Day 7 - We Are Good Boys

Today, we were good boys. We got up late, after a nice, but late, visit from friends last night, watched CBS Sunday Morning (it comes on earlier here), then went to church. Now, that's being good! Not only that, we stayed and ate Tacos in support of the youth fundraiser for Choteau Unitied Methodist. We sat with the minister and were exemplary in our conduct.

Following church, and helping the nice lady next door move her refrigerator so she could clean behind it, we drove down the scenic Teton Canyon Road, which takes us directly into the Rocky Mountains. These pictures show us at the end of Teton Canyon Road directly in front of one of the main landmarks in Choteau, Ear Mountain.

We visited a local Roanoke, VA resident, Ellen Aiken, at her beautiful home on the front and the end of Teton Canyon Road

We've taken a "before" picture of Lizzy, the great cross-country car of travel. Tomorrow, she gets a well-earned shower before taking us to Shelby, MT on Tuesday (assuming we can find a driver) to meet the train to our next destination, Milwaukee.

Topics discussed today:

The sermon

The Good Samaritan (we decided if we could find someone almost dead along the road, we'd be Good Samaritans)

We also have a PS from yesterday, when we visited Glacier National Park. On the way up 89 towards Browning, MT, we looked over into one of the many gigantic hay fields bordering the road and saw a very large Bald Eagle flying right towards us. Jim was calm but Harry was ecstatic!

Harry says: Good night Beth

Jim says: Good night Mary Lou and Mac

Day 6 - Choteau Where Life is Good!!

Last night, we had dinner at John Henry's with Mike Maples, a friend of Harry's, and his wife and son. Pizza was on the menu and the beer was good!

Today was tour day. Hey, Harry was on this trip!!!!We drove to Glacier National Park and were dazzled by beautiful views of the snow covered Rockies. Lunch at Two Medicine Grill in East Glacier, and back to Choteau and the bikes.

A relaxing day in beautiful country.

Downtown Choteau (Main Ave.)

Today, we discussed:

The origin of the world

The aroma of the cattle feed lot

Native American culture

Prohibition

Harry says: Goodnight Beth

Jim says: Goodnight Mary Lou and Mac

Day 5 - A Day in Choteau

A good night's sleep in Choteau was really needed, and gotten. Today was a day of figuring out how to fix the coffee, deciding on breakfast, meeting some Choteau friends, doing laundry, and most important of all, getting out the bikes!

Yep, we did the laundry......

Then, we got out the bikes.......

Topics of discussion today:

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Harry says: Goodnight Beth

Jim says: Goodnight Mary Lou and Mac

Day 4 - We've Arrived Safely!!

We are now aware that we have 1's of blog fans - lots of anonymous comments and responses, phone calls of love and support, and that generally good, warm feeling that comes from being loved and respected by the throngs. Thanks to all of you for the love and care you've shown on our excellent adventure across what seems like the entire US of A, including Alaska and Hawaii.

We did arrive safely in Choteau, MT about 6:15 PM local time, a short trek of about 2263.4 miles. Our car, Lizzy, performed flawlessly, and we now call her home (minus the bathroom). Our butts are firmly imprinted on the seats.

Today, we started our journey in Spearfish, SD, a truly toddling town, home of we're not sure what. Heading through northwest SD, WY, and in to the great state of MT, we saw, guess what - lot's and lot's of snow. But the closer we got to Choteau, the less snow we saw. But that's not to say there isn't any snow in Choteau. It was pretty well dark upon arrival, so we're really not sure.

Life with Jim is REALLY exciting.......

There are a bunch of windmills at Judith Gap, MT.......

Today's topics of discussion:

Obama's Health Care Summit

Investment strategies

Religion (who is God)

Music

Abortion Rights

You see, we were running out......

Harry says: Goodnight Beth

Jim says: Goodnight Mary Lou and Mac

Day 3 of the Excellent Adventure

Well, here we are in Spearfish, SD. The past 10 hours were a blur of snow (on the ground, not falling) and cold. Everyone who thinks they know what nine below zero feels like, raise your hand. Well you are wrong, it will take your breath away. We quickly left a beautiful motel in Sioux City, IA and traveled across South Dakota.

We experienced the true magic of the Mitchel, SD Corn Palace. The Corn Palace is a basketball gym and meeting center covered in ears of corn and corn husk. You really have to see it! We will never eat another ear of corn without thinking of it.

On to Murdo, SD, for lunch. The waitress made fun of our accent. She didn't believe y'all was a real word!! But Harry connected with her with "you betcha".

Stopped in Sturgis, SD for a quick picture and on to Spearfish, SD for the night.















Some comments about Jim Lewis: Jim is a lot older than Harry, so he needs a lot of heat in the room and some help getting out of the car. Harry constantly gives him advice about the "lady talking from the GPS", convincing him as often as possible that she really isn't the "she-devil" talking to him.

Topics of discussion today:
Health Care (solved)
College Sports
Investment strategies
Motorcycles
dogs (Mac)
Religion
Lewis and Clark


Good night Beth
Good night Mary Lou and Mac

Day 2 of the Excellent Adventure

How far is it to Montana? Nobody knows for sure but it is a long way from Virginia. We drove and drove and drove and tonight, we are about half way (1,200.3 miles). Nothing of consequence happened today. We escaped from the America's Best Value Inn without any personal damage.













Passed by the arch in St Louis and ate lunch with our "trip weather adviser",













Dick Williams and his wife, a friend of Harry's. Some very interesting folks that added to our adventure.











We saw a flock of what we believe to be Canadian snow geese, that were quite impressive.












We have snow (on the ground-not falling) in the flat lands of Missouri and Iowa and cold winds.

Tomorrow will be below zero. We can't wait!!!! We love cold weather so much!!!!

We have been tolerating each other very well. We spend the day in the car a foot apart and sleep in the same room. However, one more day and we may have to evoke one of John Wesley's rules that states one should not drink to excess unless it was absolutely necessary. Tomorrow, by God, it may be necessary.



And the wide Missouri.......










Topics of discussion today:
National Health Care
Tiger Woods
High finance
Religion
Meteorology
Mac
Our Children
Politics
Lewis and Clark

Harry says: Goodnight Beth
Jim says: Goodnight Mary Lou and Mac

Day 1 of the Big Adventure

Mac thought he was going also......

It was a warm, but turning cold, rainy day as we sped through West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and in to Illinois - a total of about 631.3 miles. We have nested at Mt. Vernon, IL, in the lovely (sleeziest) Americas Best Value Inn ($41), a hotel that technology has left behind in its wake. After several hours we outsmarted them, by-passing their s&*$ty internet, and are connected in a new and top secret way.

The most exciting thing we saw today......

Harry says: Goodnight Beth
Jim says: Goodnight Mary Lou and Mac

Getting Ready to Go

Beth's been messing with our blog. This is her post:

In the last four days, Grandma's car, "Lizzie," has had an oil change, a radiator flush, a "fix" for a transmission fluid leak, and four new tires in preparation for her cross-country trip to her new home in Choteau. Although it's below freezing here in Blue Ridge this morning, we pulled her in the garage and did a thorough inside cleaning; the outside will have to wait for a warmer day.

Harry and Jim have purchased their return tickets and have almost finalized their itinerary. However, with the amount of snow that's hit the southeast in the last weeks, they may need to head north to escape the bad weather.

The final countdown to leaving has begun!