«Missouri River • Great Plains • Rocky Mountains» | «Radio • Writs • Ride • Resources»
Barrett Golding - 04:30pm Jun 17, 2001 EST
Omaha NE, W Dale Clark Library
George Drouillard, our hunter, and one man
came in with two deer and a bear, also a young horse they had
found in the prairie. This horse had been in the prairie a long
time and is fat. I suppose he has been left by some war party
against the Osage. The party is much afflicted with boils, and
several have the dysentery.
--William Clark, June 17th, 1804
again, jo's and my lot is not as bad. had an evil confrontation
with impassable Missouri River mud yesterday. 30minutes to push
bikes 300ft; another thirty to clean bikes into ride-ability.
chillin in Omaha for a coupla days with 600miles on the odometer
(500 on the trail) and another 6-700 to go to our NoDak destination
(Washburn- Fort Mandan).
more Rules for Recording Expeditions
Gear to Go
3) Stow your basic recording gear in one sturdy, easily-grabbable
pack. mine is in a Mountainsmith hip sack; along w/ camera, already
recorded discs, and sundry valuables. allows quick removal for
recording, or from danger. like when the missouri, once again,
covered our path last sunday; i pulled the pack out of my panniers,
strapped in on my waist -- above high water -- and kept pedaling. Miss the Boat
4) Went down to the water to snap a pic (for the web) of
the L&C re-enacters shoving off in their replica boat. i was
late. so was George Drouillard, L&C's hunter. there he and i
were, standing on the shore, missing the boat. he in his full
hunting gear w/ black powder rifle, and me thinking, "now here's
a picture, and maybe a intervu." he oblidged both. the guy, jeff
barr, is a re-enacter, a historian and an anthropologist. he
learns not only from books, but also from camping in the woods,
w/ early 1800's clothing, gear and rifle, hunting deer and such
(eating garlic and vitamin b12 help keep bugs away, he says).
a great intervu, which i never would have got if i hadn't Missed
the Boat. seems like the serindipitously obtained intervus always
surpass those i schedule. Always ask for Sound
5) knowing certain guns don't like their works worked w/o
a live charge, i asked him if his rifle could make some sound
w/o causing any damage. he said "i could fire it for you." that
worked for me. twice, cuz the first blast, of course, overdrove
my meters. we broke several city ordinences, but i got some great
sounds, and jo got a nice pic. always survey environment, see
what sonics can be extracted, and Ask for Sound. Aria
6) Eric Dillner of the U of MO is directing an opera based
on the L&C expedition. several parts have been written and recorded,
but i thought it'd be nice to supplement the CD w/ something
live. i asked if he'd sing a few bars. that's when the intervu
got good. after each couple lines, he'd expound passionately
about what the captains and crew must have been feeling. it occured
to me that artists use lotsa words, or music or paint, to convey
feelings that, otherwise, might would go unspoken. he said, yeh,
that's what an Aria is: a 2-8minute monologue, a soliloquy, a
sidebar on the depth of feeling. later, i realized that that's
what i do too: try to get people to reveal their Aria: what they
think about their life, their world, or about whatever tenuous
theme i'm using (Lewis&Clark, Missouri River) to tie these thoughts
and feelings together. it's like i tell people: i capture souls
for a living. Call Home
7) Bozeman had a freak snowstorm; made national news. (3ft
at the local ski hill -- they opened their lifts.) 12inches of
wet snow knocked down our Box Elder trees in front. made my yard
and road a mess. we lost lotsa lilacs. and looks like it'll wreck
my wife's, victoria's, beautiful garden, which is the envy of
everyone with eyes or nose, and the epitome of a Montana summer.
we don't know yet because a foot of snow still sits on the ground.
the peonies are definitely toast tho. pray for sturdiness and
time to replant. and for those that know vic, send a note of
consolation. Call Home when on the road. keep in contact with
those that keep the homefires burning.
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