In September 2000, I went back to Montana for the first time since 1995 and kept this trip log. Start at the bottom and read up. Saturday, September 23 9:59 pm cdt I'm safely home in Kansas City. I was violently sick last night and I'm not feeling too well tonight... either it was a peach soda I tried to guzzle before bed or, annoyingly, giardia. That'll teach me to drink out of waterfalls! Thanks for following along during my expedition to Montana. Even though my web site will become significantly less picturesque for a while, you're invited to check in regularly for post-vacation, normal-life updates. Friday, September 22 8:03 pm mdt We hiked into Swartz Lake this morning. We used to get to it by starting at the end of the road by Kicking Horse Job Corps. There is a locked gate there now, and the road has been bulldozed at that point. Shawn and I took a risk and hiked past the "Closed by Order of Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes" signs. The hike was pleasant, and South Crow Creek was recharged by the snowfall this week. But it wasn't the same without Baron to blaze the trails for us. Today I packed my suitcase and shipped two large boxes of goodies and souvenirs at Mailboxes Etc. so I don't have to carry them on the plane. Be sure to track my flights tomorrow at Trip.com: MSO-SLC (12:15 mdt-1:32 mdt): Delta 3924 SLC-MCI (2:35 mdt-5:53 cdt): Delta 1802 One last picture before I'm back in Kansas City. This one is dedicated to everyone who knows "America the Beautiful" by heart, but can't relate to all of the words. Thanks, Lord, for America's spacious skies, amber waves of grain, and fruited plain. But most of all, thank you for... Thursday, September 21 8:28 pm mdt Jim and Auggie Peterson represent the reason Scouting has been successful in the United States for nearly 100 years. They gave up many vacations and evenings together, but on those Grizzly Base campouts and during those Tuesday meetings, Jim gave each of us an example of how a boy can grow up to be a man. These days, we need as many good examples of that as we can find. Thank you, Jim and Auggie, for the knots and pickup rides, the checks and grocery trips, the Dutch oven roasts and wall tents, the humor and the stern advice. All of the Eagle Scouts you guided will make sure your dedication is never taken for granted. 4:24 pm mdt Western Montana was under a winter storm advisory this morning. I drove through a snowstorm on the way to Helena, and the mountains have glistening snow at their peaks. Thanks to my favorite radio station, KALS in Kalispell, for still being here. And to the brand new 96.3, The Blaze, in Missoula, that kept my trip rockin'. Wednesday, September 20 8:21 pm mdt Clinton, Shawn and I spent a full day in Glacier. Despite the fact that we're all Eagle Scouts, we weren't completely prepared for the snowstorm that started at the top of Going-To-The-Sun Road on the continental divide. We also counted on food at the visitor center at the top, but had to wait until we were back in West Glacier. The views were spectacular. Glacier is possibly the most beautiful place on Earth. Tomorrow, I'm headed to Helena to see the renovations that have been made to the state capitol. Then I'll have dinner with Jim Peterson, former Scoutmaster of Troop 40, and his wife, Auggie. Tuesday, September 19 10:40 pm mdt This afternoon, I talked with Liz Couch and did some shopping. Shawn and I had dinner at Pizza Cafe, which used to be Murph's. The Scout meeting tonight was as wild as ever, but I like the new Scoutmaster, Don. Clinton Morgan has really grown up. He's going to Glacier with Shawn and me tomorrow morning. 1:54 pm mdt After I visited Jore's DC in Missoula this morning, I stopped at a gas station. Someone walked up to me and said, "Jason?" It was David Dale, my best friend from fifth grade, in town from New Mexico, where he's an outfitter. Mrs. Starkel, my sixth grade teacher, started last year as a fifth grade teacher in Pablo. I said hi to her, and spoke to her class. Then I had lunch at the old Denault's restaurant on the corner of Fourth Ave. and Round Butte Road in Ronan. Next stops: pictures of my old house on Timberlane Road and the inside of Kent Duckworth's new office. (Mom: Jan says hi.) I'm headed out now to look for a great print of the mountains I saw in Kent's office, and maybe to see the Couches. Monday, September 18 7:15 pm mdt Today, Shawn and I took a lap around the lake. Since Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, is 28 miles long and 14 miles wide, the trip took most of the day. We went north along the steep, mountainous east shore, stopped for a while in Kalispell, and headed south along the hilly west shore. We stopped twice on the way home: at M&S Meats and at Kootenai Christian Camp on the shore of Lake Mary Ronan. Shawn cooked some tasty lasagna for dinner. While he was in his kitchen, I ran around town and spotted Kent Duckworth, who said to say hi to my parents. (Hi, Mom and Dad!) I also visted Jore Corporation's headquarters to get directions for my visit to their Missoula distribution center tomorrow. Sunday, September 17 8:26 pm mdt I visited Pablo Christian Church this morning and met their new pastor, Roger. Surprisingly, a lot of people remembered me and I remembered many of them. I met Shawn Morgan at Dairy Queen at 12:30; we walked around Ronan Middle and High Schools and ate lunch on Main Street. After lunch, we went to Kerr Dam and visited South Crow Creek, where we camped in 1994. Regatta Pizza provided dinner. Agenda for the rest of the week:   Mon: Flathead Lake, Kalispell and Lake Mary Ronan   Tue: Visit friends and Missoula   Wed: Glacier National Park   Thu: State capitol and dinner with Jim & Auggie   Fri: Swartz Lake James redesigned VanBooven.com. Saturday, September 16 9:30 pm mdt Tonight I explored Ronan. So many familiar landmarks; so many changes. I ate dinner at what used to be the Uptown Cafe. It has a new name but the same hamburgers. And Dairy Queen is on the same corner, but in a completely new building. I stopped at Boettcher Park on the way back to Polson. 5:22 pm mdt This trip has become surreal: I'm surrounded by the mountains, and Flathead Lake is outside my window, but I'm having trouble believing that it's all real. I'm heading out into the sunlight in a few minutes to find out. My flights were on-time and pleasant, and Missoula wasn't as hectic as I remember, though the parking is still bad. 6:32 am cdt Track my flights on Trip.com: KCI-SLC (8:40 cdt-10:10 mdt): Delta 983 SLC-MSO (11:35 mdt-1:00 mdt): Delta 1890 Friday, September 15 11:12 pm cdt Where were you on June 1, 1985? I spent most of the day in the cab of a pickup that pulled a red and silver cattle trailer with "Grapes Land & Cattle Co." displayed on the front. My dad next to me was leading our family to Montana from Jay Em, Wyoming. I would turn nine within the month, and through the next ten years I became a Montanan. Tomorrow I leave on my first trip to Montana since I came to Kansas City over five years ago. I imagine it a victory tour: I have accomplished what I set out to do in Missouri, and now I can complete the loop home and seek inspiration for my next endeavor. I'll update this journal at least daily. Before I go, though, a few snapshots of the Montana I'm leaving behind for a week... Copyright © 1996-2012 Jason Roberts. All rights reserved.

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