Latest Update: September 28, 2001 by Ben Marcus

16:33 BC TIME FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2001 A TRUCK STOP IN KITWANGA

The Pixie Chicks blew it by not coming down the Cassiar. And I almost blew it going down the Cassiar. When I was in Liard Hot Springs with the Pixie Chicks I was distracted by deadlines and money and etc. and I kept suggesting they come down the Cassiar with me. Part of that was because I was worried about gas money and part of that was because I think everyone should see it. Well they didn't come with me and I was almost tempted to head the other way this time, but I'm glad I didn't.

The Cassiar rules. I thought I was jaded and wouldn't be as impressed this time, but I was wrong. Holy smokes is it spectacular. Yesterday was crystal clear so it was pretty spectacular with all the fall color and everything.

Not many cars on the road and went back all the places I passed on the way up: the place where I chased Ike and took a bathe in the cold river, the store where I met the Scottish guy, etc.

Drove and drove and drove and this is all getting familiar, when it was so exotic last year. Just a perfect day and I was in a good mood because I was rolling again and I'd complete some projects. Yesterday I had mailed a rough copy of Deus ex Machina to the Allen Fund for Music, because the deadline is Sept. 30.

Nothing will come of it probably, but I still like the idea.

I was just glad to have a draft of the Santa Cruz article done and people reading and proofing it.

So I headed down the Cassiar aiming for Smithers and my next internet connection.

Drove and drove and drove after putting CAN$107 into the gas tank in Watson Lake.

The Cassiar was beautiful and empty and it's just one of the most impressive places I've ever seen.

Stopped at Dease Lake to talk to the owner of the campground where I stayed on the way up. His name isn't Jan Johnson (it's Dennis Bieber) but he does come from Wisconsin and he spent the summer chopping down trees and milling his own lumber and building cabins by hand. He is as close to a pioneer as I have ever seen, but I don't know how much fun he was having.

I asked him how much he had paid for the place but he said, "Too much." And then complained about the tax accesor.

I felt sorry for him but tried to cheer him up by saying I was going to try to write a story on the Cassiar for Horizon Air magazine and I too his business card. He is living pretty close to the pioneer life; He's just using power tools.

Saw a big pike submerge in the lake as I was going out and for the rest of the trip I was looking for stuff to write about, if Horizon Air or whoever lets me do it.

Don't remember much. Just a lot of fall color.

No radio stations, either. It's that remote.

Passed the might Stikine and wondered what it must be like to take a boat to the mouth, if that is even possible. There were a few trailers around but I think these are all hunters, going upriver in boats with ATVs to go after moose.

At one point some guys waved at me from a small pickup truck. I thought it might be Brent Taylor from last year, but it was two guys from California looking for moose.

Live and let live I say. But I didn't say it to them.

On the way I saw some horses in the road so I stopped and fed them some oats. They liked the oats. The horses had bells around their necks, either to keep together or to warm bear they were coming.

Saw a couple of black bear here and there, but couldn't get a clear shot.

Stopped in Tatogga Lake where I left the foreign money on the wall last year. Watched Another 48 Hours for a while, then took off. This is a place where all the hunters going up the Stikine Hang out.

It was getting dark but I pushed on to Bell II, where someone is building a very nice lodge and Heli-skiiing operation. I made it late, and slept without paying near the RV park. It rained. Ike kept me company.

Woke up this morning in the rain. Had a nice bowl of oatmeal in the restaurant, which is really, really nice. They have tits and nippled the place, and it really stands out on the Cassiar. There is a big map on the wall with all the ski runs marked, and apparently the skiing is very, very good. I can imagine. The waitress said the hotel is booked through the winter. It's a long way from anywhere, but I'm glad they're doing well.

Used the bathroom: stone and hand-milled wood. If I write the story, I'll contrast Bell II with Dease Lake. Same idea, different amounts of money. Dease Lake is the place that needs a small hydro-electric plant.

Drove out of Bell II and stopped and made a few phone calls at Meziadin Junction and the crossing at Stewar. Talked to Fred van Dyke and Al Weimers and others about the Santa Cruz article. Just want them to be sure they read it. Made mistakes with Mac Reed and I don't like mistakes. So I get it proofed by everyone.

Oh yeah, last night I almost hit a horse after dark and at one point a truck was passing me going the other way and I got the wobbles in all the gravel and almost lost it. That was a little hairy.

Today I almost screwed up and ran out of gas. There were several places I should have gassed up, but I forgot where I was and ran out of gas. I had the spare can but didn't know how far I was from the next gas station. Stupid. I drove along stressing that I was going to spend the day hitching to get gas, but a mile later I saw a sign turning off to the "Historic Village of ???" and another sign that said "Gas Bar."

Yeah. God watches out for nimrods.

The town was an Indian town and about as sad as Indian towns everywhere. It looked like Neah Bay or Makaha: abandoned cars everywhere, torn-up houses, sad-looking people.

I got gas at the gas bar and checked out some totem poles. One the historical sign explaining the poles someone had put green tape over the "primitive" in the expression "primitive art."

Touchy.

Anyway, I got gas and talked to a guy doing missionary work and then I drove on. Turns out I probably would have made it on the extra gas because I was only a few miles from Kitwanga. I passed the place where I dropped off the Indian who gave me the salmon "Roger" when I was coming up. That seems like centuries ago.

And now I'm in a truck stop in Kitwanga, using their phone and data link at the table to send e-mails and cause trouble.

Here's the latest post on Aggroville. It's actually pretty astute.

Author: Speedbump (---.proxy.aol.com) Date: 09-28-01 17:24

Author: -Dezy (---.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net) Date: 09-26-01 19:50

Another look into the darkside of BM.

I sure hope that none of the families of the 7,000 men, women and children that died in on 9/11/01 ever have the misfortune of reading this spew.

THE 7000 PEOPLE KILLED IN NEW YORK WERE MOST LIKELY KILLED BY FRIENDS AND FAMILIES OF THE 140,000 IRAQIS WHO DIED DURING THE GULF WAR.

PEOPLE SAY, "iF THIS HAD HAPPENED WHEN CLINTON WAS PRESIDENT..." THIS WTC TRAGEDY HAPPENED NOW BECAUSE THE SON OF GEORGE H. BUSH IS PRESIDENT. IT WAS GEORGE BUSH WHO PUSHED FOR DESERT STORM. NEITHER SCHWARZKOPFF NOR POWELL WANTED ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT. THEY'D SEEN WAR AND PEOPLE DYING AND DIDN'T WANT THAT. THEY TRIED TO AVOID IT EVERY WAY THEY COULD. BUSH PUSHED FOR IT AND BUSH GOT IT AND MORE THAN 100,00 IRAQIS WERE KILLED. THE WTC IS A DIRECT SLAP AND AFFRONT TO BUSH.

IF GORE HAD GOT IN, IT WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED.

IT'S PERSONAL.

THE US AND COALITION FORCES TRIED TO BE CAREFUL IN HOW WE BOMBED, BUT WE STILL KILLED PROBABLY 5-FOLD THE NUMBER OF INNOCENT PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED IN NEW YORK. WE HIT IRAQ WITH ALMOST EVERYTHING WE HAD. THAT IS HOW AMERICA FIGHTS WARS. SOMEONE IS DOING SOMETHING WE THINK IS WRONG, WE TELL THEM TO STOP. THEY DON'T STOP WE HIT THEM HARD AND FAST UNTIL THEY STOP.

THE REASON WE LOST VIETNAM IS WE DIDN'T FIGHT THE WAR THAT WAY. WE WERE TOO AFRAID OF DRAWING IN THE RUSSIANS AND CHINESE. THE COMMIES PLAYED THE US LIKE PUPPETS IN THAT WAR, AND WE LOST.

ISLAM IS DOING THE SAME THING, WHOEVER DID THE WTC THING IS A GENIUS AND IT'S PART OF A BIGGER PLAN.

BUT I THINK POWELL AND THEM ARE SMARTER. HOPE SO, ANYWAY. POWELL KNEW THIS WAS COMING BEFORE DESERT STORM. HE'S A SMART MAN.

RIGHT OR WRONG, IF SOMEONE BOMBS YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND KILLS EVERYONE YOU KNEW OR LOVED, YOU'RE GOING TO WANT REVENGE. AND REVENGE IS INGRAINED IN THE MUSLIM PSYCHE.

EVER SEE A MOVIE CALLED "THE BEAST" ABOUT AFGHANISITAN? THEY HAVE A THREE-PRONGED CODE OF HONOR

1. HOSPITALITY
2. REVENGE = "BADAL"
3. SANCTUARY = "NANAWATI"

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO OFFER HOSPITALITY TO ANYONE WHO NEEDS IT, BECAUSE SOME DAY YOU MIGHT NEED IT.

SOMEONE WRONGS YOU, YOU GET THEM BACK AND YOU DON'T STOP UNTIL YOU DO. IF YOU FAIL IN YOUR REVENGE, YOU HAVE FAILED THE MEMORY OF THE PERSON YOU ARE AVENGING.

IF SOMEONE KILLS YOUR BROTHER AND THEN ASKS FOR SANCTUARY, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO GIVE IT TO THEM. THAT ONE IS TOUGH, BUT IF THE AFGHANS REALLY DO THINK THAT WAY, THAT EXPLAINS OSAMA BIN LADEN. THEY ARE GIVING HIM SANCTUARY.

AND IF THE AFGHANS REALLY DO THINK THAT WAY AND WE GO BOMBING AROUND THERE AND KILL A BNCH MORE CIVILIANS, THE TRANSAMERICA BUILDING WILL BE NEXT OR WHO KNOWS, MAYBE A NUKE OR AN ANTHRAX BOMB.

AND THEN NOSTRADAMUS WILL BE A GENIUS.

AND THIS ALL COMES DOWN TO OIL:

I WAS JUST UP IN ANWR AND I CAN SAY THAT THE PROBLEM WITH OIL IS NOT THE PRODUCTION OF IT, BUT THE CONSUMPTION. THE ENTIRE OIL PRODUCTION APPARATUS AND PIPELINE IS A CENTIPEDE ON THE BACK OF A WOOLY MAMMOTH IN ALASKA AND IT'S ALSO AND ENGINEERING MASTERPIECE.

SINCE THE EXXON VALDEZ THEY ARE RIDICULOUSLY SCRUPULOUS ABOUT KEEPING IT CLEAN. WHEN YOU FILL YOUR GAS TANK IN PRUDHOE BAY YOU HAVE TO PUT A SCREEN UNDER THE NOZZLE. I FISHED FOR SALMON WITHIN A QUARTER MILE OF THE TANKER PORT AND IT WAS PRISTINE. THERE WERE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SALMON GOING BERSERK.

TO DO ANY WORK WITHIN FIVE MILES OF THE PIPELINE YOU HAVE TO FILE AN EIS. THEY ARE IN "DON'T SPILL A DROP MODE" AS THEY SHOULD BE.

IF GAS WERE CONSUMED WITH THE SAME CARE AND EFFICIENCY THAT OIL IS PRODUCED, THERE'D BE NO PROBLEM.

BUT IT ISN'T. HOW MANY MAMMOTH WANDERLODGES-PULLING-SUVS WITH ATVS AND BOATS DID I SEE ON MY WAY UP TO ALASKA? HUNDREDS. THOUSANDS

HOW MANY OF YOU DRIVE GAS-GUZZLING SUVS AND CHUCKLE ABOUT IT?

THE BLOOD OF THE PEOPLE AT THE WTC IS ON YOUR HANDS, AND GEORGE H BUSH'S HANDS WHETHER YOU WANT TO ADMIT IT OR NOT.

AMERICANS WASTE OIL. WE PISS IN IT. WE BATHE IN IT. WE SHOWER IN IT.

WE ARE WASTEFUL OF OIL AND THAT IS WHY ALL OF THIS HAS HAPPENED. IF WE DIDN'T PISS AWAY OIL AND WEREN'T SO DEPENDENT ON THE MIDDLE EAST, WE WOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PLACE. WE WOULD IGNORE IT LIKE WE IGNORE AFRICA.

BUT, AMERICANS CONSUME 20 MILLION BARRELS OF OIL A DAY.

EVERY DAY. A

AND HOW MUCH OF THAT IS WASTE? PROBABLY HALF.

THINK OF THAT THE NEXT TIME YOU DRIVE FROM SCOTTS VALLEY TO THE LANE JUST TO HANG OUT WITH THE COOL GUYS.

Your a total dick BM. Get the hell out of the U.S.A you traitor.

IS CANADA FAR ENOUGH?

-Dezy

I'm going to ask Scott Hulet to change my byline for the Turnagain Arm story in the next Journal. I'm going to credit it to "Phil Dezy" and for once this guy can be famous.

Sean O'Brien charged my phone card which was nice of him. I called Rodney Kilborn in Hawaii to get info on the tow contest there. Looks like Laird and them aren't going to do it, which is a shame. I think Laird is playing hard to get. Hard to imagine anyone beating him at Jaws, after what I saw on video from there last winter.

Laird's being a tease. He's smart. Let them wait for it, then give it to them.

Also called DOT and Girdwood Troopers about traffic control for the tidal bore event. They put me in touch with some flagging companies in Anchorage. I called one of them and the guy seemed pretty certain that there's no way they'll let us tie up the highway like that on a weekend in the summer.

I know what he is talking about, but we shall see.

I've been in here for hours and it' time to head up to Smithers and go see our friend at the Municipal Park: the fan of Ike. I want to finish that Specialty Event story for Trans World Surf Business and I'll do some fishing on the Kispiox and maybe go try to find the wedding ring I lost here last year.

Might even catch a fricking steelhead, eh? Naw.

I think Yvon Chouinard is around here somewhere. He said he spends a month up in the Bulkley Valley in the fall but I don't know if it's September or October. If I see him I'll walk up to him in my top to bottom Patagonia gear. He'll probably run.

That's it for now. Time to move on to Smithers.

Pixie Chicks, you blew it. The Cassiar is epic.

P.S. The Microsoft Word spell-checker is great.