When boondocking goes bad
When boondocking goes bad
Yesterday I mentioned that we were boondocking for a week in a national forest area. We were about 15 miles from Butte, MT. in the mountains. Since we were at higher elevation, it was much cooler and there were quite a few 4 wheelers, and people just driving down the dirt road. We parked about a block off the main dirt road going into this area, and just assumed it was part of the national forest like everywhere else up there. All the people made me kinda nervous, especially since Butte was hardly what I would call a nice place. But, we had a whole week before going to Bozeman so we were making the best of it.
Until it all went bad.
Tuesday night at midnight Torrey started growling, then barking. This dog never, ever barks unless she feels there is a reason to. Well there was this time. A sheriff came and knocked on our door.
Al flew out of bed to see who was out there, I’m sure he was relived it was the sheriff. The sheriff proceeded to tell him we were on private land, the land owner was a known ass, and we had better leave at first light to avoid any confrontation with said land owner. We have been boondocking different places, in different states for 4 years now, and this was a first. We are of course smart enough to look for signs, or fences, or anything that would indicate any area belongs to someone. Nothing here, not one single solitary clue we were on private property. Needless to say we did not sleep well the rest of the night. We got up at 6am made coffee, fed the dogs, packed up and left. We stopped at Wheat Montana in Three Forks had breakfast and figured out what to do next. We found a boondock spot on Freecampsites in the small town of Townsend, so we headed there. After parking the trailer, having a nap, and some lunch, Al started looking at Google earth. He could see some places worth checking out, so we all jumped in the truck. Long story short, we found a much better spot, went back and packed up the trailer…again, and moved, again.
This is our home for the next 7 days, and the view out my front door.
This is Canyon Ferry reservoir, a nice size lake on the Missouri river. There were so many places to boondock, we had a hard time making a choice. My kind of place.
A wonderful storm rolled in creating some great cloud formations, and nice lighting. And lightning. This was a pure luck shot.
Roxy had to sit in between us while the thunder was happening. Torrey was in the house, she feels safest there.
There are a lot of things to see here, and of course we will be able to swim in the lake. I think we’ll be good for the week.
We boondock almost all the time because A) We can’t afford RV parks all the time, and B) We don’t want to be in an RV park anyway. Why be around a bunch of people, when you can have peace and quite instead. This situation was certainly unusual, and probably will never happen again. We always feel safer out in the middle of nowhere, but this area definitely had a weird vibe that I could feel. I am having mixed feelings about Montana. The jury is still out if I like this state or not. I am withholding final judgement until after the Bozeman show.
I did say more than once yesterday….”I just want to go home to Wyoming.”
Just so long as you are somewhere dry…watching storms approach and pass is a fabulous natural spectacular display :-)
It is that. I love storms, especially in this flat expansive country.
What a beautiful place to boondock!! What a gorgeous view!! Your pictures are AWESOME! Enjoy your week!!
Sorry this leg of your journey has been rough in spots.
You have found a fantastic spot now and what amazing storm photos!
The road of life is paved with speed bumps, especially in an RV.
Although it was a bad incident, and weird too, you seem to have ended up in a much better place, so there was a reason for you not to stay in that first place! Enjoy that gorgeous water!
Ya, that place never felt quite right, so this was certainly all for the better.
Good morning Mary! Wow, that would have definitely made me very unable to sleep the rest of the night! Why didn’t this property owner have a BIG sign then, if he’s so worried about people being on his land! Your alternative rest stop is gorgeous. That water, so clear, and the shots of the storm in the distance, a representation of your ordeal, are caught so beautifully. Thank GOODNESS for Torrey and her alarm system! Oh, be safe dear friend. On to Wyoming.
Yes, a sign of any kind would have been wonderful. But, this spot on the water is much better. So much more peaceful.
Best to go with your instincts. Never been to Montana and I’m sure there’s lots of lovely people there, but I think the wide open spaces there due draw some weird right wing folks. Had a young troubled cop that lived next to me who’s dream was to move to Montana. Loved pumping out his chest and being in you face about stupid things. Also, knocking his wife around and keeping his side arm on a ledge next to the front door. Finally got his wish and moved there.
A word of caution . . . Don’t talk to anyone named Charley while there. Especially if he looks like an x linebacker and he has a long slashing scare running down the left side of his neck. If you do run into him, don’t tell him Lew sent you!
I lived in Montana about 30 years ago, but not for very long. This is the longest stretch of time I have spent here since then. It depends on where you are I decided. Some places have been nice, but some not so much. And I will watch out for anyone named Charley. Lol
What a lake view from your front door, Wow!!! Thanks to Torrey for watching out for you guys.
The lighting capture is awesome, Mary!
Hello, WOW! You found a beautiful place and view! The lake is gorgeous. Torrey is a great protector! The lightning shot is awesome. Happy Thursday!
LOVE those storm shots!
It was good that the Sheriff got to you before the land owner.
That’s how we felt too.
Butte is an odd place. All those casinos and the like are just strange and give it a very seedy vibe. Choppy and I spent a weekend there for a wedding a few years ago.
I think Choppy and I went hiking up where you had the troubles – glad it was the sheriff who came by, rather than the owner.
We won’t be going to Butte again, that’s for sure. The only reason we did was because we needed the truck fixed, and they were closest.
Hello. I just found you through RVillage. We are start our full time adventure on Sept. 16th and are temporarily in a nearby campground while my partner continues to work until her retirement on that date. Montana is one place I’m wanting to when we get on the road. I’m nervous about finding places to boondock…I have uploaded many apps. to my phone to use.
Peace and blessings to you and thank you for your wonderful blog and pics!
Peace and blessings!
Kelly
I wouldn’t be too nervous about boondocking, we always feel safer out in the middle of nowhere. Freecampsites is the best site I have found to find boondocking in any state. There are some wonderful places in Montana, we really liked Ennis and the surrounding area. I’m glad you like the blog and photos, and welcome to the blog.
Wow, what an experience. I’m glad it’s behind you and you found such a beautiful place to boondock, it looks so incredibly peaceful. What a precious pic of Roxy! Those photos are fabulous and I love the contrast of the bright green/yellow grass against the dark gray sky. (Any fossils in those rocks? ;) LOL)
No fossils yet. The contrast in colors here is pretty nice, I am looking forward to nice evening photography.
It seems like it worked out for the better though – what a beautiful spot you ended up in! We hope you like Bozeman better. I think it’s home to our favorite dog toy manufacturer – West Paw Design – so it can’t be all bad! :)
PS: I just love how you don’t want to be in RV parks. When my hubby and I used to camp, we were always looking for the quietest campgrounds with the least people that we could find!
As scary and horrible as it sounds, at least the sheriff was nice about it and warned you off the asshole land owner. I’m glad you all are safe and actually found a better place.
What a gorgeous place you finally found! Montana is not all bad – Bozeman is a nice college town, if kind of touristy. But the best part of Montana is at the top – Glacier National Park. Pure beauty, just like your shots of rain on the mountains.
Not being an American I had to look up boodocking. Never heard the word before. Interestingly enough in my country (Norway) everybody has a right to camp anywhere as long as it’s not cultivated land, even if it’s private land. So I am always surprised when I meet this kind of hostility you describe here. On the other hand I have only had good experiences i Montana, and I love the state’s mountain landscape. :-)
Geez, some people, huh?! But as my mom always said, there’s always a reason for bad things happening. I say it’s to show us the right things and to make us appreciate them all the more.
Your photos are always so beautiful! I love storms, too; except when they frighten one of my dogs. Poor Callie used to be so anxious during a storm. Now my sweet GoldenAngel makes her presence known to me, even if I can’t see her.
What an adventure! You’re lucky the sheriff warned you. The property owner may have been trigger-happy.
Oh man… a knock in the middle of the night would scare the crap out of me. That sounds like a nice sheriff, giving you a friendly warning to move along rather than anything more. You’d think that, if someone is super strict about their private land, they’d have signs!
I’ve wondered if the “movement” of “crusty kids” or “travelers” has affected you at all. In our area, every camper is now looked on with suspicion, even by those of us who camp ourselves! “They” started our big fire, then went to the evacuation centers to get handouts, and finally looted homes during the evacuation. The back lash is furious!
Montana sure is a beautiful state. I hope that you end up finding parts that you like!
I can’t even wrap my head around people doing that. I would be furious too!