Wednesday night- Livingston, MT

I spent the night in Billings, at a wonderful little Trailer park, and the next morning took a visit to the University campus. I almost got a job here once. It was fun to imagine working there. It was a lovely campus, and a lovely area.

I traveled to Livingston, just north of Yellowstone. I had hoped to spend the night in Yellowstone, but was delayed leaving Billings (drama replacing my empty LP tank. Don't ask. Just know, the aluminum, custom tanks are on my wishlist). I stopped around 6PM, mostly because I was bored of driving, and the cats were bored too. I found a little brewery and had Coconut Fried Shrimp with Blue chips, and locally brewed beer. Delicious. Well, heavier food than I am used to, so I felt over-full. The bar was furnished with locals, wondering how I had ended up there, and they bought me a second and third beer to hear my story and have me listen to theirs. They also said there would be no way I would find camping at Yellowstone this late in the day, which I later learned was true.

I learned they were hunters, fishers, truck drivers, construction workers. The bar-tender was also the local driver's license dispenser. They were complaining about the economy, complaining about ex-wives, complaining about the democratic president ("you're a teacher. You probably voted for him. Answer me this: knowing what you know now, would you vote for him again?"), complaining about how many people worked for the government and soon the country would be socialist.

I had a good time, but was generally disgusted with what I heard. Times are hard, I know. Over the bar were many posters about the ocean, and a tiny framed portrait of FDR. Weren't things worse during his time? Here I am driving through state and national parks put together and government funded during that time to try to ease the pain of the economic crash. FDR is still being criticized for these decisions, but I am thankful for my parks, roads, and dams. I said to the man at the bar, "The other candidate was insane (he agreed with me). You would rather have a crazy person running the country?" He retorted with some kind of racist rhetoric he probably heard at that same bar, denouncing the president's birth legitimacy. I wanted to say, "who you calling an immigrant, Pilgram?" I did point out that this country was built on and based in immigration and new ideas, and he should get over it; and he shouldn't repeat lies.

Despite all this conversation, we remained jovial, and I left with very mixed feelings.