A father and son adventure through Wyoming and Montana in the ARB Jeep JKU

What would you do if you were handed the keys to a brand new Jeep Wrangler JKU owned and outfitted by one of the largest offroad companies in the world? Stand there and stare at it is not an acceptable. You quickly drive away before someone has a chance to change their minds. ARB graciously offered us their fully-built 2014 Jeep Wrangler and my eight-year-old son, Keagan, and I packed our bags as fast as we could. As you can imagine, it was outfitted with just about everything ARB offers for the Wrangler line. The only things we needed to bring were our personal items and an Outer Limit Supply first aid kit. Everything else was already installed. The ARB drawer kit had all the tools and recovery gear we’d ever need. The ARB air lockers were ready to be engaged. The snorkel and diff breathers were begging to be dunked and tested. Like everything else on the Jeep, the ARB Simpson III roof top tent was brand new and the tent ladder beckoned to be climbed. I’ll ask again: What would you do if you were handed the keys to a brand new Jeep JKU owned and outfitted by ARB? Get lost, right? Well, that’s what we did.

It had been a long winter for both of us. Keagan shattered his heel in a sledding accident and had been through two surgeries. I took a bad fall out of my Land Cruiser and hurt my back bad enough to require surgery. We were like caged puppies just waiting for someone to open the doors to our kennel. We were fully packed and ready to go in less than 10 minutes and bound for nowhere in particular. This already sounds like a perfect trip, doesn’t it? It happened that fast.

We made loose plans to head in the direction of Cooke City, Montana and the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park. It was 4 p.m. on a Wednesday when we departed Golden, Colorado, bound for Big Sky Country. We left Golden like we were shot from a cannon, only to come to a complete stop in rush hour traffic. Eventually, the traffic eased and we could hammer down in the general direction of Cooke City.

I’ve been traveling to Montana since I was a kid. The lure of cutthroat trout in pristine Montana rivers are more than any fly fisherman can resist. Make no mistake, I love Colorado. It’s our home and the outdoor recreation opportunities are endless, but there’s something about fishing under the enormous blue sky of Montana that almost makes you forget you’ve got a fully-outfitted Jeep sitting along the river bank. Almost.

I’m a spontaneous traveler. I don’t like rigid plans and set schedules. I still like paper maps and roads without names. Thankfully, my son is the same way. He’s up for just climbing in the truck and taking off. He’s also finally old enough to sit up front with me. Riding along in this Jeep with the freedom tops off, and us following the ARB bumper down the road is what I dreamt of when the doctor said, “It’s a boy.” This moment is the culmination of more than eight years of anticipation. I distinctly remember traveling with my own father on backcountry roads and 4×4 trails like it was yesterday. Those memories are 35 years old now, but they are crystal clear and just as exciting as they were when I was eight. All I can hope for is that Keagan looks back on these days and appreciates the memories we’re making.

Since our plans were so loosely made, and I wasn’t sure how far we’d make it after leaving so late, we just drove until we got tired. That happened to be right around Casper, Wyoming. It was already dark and the thought of searching out a camp spot late at night wasn’t very appealing. We pulled right up to a nice hotel and left the roof top tent tightly snugged to the Rhino Rack. There are no rules to overlanding or road trips. If you want to take a break from brushing your teeth with a bottle of water and spitting in the dirt, get a nice hotel room every once in a while. Besides, this place had a pool and a free hot breakfast. Sold.

After a restful sleep and an enormous breakfast, we were excited to start the real portion of the trip. If you’ve ever driven through Wyoming – especially the eastern half – it’s not the most exciting drive.  Luckily, the sun was shining and the warm air and open road beckoned us to take the tops off the Jeep once again. We ventured off the highway every once in a while on two-track roads in the middle of nowhere that led even farther into nowhere. Eventually, somewhere between Cody, Wyoming and Cooke City, Montana, we found a dirt road that led into the mountains. It felt like home.

We rolled into Cooke City under perfectly sunny skies in the late afternoon and set about looking for a place to camp. I’ve camped in and around Cooke City for many years and I’ve fished most of the rivers and streams within an hour in every direction. My excitement was boiling over at the opportunity to show Keagan some of my favorite trout waters. He is just learning the art of casting a fly rod and I was hoping he’d be able to land his first trout completely on his own. Camping around Cooke City has become harder over the last 10 years. This is smack in the middle of grizzly bear country and, sadly, in 2010 a man from Michigan was killed when a young sow with cubs attacked three separate tents in the Soda Butte campground.  Ironically, my brother and I had camped right there only two weeks prior to that ghastly attack. Since then, all the campgrounds in the area have instituted a no-tent rule. Hard-side campers only. Our ARB Simpson III didn’t qualify. The tiny town of Silver Gate is located three miles west of Cooke City and sits right at the back door of Yellowstone National Park. There’s a little general store there and I knew they had a few cabins to rent. Unfortunately, they were all booked but the owner offered to let us open up the RTT right behind the store for as many nights as we liked, free of charge. That’s the type of town that Silver Gate is. With all the commotion of the cabins and people coming and going, we were pretty safe from any curious bears.

With a suitable campsite secured, we set off for Yellowstone National Park and the abundant wildlife in the park’s northeast corner. We also stopped at the ranger station to pick up some of the great activity kits they have for kids. It didn’t take long for us to start spotting wildlife and checking them off the list of the activity book. The Lamar Valley is nicknamed the American Serengeti for its diverse ecosystem and wide open beauty. I’ve seen everything from wolves to grizzlies over the years and I promised Keagan we’d see amazing things. The northeast corner of Yellowstone is far and away the best part of the park. The fishing is phenomenal, the wildlife viewing is unrivaled, and there are no fancy hotels or fast food joints. For that reason, there are very few people. If you’re anything like me, that also makes it perfect.

Even though we had a safe campsite, I barely slept. I don’t sleep well in grizzly bear country. I never have. This is the first time I’ve had Keagan with me in anything other than black bear territory and my parental instincts forced me to sleep with one eye open and both ears intently listening for a snapping twig or heavy footprints of a hungry sow with cubs. The rarity of a grizzly bear attack never deters me from thinking there are massive bruins gathering outside my tent preparing to make a meal of me. I’ve seen grizzly bears many times while fishing in the backcountry and every encounter has been uneventful. That doesn’t make me any less weary.

The next morning, day broke with sunny skies and the sound of tourists preparing for their onslaught of Yellowstone. We were going the opposite way, away from the park and into the backcountry searching for beautiful trout and alpine lakes. The Goose Lake Jeep Trail starts just a few miles from town and is seldom traveled because of the signage that reads “High Clearance 4WD Required.”  For you and me, that sign is a welcome mat on Mother Nature’s doorstep.  However, for folks visiting this area in rental cars or minivans, their idea of adventure is fighting the other 750,000 people who visit the park each July. After a quick breakfast we were packed and headed for the trailhead. I didn’t know much about the trail, but did get some information from a local about the lakes along the route. “Bring your rod, those lakes have plenty of fish,” he said. He also mentioned that we’d probably need a capable vehicle to complete the trail. Perfect. After airing down the new BFG KO2’s and disconnecting the front sway bar, we were ready to tackle whatever obstacles this trail offered. Overall, the Goose Lake Jeep Trail is only moderate in difficulty. High clearance is definitely required, and the Safari snorkel and ARB differential breathers got a good workout crossing some of the deep streams, but there are no gatekeepers or massive obstacles. I did use the ARB air lockers once, but probably could have cleared the rock with just the rear locker engaged. As with most mods, it’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. I felt confident that we were well-equipped for this trail. Turn after turn and climb after climb, this trail only became more scenic. We basically followed a stream that fed a series of lakes along the route. Finally, we couldn’t take it any longer and had to stop and string up a fly rod. The lake was aptly named Star Lake and the setting and surrounding beauty are what postcards are made of. Keagan grabbed our camp chairs while I strung fly line through the guides of my Sage XP rod. Ants are a staple of any resident trout in high mountain lakes, so I tied on one of my favorite ant patterns. I simply flopped the line onto the water to hand the rod to Keagan when a beautiful cutthroat trout rose from below and inhaled the size 14 ant. I was not expecting it to be that easy! And then it happened, Keagan took one false cast and laid the fly line out on the water. Almost immediately a small cutthroat rose to his fly and he set the hook like a seasoned pro. After a brief fight and me frantically telling him to strip in line, he was holding his first fish caught entirely on his own, on a fly rod. It was a defining moment for me and one that I will never forget. It trumped my own memory of my first trout on a fly rod by leaps and bounds. The beauty that surrounded us was too much to walk away from. We had everything we needed and there was no reason to return to town. We would camp right along the banks of Star Lake that night, high above the hustle of Yellowstone National Park.

We spent the next 4 days traveling around the outskirts of Yellowstone. We fished some of the waters north of the park that my brother and I fished years ago. What a treat it was to take my son to these quiet streams while thousands of people fished side by side in the popular rivers in the park. The ARB Jeep was outfitted so well for this type of traveling, we considered never coming home. But after six days, we started making our way south again, towards Colorado. Food in the ARB fridge was running low and we were both looking forward to a shower and a real bed. We couldn’t drive back through Cody without seeing the Cody Nite Rodeo, so we timed our arrival in town with a nice meal and an evening of calf roping and bull riding at Stampede Park. The Cody Nite Rodeo has run every night for the last 77 years and is a fantastic way to spend an evening. I would sleep in grizzly bear territory with a honey and salmon sandwich in my pocket before I’d climb on the back of one of those bulls. What a perfect way for us to end our weeklong adventure. Follow that up with a night in a hotel complete with flushable commodes and free hot breakfast and we were ending this trip in style.

I can’t tell you how many times throughout this trip that folks would stop and ask about the ARB roof top tent or the Safari snorkel. Their look of amazement when I showed them the fridge in the back or when they heard we were traveling around taking pictures and camping in the name of work made me realize how lucky we were. “Wow, that’s the life!” was the standard response. “Man, you’re lucky!” was another popular reply. And you know what? They’re right. Not just because I was driving a fully-built Jeep, but because my son and I could enjoy this adventure together and make memories that will last a lifetime. Finally, he was healthy enough to travel after a long winter of surgeries and painful, restless nights. Finally, he could climb a tent ladder and walk on both feet. Lifelong memories transcend vehicle types or fancy modifications. But let’s not get crazy, it was still awesome to see the backcountry from the open top of a brand new Jeep. I’m lucky to have a family that loves adventure and I’m thankful we’re able to live in a country with so many beautiful places to visit. The best adventures may not be on the treasure map, but on the road less traveled. The riches may not be found in the treasure chest, but in the front seat right next to you and in the memories made along the way. This is one trip we’ll both remember forever.

About the ARB Jeep JKU

• ARB Bull Bar (Hoopless Winch Bumper)
• ARB Intensity LED Lights (7”)
• ARB Side Rails
• ARB Rear Bumper & Tire Carrier
• Safari Snorkel
• Rhino Rack – Backbone
• ARB Simpson III Tent
• Old Man Emu – 4” Suspension Kit
• ARB Diff Covers
• ARB Air Lockers (Front & Rear Axles)
• ARB Under Vehicle Protection
• ARB Twin Motor Compressor
• ARB Fridge Freezer (37qt)
• ARB Outback Solutions Drawer
• 35” BFG AT K/O 2 Tires
• Trail Ready Wheels (Beadlocks)
• Warn Zeon 12k Winch

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