USA & Canada Trip; Metzican, Silverback

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metzican

Suspension Lift
Location
Lafaytte, la
As many of you know I am building a Teardrop trailer. Well the following picture is the first part of the route I am planning on taking. If anyone has any national parks, trails, camping spots (free), a place to take a shower, or even a recommended spots to visit, eat or even to fill my trailer up with water. Please let me know I will update with future detail. I am planning on taking this trip this coming summer. Leaving April-May and arriving at my undisclosed destination in late August or early September. Please keep in mind this is only the first ~2/3 of the route and it can be modified as needed or recommended.

route_zps85da51b1.jpg


For those in Colorado at what time of year do the high country trails open? I know it depends but what is your best estimate?
 
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Ddoggy123

Test Drive
Location
Sterling Alaska
Ya Buddy! I crossed in Minnesota...came up from TX right through Colorado..it is pretty sweet...but nothing compared as to when you start the AL-CAN..be packed and prepped with food, fuel and water, but most places should be open during that time. Soak it up from Calgary and North...that is where the epic part of your road trip begins in my opinion. Cheers and keep on touch if you need a place to lay over on the Kenai Peninsula :)
 
M

metzican

Suspension Lift
Location
Lafaytte, la
Yeah it is going to be a crazy trip. Now I just need to finish the trailer, Get a starting list of things to see along the route and get a better computer to help with the GPX file!!!
 
M

metzican

Suspension Lift
Location
Lafaytte, la
So I'm looking for State maps for the following states. If you are doing a road trip or live near a visitor center were you can pick one up for free. Please PM me. I will send you some money to mail it to me.

USA:
Tennessee = if DRB comes through, he is stuck in the civil war era
Mississippi
Arkansas
Oklahoma
New Mexico
Colorado
Utah
Nevada
Oregon
Washington
Idaho
Alaska = Go figure they send one for free unlike the rest of the states! I like them

Canada: (it might be cheaper for me just to buy these)
Alberta
Yukon
British Columbia
Northwest Territories
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
 
M

metzican

Suspension Lift
Location
Lafaytte, la
That would be great, I don't know about up there but down here in the USA at visitor center you can pick up the state map for free. If it cost money don't worry about it. I can just buy one there and not worry about shipping.
 
M

metzican

Suspension Lift
Location
Lafaytte, la
Ever since I went to college 10 years ago I never have taken a real vacation besides NXM/WENT. Every month in college I lived on a budget of $500 dollars a month. That includes food, rent, gas, bills. I worked ever break and chance I got to stay going. After college I got a mediocre job and busted my ass to the place I am now. The next step I want to take is, I want to work for the company that highers my company. To do so I need to stop working for my company for 1 month. All of this plays into it. It is something I need to do for me. Along with a way for me to move onto the next step in my life. It has been a goal of mine for 3 years now and I'm the type of person that can't let a goal go until I do it. In the next 10 years as I am 29 now, I need to do the Pan-American highway. Then by the time I'm 60 I want to drive from Great Britain to Vietnam this is still a dream not a goal yet.
 
bottobro

bottobro

I'm a pretty girl!
Supporting Member
Location
Long Island NY
Dude, I'll tell you this, you are defiantly an inspiration for me. From talking to you at WENT and following this and your teardrop build. You are doing exactly what I want to do before I settle down with a family and such. (except I want to add visit all 49 driveable states) I look forward to hearing about this trip.
 
M

metzican

Suspension Lift
Location
Lafaytte, la
I will take a look at those trails. The Route from the coast of Oregon to Alberta is defiantly not set in stone. Do you know anyone who has a GPS track of those trails? or any other trials up that way I should venture on. Please keep in mind I will be towing a offroad trailer during this trip.
 
M

metzican

Suspension Lift
Location
Lafaytte, la
gorillamel said:
Aw, sad. You're missing the best parts of Idaho.

Either way, looks like an awesome trip!

If you do change your mind about Idaho. Look up the Magruder Corridor or the REAL Lolo trail followed by Lewis and Clark. Just sayin'... :-D

Oh, and my fav trail/road trip report to Inuvik is this one: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/132155-Inuvik-or-Bust!-Ryan-and-my-trip-to-the-Arctic!
Click to expand...

I found a GPX track of both trails they look interesting. I don't know if I will take both or just one. Which one do you like better.

Maillet,

Thanks for tracking down those maps.
 
gorillamel

gorillamel

Lockers Installed
Founding Member
Location
Idaho!
M

metzican

Suspension Lift
Location
Lafaytte, la
B

brett

Bought an X
Location
Little Rock, AR
Hey Metz, pm me your mailing address, I picked up an Arkansas map for you. I think I might still have a return address on the box from a wheel I bought from you a while back - I should get your current address though.
 
Slasa

Slasa

Lockers Installed
Location
Denver
That is an epic trip and better than most bucket list trips I have seen. It doesn't look like any of us from Colorado ever chimed in about the trail openings. It really depends on weather, I.e. how much snow we get, how warm the spring is, etc. A lot of trails will technically open in June if the snow is melted and the FS deems them ready. Downed trees cleared, erosion fixed, etc. Some of the high passes can stay closed into July some years. A lot of us use Bushduck's website to check status and/or just call the ranger station.
 
M

metzican

Suspension Lift
Location
Lafaytte, la
Slasa said:
That is an epic trip and better than most bucket list trips I have seen. It doesn't look like any of us from Colorado ever chimed in about the trail openings. It really depends on weather, I.e. how much snow we get, how warm the spring is, etc. A lot of trails will technically open in June if the snow is melted and the FS deems them ready. Downed trees cleared, erosion fixed, etc. Some of the high passes can stay closed into July some years. A lot of us use Bushduck's website to check status and/or just call the ranger station.
Click to expand...

Well thank you for the info about the trails, I think I'm going to be going through Colorado to early to enjoy some of them then. Probably sometime mid to late May. But I can't delay the trip much farther due to the next winter. Here is to low snow and a hot spring!!. You could say it was on my bucket list. I don't keep one. I just have goals. Dreams are for those who don't go after them. Next decade I want to do US => Argentina and don't ask me what the trip after that is it is a little crazy.

Macland said:
Is this a one way trip? And definitely looks epic.
Click to expand...

Yes it is a one way trip from Lafaytte, LA to Eau Claire, WI <= birth place & free rent. Probably the craziest most out of way trip ever planned between those two places.

Macland said:
This is the first I've seen this thread after its latest bump. Did you ever get the OK map?
Click to expand...

Mac, not to insult your state or anything but OK is covered, it is pretty simple/flat for that part of that trip. It's called get across it without talking to too many okie's. :)
 
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M

metzican

Suspension Lift
Location
Lafaytte, la
So does anyone close to the route/map line I know it is kinda hard to see want to play host (shower and refill of water tank) to me for a night or two. It will be difficult to give you a prediction of when I will be in an area. But if I start getting a list together I can contact you ~a week or few days ahead of time to see if it would work out.

Please don't hold it against me if I smell when I show up. I swear I clean up alright. I don't want to promise to much.
 
D

Ddoggy123

Test Drive
Location
Sterling Alaska
Hey man, I'm kind of new to this forum and have to navigate the screen on my mobile device as I do not have Internet available in my area yet, but finally 4G mobile lol...I know, but I'm thankful compared to what it was!! Anyway if your trip brings to the Kenai Peninsula you are welcome to lay over with my family in Sterling AK, zip 99672..may I suggest that you be here second or third week of July for the Salmon run coming from Cook Inlet up the Kenai and then Russian Rivers..best fishing ever..then head down about an hour further south to the Banna Belt know as Homer Ak!
 
M

metzican

Suspension Lift
Location
Lafaytte, la
Ddoggy123 said:
Hey man, I'm kind of new to this forum and have to navigate the screen on my mobile device as I do not have Internet available in my area yet, but finally 4G mobile lol...I know, but I'm thankful compared to what it was!! Anyway if your trip brings to the Kenai Peninsula you are welcome to lay over with my family in Sterling AK, zip 99672..may I suggest that you be here second or third week of July for the Salmon run coming from Cook Inlet up the Kenai and then Russian Rivers..best fishing ever..then head down about an hour further south to the Banna Belt know as Homer Ak!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info and offer. I do plan on being in that area of AK and going down the whole Peninsula. I do plan on running all the way down that Peninsula. Pretty much I plan on driving on ever road in AK that shows up on google maps. Besides the ones that require a flight. The Salmon run sounds amazing. I can't promise when I will show up it depends on when I officially leave and how long it takes me to do the ~12k miles before that. But most likely I will be up that way in July. Maybe early august at the latest.

I will PM message you in a month of so to get some more info. So I can contact you as I'm traveling.
 
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