The Testing Ground: Volume 2 - The Journey traces the cross-continental trek of Travis and Reese Saunders, survivors of a lethal virus that destroyed human life in much of the American continent. The couple leaves their home in the Big Hole Valley of Montana to search for survivors. On horseback, river passage, and on foot they make their way across the continent, following the headwaters of the Missouri River to the junction with the Mississippi River and the ruins of former St. Louis. Along the route they encounter small groups of survivors who relate stories of hardships, misery, and survival - accounts that reaffirm the resilience of human dignity even in the face of terrible ecological and health-related disasters. They pass through communities where the virus eliminated most of the population, leaving hard-working survivors who adjusted and worked together for the recovery of their communities. They travel on through the mountainous terrain of the Virginias and ultimately reach the ruins of Washington, D.C., where madness reigned during the Ripple and Dark Time, leaving the once-proud city a nuclear wasteland. What they observe, learn, and experience during their journey ultimately forces a decision to return to their previous home in the Big Hole Valley. Upon reaching their destination, the travelers are confronted with an unexpected reality: extraterrestrial inhabitants have settled in northwestern North America, and humans are no longer the only bipeds that occupy The Testing Ground.
The Testing Ground: Volume 3 - Grand Celebration is set in a future time after third orb inhabitants have been tested and pardoned from threat of extinction. The Grand Celebration site, located in Bozeman, New Montana, opened to visitors 484 solar years after Offworlders settled in the Big Hole Valley, Old Montana. Volume 3 of the Testing Ground trilogy is a visitor's guide to the celebration displays and activities. Visitors are presented with historical documentation explaining how bipeds from two different worlds initially confronted, then respected, each other and worked together to repel foreign invaders to preserve their communities and freedom. The celebration guide describes the structures and contents of three extraordinary pavilions: History, Unity, and Travel. Each pavilion contains displays of thousands of historic relics and touch-screen information modules documenting how bipeds from two different cosmic orbs worked together for mutual survival on the Testing Ground. The guide also provides side-trip itineraries to visit local, regional, and international events, as well as opportunities to join exploration teams for unique educational visits to far-off regions of Africa, Asia, and Europe. Visitors learn how previous third orb religious and political confrontations threatened survival and altered the physical geography and landscape features in contested war zones, including the Middle East and Korean Peninsula. Documentation reveals how atomic explosions along previously undetected fault lines dramatically changed the structure of the Mediterranean region and disrupted river flow into the once Middle Sea, leaving a barren, dry basin. The Grand Celebration guide also reveals how individual, family, and community decisions, coupled with hard work, cooperation, and trust, produced lasting peace and reconciliation, as Testing Ground inhabitants prevailed and averted potential annihilation.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.