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Latest Update: September 10, 2001 by Ben Marcus

21:33 ALASKA TIME MONDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 THE CORDOVA DORMS

Today was a good day. The third crystal-clear, sunny Valdez, Alaska day in a row. A good day to get out and about and see what Valdez had going on. There aren't many places to go here, but on a day like this is doesn't matter. It's all good, as the kids say.

After working in the dorm all morning-hacking out the Santa Cruz article-I jumped in the van and drove to the other side of Valdez Arm, to see if anything was happening.

It was.

On the way over I passed a small purse seiner that was cruising along, looking for a place to set its nets.

Further up the road, near Allison Point, there weren't many people around where there had been dozens a few weeks ago. I ended up talking to a couple of guys from Green Bay, Wisconsin who had partnered up in a $30 fishing rod and drove down from Tazlina to see what was up in Valdez.

What was up was the sun and the blue sky and the mountains and a lot of silver salmon. There were lots of fish around, jumping and splashing and cruising by the shore in big schools. You could see the fish come through and one of the guys would cast to it and you could see the fish turn toward the lure and either take it or pass it up.

These guys were killing it. They caught about 8 fish and didn't know what to do with all of them. I offered to clean them, being the professional that I am, but they didn't have a proper knife.

We talked about this and that and I told them, from long experience, that they were killing it: Perfect weather, lots of fish, no one around. They'd made the right choice.

Valdez Arm was clear and warm and sunny and there was no wind. Perfect surfing conditions. But this was a fishing day.

It's just a pleasure to see a place where salmon thrive. All the more amazing because we were less than a mile away from the tanker terminal at Valdez. The water is clean.

I took some photos and promised to e-mail to them and their friends. The purse seiner was setting its nets just down the road, so I drove down there to watch. The Green Bay guys were right behind me. For about an hour we watched this 30-foot purse seiner set its nets casting distance from shore. There were sea lions splashing in and over the nets, and occasionally nailing a salmon and shaking the life out of it.

I took some MPEGS. It sure was a nice day.

It's 22:50 and Jake just came in and is making dinner. I'm asking him about some of the things I saw on that Purse Seiner today.

"What was the name of the rope that went from the skiff to the net?"

"What were those noise-makers the guys were using to slap the water?"

Jake answered all my questions, and now I am content. I saw a purse seiner in action and it was interesting.

If Alaska were like today, all summer long, it would be fun to run a small salmon operation and spend the summer cruising around Prince William Sound, earning an okay living by catching salmon.

Earlier, a pretty girl in a blue nightgown came running over to borrow a piece of paper.

She was pretty and wearing glasses. I gave her some SURFER letterhead.

12:17 ALASKA TIME BLACK TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 THE DORM ROOM, IN FRONT OF THE TV

Holy shit. Woke up this morning, logged on to AOL and got the first word of all this mess. Unbelievable and totally believable. America is the world's biggest, most open target and I've wondered since grade school why terrorists haven't done something as heinous as this.

As dastardly as this all was, it was a very clever, effective terrorist attack.

The World Trade Center is the most visible symbol of world capitalism. Two buildings so big and strong it would seem impossible to bring them down-like capitalism.

"The capitalist world is unstable. It will collapse under its own weight."

And now they both have been reduced to rubble.

Two of the hijacked airlines were American.

American.

They crashed the part of the Pentagon that housed Army Strategic Planning, which was primarily responsible for the planning of Desert Storm.

One of the planes crashed near Camp David.

437-1489

Now they're saying on CNN that this week is the anniversary of the Camp David Accords. Maybe that's the link.

Un. Fricking. Believable.

I woke up and dove into all this, then woke up Jake. We were watching all this chaos, thinking we were safe in isolated Alaska and then we remembered the Valdez Marine Terminal is just across the Bay. I've heard that during the Gulf War, that terminal was one of the Top 10 Targets in the United States.

Great.

Jake and I watched TV and then got in the van and drove to the other side to see what was happening. Jake works for the local paper called The Vanguard, and he wanted to take photos and see if there were some stories.

Driving up to the Marine Terminal with a bearded, Jewish-looking guy in a white van might not have been such a good idea. Jake got out and took photos with his funky SLR and got questioned by Alyeska Security. They let him keep taking photos, and we left. There wasn't much security around there at all. If you wanted to hit the place, it wouldn't be too hard.

The third building at the Trade Center just collapsed.

"A very low-tech but high concept terrorist operation," the guy just said on TV. That's exactly right. He's also saying that we shouldn't rush to judgment and accuse Islam. He could be right. There are almost as many loonies in America and as there in the Middle East.

When we came back from the other side, I dropped off Jake at the Star and went to the Fish Plant to see about my check. I was thinking of carrying a can of black spray paint as a first line of defense against Big Mike. I went in unarmed and uncanned, but didn't see him.

One of the Turks was in there looking a little worried. Apparently the Fish Plant can't get its money from New York because of the attack. This Turk, Urdall, is supposed to be on a plane to New York tomorrow at 15:00. He wanted to fly out of Valdez, but I don't think that is going to happen. I offered to drive him with the others, and we went to the airport to see if any planes would be flying.

They weren't, and no one knew when they would be flying again. Urdall was worried and I told him to relax. No one knows what is going to happen, so there is no reason to worry.

He made a call with a phone card from the Dorm, and then I took him back to the plant.

Saw Gus and asked him for the $60, but he said he didn't have it. Great.

Come to think of it, all of the Turks are going to get a big once-over when they get on a place anywhere. They are Islamic-looking and as suspicious looking as young men can be these days.

I might help talk them onto the flights in Anchorage, if that is necessary.

Or who knows, maybe they are all part of Osama bin Laden's crew, and they are going to sneak over to the oil terminal tonight and blow it up. They've used three shitty months in a fish processing plant as their cover, and they're up to no good.

If so, I guess they won't be needing a ride to the airport.

Ike is here and wants some attention.

Could be worse. Could have been a nuke.

I asked a peace officer friend in Santa Cruz to run the name Mike Elkington. If he has a police record for theft or anything like that, I might ask the police to search his mobile home. I'd love to find my DVDs in his possession. I doubt he has them, but you never know.

Time to watch more TV. Not sure what is going to happen now. Doubt Alfaro and Brown will be coming up. Not sure when planes will be flying again. We shall see.

And there is this prophecy from Nostradamus:

"In the City of God there will be a great thunder.
Two brothers torn apart by Chaos, while the fortress endures.
The great leader will succumb.
The third big war will begin when the big city is burning."
Nostradamus 1654

I put this online in a couple of places. Just one of those things that make you go, "Hmmmm."

Now it's 20:11. Been watching the news all day and into the night. Now I'm comparing coverage on all the different channels.

Pretty soon I have to take everything out of my van and put it in my room here in the dorm. We'll have to see what is going to happen tomorrow. A little worried about getting confronted by Big Moose. If I have to shoot him, I'll do it in the ass.

Wish I had some rock salt.

 



TRAVELS WITH IKE

September 10, 2001
September 9, 2001
September 8, 2001
September 7, 2001
September 5, 2001
September 3, 2001
September 2, 2001
August 31, 2001
August 30, 2001

August 29, 2001
August 28, 2001

August 25, 2001
August 21, 2001
August 20, 2001
August 18, 2001
August 17, 2001
August 16, 2001
August 15, 2001
August 12, 2001
August 10-11, 2001
August 9, 2001
August 8, 2001
August 7, 2001
August 6, 2001
August 5, 2001
August 4, 2001
August 2, 2001
August 1a, 2001
August 1, 2001
July 31, 2001
July 30, 2001
July 29, 2001
July 28, 2001
July 27, 2001
July 24-27, 2001
July 22, 2001
July 18-20, 2001
July 18, 2001
July 17, 2001
July 16, 2001
July 15, 2001
July 13, 2001
July 12, 2001
July 10, 2001
July 9, 2001
July 8, 2001
July 5, 2001
July 4, 2001
July 3, 2001
July 2, 2001
July 1 a, 2001
July 1, 2001
June 30, 2001

June 28, 2001
June 25-26, 2001
June 24, 2001
June 23, 2001
June 22, 2001
June 21, 2001
June 20, 2001
June 19, 2001
June 18, 2001
June 17-18, 2001
June 16, 2001
June 15, 2001
June 14 , 2001

NORTH COAST
March 14, 2001
March 11, 2001

March 8, 2001
March 4, 2001
March 3, 2001
March 1, 2001
February 20, 2001
February 19, 2001
February 18, 2001
February 17, 2001
February 16, 2001


ALASKA 2000
November 19, 2000
November 18, 2000

November 15, 2000
November 14, 2000
November 14, 2000
November 12-13, 2000
November 11, 2000
November 9, 2000
November 8, 2000
November 4-6, 2000
November 3, 2000
November 1, 2000
October 31, 2000
October 29, 2000
October 27, 2000
October 26, 2000
October 25, 2000
October 22, 2000
October 22, 2000
October 21, 2000
October 19, 2000
October 17, 2000
October 16, 2000
October 16, 2000
October 14, 2000
October 12, 2000
October 11, 2000
October 10, 2000
October 10, 2000
October 9, 2000
October 8, 2000
October 7, 2000
October 6, 2000
October 6, 2000
October 5, 2000
October 4, 2000
October 3, 2000
October 2, 2000
October 1, 2000
September 30, 2000
September 29, 2000
September 28, 2000
September 27, 2000
September 25, 2000
September 24, 2000
September 23, 2000
September 22, 2000
September 21, 2000
September 21, 2000
September 20, 2000
September 19, 2000
September 19, 2000
September 18, 2000
September 17, 2000
September 16, 2000
September 15, 2000
September 15, 2000
September 14, 2000
September 13, 2000
September 12, 2000
September 10, 2000
September 10, 2000
September 8, 2000

September 8, 2000

PHOTOS
October 1, 2000
October 1, 2000
September 27, 2000

 

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