Builds Project Pikachu: 1977 FJ40 (19 Viewers)

[cbmontgo]

We drove north on 191 and arrived in Jackson for an early lunch. Had a beer and tacos at a really cool little Asian BBQ joint. It was overpriced, but we were in Jackson after all. This town is a strange mix of flashy trust funder wannabes and non-flashy, underdressed trust funders. That pretty much it. But I'd live here in a heartbeat if you bought me a place.

Spent an hour hanging out with two secret service agents who were big FJ40 fans. Guess they needed a distraction from Jerome Powell for a bit. Sounds like the Fed was in town.

The Tetons.

 

[cbmontgo]

Wes and I had talked about maybe getting to Yellowstone if we had the energy to get that far north. By this point, Jackson was only about 60 miles from the south entrance. So, we pushed north and caught Old Faithful right on time.

It was really a thrill driving the 40 in Yellowstone.

 

[cbmontgo]

So the burn ban which was now in place was very limiting. We learned that a Stage 1 ban in Wyoming means that fires are allowed only in developed campgrounds, which are not really our style. However, we found some good middle ground: these canvas wall tents were for rent in Teton National Park with fire pits. Had steaks over the fire again and the weather was perfect. Did have a bat flying around the tent all night and two bears stopped by, but no one bit anyone.

Alas, we needed to start heading back south if we were gonna make it back to Laramie by Thursday. So we headed southeast at Moran and took Highway 287 towards Dubois.

Cowboy Cafe (in Dubois) and their legendary chicken fried steaks did not disappoint.

Next up was a pay a visit to the Rustic Pine Tavern. These Wyoming beer joints are something else.

And as we walked out, we met a local celebrity who owns a 40. It was a 1964 model running a 327. He said that the original owner ordered it and had the dealer install that engine before it left the showroom floor. He invited us to stay at their ranch, but we reluctantly had to keep moving. Would have been great if this had worked out.

Just outside of town is this new and privately owned hidden gem: the National Museum of Military Vehicles. We slammed on the brakes and turned in for a tour. Place was unreal. I would say this is a must-see if you are ever in the area.

I need to get back to this town.

 

[thatcabledude]

What an epic trip.

 

[clrussell]

What an epic trip.

This^^

 

[1lukeduke]

So the burn ban which was now in place was very limiting. We learned that a Stage 1 ban in Wyoming means that fires are allowed only in developed campgrounds, which are not really our style. However, we found some good middle ground: these canvas wall tents were for rent in Teton National Park with fire pits. Had steaks over the fire again and the weather was perfect. Did have a bat flying around the tent all night and two bears stopped by, but no one bit anyone.

View attachment 3983447
View attachment 3983448

Alas, we needed to start heading back south if we were gonna make it back to Laramie by Thursday. So we headed southeast at Moran and took Highway 287 towards Dubois.

Cowboy Cafe (in Dubois) and their legendary chicken fried steaks did not disappoint.

View attachment 3983449

Next up was a pay a visit to the Rustic Pine Tavern. These Wyoming beer joints are something else.

View attachment 3983450

And as we walked out, we met a local celebrity who owns a 40. It was a 1964 model running a 327. He said that the original owner ordered it and had the dealer install that engine before it left the showroom floor. He invited us to stay at their ranch, but we reluctantly had to keep moving. Would have been great if this had worked out.

View attachment 3983451

Just outside of town is this new and privately owned hidden gem: the National Museum of Military Vehicles. We slammed on the brakes and turned in for a tour. Place was unreal. I would say this is a must-see if you are ever in the area.

View attachment 3983455View attachment 3983456View attachment 3983457

I need to get back to this town.

This is what 40’s were supposed to do. Adventure!!! Love it.

 

[middlecalf]

What a trip! Thanks for sharing.

In 1990 I moved from Wichita Ks to Seattle, and on the drive there in mid-April IIRC I thought it would be cool to drive up through Yellowstone from the Denver area (my parent’s home). I was in my Porsche 944, not a Land Cruiser . I stopped in Dubois for the night, had dinner at the Cowboy Cafe (don’t recall what I had though), and walked around the deserted (why?) town a bit before venturing into a small fly shop that was open. Started chatting with the proprietor and another local and came to realize that the reason the town was deserted was because it was still winter! there and the road north (26/287) was still closed, until the next day! I was probably the first car through that “spring” the next morning, snowbanks as high as a double decker bus and bison walking up/down the highway cuz’ it was the only thing plowed and accessible for them other than snowmobile trails and frozen waterways. Didn’t even think to check this out first, and I grew in the mountains of Colorado . Duh! Diatribe over, but thanks for the memories of Dubois and the cafe (didn’t make it to any bars though).

 

[cbmontgo]

What a trip! Thanks for sharing.

In 1990 I moved from Wichita Ks to Seattle, and on the drive there in mid-April IIRC I thought it would be cool to drive up through Yellowstone from the Denver area (my parent’s home). I was in my Porsche 944, not a Land Cruiser . I stopped in Dubois for the night, had dinner at the Cowboy Cafe (don’t recall what I had though), and walked around the deserted (why?) town a bit before venturing into a small fly shop that was open. Started chatting with the proprietor and another local and came to realize that the reason the town was deserted was because it was still winter! there and the road north (26/287) was still closed, until the next day! I was probably the first car through that “spring” the next morning, snowbanks as high as a double decker bus and bison walking up/down the highway cuz’ it was the only thing plowed and accessible for them other than snowmobile trails and frozen waterways. Didn’t even think to check this out first, and I grew in the mountains of Colorado . Duh! Diatribe over, but thanks for the memories of Dubois and the cafe (didn’t make it to any bars though).

That's a great story. That road north out of Dubois is a legit mountain highway. It was such a pretty drive that I didn't think to take a single picture the whole stretch from Moran to Dubois.

 

[cbmontgo]

From Dubois we headed to Lander. This was an interesting drive, with the look of a mix of Utah desert and Colorado mountains.

Once in Lander, we needed to get our bearings on what to do next. I wanted to head west into the Popo Agie Wilderness and camp, but the weather was quickly turning to rain. So, we parked at the nearest curb and right there was a place called the Lander Bar. The thought was that this might be a good place to pause and make the call on whether to hotel it or not.

This bar is pretty much all locals. We sat next to three really cool oilfield guys who probably intended to have just one beer and head home. I guess that was our intent as well, and this place pretty much sucked us in with dice games and way too much beer flowing. We all started talking/bullshitting, Robbie fell in love with the bartender, questionable stories started erupting, and the next thing we know it is night time.

Somewhere in the mix, we walked next door and had dinner at Lander Brewing, but ended up back at the Lander Bar. Robbie made the decision to leave very easy when he fell asleep in his seat. Luckily, we booked a motel next door and it was a short walk.

The beers here are good. I think we tried all of them.

 

[cbmontgo]

The next morning, it was time to get on the road and back to dirt.

So I'd read about a couple of cool ghost towns just on the south end of the Winds and Popo Agie. Atlantic City was one of these, and we really wanted to check it out.

Sure enough, there is a cool forest service route that pretty much connects Lander to Atlantic City. Got on the topo and headed out.

 

[cbmontgo]

We found Atlantic City in a light rain and parked by a place called The Atlantic City Mercantile.

Robert Redford stated in The Outlaw Trail, "There is only one hub of activity in Atlantic City. It is the Mercantile, and combination bar and general store where one can get any supplies needed to survive or thrive".

That was pretty much true. It must have been the only place open for lunch for 50 miles. We had some decent burgers and checked the place out. Aside from La Kiva in the earlier days of Terlingua, this is one of the coolest places I've had a beer.

The bartender was one of the strangest folks I've met in a long time, but we enjoyed chatting it up with him. Sat in a corner by an old cash register and chainsmoked Marlboro Reds.

 

[cbmontgo]

From here, it was a cannonball run to find the next place to stay for the night. We left Atlantic City in the rain and headed south.

We were hoping to find a spot to camp in the totally unknown (at least to us) Granite Mountains, but the rain was relentless. Before we knew it, we were in Rawlins and in a bit of a "dead zone" of things to do in the state. It finally made sense to get some dinner in town and head back to Laramie the next morning, completing a 1,100-mile loop through Wyoming.

This was the last pic that I took, eastbound on I-80 outside of Laramie. It was a heck of a trip. Both FJ40s ran flawlessly. I continue to be so impressed with the capability of these rigs and the experiences they create.

I bet this old rig never knew it would live an entire second life after it was tossed into a barn in Mississippi 30 years ago.

 

[Andrew S]

Awesome trip, and awesome storytelling.

What kind of distances do you average each day in an FJ40? I would suspect slightly less than a typical day in a modern 4x4?

 

[cbmontgo]

Awesome trip, and awesome storytelling.

What kind of distances do you average each day in an FJ40? I would suspect slightly less than a typical day in a modern 4x4?

Thank you.

A trip in an FJ40 is much more tiresome than a modern 4x4 in my opinion. Anything over 150-200 miles in a day is pretty tough. I think the sweet spot for a road trip would be 100 miles per day with a stop or two.

I’ll say this…the hand throttle that I installed earlier this year was a game changer on those long, flat roads.