day 139
crow indian reservation

"Here's a couple of kids who are doing what everyone should have done." -shirley.
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Mammoth Montana:
Nickname: Treasure State
Land Area: 145,556 sq. mi.
Highest Pt.: Granite Peak
Height: 12,799 ft.
Population: 886,400
Capital City: Helena
Largest City: Billings

Claim to Fame: Two years ago our friend Dean, the single firefighter, was flown into Northern Montana to fight the quickly spreading forest fires.

Dean must have worked his magic 'cause Montana's not burning now. Maybe they should send him to Sydney. In about three months, that is! (That's where we'll be!)


To find out more about Dean, check out Day 49.



Appliance Pun of the Day
Mel's Motor Mayhem:
We're starting to think that Mel came with a Power Save feature. We pulled off to the side of the road to check the tires, and Kev decided to take a break to play the Bubble game on the laptop. 15 minutes of idling, and Mel just shut himself off. Zoop. Just like that.

But, being the computer geniuses we are, we simply waited 30 seconds then rebooted and he worked just fine. Go Mel! Go Mel!

Only 9 More States To Go!

Tumbleweed: The Forgotten Victim
Jan 12 - In today's world, where technology abounds, it is incredible to think of what we have accomplished. However, sometimes in the wave of progress, a forgotten few are left behind.

Even today, unbenownst to most Americans, hundreds of thousands of the lowly tumbleweed are caught in barbed wire fences each year. Where once they roamed free across rolling hills and vast plains in the state of Montana, now they ley dormant, stuck in an impenetrable barricade.

I'm Aimee Lingman. Did you know that a single fence can stop up to 50,000 tumbleweeds in one season? Did you know that the average distance a tumbleweed can travel each year has decreased by nearly 94%? These once carefree and resilient wonders of nature are now confined generationally by a simple barbed wire fence.

They are prisoners.


Step 1: Location. The roadside is examined until your tumbleweed is found.

Step 2: Extraction. With care, your tumbleweed is removed from the barbed wire. Any lacerations or injuries are cared for.

Step 3: Release. Your tumbleweed is set free in a gusty open plain or roadway, ready to continue its journey.
These humble tumblers can only be saved through the financial support of someone like you. As human beings, active participants in this unfortunate tragedy, it is our duty to do what we can to rescue these poor creatures of the prairie.

For just $18.95 a day, you can give a tumbleweed freedom from captivity, a healthy pasture to roam on its own or with other tumbleweeds, and a chance at spreading life to the prairies again. But most of all, you can make a difference.

Adopt a tumbleweed today. With the money you send, a qualified, trained professional will be assigned to your tumbleweed, following it across the country to ensure its freedom. Should your tumbleweed become ensnared, the Tumbleweed Foundation is there to free it, help it, care for it, and send it on its way.

Each month, you will receive a photograph of your tumbleweed, along with a detailed map of its progress across Montana, the Dakotas and possibly even Alberta or Saskatchewan. This way, you'll know you've made a difference in one tumbleweed's journey.

You alone have the power to give a tumbleweed hope.

Please give generously.



mainly montana...




more photos in the archive...

Current Location
(get out your push pins)

Colstrip, MT

Next Stop: Little Bighorn

see the full map...

Today's Weather:
Excitedly Warm

Daily Stats
Distance:644.7km
Gas:$27.00

The Bubble Game...
Highest Score:322750
Lowest Score:22040
Winner:Kevin
Not the Winner:Aimee

Thanks Regent!


Thanks Shirley and family for letting us stay in your hunting lodge in Regent, North Dakota last night! We'll tell all our friends to drop by!


Bkfast: 
Shirley's Lodge
Regent
K's Order:Peaches & Cream Oatmeal
A's Order:Apple Oatmeal
Lunch: 
On the Road
Highway 12
Shared:Salsa & Nachos

Mom & Pop's
Road Stops


Kitch in Mexico
There's more than one Sea Shell City? I guess the quota is one per country.
Here's the
American version we
stumbled upon on Day 46.

That's the end of the line for Mom & Pop's Road Stops! They're safely nestled in their Morelia home, enjoying the sunshine and good food of Mexico. We'll see if we can catch them again in May for the return trip!

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© 2002. Kevin Beimers and Aimee Lingman. Bacon frying and Rice Krispies.