FROM THE MIDDLE OF MONTANA
Greetings from the middle of Montana! To be more exact, I’m in a room at the Corral Motel in Harlowton and just out my window is a herd of about 30 goats. Watching them is relaxing; they just don’t give a damn.

From Twisp, WA. I continued down U.S route 97 to Waterville, WA. the home of Dan Augustson, owner of Elite Gallery and Gifts in Waterville, WA. I told earlier of having met his son, Chris on the road and his
hooking me up with his father to create some beautiful and unique trading chips (wooden business cards!) for me. As Waterville was about ten miles off my intended route down U.S. 97, Dan picked me up and took me to his shop where he and I came up with exactly what I wanted on my trading chips. Dan and his wife Debbie’s shop, Elite Gallery & Gifts are a very unique operation. His talents in woodworking are incredible! Their prices were so realistic I was truly astonished. The prices are reasonable enough that the extra costs of shipping would not be a deterrent to keep me from using them in the future over local gift shops in my area.  Both Dan and Debbie’s imagination and ability to come up with extremely unique and special gifts are also incredible! www.tradingchips.com. They had me over to their home for a wonderful grilled steak dinner! Dan’s son Chris came over and visited with me as well. Over their Elite Gallery & Gifts store was an apartment with all life’s wonderful conveniences which they offered me for the night! I had a nice desk from which to work on my laptop and the company of two wonderful cats, one of which insisted on sleeping on top of me.

The next morning Dan took me over to The Blue Rooster Restaurant for a wonderful breakfast. I met the owners, Bruce and Cathy Clark and gave them my card. Evidently Bruce had looked at my website while I was eating breakfast. As I tried to pay for my coffee refill, which he would not accept, he nodded toward his wife and said, “Steve… uh… we…. uh… uh… our son… he… uh…” I stopped him, I saw the tears in both their eyes, I said, “You do not have to go any farther, I know, I am so very sorry for your loss.” They took several pictures of me and they both hugged me repeatedly and thanked me for walking and for carrying my beautiful “LOVE LIFE” sign and for continually reminding everyone. They too have faced the horror, and they too… want no other parent to face that same horror! Dan’s wife drove me back to the highway and we had a wonderful conversation. Her sister had recently lost a son to suicide as well; she was very concerned for her and the way she was coping.

As I neared East Wenatchee, WA., a friend of Dan Auguston’s stopped and insisted on driving me around to different places so I could do some much needed shopping! Now that was awesome! What a wonderful person he was! He had been in a serious motorcycle wreck which left him with some neurological problems and caused him to take early retirement. He spoke of how it made him so much more appreciative of life and how it caused him to truly appreciate the “LOVE LIFE” sign over my head.

A couple days later as I walked down that lonely four lane and very busy highway, I heard to my right,  yelled very loud and energetically, “I love ya brother!” I looked up to see an arm waving vigorously as he sped past! I’m fairly certain it was Dan’s son Chris…. I love ya too brother!

In Pullman, Washington, the home of Washington State University, the sister city to Moscow, Idaho, the Moscow-Pullman Daily News covered the story of my walk through their area. Geoff Crimmins, the photo editor for the paper had called me earlier and gave me a two hour window of when he would show up to me photo me as I walked out of Pullman. I was walking along and heard from across the road, “you’re taking the wrong picture man!” I looked across to my right and there were two big burly guys still yelling, “No man, you’re taking the wrong picture man!” I looked up in front of me and there was Geoff  Crimmins taking pictures of me, running past him was an absolutely knock down gorgeous young blonde in skin tight pink shorts and tank top! I agreed with the two big burly guys… by the way.

Just south of Lewiston, Idaho, at a campground and river access, I approached a young man and woman who were next to their truck parked near the river. I approached them so as to ask them if there were a fee for camping in the area. I was new to Idaho and I always try to stick to the rules. I saw a bottle of whiskey on the tailgate of the truck and they sounded intoxicated. But I saw no one else nearby and so I decided to ask them. I said, “Hello, excuse me please.” The guy, who was about 25 to 30 and about 6’5” tall, turned and said, “Hi and goodbye!” “Oops”, I thought, “Wrong guy to ask!” As I was turning to leave, his girlfriend started to reprimand him for being rude to me. So the guy, trying to appease his girlfriend, made an attempt to be cordial, it was not a good attempt. He asked what it was that I had wanted. I told him never mind that it was no longer important and attempted to leave. He started yelling at me to tell him what I had wanted. Trying to appease him, I told him I had simply wanted to ask a question. He then said, “So, ask the fucking question!” And I said something I should not have said to a drunk man, “Sir, please do not speak to me in that tone of voice!” Well, he came at me full force and shoved me, 65 pounds of gear hanging on my back and all! Down I went, I didn’t have a chance with all that weight on my back, I felt like Humpty Dumpty! And like Humpty Dumpty, I couldn’t get back up again; I was strapped into all that weight. Then he towered over me yelling, “Love life huh, you don’t look like you’re fuckin’ lovin’ life now!” His girlfriend grabbed him and kept telling him to stop. Then I made another stupid mistake while lying there on my back totally helpless, I reached in my pocket for my cell phone! He grabbed my arm and the girlfriend took my phone. I do not remember ever feeling any more helpless in my life as I did in that moment. I begged for my phone back. I promised them that I would not call the police if they would only return my cell phone. My phone is my only connection when I’m out there on the road sometimes up to 50 miles away from anything; it has become very important to me. The girl eventually gave my phone back as she kept repeating that I had a problem and was a mental case. I did tell him that what he had just done was a very cowardly act! He just shrugged, I’m damn lucky he didn’t kill me; I was already on my back for saying something stupid!  They walked back over to their truck and left me alone. I was finally able to get my butt up off the ground. I didn’t seem to be hurt too badly, I had but a scratch on my elbow. The fall had broken my “LOVE LIFE” sign and the fiberglass rods which attached it to my backpack. And I had fallen right on top of my laptop which was packed in the back of the pack and so I was quite concerned about that.

I walked back toward the highway, trying to decide whether I should call the police or not. My dilemma being, these are the very type of individuals I want to help in life! I want to help and troubled youth, not get them in trouble! But as they were driving up the long gravel road toward the highway I decided I should call the police because of his drunken condition and it was my duty to get him off the road. I dialed 911 and gave the license number. They pulled them over while I was still on the phone with the dispatcher. Eventually, a deputy with the Nez Perce County, Idaho sheriff’s department, Jerry Florence, came out to Upper Hogg Island, the campground on U. S. routes 95 and 12 where it all happened. He interviewed me and took pictures of the tiny scratch on my elbow. He asked if I was hurt anywhere else and I told him, “Nowhere else except my pride and my feelings.” I couldn’t help it… I choked up. The deputy saw it at once and very compassionately asked, “Hey, you okay buddy?” I answered yes and got it together. He asked me to go with him to where two other officers, another deputy and an Idaho state trooper had the couple in custody so I could identify them. When we got there I identified them. The officers asked if I wanted to press charges and I told them I did not because I knew the DUI charges would be hard enough on him. The two officers who had arrested him nearly two hours before, looked dumbfounded! I asked, You did give him a sobriety test didn’t you?” They had not! I had explained to the dispatcher that the driver was very seriously intoxicated and yet he had not been tested! They immediately proceeded to test him and he passed! He drove away! As they were pulling past me, the young lady mouthed the words, “I’m sorry.” Jerry Florence whispered to me, “Maybe she’ll get rid of that idiot!” “I hope so” I said. Jerry drove me back to Upper Hogg Island and as I was getting out of the car he said, “That guy looked damned intoxicated to me, and he has a history of violence.” He also told me that because of what had happened, Idaho law says the guy would have to attend anger management classes.

The really good thing was, I was able to take the choice campsite my attacker had previously occupied and my laptop was just fine! The elbow healed in about a week, but it took a little longer for my hurt feelings. I had been bragging only that morning, “twenty three thousand miles and I have never received a scratch from anyone!” Hey, that’s still not a bad record though… huh? And please do not think badly of the people in Idaho, they treated me wonderfully! That unfortunate event could have taken place anywhere!

A man by the name of Chris Wise pulled up alongside me in his pickup and handed me a brown paper sack and said, “Here I saw ya and went home and fixed ya a “Scooby sack”. It had a sandwich, a banana, and some other healthy type snacks. I had never heard the term “Scooby sack” before? Walking through Idaho I just kept thinking of the movie, “A River runs through it”. The distance of the entire state on the route I walked, I had a river next to me. It was wonderful to watch how the state’s residents utilized this wonderful gift from nature. Every day I saw groups of people and families floating down the Clearwater River in their rubber rafts and inner tubes. They would fasten them all together and they would attach floating coolers for their beer, pop, and snacks . They just float along laughing and having a blast. And most waved vigorously when they spotted my sign! I loved it!

Just west of Orofino, ID. I stopped to pick some blackberries next to a highway pullover alongside the beautiful Clearwater River. Ron and Jane from Houston, Texas were already there picking the free bounty. Their travel trailer was parked in the pullover and they invited me in for some breakfast and coffee.
In a little restaurant not far out of Orofino, my waitress, Lisa, commented on how pleasing my “LOVE LIFE” sign was to her. She told me that when she was giving birth to her third child she contracted meningitis and went into a coma for weeks. After coming out of the coma she was left with memory problems. Problems so severe she was unable to return to her profession as a trauma nurse! She explained that she chose being a waitress because she was still able to interact with people. She said, “You can forget which way someone wants their eggs but not which medicine to administer!” She told me she missed being a nurse but that she enjoyed being a waitress very much. She told me that having her life, her children, and a wonderful and caring husband was the most important thing! It radiated from Lisa, she does indeed… “LOVE LIFE”!

Just past Orofino on U.S. route 12, a guy pulls over with his truck and travel trailer just in front of me. He walks up to me with a big smile on his face and says, “I remember you but I bet you don’t remember me.” I was shocked at myself but I did indeed remember him. I said, “You are the guy I met on U.S route 50 in the Nevada desert in 2001. You wrote an article about me for the paper you worked for, a Tacoma, Washington paper.” Neither of us could believe I remembered him. He explained that not only had he written about me for his paper, he had put me in his book. “In search of America’s Heartbeat” by Bob Mottram. Bob and his wife are now retired and they spend most of their time driving the back roads of America. They gave me some delicious cheese and wheat crackers for the road.  That night, I found a delightful little campsite right on the river. Just after I pitched my tent, a young man pulled in on his motorcycle to spend the night. He was a soldier named Stephen who was being sent to Afghanistan in September. He was currently on his way to the big annual bike gathering at Sturgis, South Dakota. He was from Buffalo, NY but was stationed in Washington. He gave me one of his military issue MRE’s. I love them, but they are too heavy and too expensive for me to carry. We sat and talked a long time as we ate our delicious prepackaged meals. Stephen was nice company for the evening. The next morning as he was pulling out on his bike he yelled to me, “Thanks for helping other people!” what a fine young man! I told him my thoughts and prayers would be with him. He said he would stay in contact with me from Afghanistan

Greta, a senior at the University of Montana studying to be a photo journalist stopped on her way back to school in Missoula. She took lots of pictures and shared her fresh cherries and smoked almonds with me. She found a couple envelopes and put small amounts in them for herself and insisted on giving me the larger remaining portions. She was a beautiful young lady with a beautiful smile! I love young people! My little girl was beautiful and had a beautiful smile.

Just outside of Missoula, Montana, Mike stopped on his bike. He had already pedaled from Portland, Oregon and was on his way to Ney York City. He said he had seen a newspaper article about me in the Orofino, Idaho newspaper. We talked for a little while and then Mike rode off. About an hour or so after Mike left, I looked up in front of me and the sky was completely black! Lightening started flashing and each time it flashed it seemed to be getting closer to me! I’ve been in a lot of storms, but this one was looking much uglier than most! Just as the huge rain drops started to hit me I bowed my head and said, “Father, this is an excellent opportunity for you to prove that old adage, God takes care of babies and fools!” I looked up and a new Toyota Land Cruiser had pulled over in front of me! It was two young ladies from Spokane, Washington and both were yelling for me to hurry up and get in! Just as I got me and all my gear in the sky just opened up! Rain, snow, hail, you name it, it all came down! We had to pull over twice and wait for it to subside. The slush was at least 8 inches deep on the road with a solid sheet of ice under it! That four wheel drive vehicle was sliding all over the place! In about a five mile stretch, you could barely see! I asked my rescuers to look out for Mike on his bicycle; I was really concerned for him. The hail was doing damage to the vehicle I was sure. The driver told me she had bought a whole sack of Arby’s roast beef sandwiches at Missoula and I was welcome to the rest of them… wow! They were still hot! God, did they taste good! The storm subsided some and I asked them to drop me off at Stoney’s Conneco station, about twelve miles from where they had rescued me. Mike was there, he said he had just made it in under the protective canopy of the gas station when the storm hit. It continued for a couple of hours with lots of hail and rain but it never did get as bad there as it was when it hit me earlier. I was telling the two cashiers at Stoney’s about the severity of the storm and they both said that was normal weather for Montana. Three people behind me said they were from that area and they had never seen anything like it before! And particularly not in August! The people at Stoney’s were wonderful to all of his waiting out the storm. There were several couples on motorcycles whom had sought refuge in the remote gas station as well. We drank a lot of coffee.

Just south of the Bob Marshal Wilderness in the Blackfoot drainage area, Inky Ford and Daniel Gallachei stopped to talk. Inky was very excited as she had heard my story on a podcast of the NPR “Hearing Voices” program. We talked for quite a while; Daniel asked that I keep in my thoughts, his son who was having problems. Inky was the first person I encountered who had heard my story on NPR.

I stopped at the Stray Bullet Soup and Sandwich Shop in Ovando, Montana and ate one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten in my entire life!! And that includes New York City deli’s…. I kid you not! I gave my card to the really cool waitress and she and Kathy from next door at the Blackfoot Angler went on line and checked out my website while I was eating that monster sandwich. The waitress came over and told me that Kathy insisted on paying for my meal!

The next day, Sunday, The Mannix family stopped and insisted I take the halves of two sandwiches they were unable to finish fro their earlier lunch in town. They were sandwiches from the Stray Bullet! They had driven like 30 miles to eat there! They told me that the land on both sides of the road where I was walking belonged to the Mannix family. A few hours later, I stopped at a house to ask for water, the name on the mailbox was Mannix. It was the home of Dave Mannix, brother to the other Mannix I had met earlier. Not only did Dave give me water, he invited me into his beautiful home and his wife cooked me up two hamburgers and put together a big sack of food for me for the road! The Mannix family of Montana does not want anyone leaving their area hungry! The next day as I was walking past one ranch I saw a big Black Angus bull which had come up lame. As I neared the house I spotted a man walking toward his truck and yelled at him. I told him of the bull and he sent his daughter and a friend to check on it. His name was Paul and he wanted to hear my story. His friend Wayne stopped by and the three of us talked and had a beer. Paul offered to let me spend the night in one of his out buildings but it was too early yet. A big pronghorn antelope stood within 50 feet of me and seemed to be posing. He even stepped toward me to try to figure out what I was. I lifted up my camera phone to capture the wonderful moment…. My battery was dead! Ever hear an antelope laugh. Charlene stopped to take my picture. We talked of her bipolar son and the importance of loving life!

Walking through Helena, a man walked up behind me and inquired how far I was walking. I told him my story he introduced himself as Sam, wished me well and walked down a side street. Later that evening, someone yelled at me, it was Sam getting out of a car from across the street. In his hand was a large sack of food! He said, “God bless you!” And then he was gone. In East Helena after I had pitched my tent and made camp I was approached by a police officer and an auxiliary officer saying they had been informed by a concerned citizen that someone was camping there. He told me that on occasion, there were undesirables who frequented the spot and consumed their beer. I told him that I had just picked up all the beer cans and other trash and showed him the sacks I had put it all in. The officer looked at my card and told me he had seen me walking earlier and was convinced I was not an axe murderer or anything. He said that it was city property I was on and as long as I left the next morning, he saw no problem with me staying. As they were walking off through the trees I heard him say to the auxiliary officer, “I wonder why the concerned citizens didn’t clean up the place?” That made me smile.

In White Sulfur Springs, Montana I met Lisa out on the road and we talked at length. I mentioned to her that my right foot had been bothering me a lot and was quite painful sometimes. About an hour later as I was standing in a local convenience store getting ready to pay for my purchases, Lisa walked in. She handed me two shoe inserts for the heels she had been given by a doctor. She explained that they would act as shock absorbers and help relieve the pain. Now was that sweet or what!! I have been using them and they seem to be helping.

just outside of White Sulfur Springs I saw a beautiful lake and it looked like camping might be allowed there. I spotted a travel trailer camped there and  I approached it to inquire whether it was free camping or not. Felix came out of the trailer and we started talking. He told me there were no fees and he and his wife Mary had been there for a week. He invited me inside to meet his wife Mary and fixed me some chili. They were from a little town in Arizona called Baghdad. Felix started quoting poetry for me. He quoted several poems and a couple Robert Service poems, including the Ballad of Sam McGee! He quoted them all word for word! His wife Mary seemed to enjoy it just as much as I did. He recited them beautifully and passionately! It was wonderful! What an entertaining evening, on a beautiful Montana lake surrounded by mountains and listening to wonderful poetry! Beats the hell out of television!