LEWIS, CLARK AND THOMAS IN MISSOULA

Missoula, where the wonderful poet, Richard Hugo taught. I'm at CyberQuest for $4.00 an hour at 821 S. Higgins Ave. I'm within 200 miles of home, but I'm too tired to make the last push. If I did try to get home tonight, my wife would be asleep anyhow, so I'm resting another night at a Super 8. Just ate at The Bridge. Ate eggplant with goat cheese, spinach, pine nuts, tomatoes and more trimmings. Ate Morel mushrooms, lightly sauted in white wine sauce and butter. Everything was so good that my driving dizziness is almost abated, but not quite.

Also found a cyber place in Bemidji. Called Cyberbug. They get $5 an hour for using their computers, but since I made my entry at Super 8's computer, I didn't need to make another entry this morning. I didn't intend to make this entry tonight. I intended to do it tomorrow, but this place doesn't open until 11 or noon every day and I want to be gone by eight tomorrow morning.


BETTER DRIVING THROUGH MONTANA

Well, I finally got what I expected of Route 2. Just west of Bemidji the road became four lanes for awhile and, then, when it wasn't four lanes, it was wide open sailing even on two lanes in Montana, just as I anticipated. Today's drive was wonderful, but from the moment I entered Glacier Park until I arrived Missoula, the drive turned damned bad. Slow drivers, rain, wet roads, dry roads, but the mountains on my left were wonderful. So good to be back in the Mountain West.

This morning though, the drive was through wide open country, piled high clouds of white to gray and blue skies peeking between the clouds. Three rain fronts appeared before me, left, right and center. Somehow, my route skated the edges, and I hit very few heavy rains until the mountains. Eighty to eighty-five mph for hours.


DON'T THEY KNOW?

Caught a glimpse of a household tip on the Weather Channel. The guy was recommending alarms to detect smoke and carbon monoxide. I could just see the poorest of us poor Americans being able to afford things like that. Then you gotta have batteries too. I remember when rich Americans were building backyard bomb shelters, and I knew that I couldn't even begin to afford such a thing. At the time, I noted that the rich were the ones pushing their weight around at the Russians. "What do they care," I thought, "if an atomic war starts. They've got their shelters!" I was pissed.


AIN'T WHORERALDO THE SHITS!

Caught a bit of Whoreraldo Rubyerrearo on Fox, live from Iraq. He was giving us news like, "We're doing the job here...." and "You know things aren't perfect...." This is what passes for news on Fox? I can hear opinions like that in any coffee shoppe in Des Moines or any city in America. And I wonder who arranges for the troopers to stand in a semi-circle behind him to give him an heroic backdrop for his bullshit? Goodness sakes, no wonder Fox watchers were caught by surprise by the happenings in Iraq! Is anybody but fools watching Fox news anymore?


BOWELS

I sure do know why many older folks become so very conscious of their bowels.


GODSTUFF

Compared to most churches in the north (except Mormon ones), southern churches look very rich. The Protestant priest caste down there sure have a vested interest in keeping the hypothesis of god alive in the imaginations of their followers. Man, religion is big business in the South. Those poor fools.

As I search through radio stations while I drive, I often come across religious stations. You always know when you hit one-the voices are so fake. And the ministry is always full of judgment, judging this bad or that good, and always exhorting people to become more and more perfect. No wonder southern religion creates so many folk who can identify with the paranoid scyzophrenic [sp-I suddenly can't spell it] who wrote the psalms. You always gotta feel bad about yourself, about your falling short of that damn Jesus guy. Yes, what would Jesus do? How can you act more like Jesus? Poor folk. Poor damned Bible reading folk.


RECALL DEER KILL, PENNSYLVANIA? NOW COMES CHRISTIAN KILL, MONTANA

If god did exist, it's obvious he doesn't like his followers in Montana. All along the highways are crosses, marking the spots where god killed his Christians (or allowed them to be killed) in auto accidents. As far as I can see, not one Jew or Moslem or Hindhu, not one agnostic or atheist or member of the Church of Divine Man has ever died in an auto accident in Montana. Nor any Wiccan or anyone of any religion but Christianity. Maybe we all ought to move up here where we'll be safe as can be in our cars while the Christians are killed like flies of a summer.


UNTIL THEN....

My next entries will be the normal kind, political and atheistic. Drove about 12000 miles, and I did the trip in 30 days and for close to three thousand dollars. I could have done better financially, but I got lazy toward the end and craved comfort. I needed to have planned better. Maybe next time....