3 PM: Amongst Giants...

Zurich being right between, Harlem and Chinook on US-2!!!

I've been through Harlem, now it's time to cruise through Chinook, MT. That's where I have to gas-up again, cost for a gallon of this juice is: $2.689. And I need just a tad more than 9 gallons. Inside the station I have this short interaction with this black guy, kind of gnarly looking, he's buying a case of Budwiser and a bottle of "3 Blind Moose" red-wine. We laughed about the label and some other small talk, then I was out of there, back on the highway again.
For some time now the railroad tracks are going parallel with the highway, I missed the opportunity to catch a good shot of Amtrak's westbound "Empire Builder" but instead a good view of a fright-train going east with 100 and more cars for carrying grains. I love trains, as for the american trains it did take me a long time to get to like them, the diesel-locomotives are pretty ugly and haven't changed in decades with looks, not like in europe where trains are a different concept. In the states, most cargo is transported by train, the tonnage BNSF, CSX, UP transport is many times more than the fright-trains in europe. The difference is with passenger transport, europe is leading there, just like the trains on the east-coast here, between , Boston and Washington DC.

Trains, some of them up to a mile long, stacked 2 container high and take a big load of the highways...

125 cars for grain are pulled by 2 BNSF Engines, going where???

Then the next bigger town, Havre, I stop just to take a few pictures...

Havre is the Seat of the Hill County in Montana!!!

Somewhere along the tracks is a fright train that gets loaded with the local goods, a grain of some sort..

Wondering how much grain has been growing here??? And where does it go to??? And will they make more Wonderbread out of it???

Driving through the town of Chester...

The town with more Prairie Dogs than Residences... But are really proud of the Railroad!!!

Then, to my surprise, the Empire Builder, going faster than me way out into the prairie...

Amtrak also just past a fright-train that is pulling over 100 cars with double-stacked containers!!!

I took this train East-bound in January when I was riding it from Minneapolis, St. Paul to Chicago it's final destination. I dream of taking the whole route one day, from Seattle or Portland all the way back to "The Windy City" Chicago. A 46 hour journey in the sleeper. For 2 nights sleeping to the sound of the wheels clanking in the tracks and the blowing horn of the locomotive, good food and always finding someone to talk to. But instead I'm sitting here in my car and bolt towards the next exciting city on Montana.

Shelby, the town where the US-2 crosses Interstate I-15...

It is also welcoming the Wind Mill Workers... Lets get going boys, there is a lot of wind to be caught!!!

The same Fright-train again, we're on the same schedule, different destination...

Could you imagine if this load would be on trucks on the highway here, it probably be over 200 trucks slaving away trying to stay awake to get there in time!!!

Besides trains there is also a lot of agriculture in the work...

I specially like the 2 colored striped patten, this is going on for miles now!!!

Then, finally the long waited for Wind Mills, generating juice for us to burn away...

They build these wind-mills within the lines of the different colored fields!!!

More road ahead...

The what seems to never end... US Route 2!!!

Cut Bank, the first town in Glacier County, this County does suggest cold...

Penguin and an out of shape Motel, that's Cut Point, Montana, still hard to believe that this could be the coldest spot in the Nation!!!

The weather starts to look really grim ahead of me, it is fucking cold and windy out, but finally I get a glimpse of some "real" mountains, the reason while I've been traveling for 1500 miles on US-2 since Wisconsin. Then after the town of Browning, I get off US-2 and travel on a much smaller road, US-89. This road gets me into the foothills of the Glacier National Park mountains. At a small junction I have to make up my mind, it is certainly too cold to camp out, strong winds and icy temperatures don't turn me on to camp. So I turn onto MT-49 that brings me to the town West Glacier Park and back to US-2.

Lousy weather and a few glimpses to the mountains ahead...

Look there is that fright-train again!!!

At the junction of US-89 and MT-49 I make a new friend...

Hungry and cold, I only can give some chicken form last nights dinner, but can't give a new home!!!

Finally, Mountains... a joy to drive this road...

Then the first view of one of the two Medicine Lake!!!

In West Glacier Park, I book a cabin for tonight...

There is nothing a beer can't fix right now!!!

Gosh, it is crazy, all I did today was driving 430 miles and took over a hundred pictures, you'd thin there is nothing to talk about driving from Wolf Point to West Glacier Park here in Montana, but it is just amazing all the things that are out there. There is a lot more but I'm sure you're not even wanna know about it, so all I do now is sit here and wonder what tomorrow will bring. I go for a walk around town and call my friend Herman in Colorado Springs, his girlfriend Deborah answers the call and we chat for a while to get caught up with our lives. I'm thinking Moab for some reason!!! But first I have to get back to Berkeley, make some money, before I even think about another trip. By now I'm way to wasted to even think about turning on the computer, instead I turn to the land of dreams...

Tuesday, June 23rd in the land of mountains now...

The night was pretty stormy, high winds and temperature dropped to 37°F, a good thing that I payed 58 dollars and 85 cents to spend the night in a cute cabin of the Sears Motel here is East Glacier Park. Now that the sun is shining this place looks a whole lot better than last night. Lets see what's the plan for today.

The sun rises at quarter to six, then I fall asleep again and next thing is it's eight thirty...

But then it's time for breakfast out in the sun and enjoy the improved situation!!!

I think I should go for a serious hike in these mountains here. As I check my e-mail at the hostel across the street form my cabin I meet this guy and he gives me all kinds of advice. Also form e-mails that Michael Downs send me it sounds like a smart thing to go up into the Glacier National Park, get a camp-site and a long hike. Okay, lets get filled with gas for the car, ice for the cooler and hot water for the tea of the driver, off I go.