WHERE’S MOAB?
Dear Jim,
This might sound very strange. I live in Flagstaff, Arizona and I always pick up a copy of The Zephyr in front of Boakman’s Book Store. I enjoy the ads and the articles.
But Jim, I don’t know how to get to Moab for a visit...No one knows how to get there from Flagstaff. I even talked to real estate brokers in Moab and they didn’t know how to tell me to get there. Jim, if you asked a hundred people living in Moab, how to get to Flagstaff, the answer would be the same—I don’t know.
Would you please have someone draw a map and publish it in your paper? Let them know what freeways to take and how long of a drive.
Thanks,
Don Hill
Flagstaff, AZ
Well...I thought EVERYONE knew where Moab was by now, but ok...here’s my own hand-drawn map...JS
"STRANGE REPTILES?"
Dear Editor,
I would appreciate it if you would run the following as a letter to the editor.
I have come across mention of some unusual reptile-like animals from individuals in this region. I am attempting to determine whether these are purely historical accounts, or whether contemporary sightings have occurred. I would like to hear from anyone who may have knowledge of these animals, whether personal reports or from having heard stories about them.
Please contact me at PO Box 43, Landisville, PA 17538, or at Lancwildlife@aol.com
Thank you,
Chad Arment
Landisville, PA
LONG AGO & FAR AWAY...
Dear Jim, Not long after reading The Monkey Wrench Gang in 1976, I saw an ad for Glen Canyon Damn T-shirts in Sierra magazine with the now classic image of the Colorado River pouring through a massive crack in the center of the dam. I remember the artist's name was Jim Stiles. I was so excited I immediately sent a check for a dozen T-shirts made out to, I think, Canyon Country Council and sent it to a PO Box in Moab, Utah. I couldn't wait for them to arrive so that I could give them as gifts to all my friends who Ed Abbey's writing had similarly inspired. At the time, I had no inkling that 15 years later I would find myself living in the same town where my check preceded me by a decade and a half. When I picked up and read my first copy of the Zephyr in 1991, I immediately recognized that the publisher was the same person who illustrated my favorite T-shirt from years ago. In every Zephyr issue that I've read, the Take It Or Leave It column has usually been the best writing in the paper. With rare exceptions, I generally have found myself in complete agreement with your commentary (e.g., population). You frequently put into words my opinion and position on an issue more clearly and with more insight than the jumbled thoughts in my brain and far more eloquently than I could ever express them. In fact, I wish you could write this letter to yourself for me so that it could match your poignant wit and eloquence. You poke fun at people, including yourself, in a good natured way. I still chuckle to myself when I recall the line where you referred to Dave Knutson as a communist. And, when was the last time, if ever, that you rode the bike that Anthony from Poison Spider Bicycles gave to you instead of driving that gas guzzling SUV? Perhaps like many writers, you distribute your orchestra of words on newsstands and magazine racks wondering if you impact anyone and make a difference in the world. I would venture that the answer is a resounding yes. From the people who pondered the image on those dozen T-shirts my friends were wearing years ago to the regular and sporadic readers of Take It Or Leave It and the Zephyr, you have undoubtedly influenced and inspired more than you realize. As Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." I always look forward to reading your outstanding commentary and publication. Thank you. Sincerely, Pete Gross Moab, Utah
THE ZEPHYR? PRO-COW?
Dear Stiles,
I was surprised by your apparent willingness to let public lands ranching continue unabated in the West and allow the destruction of millions of acres of land owned by ALL Americans so that a handful of lazy, welfare ranchers can make a comfortable living.
Please cancel my subscription.
Robert Kessenger
Denver, CO
It’s always good to know we can have a free and honest exchange of ideas without fear of retribution...JS
