World travelers make a pitstop in Plains

Danielle Switalski

It was nearing the end of October when their car stood out like a sore thumb, while parked in the driveway of Doris and Jerry Larson’s house on Clayton Street in Plains.

The car was hand built out of recycled materials by Chris and Elayne Clash from Australia, and would be used for the sole purpose of driving around the world.

The energetic couple made their first United States stop in Alaska, having just come from Canada, where they met Doris Larson’s sister, who recommended they stop in Plains on their way down through America.  Having never been to Montana and with no real set schedule or driving route, the two made Plains one of their pit stops on their world tour.  The two lucked out with the weather as that was their main concern about coming through Alaska and Montana as they are in a race to beat severe conditions by heading towards the Southern states and ultimately South America. 

Weather is a concern for the Clashes as they sleep in a tent on top of their car, vulnerable to harsh winds and stormy weather. 

America was their 44th country they have been in since they started their trip back in 2007.  Although, they have no real timeline their ultimate goal is to reach South Africa where they can do missionary work and share their experiences with the African people. 

“We think we can add value back there with the experiences we have had, there are things we can try to achieve not from a wealthy standpoint but in the end we are trying to enrich our lives with the experiences of humanity and also have faith that is tested,” said Chris Clash.

Clash cited the restoration of his faith in humanity many times throughout his conversation with the Valley Press, which has been restored through their trip around the world, and is something he and his wife have plans to share with people they meet in developed and underdeveloped countries. 

“There’s a few things we wanted to show the youngsters today around the world.  The agenda for us is to try and get kids to think about the resourcefulness in themselves and that if you’re buying straight out of the shop each time, unlike my generation where we had to make a lot of our own things, you can become a little bit more unique in a way,” said Clash who added that him and his wife have stopped at many schools throughout their trip to speak with children.

 The Clashes sold their home in order to get funds for their trip around the world.  As their kids are now grown and self-sufficient they decided to embark on life’s next adventure.  Clash said they are not taking this trip for “self indulgent purposes,” but rather in an attempt to share their experiences with the world and do missionary work along the way by reinforcing the good nature of humanity, the two are still breaking some records.

Clash said it is the first homemade car to ever drive through locations such as Northern Afghanistan, through the Palamese and across the Western Sahara on two-wheel drive.

Most remarkable are the stories the two had to share about their plethora of experiences, both terrifying and highly enlightening. 

The couple has been shot at in Portugal and Alaska.  While the couple set up tent for the night in a hidden location in Alaskan back roads, some people stopped to shoot their guns off into the empty landscape, unaware that the Clashes were even there.  They have seen all facets of society having stopped in Iran, Syria, Jordan and Uzbekistan, where they were invited to six weddings.  Clash said it is not always the big cities where all the fun is as they attended two of the six weddings in Uzbekistan and they were simply invited by walking through the towns. 

“We’ve been humbled by humanity, some of the biggest places of hospitality were with the people who had the least funds and the least amount of money and that’s how it is,” said Clash, taking a moment to also thank the Larsons for their generous hospitality and showing the kindness of Montanans. 

Who knows where the Clashes are headed next?  They have plans to visit Wyoming, go down to Colorado and Utah before heading to San Francisco and eventually further South with the hopes of constantly testing their faith in humanity.

“With the right kind of views and with a good value system you can do lots of things with humanity and I think I’ve learned that,” said Clash.