Here I am in Montana in 1979. Even at the age of 24 the mobile life had a call on me. Unfortunately, all these photos are scans of 36 year old photographs, so they aren’t the best.
In my last post I recommended photography as a great hobby for vandwellers; today’s post is a perfect example of why. These photos are 36 years old, and yet when I look at them now those experiences coming flooding back to me like it was just this morning. I’m very grateful I was carrying my camera and somehow managed to hang onto these photos through all the decades since then. Highly recommended!
My life has a strange, round-about trajectory. When I was a young man I was pretty adventurous doing numerous trips that were way out of the typical American comfort zone. But like so many others, that all ended when I got married and had kids. I bought into the American Dream hook, line and sinker and did everything I was told. I bought a house, got a job I worked at for the rest of my life and got rid of all the adventure, fun and joy in my life. That was my story for the next 30 years until a divorce forced me into vandwelling and the death-grip that traditional life had over me was broken. When the scales fell from eyes I could finally see that most of what society had told me was a giant lie so I started thinking for myself and living for my own happiness and not as a cog in a machine or an a bee in a hive.
Fortunately, even in my younger days I loved photography and mostly by luck I have some photographs of some of my early adventures. Today I want to share photos from one of the best times of my life. First let me give you some background.
This is a map roughly showing the route I took. It was about 1 1/2 months from the end of August till the beginning of October. After 36 years my memory is fuzzy on a lot of the details. I also couldn’t get Google maps to cooperate so it’s not exactly right.
I grew up in Anchorage, AK and at one time I drove a school bus for 5 years. If you think about it, that’s a great job because it gives you your summers off and in Alaska, the summers are glorious! But, you must live very cheaply, so even 36 years ago at the age 24, I intuitively knew that cheap living with part-time work was my best way of life. One summer I got a job as a Tour Bus Driver in a very remote Eskimo Village called Kotzebue. It was north of the Arctic Circle on the Arctic Ocean and the only way in or out was by barge or air. I remember that summer as one of the best times of my life because at that time the local Eskimos lived very traditional lives of hunting and fishing. I believe that spending that much time with authentic people who followed a traditional hunter-gatherer life had a tremendous impact on who I am today. This wasn’t a lesson out of a dusty book, it was living, breathing people who were living a way I admired and wanted to emulate. To this very day, I consider the hunter-gatherer tribe to be the best model for a good life.
The photos will be chronological with the trip. Here I am in Glacier National Park, back when it still had glaciers! You’ll have to forgive the quality of the scans of these old photos.
The best thing about the job was the tips; they were very good!! The next best thing was that I was given a place to live and one meal a day at the local hotel, consequently, I was able to save a lot of money. In September, at the end of the season I had to decide what to do next, and since I was young and fancy-free, I decided to take that money and give myself the gift of travel. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life so I decided to travel and see if anyplace grabbed me and maybe I would know that was where I was supposed to be.
Back then I knew nothing about boondcking on Public Land, so I stayed mostly in campgrounds, although many were free or very cheap. This one was in Ashley NF in Montana. I tent camped the entire trip which was fine, I was young and had done a lot of backpacking so it was normal for me.
I had already fallen in love with motorcycle touring and had taken one very long cross-country trip across the Lower 48 so I knew I wanted to do that again. I already knew Alaska very well, but the rest of the country I didn’t know at all. So with a pocket full of cash from the summer I flew down to Seattle and brought a brand new Suzuki GS850 motorcycle and had them turn into a full-dresser with a full Vetter fairing, Bates saddlebags, luggage rack and tank bag. Since I had lived in Alaska all my life I hadn’t seen any of the National Parks in the Lower 48, so on this trip I set out to see as many of them as I could in the Western States before it got too cold.
September is winter at high elevations up north so I ran into snow numerous times. This was in Glacier NP. It was very cold! In fact being cold became very normal for me on the whole trip, especially on the ride up the Alcan to Alaska in October!
Why a motorcycle, after all, winter was on it’s way? Quite simply, just for the sheer joy of riding! To me, there is so much absolute pleasure in riding, and especially riding long distance, that it’s worth the massive amount of problems that come with it. In fact I love it so much that after I retired in 2006 I gave serious thought to moving into a big touring motorcycle like a Gold Wing towing a trailer and live on it instead of in a van. But to be honest, at this point in my life comfort is more important than the thrill of riding so it wasn’t going to happen. Just as important, I couldn’t have a dog and that simply wasn’t an option, I’d rather have the companionship of a dog than the fun.
First, I rode across Washington and Idaho to Glacier National Park and then headed south to Custer Battlefield National Monument which was a strangely moving experience for me. I got there very late in the day just before closing and they let me go through so I had the place all to myself. I could almost feel the ghosts stirring on that sacred land. I think my experience that summer living closely with Alaska Natives primed me for the experience. From there I went as far east as Devils Tower National Monument
Devil’s Tower in Montana.
Being from Alaska, I love the mountains and being on a motorcycle I loved riding their windy, curvy roads even more! So next I headed down the spine of the Rockies hitting National Parks along the way. The first one I came to was Yellowstone NP, but because it was late in the year and I was coming in from the north the pass I was riding over was snowed in so I had to turn around and go back.
I was turned away from Yellowstone by snow on my first attempt to get into it.
That was actually a blessing in disguise because it forced me to enter Yellowstone from Cody, Wyoming, which I loved! I’ve always been a fan of Native American life and the Mountain Men and there were many museums and monuments to them that I was very excited to see.
Back in 1979 Cody, Wyoming was full of museums to the Mountain Men and Native Americans. I loved that place! I also liked that it was warmer!
This was a monument to the Mountain Men of olde times.
I spent about a week in Yellowstone and ran into another guy on a full-dress BMW and we rode and camped together for a few days. One day we actually switched bikes and I rode his BMW and he rode my Suzuki. I liked the BMW but it had nowhere near the power of my Suzuki. One thing you’ve got to say about big Japanese motorcycles is they have an abundance of power! You roll that throttle on and things happen fast and in a big way! You’ve got to be careful or it will be too fast and too big! The BMW was smooth and quiet but it would never give me as much of a thrill. It’s a tortoise and hare situation.
Here I am camping with my new biker friend. You can barely see his BMW on the left. You can’t mistake that opposed twin, boxer engine!
This post is long enough so I’m going to quit now and I’ll start up where I left off in my next post. My hope for you is that your life is full of treasured experiences and memories.
It’s not he who dies with the most toys who wins…
it’s he who dies with the most memories!!
Was that an 850 or 1000? I had a GS750 of the same vintage.
Oops, I missed the part where you said it was an 850. I loved the Suzuki fours.
Been a fan of motorcycles since my early 20s, and have mostly had them in my life. I’ve done big endurance rides up and down the east coast, also a lap of the Great Lakes which included some camping. I think I averaged about a bike a year — buy them cheap (used), ride them for a while, sell them off and move on to the next, as mood or whim changes. Currently, I have a touring inappropriate Honda VTR1000 SuperHawk which was street-fightered by a friend before it came into my possession, but will likely be traded for a pair of bikes, a 80s Yam XT600, and 70s Yam RD400. Will be looking to see if the XT is a valid bike to take along with, on a hitch rack off the van.
Although I’ve mainly used them for commuting, motorcycles also lend themselves to adventure. Without them, I’d not be making regular pilgrimages from the frost heaves and potholes of New England roads to the southeast for the spectacular twisty roads down there. Nor would I have thought to challenge myself to a big ride around the Great Lakes in, say, my regular car.
Motorcycle touring is also great prep for living minimally. Not much you can take with you, so you get down to the essentials. …very van dwelling in philosophy and practice.
Thanks for the post, Bob, brings back memories of my 82 Kaw GpZ 550 “touring” setup, with a couple of metal ammo cans bolted to the subframe as saddlebags.
Mike, a lot of our generation grew up with motorcyles and have a long history with them. They really were better back then!
Bob
What an extraordinary life you have lived, and are living. I do enjoy your blog even if I am not a van dweller. Well, I will be temporarily while taking a trip from fl to ca, so I will get a bit of a feel for your life style.
Maura, I’m glad if I can help you make your life better in any way I can. Enjoy your trip, but I am required by law to warn you, vandwelling is addicting so be careful!
Bob
I knew a guy who had a Suzuki GS 750, set up for travel. Nice ride, smooth and strong. One of my brothers had a Kawasaki KZ550, but that was not for touring. Various of my brothers and a nephew have toured on motorcycles and loved it, but I myself have yet to do that. I’d have to work out a detail or two because I spend time in towns.
Calvin, staying in towns makes it harder–motorcycles have very little stealth! You’re only real choice is RV Parks and that gets expensive fast.
Bob
I have been thinking about that one. Bob, any town within ten miles of free camping that has the kinds of 12-step meetings I use (think Prescott or Flagstaff) would work as a place to camp. So, not everywhere but many places.
That still leaves such issues as unexpected weather changes while en route and law enforcement officers that dislike bikers. We have plenty of both where I grew up, and I would be returning at least for family emergencies.
Hi Calvin, your discussion reminds me of trip reports I’ve read on the crazyguyonabike website and Ray Jardine’s various transcontinental bike/ motorbike journeys. These people all found ways to camp from their 2 wheeled vehicles, some stealth and some not. It’s entertaining reading, at any rate.
Hi Bob,
What fun that must be to look at those photos of your past travels for you. Who would of thought you would one day return to the road. What a great adventure and so very freeing. 🙂
Tina
Thanks Tina, you are so right!
Bob
Bob_
I could choose envy…but I choose inspiration. What a great time that must have been.
I will be getting a camera to build a journal so when my natural memory starts to fade I’ll have the photo’s to help me re-live the experiences. I’ve done and seen a few things over the years I wished I would have pictures of.
Thanks again.
Openspaceman, one thing you will never regret is taking too many pictures. But with digital you also need a plan to keep the digital files safe. I’m afraid I’ve lost quite a few pictures in the last few years so I’m working on a new back-up plan.
Bob
Amazingly enough, there are still glaciers in Glacier National Park…
anon, you are right, there are. But at the current rate of melting in the very near future there won’t be. We may have to change its name!
Bob
Bob,that was awesom,I did almost that same trip in 1963 in a vw bus but with wife and two little kids, we were living in Ft Collins, so the RMNP was in our backdoor. we didn`t get to devils tower, didn`t have a camera so lots of that stuff is gone from me. We did see those old buildings in Cody, there was a big white teepee on the right of those in your pix. spent some time around Larime too. thanks for the memory jog. Warren
Warren, in it’s those memories that comprise a life well lived!
Bob
I had a GS750 n 1978 and loved it.
CAE, they are great bikes!
Bob
I appreciated the part about staying on the move in order to find a place that grabs you. Living the van life gives one the prerogative of putting off the question of if and where to ever settle down. Here’s to happy memories of youthful travel.
Man on the Run, in my travels over the last 7 years I’ve found numerous places I love more than the rest and so this summer I’m going back to them. Two of them are Moab and Jackson. But, I’m also still checking out new places like Mt Rainer and Olympic NP. So there is some enjoying what I’ve already discovered and still more discovering to do. Life is very, very good!
Bob
Bob,
We need to make you an honorary Coloradan. It’s considered a rite of passage to ride a bike through snow in the Rockies. A rider hasn’t lived till they’re faced going down a snow-covered hill. 🙂
Jims, the same could be said for bike riders in Alaska! Life is good my friend!
Bob
Very nice Bob,very nice. Memories of a trip like yours last for a lifetime. Like you said the BMW are slow but comfy and very forgiving. Japanese bikes are a complete different animal and that is still true today. Again very nice trip
Bob, you have definitely lived… Thanks so much for sharing those great pictures with us. I look forward to more pictorial adventures from you, and making a few of my own!
T
Thanks Tammi!
Bob
I think it’s he who leaves the most memories who wins. People are part of those wonderful things we do out on the road or the river or wherever we travel.
That’s very very wise Irv. As I’ve written before, one thing I live for is that when I die, the greatest possible number of people will say, I’m sorry to hear that, he was one of the good ones.
Bob
Hey Bob, you know what they say about BMW’s….in the winter they keep your feet warm….and in the summer they keep your feet warm! :^)
I’ve been riding since my early teens and have no plans to stop. Keep it up Bob!
That’s true Greg, but now they come in all shapes and sizes, many aren’t the boxer. They are still a great bike!
Keep on biken!
Bob
WOW… been following your site for a while now… and too many similarities not to finally respond.. same name, age, same 2-wheeler..
and did the van tripping in early 80’s too; actually still have my suzuki & still running great in NH (live free or die…) envy of bikin’ buddies cause it too never dies…
– DO luv both your trips, info, and life philosophies..
– my 80 suzuki 1000 looks the same; still mostly original & the harley guys now give me kudos on my antique… best of compliments, go figure… still quick & performs well..
– did a 4 month x-cntry trip in 82 and it was the best thing ever done…
– multi-trips to NPS and now have seen most… but looking to return to all… at a slower passe
– now semi-retired; bought a TT-minnie and prepping for a 2 year trip out west with my soul-mate sally to chill and visit whatever…. cannot wait… and hopefully we will hook-up for stories… please offer best contacts for future?
Bobby, that is an amazing number of similarities! That old 80 Suzuki will out perform any Harley in ever way, they’re junk compared to it. But they are “cool” and that’s all they want.
When you get out here, look me up, my camp is always open to you.
Bob
Very cool Bob, thanks for sharing these photos.
You’re very welcome Diane.
Bob
Looks like an amazing trip, thanks for sharing.
Thanks Izaak! It really was a great trip.
Bob
looking back on your life is great ,memories is for sure a good thing even the not so good is still a learning to remember by the way looks like some awesome mountains in the back ground great photos
Thanks Joe! It’s those mountains that keep me going back there over-and-over again.
Bob
Thanks for sharing photos and stories of your past adventures. It is interesting to see and read about.
Thanks Jim!
Bob
Right-on Bob, I can relate as I have ridden my entire life also.
The West has an allure on me I am glad has never subsided – and
probably never will. I’ll be up in Jackson this summer as well
since the Tetons have a spiritual grip on me.
“A life well-lived” indeed!
Casa, plan on looking me up in Jackson!
Bob
Considering your motto at post’s end, here’s hoping against Alzheimer’s!
Often, decent scanning software can address that faded and color-shifted look of aging film, but then I wouldn’t expect you to be carting around a dedicated film scanner. And you’re right on the need to get assertive about backups for photos. I can attest that hard drives and mem cards do and will fail, much more so now with much higher capacities. Then the photos are gone forever, without even a whisper. Film is physical, like a book. You either need to misplace/lose it, or crash and burn to suffer loss with it.
Lastly, here’s a very small photo blog by a lady who makes up with vision and observation what she lacks in costly camera hardware. Sure puts me to shame! https://kelzbelzphotography.wordpress.com/gallery/
Doug, I think it’s always a good plan to hope against Alzheimers! What makes it such a horrible scourge is that it attacks our memories and whats life without memories?
Bob
I was in Glacier today and got a tick! Lol.
This summer I will be hiking to Stanton Glacier in the Bob Marshal Wilderness Complex. Will camp there for a day or two. It borders the southern boundary of Glacier. Can’t take dogs into Glacier NP, and The Bob is just as good. Want to do it this year before it melts all the way and before I’m too crippled to do it. Am hoping to find a mastodon partly melted out of the ice.
I don’t have the travel/adventure gene that you do, but it’s still there. I did some things when I was young, but I, too, fell into what society expected me to do. Fortunately, almost everything I want to do is still within my abilities, but not for much longer! I have been in high gear for most of the last 3 years. It is going well and have no regrets investing into enjoying my life while I have it and am able.
Canine, you are I are exactly alike in that. I’m still healthy enough to go and do most of what I want, but my knees tell me my backpacking days are over.
It’s not a cliche to me, within reason, I really am living like this is the last year of my life and I’m living it just like I want to live it.
Bob
Bob, your post reminded me of several similar trips I took while a youngster – not by motorcycle, but by van. One involved camping with friends along the Oregon coast for a summer (back when one could still sleep on the beach wherever they wanted), and another was a trip across NV and up into CA and then back through the Tetons. We were all of 18 y.o. and poor and ended up having to panhandle for gas to get home. LOL
Yup, the best memories come from serendipity, and your trip looks like you had a blast. You look like you were born on that bike.
Thanks Desert Rat, as contradictory as it sounds, many of us had better sense when we were young and actually went out and lived. How did so many of us go so wrong and end up living like joyless slaves, only to return to a good life in our older years?
Bob
I think I’m going back
To the things I learned so well in my youth.
I think I’m returning to
Those days when I was young enough to know the truth.
an old song (1967) by the Byrds (dating myself here…)
I like it Desert Rat!
Bob
Keep writing and sharing Desert Rat. I like your choice of lyrics.
I was luchy, I enjoyed my work annd I loved my kids. It wasn’t always great at work, and it wasn’t always lonely at home.
Indeed, you were lucky Chuck!
Bob
Hi Bob. That looked like a awesome ride. I have done several short trips no long ones yet. I mainly ride enduro now. I like enjoy the views.I like the pitchers also just because they are not digital does not good. I hope to be able to ride Glacier Park going to the sun road. I enjoy reading the blog you are a inspiration to a lot of people. Stay safe out there my friend.
Thanks molonewolf, I appreciate your kind words! I don’t remember much from Glacier, so I’m still dreaming of doing it myself. It’s good to have a dream, but now we have to take steps to make it come true. I’m wishing you the all the best!
Bob
Hi, Bob,
As always, an interesting and entertaining post — even for someone who knows nada about bikes. I lived in MT for the 1990s and loved seeing the old pics of Glacier.
One note on the photo caption of Devil’s Tower: it is in WY not Montana.
Carla
on my earlier post: I meant “for someone like me who knows nada about bikes” it was entertaining.
Thanks Carla! Of course you’re right, it is WY. Thakns for the correction!
Bob
Hollywood and society lost me when “Then Came Bronson” was cancelled.
Jonthebru, I loved that show! I check all the time to see if it has finally come out on DVD but it never does. I guess one season isn’t worth it. I’ve always thought it had a major impact on my life.
Bob
Bob @ DesertRat above:
“How did so many of us go so wrong and end up living like joyless slaves, only to return to a good life in our older years?”
* * * * * * *
Hope this question was not merely rhetorical, as answering it could prove enormously helpful to many, many people.
Of course, it would take a book (several) to do the topic justice.
My short answer: enormous pressure from society, media, friends, family, etc., – both overt and worse, covert – to fit it and conform, with some serious penalties for those who don’t.
Lots of talk out there about ‘diversity’ but in practice it means little more than people of both sexes, all races, religions, ethnicities and sexual preferences buying into the same publicly espoused values.
You don’t have to be black, gay, or a muslim to be shunned – just try telling people you’re not getting a job, not getting married, not buying a house, and watch the reaction, both spoken and unspoken.
In short, if you’re getting a lot of static about your life, you may just be doing something right.
Alfred, you and I think exactly the same way! I couldn’t agree more!
Bob
I think you are onto something here Bob. You have struck a nerve in our “broke and saddled lives” that so many of us have lived through. But we did live them. We didn’t hide from them and we tried to conform, stay healthy, work hard and provide. You slept in a steel box in the Winter in Anchorage for GoshSakes. I am happy for you that you are out there adventuring and soaking up the beauty. When we were young we must of sensed something coming “down the road”, so we hit the road. Packing as much adventure into our young lives as we could before the training would begin.
By the way, we are having a phenomenal Summer in WA ST. No we don’t have Fireweed to tell us epwhen the firpst day if zWinter will begin, but we do know not to waste a Summer like this one.
You might want to head West and do this loop. Mt Rainier, Mt St Helens, Copalis Beach then North up Washington Coast, Quillayute, Ruby Beach, Hoh Rain Forest, Neah Bay, Sol Duc Hot Springs, Sequim and Hurricane Ridge, then a Ferry ride over to Victoria from Port Angeles and drive to TOFINO. Then over to Vancouver head South and up and over the NORTH CASCADES HIGHWAY to the Old West Town of Winthrop and the whole Methow Valley. Then maybe head south to Leavenworth. i’ll meet ya’ there and buy you a Grosse Bier and Schnitzel. Or you can take Blewett Pass to Snoqualmie Pass and stop by in Snoqualmie and take all my forest service detailed topo maps and really explore. I don’t need them anymore. This Summer is lookin’ like it will last to Haloween. Maybe you should shoot across from Spokane on I-90 and stop by here first and you can park in my side parking 30×30 space, We could do a Surf and Turf BBQ in the back yard. Salmon BAKED IN ALDER SMOKE, Halibut, as it is or a version of Halibut Olympia, Dungeness Crab, and a Steak of your choice prepared how you like it – 2″ thick! You could recharge all your batteries including shaking off some road dust, doing laundry, all that. I could rustle up about 30 friendly neighbors and a small blues band on short notice and we could have a nice Back Yard BBQ with view of Rattlesnake Ridge rising 2500′ almost straight up. Then I could give you all my maps and you could have 20 favorite places suggestiions from 30 Warshatonians.. Let’s see that’s 600 places in Washington alone. You would be a welcome guest of honor, typically September would be ideal for travel. Sunny, Fall Color, not too hot but those gorgeous deep blue skies you hear about. And the campers have mostly packed up for the year and the kids are back in school so you can find plenty of peace and quiet, and the best camp spots. Why? Cause I like you and also fear no one and would enjoy your company. So would my Sweetie and neighbors. Our camp is always open to you Bob.
CW
CW, what a wonderful and kind offer Chuck!! It sounds like a truly amazing time! I wish I could take you up on it but this summer is dedicated to the Rocky Mountains. Can I get a raincheck?
My plans for next summer are to be in Oregon and WA so I’ll take you up on it then!!
Bob
me too, I agree completely! Nice trip report, Bob. The scanned photos have that nice 70’s vintage feel to them. You wouldn’t get that if they were digital.
They have that for sure Ming!
Bob
You’re right, Alfred. I call that “otherwise normal.” Too many people want to say, “I’m [insert trait here], but other than that I want the same things everyone else wants.” The sad part of that is that they’re right; they just want things. All of the above have trouble processing that some of us want life, not just things.
Omg,you haven’t changed a bit! Exquisite trip for this reader..
memories of Yellowstone and Glacier…your photos filled my heart
and made it skip beats!
Thanks for sharing,
JoAnne
My hair and beard are definitely grayer!
Bob
Omg, you haven’t changed a bit! Exquisite trip for this reader..
memories of Yellowstone and Glacier…your photos filled my heart
and made it skip beats!
Thanks for sharing,
JoAnne
JoAnne, I have that affect on lots of women, except it’s usually followed by sever vomiting! Just kidding, thanks for you kind words.
Bob
Bob we must have passed by each other. In the fall of 79 I had money saved up from working construction, so I took a trip to Anchorage, AK to visit a friend and do some hiking, camping and sightseeing.
How about that, small world huh!
Bob
Hi Bob,
As I lay here with 6 bad discs in my spine and a pretty seriously damaged neck I realize how precious those memories of life’s adventures become. If anyone reads this and you still have your health and mobility then please don’t waste any time getting out there on that road. Bob, If you wrote your life story; truly wrote it down and not just summed it up in a paragraph, I think many would buy it and read it, because you write so well and you have photographs. People would read of your adventures and insert themselves in places and remember and be glad for their memories of their youth and their adventures. I guess that is what these blogs of yours do for me. Reading about Kotzebue brought back amazing mental images of time spent in a place that I was priveleged to be in. I spent 4 weeks total in Kotz, two in Winter and two in Summer. I worked long hours but still made friends and had an adventure. I was invited to a local’s home for dinner. I didn’t understand then but now I do; you see I had admired the basket of glass floats and the walrus vetebrae on display in their home. They insisted that I take all of it; the basket of glass balls, the Walrus bone, and a tupperware tub of Mooseghetti. I wish I could now go back there and bring them something that is special to me.
At a potluck in Kotz I ate soup that stared back at me, and in Barrow, after the successful whale hunt, I was privelaged to join about 30 people assisting in a trampoline throw of an ( Inupiat? ) man into the air about 25 feet. Your Blogs have caused me to remember. I wish I had the photos. Thank you.
But you must have been crazy. You rode a motorcycle up the Alcan in 79′ in October? Was it frozen by then? Oh; one disagreement; Utahoans are the second friendliest people. The top award goes to the many Alaskans who treat everyone like family.
Thanks Chuck! You are a lucky man to have been so wise to collect so many wonderful memories while you were young. Old age isn’t always kind to us, so better to live now!
Bob
Bob, I’m 24, drive a school bus, feel happiest when exploring nature, and I have an ’81 GS650 in the garage. I came to your blog looking for trip ideas and was completely broadsided to find out we had so many things in common after having watched your youtube channel for roughly a year. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks for sharing this post. I am very interested in the topic.I think travel is most golden part of our life.you written scale and the tropic remember my golden past.