Latest
Update: June
23, 2001 by Ben Marcus
12:00
NOON SATURDAY JUNE 23, 2001 AN RV PARK IN CARDWELL
ODOMETER:
TRIP METER:
MONEY
One night in RV park with water and power: $16
Mile and two shower tokens: 1.80
Well
this is pleasant. I am under a tree at a picnic bench in an RV
park in Montana. I now know where I am, for certain. I took a
sextant reading this morning and determined that I am in Cardwell,
near the intersections of Highway 95 and ???. Last night I detoured
through Highway ??? along the ??? River, past the Lewis and Clark
Caverns. I will probably go back that way to check out the caverns
and that nice river, and go up to Three Forks by way of ???
Here
comes Ike, he has been exploring the brush. He is a good companion
sometimes. Very pleasant to talk to.
I
am reading Undaunted
Courage, the biography of Meriwhether Lewis, and it is
good stuff. Lewis was Virginia gentry, a neighbor to Thomas Jefferson.
He didn't like the life of a Virginia planter, and wanted nothing
more than "to Roam." Right now in the book he has joined the militia
to put down the 1794 Whiseky Rebellion in the trans-Appalachia
west. He stayed and joined the Army after the Rebellion was put
down, btu he was transferred to a Rifle Company after being brought
up on charges of Conduct Unbecoming an Office. He insulted another
officer and challenged him to a duel. He was acquitted, but put
in the rifle company whose Captain was William Clark. And so it
goes.
I
can't say what project I am working on right now because spies
might be reading this. But after I'm done with Live Like Jay I
have another project for Swell that I am looking forward to.
The
birds are chirping, the semis are growling past and there are
some horses grazing just across a little creek. Montana is nice.
A
friend who has just hooked up with oneathem Silicon Valley gaziliioanires
responded to one of me e-mails, saying:
You're
silly Ben Marcus.
I've
always wanted to visit Montana. I hear amazing things about
it. I keep asking _ _ _ _ if we can buy a place there for the
winter but he says the insects are huge up there. Who cares!
I know I'll love it!!
So
you had an epic time? What made you decide to go there?
I'm
going to respond like this:
Dear
_ _ _ _
I
am here because it is there. And I wanted to catch some trout.
Regarding
your lust for the Montana good rural life. I recommend you utilize
the full power of your feminine wiles-which I have spent many
long, lonely nights imagining-to convince this rich feller of
yours to come up here and buy you a spread.
A
meager one million dollars America will buy you a substantial
chunk of prime Montana riverbottom, with all the trimmings:
trout-laden rivers, snow-and-tree and elk-covered mountains,
plus a quaint main house, Historical Register barn, and a couple
hundred acres covered in three-foot tall grass for horses and
cattle and dogs and cats and children.
They're
practically giving it away. Half the fun will be meandering
all around Montana to figure out where to throw down.
Ted
Turner can live anywhere and he owns half the state, apparently,
pissing off a lot of the locals because he turns most of his
land into nature conserves: no hunting, no fishing.
Anyway,
work those wiles, girl, and you'll be in the saddle soon enough.
Or something like that.
Something
like that, anyway. That is what I would do if I had an extra million.
There are ranches for sale everywhere.
I
am running out of battery time and I have to write a long e-mail
to Evan about Project V. Ike is back again, and we'll be out of
here soon.
I
also may write a nasty e-mail to someone at SURFER, congratulating
them on the WWF ad in the latest issue. What is next: Tractor
pull? Jerry Springer show? Thank God for the Journal
It
may start raining. It was clear yesterday.
16:58
SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 2001 STILL AT THE RV PARK, BUT LEAVING
TRIP
METER: 55258
ODOMETER: 1181
MONEY
Two ice creams: $2.00
Current AOL charges: $104.15
Stupid
cat. While I was showering and downloading and e-mailing, Ike
took of into the bush along the river and went Lewis and Clarking.
I may rename him LC, for Lewis and Clark. I was ready to go about
five hours ago, but Ike was out poking around. I went calling
into the bush for him a few times after a guy assured me there
were no rattlers in the bush, only bull snakes.
I
dumped the trash, charged batteries for camera and razor and computer.
I killed time waiting for the Black and White one to come back,
wondering if I'd ever see him again.
While
downloading the last messages I was approached by a couple of
down on their luck guys who were heading for Idaho Falls. They
both reeked of booze, and I gave one of them some fishing lures
and a couple of bucks. The other one wasn't too bad and was semi-intelligent.
He had taken a course in desktop publishing, but preferred to
build houses.
They
were having clutch problems or something and I was tempted to
help them out, but they were gone.
I
logged on one more time and got a communiquÚ from Jeff Galbraith.
He'll be in Boise on Tuesday and will take a bus to Ketchum if
I don't pick him up. He also gave me a Fed Ex address for Smith
Optical. I called Eric Nelson to nudge him into sending me the
Whipped video and the Jay tribute. It will figure in the story.
He thinks they might have raised $20,000 for Kim Moriarity.
So
I had done everything I could do, including dumping the stinky
cat box (duh) and was up to page 66 of the Meriwhether Lewis book.
He is now President Thomas Jefferson's personal secretary and
lives in the White House with him (weird, when I wrote that the
guy on the radio said "White House." I'm like, freaking out.
So,
I'm getting a better idea of the guy who came right through here.
That river I saw yesterday was the Jefferson. Now the radio guy
is talking about that BTO/BOC/Edgar Winter and 30 other bands
extravaganza coming up. I saw the location for it yesterday. I
don't think I'll hang around, no matter how much Jimmy Vaughn
rocks.
It
is hot and muggy and sweaty. My kind of weather (not) Time to
hit the road and cool off. Mike told me check out the Sacajewa
Inn in Three Forks, and I'm going to do that and keep driving
until the light runs out. I'm heading for Yellowstone now, and
then to Sun Valley. I have to do some writing, too. But the book
I'm reading should help with that.
Oh,
I guess I should start enumerating my good deeds like I did when
I went up to the Yukon. Today I gave some down and outers a few
bucks, and e-mailed a couple of photos to the biker couple.
What?
Me, worry?
Ike
finally came out of the bush at 16:56, with a "What, Me Worry"
look. Stupid cat. Wasted half a day, although I was forced to
do some reading I need to do.
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