Day 39
3:11 PM MT.

Peter and Josh are getting sick of it now because all I can do is talk about how much I love Montana! This state is just so beautiful and all the people we’ve met so far are nice, real people.

We’ve had a great day today- woke up somewhere in Helena, MT and got an early start interviewing the head of the Montana Democratic Party and a really cool guy, Jim Farrell. Then we drove at 90+ M.P.H. up to Great Falls, MT to meet the trifecta- Governor Brian Schweitzer, Jon Tester, and Senator Max Baucus.

Now I know how folks felt when they went down to Arkansas in the 80’s to see then Governor Bill Clinton speak. Gov. Schweitzer, the Democratic Governor of Montana, is like no one I’ve ever met in my life. Today he was speaking to the Montana Farmers Union, a crowd of over 200 people, and he gave a rousing speech on energy independence (without notes or a written speech) and got the crowd to its feet. I had chills running up and down my spine listening to him pound the podium and fire-up the union crowd.

I am now convinced that Governor Schweitzer is the next great hope for Democrats nationally and I am 100% on the Schweitzer bandwagon.

We are all now sitting in the hotel lobby of a Best Western in Great Falls stealing some wi-fi and then we’re headed to Missoula, MT tonight for some production and fun.

Ha- Senator Max Baucus just walked by and we got a picture with him…nice guy.

I love Montana.

-Matthew

Day 39
2:38 PM MT.

You really can’t describe nor capture the beauty of Montana in words or photos. This picture was taken as we drove west towards the capitol of Helena. While just a minute before we’d been driving through rolling plains with rocky hills in the distance, we came over a ridge and before us were the Crazy Mountains rising out of the ground. Simply breathtaking.

One thing I think about a lot as we drove through the mountain west is how much our civilization has impacted these lands and what it must have been like for the first pioneers to have fought their way through this rugged terrain. I’m exhausted enough sitting in a captain’s chair in a minivan on this trip, and the thought of covering this same path on a horse or covered wagon nearly boggles the mind. With no interstates and rest stops, no Comfort Inns or local burger joints, what did the Wild West look like to those men and women when it was truly wild?

I’m sure Peter or Matt will hit you with it soon, but we just saw Governor Brian Schweitzer speak and he is something else. Quoth Matthew: “I like Montana.” Couldn’t agree more.

We’re using the free WiFi at the Best Western in Great Falls, MT so I just uploaded a bunch of new photos and we’ll have the clip of yesterday’s Peter B. Collins call-in up in a minute.

Now on to Missoula! Only 11 days until we change the world (and I get to sleep in my own bed).

-Josh

Day 38
11:21 AM MT.

We’re here in Big Sky country at Jon Tester for Senate headquarters getting ready for meeting the candidate later today. Unfortunately his plane was delayed and the first event of the day was cancelled but we’re really excited to meet the man that will be the next great Democratic Senator from the Mountain West.

Now to get some lunch and maybe do some cowboy boot shopping. Lots to come later today…

-Josh

Day 38
7:30 AM MT.

Mornin’, friends. We didn’t quite make it to Montana last night due to some pretty rough weather conditions. As soon as the sun went down and we crossed into Wyoming the weather turned nasty with snow and very windy gusts. While the minivan is sturdy, she did feel a bit wobbly in those gusts and we decided to stop in Buffalo, Wyoming instead of pushing through to Billings, Mt.

Buffalo is a nice town and we managed to have a quality meal and delicious local pale ale, so all is not lost. We are up early this morning and headed to Billings for an interview/press conference with Mr. Jon Tester.

The scenery is absolutely amazing and we’ll hit you with some more photos soon.

Wyoming is Dick Cheney Country

-Matthew

Day 37
1:12 PM MT.

What a sight.

-Josh

Day 36
8:13 PM MT.

Absolutely Beautiful.

We’re now in the bustling metropolis of Rapid City, SD. We are writing, producing, and recording shows at the Quality Inn. Good times. More from me later.

Of course, I brought the guitar along…

-Peter

Day 36
2:18 PM MT.

Being on the road (and eating 640 calorie muffins) doesn’t exactly “promote” physical fitness and it can be tough for a person to stay in shape. Yet, just this morning Peter turned to me and alleged, “I feel like I could go out and run a mile!”

Well, we just pulled off on a scenic lookout heading west on I-90 and our collective out-of-shapeness is now confirmed. We dug out the old pigskin from the back of the minivan for a quick toss and things got interesting when we all tried to run for more than 40 seconds. Let’s put it this way: I am winded and just want to nap.

We are on an absolutely gorgeous drive from Sioux City, IA to Montana. Currently making good time (surprisingly little traffic, ha) and now headed to the Badlands National Park to see some sights.

This has been my favorite drive so far and we are taking some time to actually stop and “smell the roses” (thanks D.B.S.).

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions for places and things to do whilst on this drive and keep reading! We are going to produce an episode of DoubleSpeak this evening and we’ll have it up for you in the next day.

Entering the Badlands…

-Matthew

Day 36
12:22 PM CT.

I can’t even imagine what this type of tour will be like a few years down the line with ever more portable audio equipment, faster computers, smaller cameras, and some type of true broadband connection. We could do amazing real time reporting and communication. Of course we’re somewhat limited by our dial-up speed connection.

It is an amazing day. Warm without a cloud and the sky. Watch DoubleSpeak Go!

-Josh

Day 35
7:01 PM CT.

The first of many sunsets that we’ll experience from the car over the next few days.

Tomorrow we’re leaving Sioux City, IA to drive across South Dakota, through Wyoming, and on to Montana. As much as this trip is about working, it’d be a crime to do this trip and not stop at the world famous locations we’ll be passing in the next few days. We’re definitely going to the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore as well as the Crazy Horse Memorial. Anyone have any other recommendations? I’m about to spend some time looking through Let’s Go Roadtripping USA for ideas. This is the part of the trip I’ve always anticipated the most.

Sadly we’re expecting to struggle with the Internet connection for the next week at least as it’s only going to get worse. We’ll still be blogging but it remains to be seen how we’ll do with photos and episodes.

-Josh

Day 35
5:40 PM CT.

They say that if it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger. Well, that wise wisdom is certainly appropriate in some situations. However, this morning I found myself face-to-face with something that really almost killed me - and oddly enough, I don’t feel any stronger.

After our morning interview with the good people at AFSCME IOWA, we stopped at a Casey’s (think 7-11 meets WAWA) to grab a cup of coffee and something to munch on. Josh and I both purchased muffins from the baked goods/pastry section of the store. Check it out.

Well, that bugger nearly killed me. Well, maybe not an immediate death, but this muffin, packed with a whopping 640 calories and almost 40 grams of fat was just too much for this guy (and Josh) to take down. We threw them out in the trash. I need the occasional fix of junk food, but that muffin was just a little extreme.

We finished up our interview with Bruce Braley from the Iowa 1st and we’re now headed all the way back to Sioux City, where we will get a couple of hours sleep before beginning the epic trek west towards Montana. We’re like Lewis and Clark, but fatter and a little more Jewish.

Iowa has been amazing, as always. I spent some much needed time this weekend with Laura, my very understanding girlfriend who came to visit from Philly. You can check out pictures from our brief visit to the Ankeny pumpkin patch on the DoubleSpeak flickr page)

I’m really looking forward to getting out to Big Sky Country and seeing some old friends and meeting some up and coming candidates who are working hard to change the political landscape in Montana and the Mountain West.

Wish you could all see what I’m seeing: rolling corn fields, lots of cows and a really stunning sunset. Oh, and did I mention - listen to DoubleSpeak’s new Wisconsin episode!

-Peter