| OCR Text |
Show The woodpecker finally moved farther downstream and I lost sight of him. But I had been able to share an afternoon In a place that could only be described as perfect That night, In a sage brush meadow above the canyon, I was treated to another spectacle. Away from the lights of any town, in a polished night sky, I watched the Comet Hyakutald streak across the stars on its way to a rendezvous with the sun. Its tail extended twenty degrees across the constellations. The comet was brilliant and such a startling sight In a night sky that is otherwise as familiar as an old friend. Hyakutakl was the cosmic event of the year, although, had it passed about nine million miles closer to Earth, we would have been kissing our loved ones goodbye rather than enjoying an "astronomical event." It was after all, a comet that most likely slammed into die Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago and set into motion a chain of events that altered die course of life on this planet But this time around, at least, the comet was nothing more than a beautiful cosmic mystery to behold. But when I thought about it, die comet was no more spectacular or mysterious than my little canyon to the west The Intricacies of that place are no less amazing than Hyakutald. The comet is a ball of ice and rock that hurtles through the black void of space at thousands of miles an hour. My canyon teems with life and color and is immersed in sweet sounds and pleasant fragrances. The comet evokes feelings of awe and amazement; the canyon is more Intimate and warm. The comet's distance gives it an air of mystery, but millions saw it as it hurtled across the heavens. Only I know what the canyon looks like or how to find it The difference is their vulnerability. The comet had the good sense, which is pretty remarkable for an inanimate object, to steer clear of us. It will circle die sun and then head back to deep space for...who knows how long. By the time it returns, it may not be able to feel so secure, however. Scientists already discuss the possibility of asteroids and comets colliding again with our planet and have devised all kinds of ways to deter them, usually by blowing them up. It'll be the comet or us...one of us has to ga But my unknown canyon, and the many living things that call It home can only hope for continued anonymity. As amazing and mysterious as it can be, I'm grateful my canyon doesn't glow like the comet Its hiding place would be uncovered in an instant and its light extinguished just as fast..and extinguished most likely by ' ' others like me. So don't ask me where it is. Find your own forgotten little ' ' canyon and dbn't tell a souL FIRST ISSUE POST MORTEM, TYl4)S FROM HELL, MISCELLANEOUS NOTESm When the first issue of die 'new k improved' paper went to press, I had one recurring nightmar-e- what if I make the Zephyr free and nobody picks it up? I mean, after all, we Americans are not exactly known as voracious readers in the first place What if people see it and decide to wait until it comes out on video, I wondered. What if at the end of the two months, I still have 5000 copies left? What would I do? Where would I go!? It was unnecessary fretting on my part Even with a 15,000 press run, we ran out of papers about two weeks before this issue was printed. Of course, it was the spring tourist season and Jeep Safari, and I expect, even hope, that they will move a little slower during the summer. But from the mail I've received, a substantial increase from normal, I don't think the papers disappeared only because locals needed bird cage liners. Despite the extra time I had to assemble the Zephyr, a couple of typos from hell slipped by me. For one thing I identified local rancher Don Holyoak (with an 'o') as being Dan Holyoak (with a 'a'), the realtor. I don't know how I did that; I've known both men for years and I know the difference. Yet the 'a' and the 'o' are at opposite ends of the keyboard. Go figure. If you need to know the difference in the two Holyoaks see page 35 for - 1 THE LOSS OF THE FUTURE ..................... Those readers who choose to take disadvantage of the multi-yea- r counts do so at their own risk. There is no guarantee that the world will be here in three years, much less this publication. The Zephyr may still make you ill, but it's still not the ink. Send Subscriptions to: P.O. BOX 327, MOAB. UT 84532 MOAB IN A NUTSHELL ..PAGE 4 CHARLIE PETERSON looks at the Wendy's law suit, ment accountability, solid waste, and planning TWISTED TABLOIDS.-PAG- govern- 6 zoning. 7 E Who said the Zephyr had a conscience? J ? .vXv.sv.v.w.vs 4 ' 'svj s THE ZEPHYR TOURIST PAGE 20 SURVIVAL GUIDE. You think Mother Nature is unforgiving? Waitll you get load of us there's no bite like a Moabite's. By Stiles BONEHEADED RADICALS 6 6 Zip PLEASE READ THIS: The P.O. will not forward 3rd Class mail If you do not send us a change of address, we cannot be responsible for issues you did not receive. Subscriptions must begin issues are with the next issue-ba- ck available for $2.50 each. Anyway, readers, put your hands together and let Gil hear you all the way up in Ogden, in the shadow of Ben Loman Mountain. If she doesn't return in the AugustSeptember issue, we have no one to blame but ourselves. BY KEN RAIT s I HERB RINGER S TRIP ACROSS THE AMERICAN WEST....PAGE 13 Herb explores the ghost town of Goldfield in AROUND THE BEND 1941. PAGE 22 KEN SLEIGHT is giving the BLM fits over its plan to "develop Cedar Mesa in San Juan County. a PAGE 30 DOWN TO EARTH JOEL TUHY recalls his first encounter with desert heat. GRAND JUNCTION S PAGE-P- AGE PAGE 24 RADICAL BONEHEADS JERRY STOCKS 6 DAVID SWIFT arc at it again. This 32 Ah interview with Grand Junctions Mayor Ron Maupin about growth and development on the Western Slope. time the issue is wilderness. How much is enough? 26 THE MONTH IN PICTURESJPAGE 35 By BARRY SCHOLL WHY MOAB'S MAYOR HAS ME ALL 'CHOKED UP.' By Jim Stiles State yean, isn't it? PAGE 8 LOOKING FOR HOME IN WAYNE CO-PA-GE Twelve issues (2 years)-$28.- 00 Eighteen issues (3 ycars)-$40- .00 Huh? That garbled sentence was supposed to explain that the most creative entry in the proposed Zephyr Heartbreak Hotel personals column would be free. It's a moot point because no one...I mean no one submitted an ad. This tells me that a) there are no lonely people in Grand County, b) you figured I couldn't maintain confidentiality and would blab the identity of Lonely Hearts all over town, c) you thought ten bucks was too high a price to pay for true love, d) all or some of the above. In any case, I made the suggestion, but the whim has passed and I'll never propose it again. And finally, Gilmore is missing from this issue. She's been writing for the Zephyr for almost five years, mostly on a monthly basis and Cherie says she's burned out and needs a rest However, when I was pleading with her to reconsider, I warned her I'd ask the readership to clap their hands, the way Peter Pan managed to revive a disheartened Tlnkerbell, in a desperate effort to force her return. This is as goofy as anything I have ever written in seven AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE FOR PAGE 17 THE KAIPAROWITS?. Will one of Utah's last vast wildernesses be preserved? Or coal mine ? Six issues a year for only $15.00 The best entry each is issue is free." of our very own future. a THE ZEPHYR comparison pictures. And there was this sentence in my page 2 editorial: From WENDELL BERRY'S outstanding collection of essays. The Long Legged House examines the way we humans are squandering our natural resources at the expense will it become SUBSCRIBE TO Including "DOG OF THE MONTH" A dog named Gizmo PAGE 29 FEEDBACK-PA- iTHRE 38 GE A mm |
