OCR Text |
Show THE ZEPHYR JUNE 1990 was at the tlnua lying In a state of ruin at the central maintenance yard. It was eventually to be sold for scrap. But after a while, I thought - Why dsappolnt these people? Of course this was Ed Abbey's trailer (by the way). And when a beautiful young woman came by one day, touched my cheek with her hand and sighed that she Just had to see where Ed Abbey slept, I knew that It was my duty, my responsfclllty as a loyal public servant, to fulfill her desire. After that experience, another brand new sign came to mind: Edward Abbey Slept Here If You Play Your Cards Right, You Can Too "No, said Larry simply. He didn't even want to discuss tt. I had a feeling I was pushing my luck. The summer ground on. I started wearing my Darth Vader mask whenever anyone knocked on the door, but the visitors didn't seem to notice. I started wondering why I was living In this crummy tin can. I'd come here for solitude, to be near the rocks and watch the sky. Instead, all Id done was to either answer questions or expend an enormous amount of energy trying to avoid answering questions. One night at 3 a.m., I was awakened by a knock on the door. A woman was standing anxiously on the porch. Her husband had kidney stones, she explained. Could I please take him to the hospital? The poor man groaned and moaned all the way to Moab, while his wife berated him for his alleged excessive beer drinking. We arrived at the hospital, and I turned the beleaguered husband over to Dr. Mayberry, climbed wearily Into the carry-a- ll and headed back to my little Deylls Garden trailer. The sun was up by now. I stumbled through the front door and collapsed on the couch. I was about to drift away when there came a rapping at my door. "Excuse me, the man said, "but Is this Edward Abbeys trailer?" He had a copy of DESERT SOLITAIRE under his arm. It was seven oclock In the morning. I looked at this devoted follower through bleary eyes. "Sir, I finally replied, "I am Edward Abbey. "Really, he said "I thought you'd be taller. "Do you want me to autograph your book or not? I snarled He handed me his book, and I must admit there was a look of reverence In his I wrote "To as eyes my old friend Herb ... Don't ever knock on my trailer door agaln...Your pal, Ed Abbey. Herb left, a happy man. I went back to the couch. Well, I thought to myself, W s been quite a day. I Impersonated Ed Abbey. I provided assistance to a man with kidney stones. I collected $154 In camping fees. This, I realized Is what It means to be a public Nelsons Heating and Refrigeration XZ. How man serving Moab since 1962 Times haveT TDLb 1070 Bowling Alley Ln VbU. OUT op "WE FRONT STAY 259-562- 5 loaders! OOe$ READ OGR LIPS WE SELL APPLIANCES servant I PAGE 13 live elsewhere now. This story first appeared In the Stinking Desert Gazette and High Country News. CANYONLANDS LLAMAS Guided Pack Trips Daily Hikes Multiple Day Treks Drop Camps Custom Adventures DAILY RATES $50 per, day per person 2 person min. MULTIPLE DAY TREKS $100 per day per person 4 person min. (801) (801) 259-82259-573- 52 9 Do you want a truly unique dining experience? CVSR 1911 Join us and our beautiful llamas for a hike and dinner in the Moabf Utah 84532 canyons around Castle Rock. and preservation promotionAlexander Skye The world has discovered Moab, and still we Insist on letting matters run their course, still thinking were ust that sleepy little town on the Colorado. Well, allow me to stir up the can of worms a bit, before Its too late. Close the River Roads and the Sllckrock Bike Trail to overnight camping, except In newly established, fee designated BLM campgrounds. If the BLM can find the funds to do something as preposterous as to chain 300 acres of Juniper trees, they can certainly come up with the funds for something as vital as this. The Scenic By Way Signs along these routes are a Joke. The whole stretch along ns the river Is approaching health hazard status. Accidents, brush fires, and vehicle break-iare now commonplace. of minimum Impact camping. You get fined two hundred bucks for littering, youll learn fast areas so popular? Surely there are enough private campgrounds town with empty tent sites. I know. I've checked. And this area cant be considered a What more do we want? Thoughtful planning for Main Street, more Informational services for the visitor, a public radio station, a pride within the local community that we welcome everyone here to play, as long as they're aware of the rules and abide by them; that's what we need. 1. In Why are those Wilderness Experience for In their own People are camped along these stretches to save a buck, and because of. state of residence, camping along a scenic highway Is unheard Establish more private and BLM campgrounds with adequate sites, and restrict and the bike trail area begin the slow camping to these places. Then, let the river roads process of off traffic 2. Consider a river bridge across the Portal and rid Main Street this semi once and for all. There Is no other feasible answer. out-of-town- ers. self-heali- ng. 3. Establish more bike trails specifically for bikes and get them off the popular established hiking trails. Bikes and hikers do not mix well. to drag their Bike racks are needed at certain areas, so that bikers do not have soils to reach an overlook or main attraction. across expensive toys Proposed Wilderness Areas Immediately around our town should not even be considered. A wilderness area should be Judged by Its remoteness, lack of accessibility and Its pristine nature. To say that Negro Bill Canyon should be wilderness, Is like saying the Tailings should Pond be on the National Register of Historic Sites. To grant these areas wilderness status will only promote and accelerate their ultimate destruction through over-us- e. 5. 6. No more new roads. No more billboards. The whole world Is here as It Is. easy to draft these Ideas on paper. Much tougher to realize and Implement them. Many of these Ideas are very unpopular with locals. They must realize we must all get over our greed for the desert, In order to allow her to survive. We must plan carefully and thoughtfully with her In mind. Or, we can continue sitting back and letting matters run their course, or we can light up the whole valley, build the tram way and the ski lifts, raze the wilderness and make It gaudy, cheap and safe. Abbey was right Accessibility leads to ruin. The only viable answer Is promotion and preservation, lest we love It all to death. It Is fragile and stiff flnea for and our learning the rules of fragile environment, camping In restricted areas, being Ignorant 4. More education Is needed via word of mouth, brochures (Editor's Note: Most of these previously unpublished thoughts and proposals were written by Mr. Skye In 1987.) |