Woke up to snow covering the ground and falling from the heavens. Really beautiful… It was hard to leave, but we hit the road and continued the journey to Missoula. Missoula is a larger, more progressive college town. Young punksters and old grannies alike praised their town where people went out of the way to be nice.

We were both taken aback by Chuck’s generosity and sincerity. He lived alone and loved watching the western channel. He was 78 years old (after forgetting and previously telling us he was only 68) and still worked for himself. He had simple philosophies and a playful smile. He took us to breakfast at the Longhorn (which had ten dead deer heads mounted on the walls), where he guessed our ages at 16 (Lily) and 18 (Sarah). He let us drive his four-wheeler all over the beautiful small town. Dillon was a cool little town surrounded by beautiful snow-capped mountains and hosted donkey basketball at the local high school. We enjoyed the countryside and cooked dinner for Uncle Chuck- his first enchiladas and first tofu. We ended up going out to his favorite bar called The Lion’s Den. Met some of his friends who called him ‘the legend’ and learned that there is a 5:1 ratio of men to women… the odds were in our favor. Chuck told us that we were “half-way attractive so a guy wouldn’t have to put a sack over our heads…” We were blown away that two Fat Tire beers and a 7&7 was only $9… Went two-stepping at the Joker bar where you can still smoke inside and we were gifted real cowgirl hats. Thanks Mike Anderson!

Drove up to Idaho with the intentions to enjoy the bit of the state we could see and visit with the locals. Hunted down some hot springs (Lava Hot Springs) that ended up being crowded and concreted, so we continued on our way. Stopped in Idaho Falls to meet unfriendly folk who recommended we continue passing through town because there is “nothing to see or do in Idaho”. Stopped in Dubois, Idaho (which everyone pronounces ‘do-boys’) a tiny town that has no bar and the only restaurant is a gas station that closes at mid-night. Asked a woman what brought her to this town and she said she was “running from trouble and the law couldn’t find her here…” Although a possible husband-killer, she was very nice. Spent some time playing cards at the gas station, resting from the drive when Uncle Chuck walked into our lives. He was a tall, older cowboy who had a hard time keeping the banana he was eating inside of his mouth. We took a liking to him immediately. Within ten minutes we were caravaning with this truckdriver to Dillon, Montana and ended up crashing in his spare room.

Sprung for a cheap hotel room to relax and get a good night’s rest in Ogden, Utah. We were lucky to pick a hotel which had a cat that came with the room. We named him Balls and we all enjoyed watching our governor play a machine in the Terminator.

i had a crazy experience in Zion NP in Utah 2 days ago…i did a 5 hour hike
up this mountain, got to the top, it was pretty steep and i was kinda exhausted before the top, i briefly
hyperventilated..but kept going cause i’m a tough chick and wanna climb a
little mountain.. (more…)

Left the beautiful Zion and continued through Utah, making a pit-stop in Beaver. (Can we make Beaver jokes on our website?) Once again the universe was on our side as we were stopped at a local gas station. An attendent pointed out the plug and crack that ran up the side of our rear tire. We received a discounted tire and free labor from the cute mormons who were happy to joke about the number of their wives. Also received free bottles of what was deemed the ‘2008 Best Water of the USA’ by some group in Washington DC. It was very good water.

Salt Lake City, Utah- Brewvies Cinema & Pub, Lily performed Cocytus at mid-night after the Jazz basketball game for an appreciative, although semi-confused crowd at the bar. Had tons of support from the nice crew that we acquired, helping us carry and fill the trashcan, film the show, etc. Ended up getting lots of free beer and good video footage. Audience members were impressed and most had never seen anything like that before. “Best thing I’ve seen come out of a trashcan” was my favorite quote of the evening. Thank you to Andy for the hospitality and we’ll come to claim our jobs eventually…

Zion National Park- Arrived in this beautiful park, surrounded by huge cliffs that depicted another world. A wonderful feeling of being in nature and a part of a community of people enjoying the simple beauties of life. Attracted attention from other campers while we were playing with movement, guided by music and our own spoken words. The feeling of alignment was felt by both of us, coincidences and syncronizations verifying the magic that exists- as if everything we’ve learned and experienced was all in preparation of this time.

Woke up in the small town of Kanab, Utah after a great night hanging out with the clerk at a 24 hour gas station. After she broke the nacho cheese machine, which sent hot cheese all over her and the floor, we grabbed as many chips as we could for a free dinner. Thank you to Riggins Auto Shop for the free services to our van. Utah rocks!!

Grand Canyon!! Hiked and enjoyed the beautiful view of such an impressive site. Began a photoshoot with much interest from the fellow tourists who were scared when Sarah was tied to a tree close to the edge. Had a few people taking their own photos and video footage of the event. Thank you to the couple that loaned us their camera batteries and said “we were more interesting then the deer they just saw.”

Arrived in Sedona to enjoy the beautiful and unique red cliffs and rocks. Did a photoshoot to capture our visual ideas in such a beautiful environment.

Drove up to Flagstaff, Arizona, arriving without plans around 6:30pm. With luck and the universe on our side, we found an open mic and we were on stage by 8:30. The venue was called Applesauce Tea House and we performed ‘Deaf We Drifted’ for an enthusiastic audience of about fifty. The people of Flagstaff were warm, artsy types with passionate talents displayed at the open mic. We were happy with the feedback from a few who took time to speak to us. We were told that it was the coolest thing they had seen at the open mic, recieved a few “awesomes,” and from one guy who had never seen contemporary dance, declared he was ‘touched and blown away.’ Two times we were asked out for a drink, but retired to the van for our first night of urban camping. Thanks to Gabe for the use of your carport.