Clark Fork River

Arrived in Missoula after another 54 miles and a brief encounter with a black bear. Riding along the Clark Fork River, I came to a bench with a beautiful view. It turned out that this was a memorial to two pedestrians who were killed by a drunk driver. A stone pillar read:

"Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow, I am the softly falling snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain, I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush, I am in the graceful rush

Of beautiful birds in circling flight I am the starshine of the night.

I am in the flowers that bloom, I am in a quiet room.

I am in the birds that sing, I am in each lovely thing.

Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there, I did not die"

To the right of the pillar was a metal statue with silhouettes of the two young women as well as some flowers. There is now a small patch of showy milkweed seeds here— may they grow tall and strong, the memorial alive with hummingbirds and butterflies. And may the Monarch Waystation Soundmap contribute in some small way to forms of living and moving that are less violent toward the earth and those who walk it.

-Comrade Caracol