Cross-country blogger writes of Powell

When some people get laid off, they mope around, or switch to a job that just pays the bills. Not Sharon Altaras (feet pictured at right). In May, the Seattle-area journalist grabbed her dog Armani, fired up a blog (American Road), jumped in an RV, and headed out on a cross-country trip.

Her goal, roughly? To give the U.S. a closer inspection.

"Americans can't help but evolve our patriotism through good times and bad. What does our psyche look like today?" Altaras wrote in an introductory post. Put another way, the project is aimed at "documenting the state of patriotism around the U.S. and taking a snapshot look at certain subcultures: newspapers, churches and Indian reservations."

There have been challenges, both from her vehicle (a Serpentine belt snapped leaving Devil's Canyon overlook), and sometimes wary residents ("I'm having a hard time figuring out how to approach people the further from big cities I get," Altaras wrote on June 3. "The word 'blog' throws them off. The word 'reporter' makes them suspicious. And often they don't use the Internet.").

But despite the challenges, she's already compiled some fascinating material -- for example, a collection of colorful street art/graffiti in Rapid City and Depression-era recollections from a elderly resident in Spokane Valley, Wash.

Between picture-taking and writing, Altaras has made her way from the Pacific Northwest to Nebraska. She made some stops in Powell last month, chatting with Rowene Weems over at the Homesteader Museum, grabbing some photos of Powell's murals, and, since the Tribune fits in the newspaper category, talking with our news editor, Ilene.

Altaras was recently generous enough to answer a few questions about her project via email.

Q: Roughly, for how long are you planning to travel? Any specific destinations on the agenda?

Altaras: I'm going to keep going until I feel I've seen enough or my RV totally breaks down or I find a job in a community that I cannot bear to leave. I really don't have specific destinations, though there are several states I've always wanted to see (Wyoming was among them and I loved it there).

Q: Why the focus on wall murals/art?

Altaras: We actually don't have very many where I'm from in Seattle, so in the smaller communities they always strike me. In fact, by the time I'd made it to central Idaho, I realized I needed to create a category for walls and signs. They are ubiquitous, often allude to patriotism (my theme for this project) and speak of a community's values in a powerful, often-wordless way.

Q: Is the blog an end in itself, or do you have plans for broader use, like a book, essay, or lengthy limerick? Put another way, when/if you find America's current psyche, what will you do with that information?

Altaras: I would love to do a photo-heavy coffee table book or write about my journey, once I'm through and can process it all, mentally. But if no one wants to buy those ideas and the blog is all I have, I'll still be happy. It has allowed me to meet and interact with so many interesting people. It has turned what could have been just a long road trip into a true educational, life-altering journey.

For more, check out American Road.

(Altaras kindly let the Tribune use the two above self-portraits that she snapped in the ghost town of Kirkville, Mont., and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, respectively.)