MT-200 becomes MT-200S (go 44.33 miles) Merge onto I-94 E via the ramp on the left (Passing through NORTH DAKOTA, then crossing into MINNESOTA). (go 614.34 miles)
As it turns out, this was a surprisingly accurate description of what we did. The parts of North Dakota lying along I-94 is flat, boring, and flat. We couldn’t wait to get through it, and we're so glad it's behind us. Tonight we're staying in Minneapolis and then heading to Chicago tomorrow! Thank God for civilization and areas with Verizon Wireless Card access :)
Day 2. We went hiking to see Avalanche Lake in the morning before hitting the road again.
We have a Disney marathon, and one of the songs is the theme from Duck Tales. This makes me extremely giddy and happy for the duration of the 3 minute song, but I’m less thrilled that it’s still stuck in my head two days later. Damn it… East of Glacier National Park, Montana is much more visibly impoverished. The areas surrounding the Indian reservations are particularly painful to drive through. Meth (a drug I’d been completely unaware was a huge problem in the U.S. until now) is a huge problem, and there are signs everywhere about it. A deserted house by the side of the road says: “Tired, broken, and torn/Meth leaves you utterly alone.” Scary.
Montana calls itself the Big Sky State. For good reason:
Sunday night, Em and I were looking for some Montanans to play beirut with in Glasgow, and the folks at the hotel we were staying at directed us to a local haunt called The Crossing. We didn’t get to play beirut, but we did have a truly memorable conversation with Mitch “The Bitch”, a 44-year old divorcee with two kids and long-time resident of Glasgow. A few highlights:
Emily: We’re driving cross-country from Seattle to Washington, D.C. Mitch: Damn, that’s a long way. Why the fuck would you stop in Glasgow? Emily: Well, it’s the biggest thing between here and the North Dakota border. Mitch: I just got back from Minnesota, camping with my kid and his boy scout troop. I went because they told me there would be brownies, but we got there and it was the kind you eat, not the kind with skirts, and I was disappointed…[Referring to Montanans] They don’t call us perverts…but it’s close. Bartender: Speak for yourself, Mitch. Mitch: I am. *** Mitch: So where are you from? Emmy: I’m from Tokyo. Mitch: Toe-key-oh? Isn’t that in China or something? Emmy: Actually, it’s in Japan. Mitch: Wow. You really must’ve gone to college. Emily: Ask her to say something in Japanese, she’s fluent. Mitch: Oh yeah? How do you say, “Oh shit, a mushroom cloud!”? *** Mitch: So where are you staying? Emily: Cottonwood Suites. Mitch: Oh, the most expensive place in town. (Note: Double rooms at said establishment are $78 / night) Emmy: Well, all of the other places were full. Mitch: Next time, you should just call me and stay on my couch. Make me a hero. You could write in your diary, “having sex with an old man isn’t so bad.”
Emily picks me up at 8AM. We pack away my stuff, and we’re off!!!
Western Montana is one of the most beautiful parts of the U.S.
Emily’s car is a 1995 Honda Civic. It’s antenna has seen better days, and the amount of tape keeping it attached to the car grows every time we stop:
As we enter Montana, Emily flips through our U.S. atlas (published in 2002—we figured not much could’ve changed, right?) to see how to get to Glacier National Park and turns to me. Emily: I don’t know how to tell you this, but this atlas is missing everything between Minnesota and Nebraska. So we actually don’t have a map of Montana. Emmy: Do we really need a map of Montana to get through it? Emily: I guess not.
Afternoon of Day 1, Emily tries beef jerky for the first time. She’s a convert :)
There are many Bible camps in Idaho and Montana. And even more churches. Bumper stickers speak to the religiosity of these areas as well: “Authentic marriage: one man and one woman.” Hmm.
Glacier National Park is breathtakingly beautiful. We tried bison, elk, and venison at dinner (take-away: all sausage tastes basically the same); enjoyed some huckleberry soda (not notably excellent in any way), and passed out as the sun set over the mountains and Lake MacDonald outside our window at the Village Inn--an establishment that's been around since the 1890s!
