Cosmic ray measurements obtained with integral detectors on Voyager 1 and 2 (Ep>70 MeV) moving toward the outer solar system and the earth-orbiting IMP 8 satellite (Ep>35 MeV) over the period late 1977 through mid-1982 are presented. During this period, Voyager 1 and 2 traversed the region from 1 to ~13 AU and ~10 AU, respectively, with little separation in heliolongitude; separation in heliolatitudde was also small (≲2¿) through the end of 1980, at which time the trajectory of Voyager 1 changed toward higher ecliptic latitudes. The following results have been obtained from comparisons of 27-day averages of the data: (1) there exists a positive radial intensity gradient gr~2-4%/AU, on the average, during this period; (2) the decrease in cosmic ray intensity toward solar maximum in 1980-1981 for both ground-based and spacecraft detectors proceeds in a stepwise fashion, with alternating periods of intensity ''plateau'' and ''steep decrease'' during which the gradient changes from ~0%/AU to ~8%/AU, respectively; (3) the cosmic ray minimum reached in late 1980/early 1981 appears nearly simultaneously (to within one solar rotation) at 1 AU and at ~10 AU, with and without correction for propagation time delay effects between IMP 8 and the Voyager spacecraft; (4) recurrent intensity enhancements appearing at both Voyager 1 and 2 at 6-10 AU are generally absent at 1 AU; (5) the data are generally cconsistent with a heliolatitudinal gradient of 0¿1%/deg, obtained from the periodic excursions of IMP 8 about the heliographic equator and the separation in latitude between Voyager 1 and IMP 8 of ~15¿ in 1982. The value of the intensity gradient is foundd to be generally consistent with that obtained by Pioneer 10 at ~23 AU around the same time but just prior to solar maximum. The implications of the results in the overall context of cosmic ray modulation theory are briefly pointed out.