gov/places/empire-wyoming.htm

[Too Tall]

Interesting stuff Bill. I did not talk about the high mtn. lakes full of trout. The old timers told me that the fish were backpacked in ages ago. Was not sure if they were pulling my leg but the fish were there. I'm sure it is not the same not, back than I never ran into a soul. LOL Sheridan eh? That's where the supervisors would retire to.

Thanks for the link.

PS I finally was able to re-establish friendships with two of my best friends from Rock Springs. He still runs the junk yard and buys elk hides. Some things endure.

[bigbill]

There are some lakes up above Ten Sleep including the one that feeds Medicine Lodge. Two summers ago we were hiking upstream on the Upper Tongue and got to see a cowboy open a wire gap, move a few dozen cattle to another pasture, and closed the wire gap, all while still on his horse. To me, I take pleasure in just being in nature. A few years ago, I was standing in the North Fork of the Shoshone River with not a fish or rise, but it was spectacular nonetheless. This past summer, same thing, I was standing in the Lamar with my son, not catching any fish, just taking it all in. About 100 yards away, my wife was shaming us both with all the cuts she was catching.

This summer, we plan on taking our horses to Yellowstone to fish third meadow on Slough Creek. Lots of grizzlies, but they tend to ignore horses and vice versa.