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- - - - DAY 19 - FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2008 - - - -

  Today's Distance: 37 Miles
  Today's Route: Helmville to Greenough, MT
  Today's Weather: Sunny, 82 Degrees, Just a Little Wind
  Current Elevation: 3,786 Feet (522' Less Than Yesterday)
  Total Distance Traveled: 542 Miles
  Total Distance Remaining: 78 Miles

Paul's Thoughts For Today:

Note: Paul was going to post videos tonight from the past few days on the road, but the online source that he uses for publishing the videos to this web site is having technical issues. Therefore, he cannot post videos tonight as expected. However, journal entries from the past few days have been inserted along with a few pictures.

I am at the wonderful Paws Up Resort in Greenough! Today was a 37-mile day from Helmville and the sun came out early and the temperatures quickly rose! It wasn't long before I was in shorts and a t-shirt. I began on Highway 141 and then merged onto Highway 200 - which I'll take into Missoula tomorrow. The road was very crowded with vehicles, motor homes, and people pulling boats up to nearby lakes for the nice weekend ahead. There was a lot of dangerous passing going on by drivers who were in a hurry and I had to be alert all day!

I was picked up at the end of my day of pounding pavement by Jon, who works for the Paws Up Resort. He took me to the "Bunkhouse" where I'm spending this evening. It is very nice and I am so appreciative to the Paws Up Resort for donating a place to stay as well as a wonderful dinner. As I write this my feet are covered in ice to help mend some of the daily damage that comes with running 30 to 40 miles per day. I was unable to get a wireless connection (I'm not sure why), so I decided to try using an Ethernet cable on my computer directly to the phone jack. Well, that worked just fine... as you can tell since I posted this journal entry tonight. However, when I reconnected the digital phone that is in the room it didn't give me a dial tone and it appears that the phone's programming needs to be reset - which I have no clue on how to do. The unfortunate part of that is Vicki and my kids were going to call me tonight and now I messed that up! Perhaps all of these miles are doing something to my brain cells! I don't have any cell reception, so I can't call home on that. So, I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to talk to them... when I'm in Missoula!

I now have 542 miles completed of this trek and only have 78 miles to go. Tomorrow will be a 37 mile day to Missoula, and the temperature is expected to reach 90 degrees! Whew! I'll arrive at Russell Elementary at 5:30pm and plan on taking the following route through Missoula:

Come in on East Broadway from Highway 200
Take University foot bridge over Clark Fork River (Jacobs Island Park)
Take S. Van Buren Street to S. 6th Street East
Take S. 6th Street East to Helen Ave.
Take Helen Ave. to Evans St.
Take Evans St. to Burlington Ave. and then onto Park St.
Take Park St. to Pattee Creek Drive
Take Pattee Creek Drive to Playfair Park
Across Playfair Park and into the playground of Russell Elementary

It will be so good to see my family again! I don't want to miss anymore soccer games, baseball games, music concerts, and all of the other things that come with springtime and the end of the school year.

Yesterday I wrote about some of the teams that have finished the trek, including the team that reported as finishing first. Some other schools have written to tell me that they've completed the virtual trek across Montana, including:

Urunga Public School in Australia
Kaiserslautern Elementary School in Germany
Paxson Elementary in Missoula, Montana
Melstone Middle School, Melstone, Montana
Lewis & Clark Elementary, Missoula, Montana

There are some teams that are on the verge of completing the trek. They have the finish line in sight and will likely finish on Monday with me! Some other schools still have several miles to go... but the important thing is that they have been involved! I'm so proud of each and every team and hope that everyone has enjoyed this experience.

Tomorrow morning I'll get on the road and make tracks for home. Then, I'll only have 41 miles remaining to the Idaho border. I'll keep you posted on the progress. For now, it's time for rest.

Today's Montana "Did You Know?"...
The most visited place in Montana is Glacier National Park, known as the crown jewel of the continent. It lies along Montana's northern border and adjoins Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, forming the world's first International Peace Park. The "Going to the Sun Road" in Glacier National Park is considered one of the most scenic drives in America. The park has 250 lakes within its boundaries.

Today's Native Americans "Did You Know?"...
The Wahkpa Chu'g'n Buffalo Jump and Archaeological Site is located near Havre, Montana. From 2,000 to 600 years ago, different groups of Indians stampeded herds of buffalo off of a cliff near Havre. It's also been called the "Too-Close-For-Comfort" Site. Many Indian artifacts have been found in the area.

Today's Fitness "Did You Know?"...
This information is from the World Health Organization: Worm infections are the greatest cause of disease among 5-14 year old children. Vitamin A deficiency is the single greatest cause of preventable childhood blindness. Iodine deficiency is the single most common preventable cause of mental retardation and brain damage in children. Injury is the leading cause of death and disability among school-age youth. One out of two young people who start and continue to smoke will be killed by tobacco-related illness. In some countries, up to 60% of all new HIV infections occur among 15-24 year olds. All of these can be prevented or significantly reduced through effective school health and youth health programs.

Your Turn! Share Your Thoughts With Paul...
Click here to sign the official P.A.C.E. Trek 2008 guestbook!

Thanks for stopping by this milepost update. Run back here tomorrow!

Keeping on PACE,

Along The Way...

GARNET GHOST TOWN is a historic mining ghost town located in west central Montana and sits at an elevation of about 6,000 feet at the head of First Chance Creek. It was named after the brown garnet rock which was used as an abrasive and a semi-precious stone found in the area. The town dates back to 1895 and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Garnet Preservation Association, a non-profit citizens group. More than 30 buildings have been preserved. Visitors to the ghost town will find a Visitor Center, interpretive signs and self-guided trails, as well as books, cards and other memorabilia. The town is open to visitors all year. The road is closed to wheeled vehicles from January 1st to April 30th. In winter Garnet is a popular snowmobile and cross-country ski trip. Winter cabin rentals are available. Garnet offers a wonderful ghost town experience without commercialization. The town never had a bonanza strike but still serves as one of Montana's most impressive ghost towns. Some miners still persist and are convinced its day will come. In 1912 nearly half the town burned down and was never rebuilt. Restoration work began in 1970 by the Garnet Preservation Project. The public donated $90,000 worth of artifacts. The structures being restored include the J.R. Wells Hotel, Dahl's Saloon, Kelly's Bar, and the F.A. Davey's Store. Today visitors can walk through town and wander into several of the buildings. Many millions in gold were taken from the Garnet area from 1862 to 1916. In 1867 the mother lode was discovered, it contained three main veins, and several pockets of rich ore. The largest boom came in the 1890's when the mining companies came and consolidated the best properties. The richest mine was the Nancy Hanks, which produced $690,000 in the peak year of 1896. The Nancy Hank mine continued to work, on and off, until 1954. Between the years of 1897 and 1917 $950,000 had been produced, 95% of which was gold, the remaining was copper and silver. During the 1950s efforts were made to pump out the Nancy Hank mine. By 1960 the Montana School of Mines declared the mine dead, unprofitable.

Paul's Current Position In Montana