It’s been two weeks since I started walking again. I think it’s about time to wrap this up with a few thoughts listed below. I will conclude this blog with a post on desert flowers: once you see that, it will be safe to say that you have seen and read it all. Thank you for joining me on this ride: knowing the blog was being read and followed encouraged me to stay sharp each day and try to communicate what I was seeing. You all contributed to the content with your questions but moreover with your regular attendance and focus! It kept me on my toes even if they rarely touched the ground.
The West
Ah, The West: is it the Best? Is the East the least? When I moved to Los Angeles when I was 14 years old, I heard that a lot. I also heard that the country is on a tilt and anything loose will roll from east to west…people included. But the west coast is not The West in the American imagination. 60 days gave me a glimpse into the culture of the west and perhaps a few insights into the cultural mythology of the west as represented in media, movies, books, and cigarette ads. Without any certainty here are questions bouncing around in my head.
No room for a treatise on this matter but here are some observations:
a. Cowboys: As you all know the GDMBR is a western trail and travels thru five western states all of which contain iconic imagery of what is thought of as the American West: dramatic mountains, broad grazing valleys, big rivers, buttes, high desert, cows, horses, bears, eagles, elk, ranches, cowboys riding horses….oh wait, where are the cowboys? In 2600 miles I saw one guy on a horse and the dude was pretty dressed up in completely black duds rounding up some free-ranging cows and seemed to be having a heckuva lot of fun for that kind of work. We were at the top of a ridge and this impeccably dressed guy came around a tree and nearly barreled over me in pursuit of a terrified cow. This guy did not seem in control of his situation nor dressed for it. Something seemed off and we decided among ourselves that the “round up experience” must be an amenity at one of the dude/guest ranches nearby. Maybe? I remember talking with dispersed camper Al Mota from CA prior to climbing Union Pass on day 34: he had a pistol strapped across his chest (forgot to ask what that was for) as he found a cold can of fizzy water for me. As he gestured to his (infernal) side-by-side vehicle, he said it was too costly to keep horses fed, watered, and healthy compared to the benefits of the side-by-side.
b. "Indians”: we noted very spare references to local reservations that we travelled through and past. I have commented enough on “naming conventions” but that was more obvious and pronounced. I think it’s possible that had I been more consciously aware of the various tribes in the area, I could have been more attuned.
c. Cowboys and Indians: TV, Saturday matinee, and cigarette ads (when we had them) may have had the most effect on shaping my western image and mythology. Several times while riding a historic railbed through a gorge, I could envision a train robbery by westerners or natives; while passing through northern New Mexico’s buttes and rock formations I imagined a line of horses and riders cresting those buttes. How much of this is myth and how much reality?
d. Who built the West? Self-driven western European settlers in Conestoga wagons and strong-willed individuals? Or immigrants from China and Ireland (railroads) and Eastern Europeans who were pressed into service without recognition (roads and towns), or Native Americans who were vital as trackers and guides to western explorers which eventually opened the west to commercial and military expansion. Probably all of the above in different configurations. Far more complicated that the typical narrative for sure.
e. Who is the West? To be sure we met some fascinating figures who seemed to have grown out of the land they were born into. And we met many others who had acclimated (easterners who had even taken on the twang we may associate with Montanans or Wyomingites). Still many other who are recent American migrants from CA, TX, and elsewhere who are taking advantage of the “remote work” option and buying up “ranchettes” with bespoke and curated names, resulting in higher land prices for locals. How will these states evolve politically, socially, and culturally with this most recent influx of newcomers?
f. Young folks are influencing the evolution of established towns. Latimer in Eureka, MT and Ike in Del Norte: two who want to see their towns flourish and be more inclusive even in small ways (even by pronouncing the “e” on the end of Norte!). There was an article in Conde Nast that mentioned Del Norte as a town that is recreating itself when so many other small towns are barely surviving (Basin, ID, Canon Plaza, CO, etc.)
g. These states, especially MT and WY, are extremely white. In these posts I have expressed at length how friendly and hospitable (not to mention life-saving) folks were to me in these states. No doubt about that. I want to believe I would have received the same care if I had been black or brown, or that my black friends would have felt the same hospitality. I hope so. And I am not holding up more color-ful cities and states as automatic paragons of interracial harmony. I just haven’t been surrounded by so many white people in some time!
h. The spatial dimensions of the west are unparalleled and this is what attracts me: the landscapes are truly breathtaking whether in the mountains of the plains. I have met a number of westerners who feel claustrophobic in the hollows and tree canopies of the east. The flora, fauna, and landscape between west and east is equally magnificent while being basically incomparable. When you are in the west, there is no mistaking it for New England.
i. From all outward signs, most of the towns I visited from MT to CO were pro-Republican and still supporting an ex-president that is anathema to traditional republicanism (hard to argue with that). I refrained from getting into politics, but when I did, the conversation remained cordial and usually was only a part of the overall conversation that included regional origins, weather, employment, bikes, adventures. My faith was restored not necessarily in Republicans and the state of the current party, but in the ability to have interesting and revealing conversations with people despite admitted differences in political perspectives. No small thing.
j. Getting back to the western myths: it occurred to me that the west was becoming something of a theme park: dude (guest) ranches with cow poking experiences, see horses but don’t ride ‘em, spurs on boots for looks or relics of a pre-ATV age—the logical conclusion to this could be an attraction as represented by HBO’s Westworld: the western “experience” without being “real.” On the other hand, this is not that much different than what is happening in other regions of the country, even in my hometown of Boston which has turned “tourist attraction” into an art form. Like other regions of the country, is the west becoming more of a “stylish” overlay than an integral culture?
k. Not sure why this is, but people talk loud in the west. I don’t know if they are trying to fill up the vast space around them or if they are going deaf from driving around in the Texas wheelchairs.
l. Free ranging managed ungulates (cows and bulls): The little I have read on this confirms a thought that free ranging cattle preceded the creation of national parks, government-owned/claimed land, and private property. It is practiced widely along the GDMBR. I have heard the fees paid by ranchers to the government to use this land for private cattle are low. Not taking into account the challenge and sometimes fun of getting around cows that periodically stand in the road, there are other environmental concerns: cow feces everywhere in grasslands and in forests (if these were dogs…), fouling otherwise uncontaminated water sources such as springs and streams, methane, etc. Of course these animals satisfy appetites for beef so we should not expect much will change. I also figured out that people put up barbed wire on their property not to keep cows in but to keep them out.
m. Naming conventions revisited: when I was leaving Denver I heard about a group of Arapahoe native Americans walking for a week from Sand Creek to prominent Mt Evans, one of the 14,000+ peaks that dominates the western skyline beyond Denver. It was named for John Evans, the 2nd Governor of the Territory of Colorado between 1862-1865, and one of the founders of Northwestern University and Denver University. The walkers were promoting a new name for the peak, Mt. Blue Sky, since Evans had instigated the massacre of Cheyenne and Arapahoe native Americans by the US Army in November 1864. It was one of the worst massacres in US history in which 675 troops killed or mutilated 150 people, 2/3 of which were women and children. It is likely this mountain will be renamed after 160 years.
n. Land of Many Uses: (National Forest slogan): could not find the origins of this slogan but it does mean different things to different people and different political parties. Look at Forest management policy especially in the last 40 years since Reagan. Running the gamut between opening up federal lands to drilling to protecting native and endangered species, your perspective on “use” may be wildly different than mine. In light of the beauty that is observable in our national forests, may I suggest changing the slogan to “Land of Many Wonders” and leave it at that? Might also change our approach to how we exploit to enjoy this resource. It’s ok to disagree!
All these things are curiosities; I am still overwhelmed by the intensity and often unforgiving aspects of “the west “ and can’t possibly appreciate or understand it fully without living out west for some time. I am grateful for the people I met, the conversations, the hospitality—all of which made the ride more enjoyable, friendly, and safe.
Note: the fundraising web site will remain open for the month of October! I am so grateful to have raised 88% of my goal for Apprentice Learning, a fantastic educational organization serving Boston middle school students. Many thanks to all who have donated, and thanks to anyone who would still like to donate and help me reach my goal.
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