| OCR Text |
Show : THE ZEPHYR/OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2007 FEE DBAGK The Readers Respond... ally became disillusioned with the effort and the psycho resort owners and their GM's, and tired of answering questions like “when’’s it going to snow” or “when’’s it going to stop.” So we moved back to Salt Lake City where my wife, a research biologist, went back to work at the U, and is patiently partially subsidizing yours truly while I once again try to figure out what I'll be when I grow up. Meanwhile I’m dabbling in writing and reading a lot. So, knowing my inclinations as seen in an sort-of political/enviro E-rave I put out, some friends turned me on to your book...good stuff there man, Which leads me to this - I am for a better Utah but I’m just not sure what that means. I’’d like to join in the discussion with like minded people and help with the effort should we come upon a direction... You know tequila has been known to sort-of enhance ones revelation potent. ANOTHER MAHBU RECRUIT Howdy Jim, I am respectfully petitioning for membership in M.A.H.B.U. Following is my background: I was born and raised in rural PA. Upon finishing college in the late 70’s I moved to Utah to do the typical ski bum thing...an unplanned nearly 30 year career ensued. I first visited the Moab area in 1978, camped somewhere along the Colorado and did the daily a few times. When my future wife followed me to Utah a little later 1 “showed her” Moab by taking her 4-wheeling in our 1969 Nova. Although the car somehow survived part of the White Rim Trail and the Schaeffer Trail, both the engine and transmission leaked, and my wife hates 4-wheeling to this day. We eventually took up mountain biking; my best recollection is that we first did the Slickrock Trail in 1986. Following that we would often camp at Sand Flats and venture out to many other trails. We eventually became pretty bummed out at the explosion of people and the crowds found in Moab, and moved on to camp on BLM land up beyond the Monitor and Merrimac in a place we called Assman Flats.(There’s a story on that name I'll save for another time.) There, we would camp with many friends in a Let me know. Tom Patton Salt Lake City, UT MORE COMMENTS ON BNW AND GLOBAL WARMING Jim, self suf- I finished reading your book a few months ago. Great stuff. You are truly one of those pointing out that the Emperor has nothing on. Thank God for the Zephyr as a forum of this sort. Reading your book gave me some thoughts I wanted to share, since some of our experiences and views have a common thread. ficient manner. We needed the extra space as we have some rather large tequila fueled sort-of noisy rituals. I should interject here that I sort-of have an aversion to mountain bikes, the device itself, or maybe they don’t like my big butt. I’m not uncoordinated but I seem to have a problem staying in the saddle. I also came to realize that one can’t enjoy the beauty of the area as well when biking. Something that drives me batty is these people who do the White Rim “century” in one day...smug spandex stiffs who look down their noses at the likes of me, if they even notice me at all sitting there in my cotton blown away once again by monument basin. The Goat Heads The chapter where you talk about the goat heads was amusing and painful, and hits close to home to anyone who lived in small town Utah. When I first moved to Vernal in 1976, the field next to my grandmother’s house where we lived-- what she used to call “the back forty” - was just a typical, unused dirt field with the usual harmless weeds. My siblings and I could run around barefoot without fear, enjoying the feeling of warm summer dirt on our feet. A few years later, as the story goes, my grandmother hired a farmer from out of town to plow the field. Well, that summer we were introduced to the hellish weed with the little yellow flowers that grows so fast you can almost see it move after a - good summer rain. As the story went, that farmers’ plow had goat heads on it and deposited them into our virgin soil. My mother, who had a garden in the field, and us kids discovered how painful those goddamn things are! From then on, one had to be vigilant when walking around barefoot outside. The worst was when someone would track them into the house on their shoes, and they would get displaced onto the carpet only to be I consider myself an enviro but have to confess I am a self compromised mess. Maybe M.A.H.B.U. membership can help......to wit: I generally can’t stand other mt bikers. I have an ATV (dual spent motorcycle) but I really can’t stand most other ATV’ers. I hunt, but sometimes hide from other hunters stepped on by an unsuspecting victim, who was barefoot while making a late night trip for a bow] of cereal while watching Johnny Carson. At any rate once we had kids (two red headed boys) and had to take turns hangin: with them and recreating with adults, 1 always insisted on a solo day whereby I could sort of go on a desert walkabout on my own. In addition, we have run many rivers many times in the southwest, all on private trips. Words can’t describe the junction of Slickhorn canyon with the San Juan, our favorite trip. Back to Assman...we tried for years to rehab the flats, as it was becoming alarmingly impacted. We trucked out literally tons of trash and ashes. We even left a laminated plea to fellow campers which likely got shot at and burned. Years ago we had moved to our own fire pit and wood along with chemical toilets. To no avail, Assman - while saved the first go round, now has become part of the corridor camping restrictions - something: we sadly support. We have lately come around to venturing back into town when we visit now. I even camped at Sand Flats on a solo late winter visit. 1 can assure you that although mainly just tourists when we visit Moab (we do have some friends living there) and we might still be stupid tourists (a role I actually relish after 30 years in the tourist trade), but we are not arrogant stupid tourists. I could tell stories of that beast for hours. I consider myself an enviro but have to confess I am a self compromised mess. Maybe M.A.H.B.U. membership can help...-.. to wit: I generally can’t stand other mt bikers. I With mainstream American civilizations’ current addic- tion to all things convenient, ephemeral, and unsustainable, it is blatantly obvious that the status quo is not only untenable from a purely scientific perspective, but also from a moral one. The Simple Life Reading your plea for a simpler, less consumptive lifestyle, I couldn't help but think of a recent Garrison Keillor column in the Salt Lake Tribune. Keillor talks about stopping in Amish country to buy rhubarb, and writes “You look at the Amish and you see the past, but you might also be looking at the future. Our great-grandchildren, faced with facts their ancestors were able to ignore, might have to do without the internal combustion engine and figure out how to live the subsistence life.” Though from the technologically optimistic worldview currently held by most, this may seem like the ramblings of a ludditic fear-mongerer; however, Keillors point is valid. With mainstream American have an ATV (dual sport motorcycle) but I really can’t stand most other ATV’ers. I hunt, but sometimes hide from other hunters. There is a type of hunter here in Utah I call Kmart hunters...... I don’t think I need to elaborate there. 1 am also a former member of SUWA. I had a falling out with them over a debate on responsible ATV users, which they basically refused to believe existed. I really couldn't believe the tone of the letter I got from some young lady representing SUWA, it was borderline mean and definitely nasty. We departed Utah a while back while I chased a career in ski area management, and had the lucky yet mixed bag experience to live in a couple of small resort towns. I eventu- aoe RIVERSIDE PLUMBING & HEATING pene ae civilizations’ current addiction to all things convenient, ephemeral, and unsustainable, it is blatantly obvious that the status quo is not only untenable from a purely scientific perspective, but also from a moral one. Being raised partly by my grandmother, I grew up with stories of living in a tent in 366 N. 500 a ¢ MOAB ° 259-8324 Sales pee I on ET NEEDS A PLUMBER... "I cree my intergalactic timewarp pies tae vehicle into a wormhole... Cleaning COMPLETE LINE OF PLUMBING FIX TURES Kohler- Grohe- Mansfield Ejer- Moen ~ Delta- Sterling- Price Pfister HOT WATER HEATERS- GARBAGE DISPOSALS WHIRLPOOL BATHS- SPAS ..-and | need a plunger.” SERVING THE PLUMBING NEEDS OF A GALAXY 30 |
