WHILE TRYING TO MAINTAIN VFR; RPTR CLBED INTO THE PCA AT 19500 FT AND DEVIATED INTO R6406A.

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FLYING VFR AT 16500; NOTICED ALT SHOWED 19500 AVOIDING ENTERING CLOUDS ELUDING STORM. USED AUTOPLT TRIM. THE LARGE GAIN IN ALT WAS NOT INTENTIONAL. AS SOON AS CTR ASKED ME TO IDENT; I BEGAN AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT. AT HIGH SPD FOUND A HOLE AT LOWER ALT VFR AT ALL TIMES AND GOT UNDER THE STORM SYS. IN ORDER TO AVOID CLOUDS DEVIATED CLOSE TO SOMETIMES IN RESTR AREA. COULD NOT DEVIATE W BECAUSE OF THE IFR CONDITIONS IN THAT DIRECTION. CTL SWITCHED FROM ZLC TO CLOVER RANGE CTL. NO MENTION WAS MADE OF AN INFRACTION. THEY WERE ONLY HELPFUL SINCE I WAS UNDER CTL OR FLT FOLLOWING. I WRITE THIS BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE IF THE RESTR AREA WAS HOT. I HAD TO DEVIATE BECAUSE OF WX TO REMAIN VFR. IN FUTURE; IF FOR ANY REASON I SUSPECT THE WX TO DSND BEYOND ALT RESTRICTIONS I WILL TURN BACK OR HEAD DOWN BEFORE IT CAN BECOME A PROBLEM. MY ACFT IS PERFECTLY ABLE TO HANDLE HIGH ALT. IT IS CERTIFIED TO 24000 FT. I HAVE EXPERIENCED LARGE ALT CHANGES OVER THESE MOUNTAINS BEFORE; DESPITE HAVING THE PLANE ON AUTOPLT. IT WAS UNFORTUNATE TO HAVE IT HAPPEN SO QUICKLY IN THIS SITUATION. KNOWING IT CAN HAPPEN AROUND TSTM ACTIVITY I WILL TRY TO NAV AT LOWER ALTS UNDERNEATH; RATHER THAN OVER THE TOP. IN THE PAST I HAVE; BUT THIS TIME I DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE POSSIBILITY. I HAD BEEN AT 16500 ON A VFR FLT FOR OVER 1 HR WITHOUT INCIDENT.