Peaks and Plains Trip, Road trip

My fall road trip begins

19 Comments

Thursday, Sep 7, 2023

This fall I decided to do a fly/drive trip as I wanted to see more of Montana and Wyoming without driving all the way there and back. I was lucky to get a great deal on a one-way SUV rental from Missoula, Montana to Omaha, Nebraska. For those who are less familiar with the geography of the U.S. this is the direct route between the cities on Google maps. However, I have planned a scenic route I’m calling the Peaks and Plains trip. The plains part will be as I drive east across Nebraska which is the only state in which I have not stayed at least one night. Assuming all goes well, I will be able to make that claim for all 50 states by the time I fly home.

I flew to Missoula yesterday, arriving about 10 PM, so I just picked up the rental and drove to my hotel. Since any flight delay or cancellation could have caused problems the only thing I planned for today was to set up the dash cam to record my road videos. This proved more challenging that I had anticipated since the vehicle has a large flat screen protruding up though the center of the dash as well as cameras and radar detectors built into the dash/windshield area to perform emergency stops and allow adaptive cruise control. Since I definitely do not want to interfere with the safety systems I have located the camera on the passenger side and have not installed the usual anti-reflective cover over the dash in front of the camera. I did a little test drive and things seem OK but I won’t really know until tomorrow what the video quality will be like.

Once that was done I took a leisurely drive to the nearby Rattlesnake National Recreation Area and Wilderness for an enjoyable walk in the clear crisp air. I only did about 4 miles but, with low humidity and temperatures in the mid 70’s (around 24 C) as opposed to Washington’s high 90’s (about 37 C), it was delightful. The trail was mainly through forest with occasional views of meadows, hills and Rattlesnake Creek.

The actual road trip will begin tomorrow.

19 thoughts on “My fall road trip begins”

    1. No. There was a sign at today’s trailhead that said bear sightings were common and to carry bear spray. Luckily, it was not needed!

  2. Hi Steve! I have missed you and didn’t get to say goodbye as you set off on this trip. Have fun but come back soon!

  4. On the road again!
    Looking forward to your travel stories. Currently enjoying lovely weather for one night in Santa Catalina Island, before heading east to end in Dallas. Huge one way drop off charge but worth it!
    UK experiencing heatwave after dreadful wet summer… at least 10degrees C cooler here , but not when we get to Arizona!

    1. Good luck with your trip, glad we are both experiencing better weather than at home. My main concern is wildfire smoke but it looks good until I get to Nebraska. Car companies want their cars out of Montana by October so renting and returning to Missoula is $2,000 for three weeks but dropping off in Omaha was only $750.

  6. Het Steve I am following with a lot with interested from Avignon.
    As you know, this exploration mean a lot for me!

    1. Hi Christian. thanks for following along. Good luck with everything as you also journey along the road to recovery.

    1. Thanks. I knew you had a connection to Jackson Hole. I’m not planning to stay there but I’ll keep alert just in case.

  8. Sounds like so much fun, dear Steve. Safe travels. Are you visiting any of the national parks?

    1. Thanks. I will be going through Grand Teton and Yellowstone but not focusing on them because I have been to both several times before.

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