CHURCHING ON THE ROAD

 part 2 of a series

This writer has reflected back on his five past cross-country walks a number of times, besides writing a whole book on the first one to New York City. One recurring thought has been that on the road I spent more time in bars than maybe the rest of my many years combined. The main reason was that in many small towns, the only places open for business during evening hours are the bars. Some villages have little more than a bar, a cafe, and a post office. Some less than that. So when entering a small berg in the evening, the choices have been few and I experienced another view of life. 

Well on my recent brief excursion, I had more “churching” times than those in bars. Oh, I did spend a few moments at a bar as the rain was falling as the sun disappeared on my first night out. A traveler in a Mercedes Benz – my first ever ride in a Mercedes – appeared suddenly and drove me up the road a couple miles to the Bar 100 in Judith Gap. I had a pleasant time with the bartender and two folks who lived in nearby Buffalo, MT. 

Then I did go to the Winnett Bar and Grill twice. The first time, I sat with a man named Randy who was passing through from the East. He made his income trading stocks and spent much time traveling the road and geocaching. During our visit, I sat with a ginger ale and listened to his story.

Unexpected as much of my excursion turned out to be, I spent a fair amount of time in church and churching – so to speak. I had not churched for a decade or more. While in Grass Range, I walked by its two churches a number of times as I “camped” two nights in the park just down the hill from the churches. 

One of the churches in Grass Range was the United Methodist. I had grown up in the Methodist tradition and nearly attended the seminary under Methodist candidacy. So, I got the urge to look up the Methodist minister. Which I did. 

Besides preaching to me and telling about his pathway into minstry late in life, Pastor Matthew did me a number of good turns during my brief time in Grass Range. One was to introduce me to Winnett via their weekly senior citizen luncheon at the Petroleum County Community Center. After the meal, the pastor drove us on a quick circle of Winnett. Since the town has less than 200 citizens, the tour didn’t take long.

The first church service which I attended was a bible study led by pastor Bill at the Christian Community Fellowship on a Thursday evening – which I mentioned in the previous blog. Bill’s Sunday service apparently uses music freely to gather people in the pews and hold interest during services. There were all sorts of musical instruments and sound equipment spread around the little building. 

There were also numerous churchy books in racks along the back of the sanctuary waiting for eventual readers. I found a little New Testament provided by the Gideons which caught my attention. I picked it up and have just a few pages left to finish the read. Like church going, bible reading until recent moments has been a thing of the past.

At one point, I told Pastor Matthew that I would attend his Sunday service – here or there. The pastor has a three-point charge of Grass Range, Winnett and Roundup. By the time Sunday came, I was in Winnett and walked over to the church. What followed was a surprise – and then some.

You see, attendance at the “church service” turned out to be the smallest I have ever experienced. It also turned out to be the longest one. There were just two of us – only 2 – who sat and shared in the church which probably could accommodate 100 people. So, two in the pews was surprising as well as a perplexing. The two of us sat for almost two hours together – neither praying nor singing hymns nor reading scripture – but just “churching and communing.”

I arrived just a bit early and found a woman getting out of her car in front of the church. It took time for introductions as we settled into one of a dozen pews. Somewhere in the course of our conversation, the churchwoman told me the story of her nickname and other key points in her life. I wish I had had a tape recorder with me. 

Squirrel created her own nickname for reasons too involved beyond saying that: Squirrel didn’t like her given name – which was made famous in movies decades ago – and chose a new one based on some personal habits. Squirrel had many stories to tell – details are forgotten or avoided here. The middle-aged woman had grown up in a distant state, spent time in the military, and somehow landed in tiny Winnett a few years back.

Namesake from birth - in a famous movie series

Church and the Bible were important to her as she had become the Sunday assistant for Pastor Matthew who was on the way to Great Falls to attend to family business. At one point when she was especially attentive to the Bible, another pastor had challenged Squirrel to confront a key issue for her in the context of the scripture. She then went to work on the issue and changed her life dramatically. Ask her for details. 

The Bible was still important to her. But no more so than the Book of Revelation which was of keen interest. While I missed out on particulars, Squirrel seemed prepared to brave the still relatively undiscovered territory of St. John’s Apocalypse with her own involved interpretations.

Squirrel and I covered quite unusual territory on that Sunday service which I will not forget. It may go down as one of my favorite churching moments.

There have been others. Let me share a few. Just walking the roads, often without cars or houses in sight, can be humbling moments thanks to Nature, which Goethe called “The Garment of God.” 

Sleeping under a huge old tree, which may have been growing since George Washington appeared at Valley Forge, is another time to ponder in awe, wonder and praise.

Sensing the elements of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind can take one’s breath away.

So, there are many ways to Church on the road without entering a man-made building.

Movie Stars in Montana

Who would have guessed!

I began my 6th Walk Across America on June 10. I had no idea what or whom I would encounter on the journey which was intended to cover thousands of miles. Nor did I have any hints as to how rugged the weather would be along the way.

I have covered almost 5000 miles altogether on my previous jaunts. This one was planned to be longer than all those travels put together. But … “Life happens, while we make plans.” This brief walk – which may become chapter one of a longer version –became harder and harsher weather-wise than any of the previous ones. It also became quite unusual for the extraordinary people I encountered in a relative few days. 

Before I walked out the door, my neighbor Walt Scotson prayed over me and my flag-waving venture. But on the road things were different. Immediately, I walked a few miles up the hill on Highway 191 – not a problem by itself, but the wind was blowing and blowing. I had to furl my flag rather than fight it and the wind at the same time. Before long, I dealt not just with wind but also rain and relative cold – the nights felt more like early spring than almost summer. 

Along the way, I encountered all sorts of folks who stopped to visit for one reason or another. Two sets of young Air Force Security Policemen – Smith and Milone, Lyles and Snovel - stopped on different days to say “Hello” and take photos with me and the flag. These fellows keep track of some of the 150 missile silos spread around Montana.

One day, Layton Kelly from Circle who was on the road from Helena learning to be a Combination Inspector stopped for a friendly visit on the side of the road. The same day, Fergus County Deputy Curry checked on me as I rested next to the highway in the borrow pit. 

There were several more that I met along the way – most notably the Carlson brothers on the edge of Lewistown. I “camped” one night in veterinarian Greg Carlson’s huge barn to avoid the chilling rain. Then, the Hobbs in the middle of the road. Nicole and Dirk were on their way from Indiana to visit family in Washington state. They stopped to talk about my walk and flag, and Dirk’s work for the Naval Weapons Station in Crane – third largest naval base in the world in the middle of Indiana. Before we parted ways, photos were taken and Nicole prayed for the benefit of the Walk. 

Thereafter, I remarked about her preaching potential. Nicole responded by saying, “Oh, I only preach to him.”

Of totally unexpected and keen interest was a meeting which occurred as I turned off the main highway toward Grass Range. At that moment, a woman pulled up to the stop sign in a Jeep and yelled out to me. I crossed the quiet road. Then, we introduced ourselves and talked for a few minutes. The driver told me she was – believe it or not – Marilyn Monroe. Interestingly, she admitted to living at the Ayers Hutterite Colony back down the road a few miles.

Surprisingly, I saw Marilyn again a couple days later. You see, I attended a Bible study group at the Christian Community Fellowship led by the pastor Bill Plouffe. Nine of us sat around a couple large tables and commented on the material presented in a book that the members had in hand. After the pastor said a closing prayer, I joined Jim and Kathie and Sam for a visit to Marilyn at the Ayers Colony.

Marilyn Monroe, aka Marilyn Stahl, is an extraordinary woman. She must have set the leaders of the colony back on their feet more than a few times. Marilyn certainly caused this outsider to wonder as she is a single woman in her 70s, never married, has her own home and drives a car – which belongs to her good friend, Sam Holmes, who is a retired Pennsylvania railroad man. All those peculiarities distinguish her from other Hutterite women. 

The group chatted and laughed back and forth for about an hour before Marilyn bid us goodbye and we returned to Grass Range. The current day Marilyn Monroe is something of a marvel – Hutterite or otherwise. But, there was another “star” yet to be met down the road.

In the meantime, I spent a few days in Grass Range getting to know a variety of people – a councilwoman, an auto mechanic, the new owners of the Little Montana Campground, pastor Plouffe, and 90-year-old George Dengel who acts as the Master at the Captain Scott Masonic Lodge. George might be due a story of his own, but …

I ventured on to Winnett and covered about 25 miles in one good push. Arriving after dark, I rolled my sleeping bag out next to a vacant building some time after midnight. In close proximity was a handsome structure which turned out to be the Old 55 which had been moved a couple blocks to open the space where the massive new Petroleum County Community Center was constructed in 2023.

Surveying the territory, I was pleased to find a coffee shop inside the Old 55 – now located at 107. I quickly determined to drop in for some hot tea in the morning. And so I did. Delighted I was to meet the owner of the recently opened Punchy Paint Coffee Shop. “Paint” was a perfect name for the imaginatively decorated interior. It was a treat just to sit and take in all the colors as well as the many horses depicted on the walls.

Then too, I kept turning to read a sign running at the top of one wall. It said, “Fueling Faith, Community, Creativity, and Community.” Katie Lund, the proprietor, provided that and much more – most especially Kindness to this traveler and surely many others who cross her path. That first morning in Winnett, Katie served me mint tea – and tried to give me a cinnamon roll to boot. I gladly ate it, but insisted on paying for it despite her intended kind gift. 

In the midst of our first conversation, I had an AHA and had to say, “You look like – you could be Julia Roberts.” She smiled and laughed, then said, “I have heard that before.” So in a few days on the trail in rural Montana, I had met Marilyn Monroe and Julia Roberts. What a deal!!!

Of further keen interest, I got to meet and spend time with Katie’s aka Julia Roberts’s husband who is quite fittingly named J.R. J.R. is a rancher whose full name is Justin Ronald. When my time in Winnett was up, J.R. gave me a ride back to Harlowton. He wouldn’t even let me pay for the gas.

Ah, I shan’t forget one more “star.” Actually, I think of her as an angel. Radiant and generous, thoughtful and busy. Heidi Hanson does not have a Hollywood name or look-alike. But, she did remind me a little of the Heidi in the children’s novel by the Swiss writer Johanna Spyri written in 1880. Heidi Hanson has seven of her own children to tend even while she works many hours a week at several quite physical jobs. Heidi added another dimension to my stay through her several gifts, glowing face, and shining spirit.

Who knows what celebrity or angel may be around the next corner!

I close by saying that Winnett might well change its name to Kindness, Montana.

Time to Get Back on the Road Again - as Willie Nelson Might Say

Hello Friends.

This is a different kind of blog - a preview of things to come.

We are pleased to announce our next time On the Road Again. Beginning 10 June, 2026 we will be walking Border to Border. 

The plan is to hit the road, cover territory, and see the USA in the on-foot way - or at a large portion of it as you can tell by the map below. We imagine passing through all states west of the Missouri River - except Wyoming. 

We will be carrying our own version of the American flag and trying to remind people that Americans should spend more time Living the Golden Rule and Loving their Neighbors. 

When opportunities arise we will post updates at facebook.com/robert.mcnary.585, at the robertmcnary.medium.com link below, or here at blogspot.

A summary including photos of our first Big Walk in 2002 can be perused at https://theportableschool.com/LongRoad.html