Pic: US-191 meets US-26/US-287. Moran, WY
The first rule of road trip is: don’t break yourself.
The second rule of road trip is: don’t break your car.
I violated #2 today : (. I was distracted by packing for my two-nighter in Lower Granite Canyon and did too much USB charging without running Isa’s engine. Result: dead battery.
Luckily, my probably-legal campsite was near a road that led to a small cluster of houses. It took only an hour of sitting by the road with my jumper cables on display before a nice couple in their 60s stopped to help. Isa started right up, the good Samaritans declined my offer of cash or a cold soda, and the backpacking scheme was back on track.
Light was fading fast in the canyon by the time I arrived at the backcountry camping area. The first spot looked pretty good but, like a dog circling before lying down, I always feel compelled to browse; maybe the next site is even better!
My concession to the secretary problem ended quickly when I rounded a corner and encountered a moose cow on the trail. She glared at me with a look that said, “I am much bigger than you and I think you should leave.” I backed away quietly. Satisfied, she went back to munching leaves. I waited a bit to see if she’d wander away, but she only continued further up the trail. I returned to the first site and set up camp — I wasn’t here to argue accommodations with a moose.
Danger Beyond This Point 