July 7, Deer Lodge, Montana.

Montana markets itself variously as 'Big Sky Country', and the place to 'Get Lost' in, but to us it should be 'It Just Grows on You'. In merely a week or so, we have driven right across this 41^st State of the Union. Small towns are still quaintly country, folk are extremely friendly, the few cities are just big country towns and the scenery is varied; in many places, totally breath-taking. It has been hot this week, many places experiencing 100F plus. The heat has bought the 'good ole boys' out in force, their boats in tow, heading for the many lakes to ski, fish or just zoom about. It is like California around the lakes, but without the crowds. When you realise how cold and miserable the long winters can be this far north, you start to understand why the good folk of Montana throw themselves so enthusiastically into summer activities in the few short summer months.

 

One of the many things that attracted us to driving from east to west across Montana was Glacier National Park on the western side of the state. In short, it was ok. Now before we go down in flames, if everything was equally great, nobody would value our opinions on the many places we visit. So let's look at it this way. If Australians visited the New Zealand Alps, then mountain areas of Tasmania then finally the Australian Alps, the Aussie Alps would be a bit 'ho hum'. But, done the other way around, each area would probably be seen in its own right. What we probably should have done this trip was Montana first, then the Canadian Rockies followed by Alaska. Put simply, we have been spoilt by doing it all the other way around. So for those considering a visit to the Glacier National Park, it is fantastic, as is the rest of Montana.

We are well and truly in 'road trip' mode now. Six weeks on the road, 6000 kms under our wheels and more than 30 motels. Our little Chevy HHR sits outside the Budget Motel here in Deer Lodge, filthy with a fresh coat of dust from today's little adventure, a drive through the Montana backwoods on rough dirt roads to the ghost town of Garnet. It's an old story, find gold, boom, then steady decline. For some reason though, some towns remain much as they were when the last die-hard departed. In Garnet's case, that was 1947, when the last store owner died and the souvenir hunters/looters moved in. To be fair, many of the original buildings were already derelict by that time and those standing today still have old beds, cupboards and other original artefacts lying about. Maybe it was just the isolation that saved what is left of this early 20^th century town.

July 9, Twin Falls, Idaho.

Due to our philosophy of seeking out the cheapest motel in town, we are 'holed up' in the fabulous Monterey Motel. The first room we had came complete with a 1950s bathroom and the smell of strong disinfectant, probably used to hide the smell of smoke in a non-smoking room. Lucky for us the key stuck in the door and we had to move to a slightly better room with a renovated bathroom, circa 1990. The room doesn't matter much to us as long as it is clean and we can get a good night's sleep. So the good old Monterey will do us just fine.

What is special about the Monterey and its location is that it is on the 'wrong side of the tracks'. Twin Falls is a town of about 45,000 people and, on the whole, it is fairly presentable, even flash in some parts, but the strip of motels on Highway 93 is well away from the modern chain lodgings on the other side of town. Here, motels offer weekly rates. So it is here that the working poor of America tend to live as they travel the country, picking up what ever work is going. At $ 150 - $160 a week, living in a run-down motel is about all these poor folk can afford (a bit like us really).

Avid readers will be familiar with the classic work of John Steinbeck, 'The Grapes of Wrath'. Set in the Depression era, Steinbeck traces the plight of one family as they move west from Oklahoma to California, looking for work. They travel in a beat-up old pick-up, camping by the side of the road and living a very basic subsistence lifestyle as they struggle to survive during the Great Depression.

Today, life is not as difficult for the working poor, but struggle they do. The cars lined up outside the very basic rooms of the Monterey are mostly older models, and those usually sold off on the cheap in the US, old Lincoln Town cars, worse for wear F250 trucks and the odd, well-used, Japanese or Korean sedan. In the 1930's, poor families hunted rabbits and scrounged food wherever they could. Here in the Monterey, the 'hunt' is simply a quick trip to McDonalds or some other chain fast food outlet. The young family next door to us returned from their 'hunting trip' with a couple of burgers and slurpies. Not sure what the 5-6 month old baby will get to eat tonight.

Company pick-ups drive in every now and then, dropping off single men who have obviously been working hard for their dollars. Even in the more up market motels we have been frequenting, this is a common sight. Moving about to get whatever work is available is a common way of life for the working poor of 21^st century USA. At home in Australia, workers move about following the dollar as well, but the pay is far more lucrative, and the conditions vastly superior.

Just noticed a platinum blond in a short skirt and high heels arriving in the room next door. Well, some things never change!