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.
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