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Trip to Yellowstone

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TRMark

TRMark

Jedi Knight
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Well, wife and I were supposed to take the TR4 to Victoria BC, attend the English Car Affair in the Park last weekend then drive around the south island area. We have done this the last few years and have always enjoyed ourselves. But family stuff changed the plan.

So we made our annual TR trip into Yellowstone Park earlier than usual. We drove the 4 to Red Lodge to our cabin, about 75 miles.

The drive into the park was over 11,000' Beartooth Pass to the NE entrance. We drove to Lake area than out the east entrance to Cody Wyoming, heading north back to the cabin, 284 miles total. We got 27 mpg.

We took the top down, what a great view of the mountains and other scenery. I am alway a little concerned about encountering a buffalo herd wandering up the highway while topless, guess we could roll up the windows for a little security but the things are huge, the top of the window would be at about mid thigh on the 2000+ lb. critters. The park was very crowded, lots of late vacationers these days.

North of Cody we ran into alot of road construction, I thought they would have finished it by now. Shook the heck out of the TR. I am glad I consider this to be my fun car, not a collectors or classic.

Sorry to bore folks with my travel pictures and narratives. I do it because I just don't see these old cars on the road much anymore around here. I know there are a bunch of them out there, even in Billings Montana. If those of us who tour with our cars can encourage others to do the same or give some inspiration to those restoring theirs, there is light at the end of the checkbook. Use them as they are meant to be used. nuff preaching

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Mark, this post isn't boring. It's a dream drive for most of us and you're doing it. Thanks for the great pictures and the motivation for those of us in restoration mode.
 
Thanks for the commentary and pictures Mark. They are very much appreciated. If you have more pics we would love to see them. Have a good one.
Joe
 
Must have been a great trip. How did it run up the mountains toward Beartooth?

I can feel the shaking on that dirt road. I now have a 4A, but in my '63 TR4 (sold 25 years ago) I remember the shaking coming from the center console then across the whole dash. I'd watch it wobble while I'd cringe. I stopped some of it by putting in new jute under-carpeting, reinstalling the bottom hump bracket, retightening all of the fastenings under the dash--then doing all the usual front end suspension maintenance. I actually got that old car to be quite "tight" and quiet, and I often check around to see if I can ever find it again.

Here's my Dad next to my current TR.

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I love Yellowstone, great fishing, but never could see the attraction of watching mud and water boil. Plus the smell.

Great pictures.
 
Yeah, I love seeing these travel logs. I agree, the cars really should be used, and there is nothing more I like to see on the road than a classic. I also like how everyone treats you while you are driving - with homage.
 
Mark,
Great pictures and what a place for a drive in a TR4. In '95 I spent 3 months driving around the States. Unfortunately I couldn't afford a Triumph for my trip, but bought an Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale. For a Scotsman that was almost as much of a thill as a TR! I had never seen anything so big before!
Yellowstone is an amazing place. Your pictures brought back many memories. I only saw 6 Triumphs on the road in over 14,000 miles that summer - 2 in Colorado and 4 in California. My dream is to bring my TR3 over to the States some time and re-visit many of the places I went to in '95.
Nick
 
Thank you guys for the nice comments on the trip. The car ran great at the elevation. Road is very narrow and twisty with a fair amount of traffic, so power was not all that important. The dash shaking was taken care of years ago by getting rid of the original chrome Phillips head screw connecting the support to the bracket. They cannot really be tightened properly so I used socket head bolts thick black washers and a lock nut, tightening to the point of almost twisting off the bolt. I used the socket head because I thought it looked nicer than a regular bolt. You're right, gotta keep stuff tight.

Heard the telltale thunk so I did manage to loosen one of the shocks though.
 
Good for you Mark. These things need to be driven like that. My wife and I did Beartooth Pass in a Porsche 914 many years ago and it was a great experience for me, terrifying for her since she was on the drop-off side. Would love to do it again. Had a great time in Wisdom, Montana.

Don't know if you remember, but we met at the Iola Old Car Show. You do get around, don't you?

Tom
 
Cheapsnake said:
Don't know if you remember, but we met at the Iola Old Car Show. You do get around, don't you?

Tom
Click to expand...

I wore my BCF T shirt and hung around a couple of Triumphs till you and Doyle showed up. I get to WI quite often.
 
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