Today on the local talk radio show a man called in preaching about our need to be energy independent and the fact that we need to get off mid-east oil. That got me thinking all day about this. The caller made some points about how we could do this easily by just getting more oil from the oil shale in the Rockies, drilling in ANWR and off the coast on the seabed. I’ve been having an internal dialogue with myself all day about what it means to be energy independent and how to get there. First and foremost you have to start at the beginning. Oil - we get most of our imported oil from Canada and then Saudi Arabia. After that it goes Mexico, Nigeria, Venezuela and sharply drops by half with Algeria, Iraq and so on. The “middle eastern oil” we talk about is Saudi oil. The supposedly fund terrorist organizations with the money they make from exports to our countries along with others. So, to the everyday American it would make perfect sense to not buy their oil. That obviously won’t happen, just look what happened in the 70’s with the oil embargo. I don’t think we have to worry about Canada anytime soon and Mexico isn’t exactly a threat nationally. So we’re left with importing oil to feed the insatiable and ridiculous need for growth to prop up our failing system. People like the caller feel that the government owes it to us to keep this oil coming(cheaply) so that we can continue our unintelligent and short-sided living styles. The answer is very simple to me. I know with peak oil and the consumption of resources going so fast we’ll run out in the next hundred or so years that we need to plan ahead. Not by some governmental program, but independently and locally. I have a friend who makes his own bio-diesel, I know others that ride their bike to work, or drive a smaller car. Nothing spectacular, just simple changes, which also happen to be healthy ones. It’s as easy as buying local organic food that didn’t have to travel as far. Start canning local vegetables for the coming winter months and eat seasonally with meat. Hell, even better, grow your own vegetables and animals for food. Most importantly and I stress this part…brew your own beer. I recently grabbed a book on brewing beer and plan to turn my bathroom into a makeshift brewery. These ever so simple changes make an impact when millions of people are doing them. You’ve got to live with the land and not off it. A perfect example is the Southeast where I live. We’re in a drought. Atlanta has 3 months of drinking water left and people don’t seem to be doing much about it. It makes sense that when you crowd and area with too many people, plant alien vegetation that requires more water than the ecosystem is used to, and consume water to keep your housing tract lawns so “evergreen” that you might start running into problems. Without rain 3 months from now the people there will have no recourse except the government to fly in water or have it directed from somewhere else. People don’t plan ahead; they keep living their lives as comfortable as possible with no thought to the consequences that might occur by consuming too much and not paying attention to the natural world around them.

Then we have this whole oil shale debacle. Oil Shale is essential sedimentary rock that contains stuff called kerogen that when heated is released as an oil like substance that can be used similarly. Now what is the problem with this you ask? Essentially, the same as coal mining. Open pit mines and damaging the aquifers are a huge risk. The companies are trying to heat the rock in the ground and basically suck off the good stuff. The only problem with this is keeping it from seeping into other parts of the ground. Solution: ice walls. Yah, baby put an ice wall around a hot area, great idea. All joking aside, they might be able to get somewhere with it if they can every figure out how to do it in a manner that’s economical for the companies. But for ice, you need water, and last I heard the west wasn’t so big on that resource. However, with a good chunk of it on public land in Colorado(Green river formation) I doubt the companies would have to worry about environmental issues. Especially, if oil prices keep going up. People want their “shiny things” and the Earth be damned if it gets in the way. Then you have tar sands, which is similar in the fact that you get oily stuff from the ground mixed in with a bunch of rock and dirt. Canada is really the one with the large-scale production of this stuff and it faces similar environmental hazards, along with the obvious problems of open pit mining.

My favorite coal. Being from the Allegheny Mountains I feel a closer connection with this issues. Although in Northern, PA/Southern NY where I live(It’s right on the border), I don’t have to worry about this. My friends south of me do however. Coal is one of those industries that seem to be synonymous with Americana. I group it right in there with the steel industry and logging…those old time industries that really built America up to what it has become. Now we’ve outgrown the need for that kind of industry because there’s too much demand and we can get it cheaper by importing. Let alone if we were to completely isolate ourselves at the current rate of consumption we’d have nothing left within a couple years. It’d be economic and environmental disaster - the end of America. Coal is going to make a comeback. With peak oil and prices rising, coal will be coming back with a vengeance. And isn’t it good to know that there’s plenty of it out west which just so happens to be where a lot of the production will come from. Isn’t it also nice to know that not only will western states get to deal with oil shale, but also coal mining…what a paradise. Of course back east I’m sure we’ll still rape and pillage the land. Strip mine, and then when we’re done seal in the poison waters into a couple retention ponds and put a public golf course on top of the old mine(you know set it back to the original condition that it was in before mining). It’s going to be a clusterfuck ladies and gentlemen, I swear on my mother’s grave(oops she isn’t dead yet).

Ok I lied, coal isn’t my favorite, ANWR is. Maybe because I’ve visited Alaska and heard both sides, read a few books on it and had a nice conversation with people that study the caribou herds. The simple man’s argument would be something like this, “Man, who cares about middle eastern oil, we got loads up it up in dat der ANWR but the liberals don’t want us to drill there because they’re concerned about some dumb Alaskan deer.” I shit you not that’s what I hear 90% of the time. The smart mans argument would go something like this, “I know there are environmental hazards by drilling for oil in ANWR, but with the current state of world affairs I think it would be the best option as long as environmental hazards are taken into account and prevented.” Now here’s what I think…ANWR. The controversy comes from drilling in the 1002 area, which is the coastal plain of ANWR. This also just so happens to be the calving ground for the 120,000 strong porcupine caribou herd, along with nesting grounds for many birds. This is in fact an environmentally sensitive area because for thousands of years the caribou have been coming here every year to give birth. The biologist we spoke to said that he believed it would have a negative impact on the caribou because they are so wary of loud noises or things they might have reason to be skittish with. This is the main reason that ramps were put in on the pipeline and that it was elevated so that the caribous could cross. However, according to the biologist, many times they don’t. On the flip side he said they’ve been known to use roads to cover greater distances, so it’s a two-sided coin. According to him any good scientist will say they don’t know the long-term effects of drilling on the coastal plain, however that is only because they need verifiable evidence and data to support a claim that it would be harmful. But it seems rather commonsense that it would be. The other issue with drilling is that its pollution rate is really bad. There are spills, leaks and fumes spewed into the ground and air all the time. Just west, ok really far west(It’s Alaska, huge state) you have the National Petroleum Reserve. Up until 1999 it was pretty much off limits until our good friend under Babbit the Secretary of The Interior under Clinton leased a good portion of the northeastern section. The rest was left as environmentally sensitive areas until the Bush years, which all together eliminated that. So the question we have to ask ourselves in the end isn’t whether we want to save caribou, but rather if we’re will to sacrifice everything to gain a little something. If you are at all interested in learning more about ANWR I encourage you to read Jonathan Waterman’s book, “Where The Mountains Are Nameless.” I’ll leave you with a quote from the book which has a tour bus drive talking about Deadhorse, AK near the oil fields…”Twenty-five years ago this was all a wasteland…now look at it. It’s a modern industrial complex.” So it goes…

I was going to write a big long blog about how Jesus is no different than Zarathustra, Muhammed, Buddha..etc. By that I mean virgin births that go way back to many different belief systems, including some “pagan” ones that Christianity has stolen dates from (ie. Christmas/Easter). I’ll sum it up and get my point out of the way. I don’t think some dead Jew was the son of God. We are all sons and daughters of god, whatever “God” may be. The whole gist of the post was going to be how I’ve never been able to comprehend the worship of one man from a patriarchal Jewish society who’s been dead for 2000 years. In that I can’t fathom worshipping any other man, especially when the historical facts don’t point in their favor. If Jesus is the son of God, I am too. He might have been a much better person than me, but that was his journey, and this is mine. However, I think if you took the New Testament by itself you’d have an entirely different and better religion, if there is such a thing. Be that as it may, I will now focus on fact that not having the change of four seasons really throws my internal clock off.

In Wilmington, NC which happens to be located on the eastern coast, the leaves don’t turn any shades of aspen yellow, or brilliant orange before they fall to the ground. This area seems to just fade from summer to winter without any acknowledgement between the two. Mostly longleaf pine, the eastern seaboard doesn’t lend itself very well to a beautiful autumn from the get go. It just amazes me how attached I am to the changing of seasons. It doesn’t seem natural for me to go from summer to winter without the autumn, full of changing leaves, the crisp air and morning frost along with a slew of fresh cider and donuts from the mill down the road. Instead I’m dealing with a drought and 80 degree weather at the end of October. I hate it. If I could be anywhere for two weeks out of the year it’d be home in the Allegany mountains when the leaves are changing. Maybe not for sheer beauty, although I do rank it up there with what I’ve seen in my short life, but because I’m so attached to the memories and the vibe of the place. Fall brings back memories of playing football, putting away the shorts for the jeans, walking in the woods and most importantly the reminder that we are part of something greater than ourselves. Nature’s wonder and beauty are playing out right in front of our eyes while the earth starts tilting away from the sun and the trees prepare for the long winter. There’s something magical about that time of year. Maybe it has something to do with Halloween and the spiritual activity of the place awakening. Or maybe, the area has a spirit of its own which I’ve grown so fond of. It’s not something you can appreciate until you leave. The part of North Carolina I live in now is devoid of any type of “magic,” instead its full of condos and traffic. Maybe it’s all the negativity from the people that’s in the air. Or maybe this place doesn’t embrace the people like the land does back home because of what they’re doing to it. I know I speak of the land like a living being, and that’s because it is. This time of year it’s exhaling, and preparing for a long sleep until it’s time to awake and push life back to the surface toward the returning sun. I walk outside on a Thursday evening and I hear kids who drive Volvo’s and BMW’s screaming about how drunk they are. I should be in a small village or in a cabin where instead of pushing nature aside you can embrace it. That’s what fall is for me, a time to embrace the waning moments warm weather and a myriad of colors before the onset of a usually harsh and unforgiving winter. Wilmington, North Carolina doesn’t know the first thing about that. Instead they’ll have Halloween costume parties at bars and see who can dress the sluttiest and win the $100 prize. I doubt anyone even thinks about the origins of Halloween, actually I know they don’t. There is no reverence for the natural world here. If it doesn’t pertain to the sandy shores of the beach then you might as well forget about it. Give me a gallon of fresh pressed apple cider, an Edward Abbey book and a day in forest behind my Grandmother’s old farm any day over the “luxurious lifestyle” of the beach. Anyway – to compensate I’ve made 4 loaves of pumpkin bread which I would post pictures of if I had my camera’s usb cord. The cider in the fridge is hard even though it was pasteurized and I have three store bough pumpkins with two growing on the vine on the backporch. So, all in all I guess it’s not that bad, I just picked one shithole of a city to call home.

A recent article in the local Wilmington paper made note of a tour of local houses that were utilizing “green” building. One of the houses mentioned was built by a local builder who used pines from new growth forest for wood, built “high performance” windows to make use of the breezes and has his home partially powered by solar. This is great, right? Well ya, until you consider the fact that this home is over 9,000 sq. feet. Apparently, sustainability now comes in the form of homes built within a huge development which are ironically named things like “Brunswick Forest.” Brunswick Forest is almost 5,000 acres of cleared forest to make room for all the new homes. Golly gee wiz! that sounds like an environmentalist dream. If you believe the website(and I sure do!) then you can too enjoy the lovely landscape that’s been “enhanced by nature’s hand.” I’m not even going to make a smart ass remark about that quote, it’s stupidity should be blatant enough. Back to builder Senior and his 9,000sq. foot home. I don’t mean to knock the guy for using some environmentally sound practices, however, if you aim is to be environmentally sound your best bet is to just not build a 9,000 sq. foot on the intracoastal waterway where there’s already been enough damage. It’s like hitting someone over the head so you can take them to the hospital all for the outcome of looking like your taking care of them. There are a few good instances of green building in this article, like Dan Brawley head of the local film festival Cucaloris has done. Recycled materials on the cheap, that’s the way to go. Everyone is obsessed with buying new, when really you can get the same quality with alot more character just by scrounging around for some used material. I guess I am just flabbergasted that abomination built in those developments can be seen as anything close to green. I suppose I’d rather see revitalization of the downtown area than the destruction of an already perfect Pine Savannah or pocosin habitat.

Step one: Destroy the local ecosystem through land clearing.
Step two: Build unsustainable homes and plant foreign vegetation for landscaping sake.
Step three: Throw up two solar panels and buy a prius.
Step four: Declare you’re environmental savior status.

All sarcasm aside, I think it is a good thing that “green building” is a growing trend. But it’s inevitably flawed. Growth itself cancels out any good done by solar power or recycled materials, especially if you live in a future slum like “Marsh Oaks” or “Brunswick Forest.” We need to focus on reducing consumption and reusing old materials, homes, cars. But as long as society covets things like new cars, large homes, Paris Hilton, and shiny things, we are doomed to fail not only as a nation, but also as a species of this planet.

9-5 day in and day out. Washing dishes, making food, all for the fattened customers strolling in from their gated communities. They are “well off,” according to their own versions of terrestrial wealth. I watch them scamper in and out all day like a party of ants scouring the sand for their next meal. This is no way to spend your days. If I was to die tomorrow would I want to know that my last day on earth, our home, was spent making food and washing the dishes of this arrogant, ignorant colony of people that moved here for “the good life.” I needed to get out. Away from the constant buzz of the highway and beeping horns of angry commuters trying to get to their destination faster than the next driver. It’s a race down the highways and roads. Who’s got the faster car, the bigger car, the more expensive car. I’d had it with the city. I threw my camera in my backpack and drove off. Not to some distant wilderness location, teeming with the sounds and silence of birds, crickets and water - no, rather to the quiet back roads. A place where the wind can blow without trying to overpower the constant hum of civilization and there is a stillness in the air contrary to the breeze. Out here on this backcountry road, I quiet my mind. I notice the egrets standing in the shallow brackish water, lilies floating on the wind blown surface, which ripples and bobs like a sheet hanging to dry in the summer breeze. Six feet away from me in the shallow, murky water is a large 8 foot alligator. I’m not afraid, but curious, of this beast which I’ve never been so close to. It has no fear of me, although it keeps a very watchful eye. The alligator must think I’m strange to sit there and stare at him trying to warm his body in the sun. And I think of how easily this animal, millions of years old, perfected by time, could take me to my grave in the time it would take my heart to jump in fear of it’s closing jaws. But no, this is not that scene. Instead, it’s just me and the alligator - staring, listening, learning. I’m no farther than a 20 minute drive from the place I see destroyed everyday. Plastic houses, stamped out in the most economical fashion. Nails pounded, rivets punched, screw drivers working as fast as the hands of the illegal immigrant can make it go. This, all in the name of progress. As I sit there I think that “progress” should mean the moving forward of something, the gradual improvement. Though, everyday I see the opposite, I see the plundering of resources for material wealth, with no thought put towards future generations, or the trees and animals displaced to provide a “home” for someone looking to retire or start a new life in the coast. This alligator, as simple as it may be, reminds me of our own imperfections and frailty. If it wanted it could make me its delicious dinner. I am no challenge to this animal, and maybe he senses that. There is something to be said for simplicity. This animal doesn’t want excess or to destroy the environment it lives in. As simple as it is, driven by million year old instincts, it understands that it’s home, it’s life is dependant on a healthy ecosystem. No clean water = no fish. No fish = no food. No food = death. As humans I wonder why we can’t understand that philosophy better. Because something is expensive or large does not make it better, especially if it comes at the cost of the ecosystem. Driving back “home” I am passed by at least 7 drivers. Apparently, 55mph just isn’t fast enough on a two lane road. No matter though, my mind was as still as the alligator, saving his energy to catch his next meal.

The “Economic Growth Index” study gave an ‘F’ to Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Allegany and Chautauqua counties, while Cattaraugus and Wyoming counties received a grade of ‘D.’

I completely feel for the folks back home who feel like they can’t get a break. However, when I look at the alternative, a economically thriving area such as Wilmington, North Carolina, I can only shudder at the consequences of a “thriving” economy. The problem seems to be that our economy works on growth. Stagnation is a cancer of the economy. The world we live in is not unlimited. We only have a limited amount of land, water, air and animal/plant life. If our economy aims to keep growing forever and ever there will come a point where there is nothing left to sell but the ruins of old condos and bottled air, presumably owned by Pepsi or Coke. You can preach about it all you want, but to some people it just won’t sink in until it’s too late. They won’t wake up until the last tree has been cut down for a gated development called something like “Long Gone Forest.” I still have a bit of hope people will stop being blind to it, and with the hope feel the responsibility to bring it to people’s attention. It’s the ones that are most blind and careless when it comes to protecting our world that we must give the most attention too. I’ve found more often than not it’s not that people don’t care, but rather they just don’t understand. It’s like when you tell someone of the genocide in Sudan, they might say, “oh that’s horrible” and then go back to watching Jeff Foxworthy’s new game show. But, if you could show them first hand the devastation, I don’t know a single person who wouldn’t try to contribute in some way to stopping it. People do care, they just have to much other junk in the way. Like my buddy over at Jackburnslives.com says, “it’s not the earth that’s in trouble, it’s us.” We’re only a blip on the timeline of earth. We may off it just as soon unless we wake up and start being proactive about protecting the earth and our resources. So today as I went around snapping photos that thought ran through my head and so did and old poem I had to write for class.

A lot can change in twenty years
even a simple cable repair man can see that much.
My view from the top of the telephone pole used
to be refreshing. A flat sand worn landscape
brimming with sea birds and evergreens.
Now plastic condos litter my view
from my crows nest of telephone wire.
They stand in the footprints
of stamped out copper roofed homes.
The four lane road down below hides
the old two lane “county 21.”
The same road that used to carry beat up chevy’s
now fills up with Mercedes and BMW’s.
Hell, you can’t even see the ocean
unless you’re standing on the shore!

They call it “progress”, I think not.
Long ago a man wrote, “the woods are lovely, dark and deep.”
So, with no longer to go before I sleep
I hope to dream of creeper vines reaching over concrete
of trees to shadow the shore
and gulls to roost in the apexes
of mansions long abandoned beside the sea.

As some of you know I’m spearheading the first annual “Cape Fear International Environmental Film Festival.” It’s a long name I know. The point of the film festival is to bring awareness to global and local environmental issues through different media outlets such as photography, poetry, and mainly film. This will be happening next spring through UNCW’s facilities, if all goes as planned. Well, today I met with UNCW’s film dept. chair, Dr. Buttino. He finally gave me the go ahead even though nothing is final until it gets approved through the school. Now I’ve got to meet with a group of academic advisers to lay out the blue print for the festival. This way, Dr. Buttino can take the semi-concrete plan over to his friends in the Environmental Science departments and see if they want to get on board. In the end I’m hoping the school will sponsor it, and with help from the students and faculty it could become something really big for the area. More importantly I hope it just gets the message out there. Anyway I’m open to taking suggestions or ideas for the festival. So if you live in the area or just have an idea, feel free to leave a comment of email me at seancarr54@yahoo.com. Thanks.

Just returned from a short two days out in Uwharrie National Forest which is in the piedmont region of North Carolina. As is customary I leave this (shite) hole of a town as often as possible. If I had a faster car I’d go farther west. I left right after work Friday night. Unfortunately it took me over an hour to get across the bridge and onto the highway which is a total of maybe 5 miles. Gotta love Wilmington traffic, which I’m happy to contribute to as long as I’m leaving town. Anyway, I left later that I wanted because of that and therefore when I arrived at the Birkhead Mountain Wilderness Area it was dark. I planned on pitching a tent somewhere near the parking area. After I pulled in I got out and walked around. There was an old farmhouse there which is part of the wilderness area. It was spooky to say the least because the moon was giving everything a creepy glow. Finally after some drunks pulled into the parking area and left seeing my car, I decided it was safe to pitch the tent. Let’s just say it was way too hot to get a good nights rest and I got somewhere around 2 spotty hours of sleep.

I was up with the sun as is normal when sleeping outside. I brushed my teeth and washed my face with the water I had and made the plans for the day. Instead of hiking the 7 miles in the wilderness area trails, I decided to drive over to Morrow Mountain State Park which is fairly close. I drove to the top of Morrow Mountain and watched the sun burn off the valley fog. I was surprised how cool it felt in the morning. Somewhere around 3am and 5 am the temperature must have dropped a good 10-15 degrees. Maybe the fog has something to do with it, but it was cool enough to almost pass for an autumn morning in my delusional mind.

It didn’t last for long though. By 11 it was getting closer to the 99 degree high for the day…and no I didn’t type that wrong. Morrow mountain was full of cyclists and runners who tackle the hills in the park because they’re short and easy which makes it nice if you want a break. So after spitting my breakfast out(a big heaping mouthful of redman chew) I drove down to the waterfront and started hiking. I took a nice easy trail along the water out to the dam.

It was a very pretty walk. Full of skinks(NC lizards), birds I’d never seen and plenty of spiderwebs…oh and girls running cross country, the important thing is that there were girls running. I passed a water moccasin and a few squirrels along the way. There were also a few outcroppings of large boulders you could climb along the shore. By the time I got to the dam, which isn’t far, I had soaked through my t-shirt with sweat. The view from the top of the rocks near the dam was a really nice finish to the first trail.


You could see the water is definitely down from it’s usually height. They’ve had a burn advisory throughout the state because it’s been so hot and dry. That’s half the reason I didn’t go camping because I wouldn’t have been allowed to start a fire. The last thing I needed was Ranger Joe sneaking up on me and giving me a big old fine for having a campfire in the woods. Anyway It was a good trip.

Just messing around with FCP and some photos from home, Italia, Alaska, and the southland. The song is by Tom Russell who’s going to be on Letterman tonight. He’s the man. Like I said, I just am messing around so I don’t want to hear any suggestions or critiques. If you do say something, I will tell Michael Vick where your dog lives.

Today was a good day. I woke up real early and head almost three hours south to Santee Coastal Reserve just north of Charleston, S.C. It used to be an old rice plantation that has since been turned over as a wildlife and land reserve. There are plenty of alligators out there that’s for sure. I had alot of trouble getting any real good shots of them because by the time you were close enough to film them, they’d make a huge splash and hide under the water. I saw some really big alligators, and some even bigger mosquitos and horseflies. That was the main reason I didn’t make a whole day out of the are. I put just about a quarter of the bottle of deet I had with me on and it did nothing to stop or even slow down the relentless attack by the bugs. This is an area I definitely want to go back to when it’s a bit cooler and the bugs aren’t as bad.

P.S. - I hate Myrtle Beach and the traffic it has. I’d also like to say that I saw way too many housing developments and signs like, “Twilight Forests - not just a place to live, but a lifestyle… 3 golf course, 2 tennis courts and plenty of cardboard cutout homes” for one day.

I just returned from a few days out at Linville Gorge and Chimney Rock in the mountains of North Carolina. I needed it. I don’t know what it is about Southeast North Carolina, but I just can’t wait to get out of it. I’m really more of a mountain and freshwater guy than flatland and saltwater. Don’t know if that has much to do with it, but I’m sure it plays its part. Anyway I decided to get outta town on a whim the other day. I told my friend I was leaving early in the morning to drive out to the mountains. I had no real plan or even any idea where I wanted to go. So he said he’d come along. I had a party. We drove I-40 west until we saw signs for Linville Gorge where we pulled off and got a hotel room. When the southern lady at the desk saw two guys asking for a single room, she got “suspicious.” The single was just to cut down on the cost even though the room was still 70 bucks. The bed however was the biggest one I’d ever seen and was more than enough to accommodate us and possible a couple of homeless vagrants. After we got the room we drove out to the gorge and started hiking. At first we went to a very tourist filled area and just saw some scenic vistas along with kids trampling the ground in front of us. Soon after I got the photos I wanted from there we drove up to “Table Rock” and started hiking. You drive most of the way up the mountain, but still have a good 30 minute hike straight up after the parking area. That hike was well worth the effort, as the view rivaled some I’d seen in Alaska. The best part was nobody was to be seen. I could have stayed up there and camped out for the night. If I’d been by myself and not already gotten a hotel room I’m sure that’s what I’d have done. The solitude was pretty amazing. There were also little bowls carved out of the rock. Some were filled with water and some were dry. I came to the conclusion that over thousands of years these bowls were carved little by little by the rain they held. I don’t know if I’m right, but I’d like to think I am. After Table Rock, we went back down and to the hotel to change and grab some dinner. The lady at the hotel told us that the Brown Mountain Lights were nearby. I’ve heard about these lights ever since I was a young kid introduced to a haunted North Carolina book. I had to go being so close. So after dinner Justin and I drove out to where you were supposed to be able to see them. Of course, we saw nothing. Disappointed, but not deterred we stayed out there and looked at the stars for close to an hour. It was so dark and clear that I saw more stars than I’d seen in a long long time. It was well worth the effort even if the Brown Mountain Lights didn’t want to put on a show for us. Of course, it could have been that Justin was calling them names like “cowards” and pussies” because they wouldn’t show. I don’t know if going out to see what may or may not be imaginary lights or calling possibly fictitious lights names is worse. After that we went back to the hotel and promptly passed out. Today we woke early and drove down to Chimney Rock. On the way we stopped at a roadside gem mine and bought a bucket of dirt. The bucket unearthed some really cool gems. From there we headed to Chimney Rock where I was forced to face my fear of heights climbing on the side of cliff the entire time. It was beautiful but sometimes annoying because of all the people. Table Rock was by far the highlight of the trip, and had I known about it earlier I would have planned the trip to be a solo camping mission to the top, although the company was nice to have for the ride. Now I’m back in Wilmington, and watching Scott Coady’s films because if I’m helping the guy in October it’d probably be a good idea to see what he’s made already. Tomorrow I might take the kayak out for my first plunge into the water for the year. We’ll see though, I’ve never taken it out, don’t have a rack and don’t have a life preserver. Plus I don’t have health insurance. Safety first.

I’m back in Wilmington finally. My excitement to be back couldn’t even be described. Of course I’m kidding. Being back is really kind of just blah. I’m trying to harbor no ill will towards this place this time around. It’s been pretty easy just letting stuff that would normally piss me off slide by. On the other hand there’s just nothing here that captures my interest. Today I went mountain biking with my friend. There’s nothing to look at but sand and pine trees. It’s all flat, and quite frankly just boring. I guess that’s the best way to describe being back, boring. I’m trying to plan things to take up my time, kayak trips, bike riding, selling photos…etc. Back home or in Alaska I could walk to the river or hike up the hill/mountain down the road. Down here there doesn’t seem to be anything I want to do besides leave. 3 or 4 hours west gets you into some nice country where the foothills start, but from there eastward it’s pretty flat. I’ve been to some other areas around the coast and never had any problems with them. North Carolina really is a great place, but Wilmington and the surrounding area just doesn’t have the spirit and comfortable vibe the rest of the state does. Maybe I’m biased after three years of suffering from constant bombardment by rich, dumb blondes, huge SUV’s with only one occupant, and the widespread deforestation that gives way to the housing developments named “Silent Oaks” or ” Pinegrove Forest.” I think Alaska helped me deal with that stuff though. Before I’d just get fed up and not want to have anything to do with it. At least now I’m able to shake it off and try to be proactive about it. The Environmental film fest is slowly taking form, and I’m working on what to do to get the Waste Management people to pick up recyclables in our apt. complex. We’ll see how it all goes, one step at a time. This place does suck though. Give me some grizzly bears, moose and a heaping mountain range. Aight brah, I gotta go kick it at the beach…surfs up!

Today is our last day in the city of Fairbanks. It was also the last day we rented the car so we kicked around town as much as possible. We went to the ice museum, regular museum and the large animal research center which does research on musk oxen and Caribou. It was a pretty fun day but for the life of me I can’t get our time in Denali out of my head. Maybe it is the fact that Fairbanks compared to denali is like Steel Reserve compared to a fine Labatt Blue. Or maybe Denali was really that great. Being surrounded by mountains and somewhat isolated takes all the cares of the modern day right out of you. Internet and phone is nice to have, but when it doesn’t work you can’t fret you’re in the middle of some of the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen. There’s something haunting about the mountains there. Maybe it’s the light that constantly is above your head. Maybe it’s the vastness of the land or the sheer danger of it all. I’m not sure, but whatever it is I want more. I want that feeling again where the only thing you are worried about is when you are going to eat and if your farts are from the beer or the pizza. Seriously though, I’ve never seen anything like that place. I can only hope development doesn’t take the reigns and lead that into an eventual destiny of disneyland like attractions where children can ride moose for $10. It’s too special for that. If anyone had gotten off their tour buses maybe they would have noticed. I hope after I graduate from grad school I take a summer off to go work up there. Just bum around and hike and hang out with good people. Cynical as I am, I can’t really say anything bad about the people there. Everyone was really laid back and friendly. You don’t see that everyday. I think Denali has that effect on everybody. It’s so humbling being in the presence of something that great you realized that you are just a speck on the dot, a blip on the radar, if at all. In a week I have to return to Wilmington, NC. Once there I need to find a job for a year until grad school, and that is assuming that I get in. On the other hand there’s something inside me that makes we want to drop everything empty my bank account and move up here. Maybe go even farther north past the Brooks Range. Just me and my camera and a case of beer(for emergencies). I wish I had more time to properly articulate how I feel, but under the choppy internet and stressful days in Fairbanks this is all I can seem to muster up.

Well Jeremy and I have been in Fairbanks now for 2 days. It is not a very nice city. There’s alot of crime and it’s really run down. So after leaving our hippy commune like hostel in the heart of Denali country this is like a rude awakening. We tried to get over it though and rented a car for two days so we could get around easy and not be stuck in the city entirely. Today we went to Chena hot springs which is a 60 mile road that dead ends at a hotsprings resort. It wasn’t that great and you had to pay to get in the over touristy pool so we didn’t stay. However, out there we met a man who lives in the bush about 20 miles in by a river. He uses a dogsled to get around and lives in a tent all year including winter which can get up to 50 below. Apparently, this man has a car he uses to get around and it’s the most photographed car in Alaska. On top of that he was in the movie White Fang. We also saw a bunch of moose out there which are all on my flickr account. We went to an old gold dredge today too. I panned for gold and got approximately twenty dollars worth. Overall it was a pretty good day but it still doesn’t compare to where we were in Denali. That place had such a good vibe and you’d walk out your front door and look straight up into the mountains. In Fairbanks you walk outside and don’t see anything of the sort. The last night we were in Denali I met some guys who do the flying tours around there. One of them owned his own plane and told me that they flew over Chris Mccandles bus to find a good place to hike to it. If you don’t know who that is read the book Into The Wild. Sean Penn was up right where we were last year filming for the movie version of the book. Apparently, the film and Sean Penn still owe the bar we frequented acrossed the road over 10 grand. To hear first hand knowledge about not only the place where it took place but where the film was shot was a nice surprise because I had no idea until I started talking witht the locals. Tomorrow Jeremy and I are heading into Fairbanks to see the museum and such but like I’ve said we already spent time in Denali so it’s all downhill from here.

Today we went into Denali National Park. Instead of doing the usual tourist trap stuff we decided to rent bikes and go straight for it. I noticed afterward that the buses that take you deep into the park to see the wildlife were full of old, southern fat people. I don’t know how to explain this phenomenon, but it was perplexing nonetheless. Jeremy and I rented the bikes for 40 bucks for the whole day. I figured it would be an easy ride though the mountains and we’d see a ton of wildlife. Well, it turned out that for 20 miles from the start of the only road goes uphill. Literally, the whole way was uphill. Needless to say we walked a good portion of the Tour De Denali. We didn’t see any animals on our bike ride either except some really fat rabbits. When we got back to the main lodge there was a mother moose walking through the brush with her two kids. All of the fat, southerners I referenced couldn’t contain themselves and had to rush over towards the moose at the dismay of the lodge staff who specifically advised them not to. Apparently, a moose, possibly that very one has been charging campers. It’s kind of funny. Well anyway like I said the ride was completely uphill. So, the ride back was alot more fun than the ride in. Downhill the whole way. So I took my $3000 video camera and grabbed it in one hand and held on to my handle bar with the other. Was this a smart decision? No, probably not, but it was pretty fun and the footage is pretty sweet. The fact that I sang stupid songs in an Irish accent the majority of the way down hill probably had something to do with it. Tomorrow we head for Fairbanks. Although I love the hostel and all the people, especially Steve the pirate, it will be good to see some civilization. We’ve basically been keeping the bar acrossed the street in business and hanging out in the hostel common room chatting with all the fellow travelers for almost every country and state you could think of. It’s been a really good experience so far. Although, Jeremy complains because he says my farts are rancid. I really can’t argue with him.

We’ve been kicking around outside Denali at our hostel mostly. Last night we went across the street to the pub. Beer is expensive but nevertheless we cowboyed up and started a tab. It was a pretty good time. We met people from all over, Poland, Wales and even Alaska. The bartender/owner/kid our age was real cool. He started it up with his own money even though his family owns all the cabins and restaurants in the area, which is not very big. He was fresh out of college too I think. Real cool guy that gave us free leather beer coasters and keychains, hats etc. Today we went on a flight tour of Mount Denali, or Mckinnley as most people know it. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. The sheer enormity of it is hard to take in, or describe for that matter. We were flying over mountains and tundra for about 20 minutes which were still pretty tall. Then out of no where this huge white, pointed mass came out of the clouds and into view. From far it was obviously the largest mountain around, but still not that impressive. Then I looked at the GPS and we were still a good 20 miles from it. When we had actually flown pretty close to the mountain it was humbling. Something that big can have that effect, you feel completely insignificant. Alaska has that effect though. Were it not for the internet I would have no idea of wars going on overseas or troubles here in America. You are completely cut off at times, and it makes you think what it would have been like 50 years ago up here. This land is so vast and open it’s just impossible to imagine. I look at a map after driving for 4 hours and I’ve only cover the distance of maby the first knuckle of my pointer finger. Anyway, don’t want to get too “filisofikal,” but it is absolutely unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. The best part about it is that everyone we’ve met has been SUPER friendly. I don’t know if it’s just a run of luck or if Alaska makes people like that, but it’d be nice if it was like that everywhere. Nothing but wilderness and friendly people, and moose shit - cause there’s a ton. Ok this here’s Mooseturd McGee signing off. See ya in Fairbanks!

I write this from a hostel at the edge of Denali, not a bad view. We left Anchorage today and took a bus at 7am up to just a couple miles shy of the main Denali park entrance. I’ts absolutely beautiful up here. Everywhere you look its nothing but mountains so high you have to strain your neck to look at and pine trees that stretch on and on like it was out of a movie. I saw my first moose yesterday. I got a photo or two of it before it wandered back off into the woods. I also saw a bald eagle towards the top of the mountain I hiked with Jeremy, Conrad and Tristen. The “walk” Conrad told us about wasn’t just a walk by the way it was a 6000 foot mountain with no clear path. There was nothing but elders and long grass the entire time. It was a hard hike for me and Jeremy, Conrad and Tristen didn’t seem to mind it too much. I don’t think Conrad even got out of breath actually and for the slope of the climb that’s pretty amazing. He is old enough to be my grandfather. Anyway towards the top I got scared because I’m deathly afraid of heights so we turned back and headed down the mountain. We were in my defense, pretty high up. You can see all the photos on my flickr page. This morning we woke up and Conrad was nice enough to drive us down to Anchorage to the bus stop. We got on board a shuttle bus with a trailer hitch that had a large cargo trailer attached for all our bags and headed up north to Denali. The hostel is really cool. The bunk we have is pretty small but enough to accomodate us. There is a large fire pit and a large common area with wireless internet and kitchen/bathroom/shower etc. It’s right by a creek too which is really nice to have as a view. The hostel office is also a store. They sell groceries and what not. Almost all of it is organic foods which is kinda neat, kinda. Anyway my computer battery is pretty low and I have to take a dump. Catch ya later!

Well I just wrote this post but the internet crapped out and it didn’t send so I have to write it all over. Today me and Jeremy spent all our time in the city of Anchorage. It’s a nice city of 500,000 or so. You wouldn’t think it because it is so spread out. We stopped and a brewhouse for lunch and had a really good meal. Then we walked down the street because they had a bunch of touristy shops with gifts and things like that. We also went to the museum of natural history and got a guided tour. It was really cool because the lady explained how Alaska used to be and came to be what it is today. She also expressed her concern about what global warming will do to it. Alaska is a very conservative state and many people don’t have time for that because they ‘re too busy praying to Jesus(literally, I’ve never seen more churches, and I live in the south!). However, global warming effects Alaska much more than other places because they’re so far north. So things are changing, drastically, the warming is happening, in fact Alaska has warmed over 5 degrees in the last 40 years(source: Conrad the biology teacher and housekeeper). So global warming is happening and things are changing…man made or not. Tomorrow, or today for you in eastern time(we’re 4 hours behind you) Conrad is taking us on a “walk” up Cumulus mountain. Let me say after being in Alaska for only a few days I’ve learned that walk is not just a walk. Instead its a trek up a steep face for 4 hours to the top. Although, Conrad ran his own professional climbing business for a few years so for him it’s just a stroll in the park, although for me and Jeremy it might seem like a life and death climb up Everest. Yesterday as we were stopped at a roadside gold panning place we met two people from Salamanca. They were indians here in Anchorage for so national tribal council meeting. Who’da known that you could come all this way and still meet people from nearly the same town as you. Let me tell you this place is HUUGGEEE so it’s quite unlikely, I’d say neary impossible. Anyway that’s all for now, I’m tired and the internet is sketchy, so be sure to check the flickr photos at the bottom of the sidebar. I’ll update them with descriptions and titles when I get a mouse and more motivation, but enjoy for now, it’s beautiful scenery.

I’m finally here in Alaska. Yesterday wasn’t the most fun. We took off from Buffalo around noon. From there we flew down to Atlanta to get on our connecting flight to anchorage. Seems real smart to fly all the way south before flying all the way north. Anyway we finally got here at almost 8pm Alaska time which is midnight back east. I just woke up at 7am and it’s almost lunch time for you guys. Anyway Conrad and Lyde, the folks were staying with, are really nice people, and smart too. So staying with them for a few days is going to work out really good. Conrad asked me and jeremy if we want to hike a mountain around here. It’dbe 4 or 5 hours up and then a few hours back down. We’re not sure yet, but I think it’d be stupid to pass up the opportunity. I just thought I should mention I got stuck in front of an old irishman and a rich construction company owner from Alaska on the way here. For 7 hours it was nothing but republican politics(from the Alaska man), family stories and a good irish accent. They didn’t shut up once. However, The guy from Alaska knew alot and therefore was my own personal travel guide after I secretly intruded on their converstion. Today Jeremy and I have to go down to Whittier to catch our day cruise ship. Conrad and Lyde are letting us use their older car which is awesome because otherwise we’d be completely out of luck since it’s over an hour drive. Though, I mention to Jeremy that we could ride a moose. Ok that’s all for now, I have to take alot of photos today.

I just got back from my trip to Rochester, NY to visit my brother. It’s only about two hours from my hometown and is a nice drive through the countryside for the most part. I hadn’t been to Rochester since I was a little kid. My uncle lives there and I used to go up every now and then to visit but not in a good couple of years. I was surprised too, because I don’t remember liking Rochester, but it is a great little city. Of course like all of western NY it is having economy problems. A perfect example of it is if you drive downtown. You will see a new building and right next to it a vacant building that is huge. It’s like that throughout this entire region. I guess the big downfall for Rochester has been the recent dying off of Eastman-Kodak. The factory and offices themselves take up enough space to fill a small town. Everything is going digital though and once film switches over like still photography has, I imagine that’ll be the nail in the coffin. The trip was fun though, my brother had the day off so he showed me around. We drove all over and stopped down near the waterfront of Lake Ontario which is really pretty. We ended up cooking out with a few of his friends and burnt the shit out of our chicken. It still tasted half way decent though because we cooked it using Chiavetta’s marinade. After his friends came over we drank some beer and playing Bocce and some beer pong. Since everyone else had work the next morning only me and my brother went out to the bar, where I proceeded to kick his ass in darts and pool. After a few pints of Labatt Light we stopped at Country Sweet chicken down the street and got our fill of the best chicken wings on the planet. Then we went home and proceeded to stink up his house with horrible gas. Yep, we’re real winners. I have the photos on my new flickr account if you want to check them out.

Newly added photos to a newly updated flickr…Here they are…. CLICK

And away we go. I’ve been home for just over a week now and haven’t done too much. I mean I have, mostly seeing the family and relaxing. I’ve yet to get out to allegany state park and do some hiking and riding, although when I mentioned it to my dad today he seemed half interested in going. I really do love the area here. It’s beautiful. Nothing but small towns peppered throughout rolling green hills mired in early morning fog and afternoon haze causing the hills to disappear after only a few miles. I drove out to Salamanca the other day which is on the Indian reservation. The state park is adjacent to the reservation and right near the Allegany River. It just astounds me how much natural beauty we have in this are. What pisses me off about the whole thing is that people complain about how it sucks here and there’s nothing to do. I guess I can only say, appreciate while it lasts. Although to be fair, I was saying how much I hated it before I left for college. It’s one of those situations where you have to get out and see the world and realized how things are away from our quite rural section of the state before you can really learn to love it. I know one day this area like the rest of the country will turn into the overdeveloped south. With the population of America booming and the natural resources and land being used up, it’s only a matter of time. My point being, I wish the people around here would start appreciating the land while they have it, instead of putting the area down all the time. Sometimes the simple life is the better life. You don’t need a huge house and SUV to be happy. I can understand the economic situation though, but that’s a societal problem and not so much a local problem. People need to put more emphasis on collective growing and local foods. As my friend Beau over at Jack Burns Lives.com says, “bioregionalism.” In other words work within the land and ecosystem you have locally. It’s a great idea, and I think that could spur not only environmental awareness but also a higher appreciation for what this are really has, instead of worrying about what it doesn’t have.

Anyway on a brighter note…my town put up these 3 foot fiberglass squirrels all around town. They are painted after certain themes or businesses which sponsored them. I remember hearing about them last year. I thought it was a really bad idea. Apparently they did it because we have a large population of black squirrels in the town and they are somewhat rare…I guess. Anyway the fiberglass squirrels are a real hit, and they look pretty good. I made my mom take a photo of me with every squirrel today, and of course giving the thumbs up in every photo, a trend I started back in Italy. I’ll have those photos up soon. I have them on my new Mac, but I have to transfer them to this computer to put them on the internet because we don’t have wireless and I lost my flash drive. Speaking of flash drives, I just bought a 300 gig external hard drive. Along with final cut pro suite and a panasonic prosumer camera. All in all costing me somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 grand. Plus I bought a new sleeping bag for my trip to Alaska which is only about a week away.
I guess I could go on and on about what I’ve done this week, but I’ll save you that information because I know it’s not really that interesting to most of you. In the mean time I’m going to go down to the river and take some photos and dip my feet in.

I posted a new link…www.masonwinfield.com, he’s a local author that writes about regional folklore and paranormal things. I encourage you to read his website. It’s got a lot of good information and interesting stories. Hell even buy one of his books off amazon. It’s local stuff, but if you’re into paranormal and folklore you’ll get a good read.

Here’s some photos of my trip home, just a few. Like I said I’ll post a lot more when I can switch them to my moms computer which has “the internet.”

…”grandma” Paar, grandma Carr, and me eating at one of the best restaurants in town, the beef and barrel.

…Driving down the road and thought this would be a nice photo. Luckily ’round these parts you can stop in the middle of the road, get out, take a photo and hop back in without worrying about any traffic.

…View of Rock City Park scenic lookout. Sure would be scenic if there wasn’t so much haze.

Well I’m finally back home. Graduation is over and I left north carolina to come back to rural new york for just over a week. Then I’m off to Alaska for two weeks with one of my friends. I’m filming the whole trip. Hopefully I’ll have time to edit a bit and throw some clips up on youtube.com for you all to see. If not I’ll at least upload my photos when I can find a wifi signal. It sure is nice to be home and hear nothing but the peepers at night and the occasional train, rather than the drunk 19 year old downstairs in the parking lot. I’ve been taking a ton of photos since I’ve been home. I figure as long as I have the digital camera I might as well, so I’ve been snapping way more than I should. That’s what is great about digital though, if you don’t want it you just erase it. Problem solved. I’ve got quite a few things planned during my time home. I want to get out to Allegany state park and do some hiking and mountain biking, along with photography out there. This whole area is so beautiful with the trees and hills and river. It’s really a photographers dream, and I appreciate it a whole bunch more now that I’ve living in Wilmington, NC, home of the SUV and self righteous Christian. I’m also planning on spending alot of time with my dog, because well he’s my dog. I saved his butt from the pound a few years ago and we’ve been like “peas and carrots” ever since. I wish I had something interesting to tell you guys, but really I’m just planning my trip to Alaska, visiting with family and trying to soak up as much time outdoors as possible. However, I did put a new saddle on my mountain bike. None of that expensive crap either, I took it off my old “eco terra huffy” and slapped it on my trek. Nothing against Bontrager, but that huffy seat is super comfortable compared with the one that came on the bike. Oh well, I’m heading out now, gotta get up early and buy a new prosumer camcorder, final cut pro and a sleeping bag for the trip to Alaska. have a good night, and godbless!