40th Annual Beartooth Run - Red Lodge, MT

After an early morning drive from Miles City to Red Lodge, the bus pulled up to the Civic Center to wait for runners to return from the 40^th annual Beartooth Run. When we arrived, a local community pep band played traditional upbeat music and runners began to return. We quickly set up, and learned how to use the awning without a pull-cord. Charlotte, from Northern Plains Resource Council, met the bus crew up there and joined into the discussions.

Before the crew fully set up the display, an organizer for the run came to us and told us she would announce our arrival to people inside and encourage them to visit the bus. Runners and non-runners came to the table shortly afterward. We spoke with mostly local people. The issues discussed included green building, sustainable bio-fuels, and the process of growing the crops. A couple of men asked us about how many barrels per acre a person could get from harvesting different oil seed plants. We did not know the answer. The bus crew is looking into this.

We talked with several people for quite a while. After the running event closed down, some folks stayed around to talk with us. A guy named Michael talked with us about animal factories and the presence of them in his home region outside of Chicago. He also invited us to come over to his house this evening and hang out. Aside from meeting a new potential friend, we gathered 7 new signatures on the Call to Action and discussed local affiliate issues with existing members.