The Road Behind, The Road Ahead

Whitefish, Montana

As anticipated, the first five days of the Long Haul for Haiti have been both painful and exhilerating.  We have reached Whitefish after climbing, coasting, freezing, burning and clinging for dear life to a narrow shoulder laced with potholes, shuddering in the dust of of logging trucks, pickups and rv's as they hurtle by, enjoying the 70 mph Montana speed limit.  At the other extreme, the Tobacco Road from Eureka and the Farm to Market Road near Whitefish are among the most pastoral and beautiful we have ever experienced. Since passing through the Cabinet Mountains and the Libby Dam, we have been on a gradual climb toward the Marias Pass, which will take us from West Glacier to East Glacer and finally on a declisiously gradual descent to Cut Bank.  From there, we begin a very long trek across the plains of Eastern Montana and North Dakota.

We have named our little papier mache mascot made by the Haitian children 'Jacques'. From time to time, we assign Jacques the task of checking out the road ahead for possible problems. So far, we have not confronted any bears, cougars, mountain goats or other dangers thanks to Jacques' vigilance and foresight.