Crossing The Divide

At a public rally and press conference at the Fillmore Heritage Center in San Francisco, Rachel met a well-known jazz artist, Dr. David Hardiman Sr. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear.

In preparation for the team's reporting project in San Francisco, Rachel explored the Fillmore District and recorded some ambient sound. Music credit: "Jettisoned" and "Evenhanded" by Podington Bear.

After getting good 'tape' from interviewees and writing an editor-approved script, the home stretch for a radio journalist is recording their own voice before 'mixing' all the audio together. That should be the easy part, right? Well ... Rachel received some voice coaching from the GroundTruth Project's Rachel Rohr and Qainat Kahn. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear and "When We Set Out" by Blue Dot Sessions.

In the spirit of Halloween, Brittany shared her mishap on a mountain in Montana. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear, "Plate Synthesis" and "Flutterbee" by Blue Dot Sessions.

The team left Missoula, MT, for Reno, NV, on Friday. Rachel wrapped up the script edit for her Montana reporting and went for a hike with Ben near Tahoe. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear and "City Limits" by Blue Dot Session.

On the drive into Missoula today, Qainat and Rachel discussed what they wish they had left behind and what they wish they had brought with them on this cross-country journey. Qainat shared what she's been learning from "The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America," a book that unravels America's history over the last 35 years. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear and "City Limits" by Blue Dot Sessions.

Our field producers Ben and Qainat talked about their story scouting and reporting in western Montana. At Two Eagle River High School, Qainat, Ben and Rachel learned more about the students in the journalism class and left with the best high school newspaper anyone had seen. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear.

With the first draft deadline for the Montana reporting looming near, Rachel went for a run to get some inspiration. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear.

While U.S. politics have become increasingly polarized, Zack Porter with the Montana Wilderness Association would argue the reality on the ground is much more collaborative. Music credit: "Jettisoned" and "Drone Pine" by Blue Dot Sessions.

As Rachel rushed off to find another cafe with internet in downtown Missoula, she reflected on the difficulty of squeezing six hours of interviews into six minutes for radio. Music credit: "Jettisoned" by Podington Bear and "City Limits" by Blue Dot Sessions.