Missoula, Montana

I made it back into civilization after a long haul through both the Dakotas (North Dakota was one of two states I had yet to be in until yesterday-Hawaii is the other) and The Badlands. Otter, who I've been traveling with the past four days, has an annual National Park pass so we explored the valleys, buttes, and spires. We also crept up to the Crazy Horse monument (still in construction of course) and Mt. Rushmore. We saw both of these monuments without paying since they are easily visible from the narrow road that leads to them. I never thought dead presidents (and one time slave owners) could look so beautiful, but the sculptural detail and smoothness is inspiring. Only the roughest profile of Crazy Horse has been completed thus far.

The sun was going down as we traveled along Highway 12 heading west and many of the campgrounds (some that are BLM land and free to access) were flooded by the Yellowstone River which rose significantly due to all the rain this area has had in the last week. We saw a little camp sign off the highway in the small (small is an overstatement) town of Custer in the vast state of Montana. We pulled off and found the camping sign plastered to the side of a small cafe/bar in the middle of nowhere.

We went inside to discover an inviting place with a wrap around bar, a big pool table and smaller tables (outfitted with chairs on wheels, like the ones used in an office) were lining the wall. There was a group of four at one of the tables that turned when we walked in, but only in a "who are they?" kind of way. "Camping"i.e. parking behind the cafe and sleeping in the big grassy, un-mowed field was $10. We took it. It was a clear night and we really wanted to stretch out on the grass as opposed to sleeping in my car. A pitcher of Sam Adams was $8 so we split that and ended up hanging out there with the locals well into the night. I ended up playing pool with a guy named Dudley, who also told me all of his DUI stories and how he doesn't go into Billings anymore because of them, who, of course, beat me because he works in the kitchen at the bar and plays pool most nights. Otter, being clever enough to bring in his carved feathers (which he had made into necklaces and earrings), ended up selling all of them for $300 to one of the women sitting at the big table who owns a museum gift shop an hour away.

I also managed to get great content for my film by interviewing Gabe Scheiot, a rancher in his mid twenties who had moved back to Custer from the city. He had a lot of opinions, information, and interesting experiences dealing Facebook and social media. This was particularly interesting because there were a lot of people in the same bar who honestly didn't know what Facebook or Twitter was. Gabe also had a lot of thoughts about the city and is certain they will be the first places to perish which is why he's back in Custer and back to the land before it's too late.

It was a great night hanging out with some hicks and cowboys who were nonjudgmental and inviting. I also had a great night of sleep despite the chill in the air and woke up to the bright sun in my eyes, which, as everyone who has camped out knows, there is no other feeling like it.  Otter and I spent all today driving sleepily through Montana, only stopping a few time to switch off the wheel, get gas and coffee, and to take a quick nap. We pulled into Missoula an hour or so ago and it being a hip college town we found a great cafe to hang out in. It's drizzly and gray outside and there's no better place for me to be right now then in a cozy coffee shop and sitting at a big wooden table loading tapes and catching up on this blog (which I am certain I am the only one reading:).

Being on the road creates a little bit of a challenge to keep up on the news, but I've managed to read a few papers here and there. I read about the slaughter of protestors in Syria earlier today. This situation is out of control and I, and I'm sure all of you, hope the revolutionaries of Syria keeping pushing forward despite the brutality of President Bashar Assad.

Back to traveling and film news: I am on route to Kelowna, BC where I will be interviewing Gord Hotchkiss. In the meantime, I have collected very interesting material in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Custer, Montana. I'm planning on talking to people here in Missoula in the morning if we spend the night. Then we'll be moving onward to the best part of the Rocky Mountains in Montana (which are still snow capped), Idaho, and then Washington State. I will drop Otter anywhere he wants to go in Spokane, Washington where he is planning to meet up with friends for the gathering which has moved to Southern Washington. I will then make my way north (only 5 or 6 hours) to Kelowna, British Columbia (yes, back to Canada) then right to Vancouver, BC and then right to Portland Oregon where I will be meeting up with my good friend Erica Russo from Brooklyn who has been on a West Coast music tour, and who is also featured in the film. I will be taping her show at The Hawthorne Theater in Portland on June 23.

Further destinations include: San Francisco, Sacramento, and Palo Alto. Hopefully I will be able to sell the car in one of these cities because I fly to Amsterdam from San Francisco on June 28!

Stay tuned...More (hit or mis) adventures promised.