OCR Text |
Show The Park Record Wednesday, July 12, 2000 Core Samples By Jay Meehan A-14 lll.ll 111 IIH PUJUWHJIIUIIIIII.I.II Hill JII .1111.1 llll II I illlll I I,. I ILL lllll HUIimillllll I .IIIWIMUILJM ll.lllll FRil Brink's Home Security standard system installed Fire & Medical Protection Included (Limited Time) Save ngr new when you call us to take advantage of this incredible ofer. As a Brink's Home security Aonzed Dealer, we are atte to bnng you re safety, security, and peace-of-mind that only come with a Bnrk s ss'em TKe irs'ai'a'ion and se of a home secunty sysem can make your home three times less likely 'o ce Durgiunzed Tan an unp'ceced home Caii now and we will install the sysem absolutely FREE. If you have a system that is NOT monitored by Brink's... Zj' and osk oooJ cu' soeco' cc"vers-;on cer odav if you ce not currently unoer contact, feel sa'e' bv conve":na o the B' Vs ss'em. IIBRINKS Btfk it -1 J JCT CCT1 E3TTV FREE Installation of the Brink's Home Security system' Call Today CAMS, wmm HOME SECURITY US Burglar and Fire, Inc. 1375 Deer Valley Drive. 101 Pnrk Titv I Itnh R4D0ft 800-883-7694 30 95 24-hour monthly monitoring fee and 3-year monitoring agreement. Limited time otter. rm 111 e Great Haircut Sale " r- j ,j vf 'V Sri?) Ail haircuts arc just $7.99 we 2 - July 15 Great hair at a price that's music to your ears. Good only at participating locations. PARK CITY Park City Plaza 1890 Bonanza Dr. (435)658-2980 www.greatdips.com Tho tail with cotor ton' fc raffttorco' troomaH( of Groat Oipt, inc. Brief sojourns The moose gazed at me as if to say, "my grandfather grand-father looked just like Walter Matthau." His body language said he wasn't going anywhere, that he just wanted to hang out a bit and shoot the breeze. Why not? I wasnt headed anywhere in particular par-ticular either and. as is often the case, I just might learn something. It turned out he had followed the north end of a southbound female of the species to his current turf along the banks of the Stillwater Fork of the Bear River. Although his habitat now consisted mainly of the Christmas Meadows section along the western end of this north slope of the Uinta Mountains, he saw it as southern climes and had become one with the environment. After only a couple of years he could tell the difference between a sports utility vehicle and a mini-van without interrupting his never-ending meal. The moose tried hard to keep from smirking at my right-out-of-the-box hiking boots. "Somewhere along this trip 1 will H As I climbed into my vehicle, my olfactory sensors couldn't help but notice that my once-virgin hiking boots now proudly sported the unmistakable sign of fresh moose scat" Jay Meehan take you on a break-in jaunt." I had told them earlier in the d iv." So far. however, the paces I had put them through consisted consist-ed mostly of repeated journeys from brake pedal to clutch pedal and a quick scouting trip into the back-country back-country of the Beaver mmmmm wmmmmm Creek Inn. In the company of well-trodden moose hooves, they were more than embarrassed. As I was the only mammal in the area more ungainly than he. the moose begged me to stay. He expressed this desire, of course, without looking up, or down, depending on the relative elevation of whichever branch was being devoured. In fact, not once during our visit did he openly acknowledge my presence. Such was the subtlety of his communication that a passerby might not have perceived the magnificent singularity of our bond. In relationships such as ours, outward expression is unnecessary. It was a great day to be indigenous. 1 think Sherman Alexie said that. As I climbed into my vehicle, my olfactory sensors sen-sors couldn"t help but notice that my once-virgin hiking boots now proudly sported the unmistakable sign of fresh moose scat. Their former humiliation rose with the odor and. exiting past my nose, escaped out the open window. A quick glance confirmed con-firmed the presence of self-esteem, sharing space with moose droppings, upon my now-cocky footwear. Next stop, that Smithsonian of wildlife preserves. Evanston. Wyo. Big. wide, wonderful Wyoming continually tugs at something within me. Something learned, something scholarly. Not unlike the border-crossin' border-crossin' feeling one gets in Wendover. Mesquite, Nogales and the like. Debauchery, at some level, is the lure. l Better to find a motel room sooner than later, it being Friday night and all. Aint no way you w ant to be at the wheel after the night of social research 1 have in mind. The girl at the check-in desk has obviously obvi-ously seen my kind before and is able to pull off the entire registration process without eye contact. P sense a complex settling in. The room is perfect. It exudes spare and lean Not classic noir digs with bare light bulb dangling from a wire or anything, but the queen, cable and shower don't overwhelm you. I carefully arrange " bag and cooler so as not to impede a stumbling re- entry later on. This isnl my first rodeo. I locate a plate of enchiladas down the street. They have gringo written all over them but, after a couple of Dos Equis. all is well. What might have been a smile slowly began to creep across the wait- ress' face. Its pace was such that I never found out. I wanted out before the bars closed or the green . chilies turned red. whichever came tirst. 1 was on a mission, alter all. Years ago not much stood out along the service road. I never did find out what it served other than an establishment , called Pete's Rock n Re. mv current desti- ""i""" nation on this quest - for higher learning. , Nowadays there isnt much frontage available on' this frontage road, the fruits of the overthrust belt being crude in more w ays than oil. Pete's is a watering hole for oral historians and philosophers of the thirsty persuasion. Far from being full of itself, Pete's strives to blend in, to not be noticed. The barkeep goes out of his way to hide the fact that he might be open for business, and he's the owner. Absolutely nothing, save word of mouth.' announces the existence of the joint. It's tough to locate first time out and tougher to leave. Gray hair and beard sitting atop a w ry grin greets the returning wayfarer mid-sentence, picking up where he'd left off last time around. Banter about -music and literature slips on to a barstool and ' orders something to knock down the trail dust. The most inspired jukebox in the American West starts ' doling out ethnomusicology that matters. No "smooth jazz" in these parts. You want to talk ambiance? You get drenched ' with it sitting on these stools. The humor reaches ever so deep into the human condition and the tears and laughter don't get any better. As a way of stay- -ing in touch, we swap books. I dropped off about 30 on the end of the bar as I arrived. Most were being returned, some after a vear or more but, although his wife is the local librarian, you never pay a fine. Not at Pete's Rock n "Wry. " Teri Orr is on vacation. Her column will return when she does. Writers on the Range ,4 At iiH By Lou Bendrick 1' v-W-2 ii-ir "-"HI Native American wannabees: Beware the Weasel Spirit I once stayed at an upscale spa that had a Native American theme. We padded around on Navajo rugs, awoke to morning drumming and disrobed dis-robed in locker rooms referred to as kivas. At night, instead of finding a chocolate on my pillow, there was a woven dream catcher. This failed to soothe my Spirit Self. In fact. I fretted: Was that dream catcher made by an impoverished person on a reservation while my fat ass was at a spa? I've always been the guilty type. This guilt is why I'm unable to retain an open mind when it comes to my town's latest craze: Native American spirituality, known widely as the Born-Again Navajo movement. move-ment. (OK, I just made that term up.) Although Telluride. Colo., is not approaching Sedona-like sensibilities (as far as I can tell, no one has sent an energy cone up to the mother ship), former for-mer dentists here do rename themselves Moonfeather. She-Wolf and Blackcloud Dancer. Peruse the local newspaper and you might find Shamanic Healers listed next to Windshield Repair Services in the classified classi-fied ads. Moonlight drumming is the second sec-ond most popular activity after golf. Amid Born-Again Navajos (most often New Jersey-born "i Caucasians), spirit animals, or totems, are the latest trendy pets. I Peruse the local newspaper and you might find Shamanic Healers listed next to Windshield Repair Services in the classified ads. Moonlight drumming is the second most popular activity after golf. " Lou Bendrick why 1 recently participated in a ceremony that involved a new moon (that is. no moon), chanting, drumming, singing off key. rattles, water bowls.' feathers and several New Jersey-born women huddled hud-dled around a lump of charcoal in lieu of a campfire on the deck of a condo. (Let me remind you. i have chosen the name White Dork.) While parts of this ceremony were beautiful and meditative. I felt-something felt-something was missing. Namely, a Native American.-True American.-True to form, 1 felt guilty, too. like I'd performed ' a Japanese tea ceremony at a backyard barbecue or received holy communion at Wal-Mart. I felt like a White Dork who was taking the best of another cul-. ture's spirituality without earning it, looking for a New Age quick fix instead of doing the long, hard work of self-exploration. I was a hypocrite, conveniently conve-niently adopting values but not living them communing com-muning with animal spirits and buying shrink-wrapped shrink-wrapped beef. While much of this cultural co-opt ing is. at heart, very, well meaning. Native Americans are getting get-ting weary, if not-pissed not-pissed off. Members of the Lakota tribe have declared war on exploiters of their ancient spirituality. Their declaration states that they have "suffered the thought totems were carved things sold next to the rubber tomahawks. Of course, i also thought a sweat lodge was pretty much the same thing as a Swedish sauna. This cultural ignorance is why I have chosen the spirit name White Dork. True, I could have picked Rainbow Claw Warrior cf Crying Sunshine She-Bear, She-Bear, but White Dork see med somehow more fitting. fit-ting. Most Born-Again Navajos have spirit animals, charismatic megafauna such as wolves, bears or eagles. I think I've finally found my own spirit animal, ani-mal, too: The weasel. Small and beady-eyed, symbol of irritation. Like many Americans, I found myself "questing" for life's deeper meaning, attempting to find a less patriarchal, more nature-based spirituality. This is unspeakable indignity of having our most precious Lakota ceremonies and spiritual practices desecrated, desecrat-ed, mocked and abused by non-Indian 'wannabes,' hucksters, cultists. commercial profiteers and self- ' styled "New Age' retail stores and... pseudo reli-' gious corporations have been formed tc charge people peo-ple money for admission into phony 'sweatlodges and "vision quest programs ..." Born-Again Navajos if they're devout must take this declaration of war seriously. After all. among its soldiers are White Dork and her Spirit Weasel, pathfinder of cynicism and King of the Rodent World. Together they will rain on the parade of any Rainbow Spirit Journey and then' go take holy communion at Wal-Mart. Lou "White Dork" Bendrick is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a senice of High Country News (www.hcn.orgl She lives in Telluride. Colo, Cini Groat Cltpt, Inc. What's on Tom Clyde's mind this week? Read 'More Dogs on Main Street ' in Saturday's Park Record. Poor Co |