Latest Update: September 26, 2001 by Ben Marcus

16:10 YUKON TIME WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2001 NEAR THE LIBRARY IN WATSON LAKE

What the hell is that thing? It's a bird. It's aƒ bird! It's a great big black bird that is bigger than Ike and it is sitting on the edge of my open door, within about five feet of my head and crowing like crazy.

It's crowing so it must be a crow, or maybe it's a raven. I don't know. Is it quoting, "Nevermore?" Am I never getting out of Watson Lake? Hope not. Sheesh. That was weird. Big old black bird so close I could have touched it.

Ike was playing with the bird earlier, and the bird didn't mind. The bird would land within five feet of Ike and Ike would chase it and the bird would hop away. I got out of the car because the bird looked big enough to fly away with my cat.

Weird.

Is it an omen? Hope not. I don't need omens. I need money to get out of Watson Lake. My work is through here. Well almost, anyway.

I got a few e-mails about the Santa Cruz story today. Got a weird one from Mac Reed that I still don't understand. I guess I had him as a member of the Santa Cruz Surf Club in 1938, but I guess that was wrong. As Fred van Dyke pointed out, "There are a lot of Reeds in Santa Cruz: Wes Reed, Sam Reid, Mac Reed, Kevin Reed." Need to fix that.

Ike is charming some Indians right now. There are a lot of First Nation types in Watson Lake. Now the guy is playing with him. Hope they don't try to eat him.

I think that is why Ike is picked up by strangers so much. He likes everyone and goes right up to them regardless of race, creed, religion or color or whether or not they eat cats. The Indian guy is walking back now, but no Ike. He's not looking too good. I think he's a little drunk. Oh well.

Got some feedback from David Wampler and Karen and Chuck Gallagher and I'm still trying to get in touch with Fred van Dyke. Jim Phillips also like it, or so he said. Once again the article right now is 50 % too short for a book and two-times too long for a magazine article. Hopefully it will go both ways with style.

Alanis Morisette on the radio. She's Canadian.

I hope that drunk Indian didn't just kill Ike. I'd better go look.

Today I went back and forth between Watson Lake library and the park, which is a nice park near a lake. It's fall in the Yukon, so things could be worse.

I sent the shortened Turnagain Arm piece to Scott Hulet and he's going to get a check cut that Evan will deposit. That will get me moving again. My work is here is almost done.

It was a little depressing writing the Santa Cruz article, remembering the 70s and how much fun it was, and thinking about how much time has passed. I called the mid-70s the "Dark Ages, " and they kind of were. I think I preferred them that way.

I'm also working on a story about specialty surfing events for Trans World Surf Business. I've been working on this thing forever and it is due soon. I've been having trouble getting people to respond to my e-mails, either because they're too busy or they don't want to talk to me. Gary Dunne sent me back a good e-mail, but I'm still waiting for Paul Naude from Billabong. These guys all have better things to do, I know. But it was assigned and I want to finish it.

No Ike, just went looking for him in the same place I lost him for two days the last time I was through here. He's probably running through the wetlands or along the boardwalk. Hope that big black bird didn't get him.

So I'm stuck in Watson Lake again, hoping some money comes through so I can head down the Cassiar. I'm still a long way from home and I need to get home. I'm tired of this. This whole trip was a bust.

I'm listening to Aerosmith on the solar radio Dan gave me. It was supposed to be swag for Russia but now I'm using it to save wear and tear on the battery. I had to get jumped in the park earlier. The solar radio is great. I should have had it out a long time ago. You can crank it to power it, or leave it in the sun.

What else? Nothing, really. I'm in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, stuck (Ike is back) for the 20th time on this trip. I'm tired and disgusted and I don't know what to do anymore.

I checked out the Red Bull website and saw that they sponsor a lot of weirdo events like the Tidal Bore event. They might just get into it, but something tells me that the downturn in this economy is going to dry up sponsorship funds for things like that.

Last night I sat in the smoky longe and drank free Cokes all night and worked on the Santa Cruz article. It was nice to be around people and music and have the TV going, even in a smoky bar. I haven't spent a dime in there yet and I'll try to leave them some money when I go, for all the Cokes.

People were ordering hamburgers and other nice-looking foods and it stung a little not to be able to buy anything. I think I have about $1.67 in change in my door slot. That's it. Bank account is overdrawn $80 but there is money coming from Pay Pal (in three days, maybe) and there could be that check from TSJ.

I'm getting tired of this. Time to get home and get out of trouble. The creditors are hounding my mom and brother, and that's no good. I should give them Steve Hawk's number. Actually a creditor did call Hawk.

Going to work on the Specialty Event story now. That will bring in some cash.

There's been no repercussions from the Surf News prank yet and I'm told that Sharp was even flattered by it because it was done so well. Shit. What's a guy got to do?

I'm still getting hazed by a bunch of desk-jockeys on Aggroville. If anyone knows a guy named Phil who works at Plantronics, please push his car off the cliff with him in it.

That's all I can think of for now. I'm tired and I want to go home.

21:52 YUKON TIME WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2001 THE LOUNGE AT THE HOTEL

I found $5 hidden in my sun-visor, so I'm living large. I had a nice hamburger and fries for dinner and drank about 30 glasses of Coke, and now I'm hacking on the Santa Cruz article and listening to a surprisingly good country band. The girl can sing. Could be the next Shania Twain. This reminds me of Ireland a little bit, where everywhere you go there is music, and it is always good music. The Irish don't tolerate bad music.

I'm hacking on the Santa Cruz article which is now 23,926 words, almost exactly twice the size it needs to be. Shit. Once again, this article is twice too long for a magazine article and half the size of a book, so I'm hoping to expand and contract it either way.

Heard from Fred van Dyke and Mac Reed and Jim Phillips today. Reed was a little pissed because I'd made him about 20 years older than he actually is. I just fixed that, and he was right. That is why I have the world proof things.

Talked with Fred van Dyke collect on the phone in Montana and encouraged him to go to the Kinkos in Bozeman and print out a copy. I want him to proof it and now I'm going to try to figure out how to get copies to Harry Mayo and Ted Nicholson and EJ Oshier. I just want to get it right.

Jim Phillips sent me an encouraging e-mail today and that inspired me to send this e-mail to Julie at Ten Speed Press.

Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't. This book will be about surfing in the Fertile Crescent, and it's going to be busting with information. There are tens of thousands of photos available and some very good writers: Duane, Kampion, Houston, Van Dykes, etc. etc.

As Phillips said, it would be easy to do a volume on every decade, but I think we can get it all done in one big coffee-table book. Fun to do.

And talking to Fred today, I'd love to hide away in Montana for a winter and get it writ. Don't need to be in Santa Cruz or California to do it and in a way being away from the place makes it better, because it makes the mind's eye work harder. I'm thinking and feeling and remembering things from the 70s that are cheering me up and depressing me at the same time: Going to the Yacht Club with Tor Johnson and getting stoned with Eric Weber and then going up the stairs to listen to Neil Young and the Ducks. We were 10 feet away from his eminence, yelling "Homegrown." Neil Young rules. Whenever I hear his music I get homesick and the same goes for Clint Eastwood's movies.

Dave Gilovich hinted that he knows who stole Neil Young' guitar way back when. "A Sewer Peak guy." That narrows it down.

"Guitars and Cadillacs." This band is way better than it should be. A big Indian who looks like Paul Gomez is singing and he's singing good. He's kind of like me. Doesn't look like good things should come out of us, but they do.

Sometimes I love being on the road. Before I leave (if I leave) I'm going to leave a big tip for all the women who have been bringing me Cokes non-stop. I wish they'd let me run a tab, but I'm too embarrassed to ask.

Back to the Santa Cruz article. I don't know why I write so well, I just do.

23:37 Just finished the latest pass on the Santa Cruz article. It's now up to 24,916 words. It needs to be down to 12,000, and there is a lot of stuff to add.

The band just took a break. The girl singer came by a while ago while she was singing and said hello while she was singing. I wanted to write "Y'ALL GUYS ARE GREAT," or something country like that on my computer screen and show it to her, but she sang away.

Guess I'll listen to a few more songs and then hit the van.

Not sure what's happening tomorrow. If money comes I'll be down the Cassiar and toward Smithers. Might fish around the Kispiox and look for Yvon Chouinard and the wedding ring I lost here last year. Might try to catch a fish, too, with all my fancy Patagonia gear. Be nice to see the Swedes again. Maybe I'll bump into Brent Taylor. Might go fish theƒƒ mental blockƒ Meziadin Junction, where I met Brent Taylor last year and saw him catch that beauty of a steelhead.

All these places that were so exotic last year are now old-hat. I feel like a local in Watson Lake. Not such a bad place to be at night, really.

After Kispiox/Smithers I'll make haste for Montana. Might go visit Fred van Dyke. Definitely going to fish the Flathead again.

I want to show brother Dan those mountains that look like the Santa Cruz mountain as viewed from Hayward. And I want to catch some fall trout. Oh yes I do.

Need to submit Deus ex Machina by September 30 and get that Specialty Event story done.

Montana could be good.