These are the Chronicles of Famous Surf Writer Ben Marcus and his trip into the Wilds of the Alaskan Frontier.
Latest Update: September 28, 2000

15:02 - 16:37 ROOM 9 AT YOUNG'S HOTEL, TOK, ALASKA

Tok.

Shit, I'm still in Tok.

I just heard an airplane take off, and that can mean only one thing.

I am in Room 9 of Young's Hotel (Fast Eddy is the restaurant, not the hotel) with the door shut and the curtains closed, so I actually had to get up out of bed to look out the door and see if that rotating airplane means what I think it means.

I was right. It was a small plane, taking off toward the mountains into a breaking sky that was blizzardy bleak only an hour ago. There is sunlight and breaking clouds and even a bit of blue sky. The weather is clearing, the snow is stopping and maybe I can get out of here.

But I won't be leaving today. It's 15:30, and I'm already committed to my third night in Room 9. I didn't really want to stay here, but this morning it was snowing so hard and it was so miserable outside, I really didn't want to try to drive out, either. I am headed for Valdez, then Anchorage, which is another couple of hundred miles from here. There are most likely some big descents on the way, which are pretty treach in icy snow and the wrong vehicle.

It would have been unsafe in anything less than a Humvee, and I also would have missed all the scenic vistas, which are going to be very scenic indeed with all the snow in the mountains.

Maybe I'll drive out of here tomorrow.

I've been in this room for a couple of days, enjoying being warm and catching up on the world while watching the Olympics and CNN and local news, and trying to do work which will justify the expense. I just finished writing the "end of September" Local Knowledge column for swell.com, most of which was about the SURFER Magazine Surf Video Awards.

This was the fifth year for the video awards and the first year I didn't do it, so I was curious how it went. I heard good things and bad things. It feels a little like some other fella taking an old girlfriend to a big party. The Video Awards was the one day of the year I enjoyed being in Southern California.

And no matter what they do, they'll never top the first year. Ever.

I've been buying phone cards to make all the calls back to Santa Cruz to get the scoops. So far so good, although I wish I had a return number people could call. Anthony Ruffo actually did call me back and left a message at the hotel. And Eric Nelson sent a long e-mail.

I'm going to convert that swell.com column into the California Report column I write for a Japanese magazine. I'm also going to try to finish transcribing the Jeff Clark interview. Honest, Evan.

Not much to report. Yesterday I spent a full day in Tok, venturing out a couple of times, just to see if I could maneuver through the snow. It has been snowing steadily the entire time I've been here. I've cleared a foot of snow off the van a couple of times, and it keeps coming.

I don't know much about snow, but this seems like the good stuff, thick and light. I'm aware that Valdez is where people go for serious heli-skiing, and that snow I've been kicking around is why. I think.

Yesterday I drove gingerly out onto the main road, looking for the Post Office. It took me a few passes but I finally found it through the blizzard. I thought I was too late, but my car clock is still on California/Canada time. Alaska is an hour earlier. And I am in Alaska.

At the Post Office I mailed some presents off to all my bitches (kidding), and also a copy of Water on the Brain to the Final Draft International Screenplay Writing Competition. The contest ends the 30th, so I'm hoping that Express mail will get there in time. I included a copy of Year of the Drag In with the screenplay. Hope that helps.

The rest of the time I lazed about in Room 9 and watched the snow fall. It was really hideous weather yesterday. Visibility was about a quarter mile, and I had no desire to drive anywhere, north, south, east or west. Just getting to the post office was sketchy enough.

But it's nice to be in a warm room with a television, even with a faulty one that only gets five channels, and flickers incessantly and maddeningly on the Olympics channel. I like watching CNN. I stay informed. Bob Knight was on with Larry King saying his piece yesterday. Right now it's Al and Tipper. Gore.

Played gin and backgammon online last night. It's a good thing for lonely travelers on the road.

It was snowing again this morning with no sign of let-up, so I told the ladies at Fast Eddy's I'd be staying another night. It's getting expensive, but if you had seen the weather this morning, you would have understood. It was horrible.

Spent more of the morning and early afternoon working on Local Knowledge, which takes a while because of all the coding. Managed to speak to Peter Mel and Frank Quirarte and turned in an okay column.

I also signed up for the online screenplay competition co-sponsored by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Miramax. Unfortunately, they only accept screenplays up to 130 pages. Water on the Brain is still 100 more than that.

Cintra!

Help!

Just after starting this latest dispatch, I got antsy from eating too many Atomic Fireballs and went for a drive (it's 17:30 now). The sky is clearing, and Tok is a winter wonderland. The mountains and the trees and the buildings and the side of the road are covered with snow. Guys are getting around on snowmobiles. There are few people on the road and it is cold enough to freeze your boogers. I drove east(?) down a long highway lined with trees, and turned off to find a spooky little Arctic ghost town called Tanacross. Bought some gum from the small store, with a lady working there who reminded me of the Eskimo lady from Northern Exposure.

It's fully Arctic up here, and it's still September. January must be a blast.

Got back to the room to get back to work, and got into an Instant Message conversaton with SOLedit. I didn't know it, but Lee Crane has been posting all of my stories, with photos, on his sacklunch website. I looked it up and there it all was, pretty cool, with photos. My stuff, going back to September 8.

You can check it out for yourself at http://www.sacklunch.com/benm/ This is a good way to see the photos, for people who can't download them.

He hasn't told anyone about the link. Just me. Not sure why he's doing it, but I appreciate it.

The sun is setting, but at least I can see the sun. I'm watching CNN and listening to NPR and I think I'll go out and take some photos, then settle in for the evening.

Hope the storm is all gone by tomorrow. I want to get out of here. I'll head for Valdez and Anchorage tomorrow. I want to watch the Reeve Aleutian flight to Petropavlovsk take off on September 30, and remember it for next year. Then after that, who knows. Bum around Alaska until the weather drives me out, then hop on the ferry and go back to Washington.

I'm hoping it will be clear tonight, because the local news reported there has been a lot of solar activity lately, and there could be some solar flare/northern lights.

Ciao for now. I'm gonna go out and take some photos.

Okay. I took some photos and ordered a BLT when I went to the restaurant to get an extra key. I had locked myself out.

I'm sending the photos to Lee Crane. They should be up by tomorrow.

Bye for now. Time for a triple-decker BLT.