Bend News

GUEST COMMENTARY

On September 14th, Magistrate Judge Mark Aspey issued a ruling in Federal Court in Flagstaff to dismiss a citation I received from the Forest Service for not displaying a Red Rock Pass while parked at the Dry Creek/Vultee Arch trailhead.  In doing so he dealt a blow to the Forest Service’s collection of fees in undeveloped areas around Sedona.

Western Writers

In the second half of New West’s interview with Benjamin Percy, whose debut novel, The Wilding, hits bookstores today, we discuss the characters in the novel, how Central Oregon is Percy’s muse, the many creative projects Percy is working on, and how Percy “could definitely beat [James Franco] in a cage match.”

New West: It seems like all the elements that you wove together in The Wilding are introduced to provide maximum tension in each chapter.  Karen is dissatisfied with her husband Justin, Paul has just had a heart attack, the convenience store employee is angry at them, Graham has asthma.  Is that the goal you had in constructing each chapter?

Benjamin Percy: I’m always trying to ratchet up the tension and raise the emotional and physical stakes in every chapter so that by the end, there is hopefully a sense of explosion.  A slow burn that moves toward an explosion.  I’m doing something similar in my short stories.  They’re not quiet stories—they’re all tamped down with gunpowder.  Only trouble is interesting in fiction, and I’ve got a whole lot of trouble going on in my pages.  It helps keep me interested, and hopefully the reader leaning forward as well. 

Western Writers

Benjamin Percy is a busy man.  The Central Oregon native’s debut novel, The Wilding (Graywolf, 288 pages, $23), hits bookstores Tuesday.  This gripping novel tells the story of a man, his father, and his son taking one last hunting trip into a wooded canyon near Bend that’s slated to be razed for development.  Publishers Weekly wrote, “It’s as close as you can get to a contemporary Deliverance.” Percy is an award-winning short story writer and teaches in Iowa State University’s MFA Program in Creative Writing & Environment and Seattle Pacific University’s Low Residency MFA Program.  Percy regularly writes stories and articles for Esquire, the Wall Street Journal, Outside, and Poets & Writers.  Percy recently sold his next novel, Red Moon, to Grand Central/Hachette.  Meanwhile, he’s writing a screenplay, completing a book of fables, and touring the country in support of The Wilding, with stops at the Wordstock Festival in Portland (October 9), NOW Literary Center in Bend (October 11, 7 p.m.), and the Montana Festival of the Book in Missoula (October 29-30).  I recently spoke to Percy on the phone from his home in Ames, Iowa, about all these topics and more.

New West: You have been traveling a lot recently.  You just returned from the Grand Tetons, right?

Benjamin Percy: Yes, I was in Jackson Hole.  I’ve been doing these Mad Hatter assignments for the Wall Street Journal.  They send me on these weekend adventures.  The idea is, if you get away for two or three days, what can you do?  I scaled a 250-foot old growth Douglas Fir in Oregon and spent the night in it.  This past week I went up to Jackson Hole for three days, did some trails, rafted the Snake, and did a hang gliding trip.

THEY PUSHED TOO HARD, TOO LONG

Everybody who even remotely follows the wolf issue knows how bad it is, politically. About the only way it could get worse would be a wolf breaking into an urban backyard and biting a child.

Federal District Judge Donald Molloy’s August 5 ruling putting the Big Dog back on the endangered species list and stopping hunts in Idaho and Montana was that proverbial last straw for a lot of people, even a lot of fence sitters who actually like wolves and supported the reintroduction.

SASKATCHEWAN FISHING LODGES

I’ve been to a lot of fishing lodges, and some things are always the same. Mainly, there are other people there--guests, lodge managers, cooks, guides and other human beings.

And some lodges are getting cushy with clean sheets every morning and gourmet meals every evening--and high tech conveniences like satellite TV, wifi and Skype.

But not on this trip, not at Bill’s Lake. 

LET'S BE FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS INSTEAD

Today, I’ve decided to abandon my normal manner of being diplomatic and gentle and say something that needs saying without sugarcoating, so here goes.

Just in case you haven’t traveled around Europe, here’s how it works. You can, for example, fly into Spain, rent a car and drive over to France. And guess what happens when you get to the border?

Absolutely nothing! 

BACK ON THE BEER BEAT

The second annual Montana Brewers Festival held September 10 in Bozeman was a big success, again.

So says me. I was there and saw it happen.

But more officially: “That was the biggest festival ever in Montana as far selection of beers goes,” said Tony Herbert, executive director of the Montana Brewers Association (MBA). “We had 72 beers on tap, all Montana-made beer, from all 21 MBA member breweries. Basically, it was a great event.”

BY BICYCLE AND TRAIN

Riding a road bicycle over Logan Pass on the world-famous Going-to-the-Sun Highway is hardly a new idea. Thousands of people do it, and most--if not all--conclude that it’s the best way to thoroughly enjoy the scenic splendor lining the historic roadway.

On a bicycle, you can soak in all the scenery, not just glimpses out your window. You can hear those cascading streams starting their long plunge down to the oceans and wind working hard to wear down the mountains, even the red-tailed hawk’s cry from above. Every pedal stroke of the way, you can feel the fresh breath of the wilderness on your face. Can life get any better?

SHARING THE RESPONSIBILITY

Last week, I suggested five ways cyclists can help defuse road rage. Now, here’s “the other side,” what motorists can do to not only curb anger, but also make roads safer and more pleasant for people on bicycles.

Before I get started, I should say, as I have several times in the past, all cyclists realize that the vast majority of motorists safely and courteously share the roads with us. But a tiny minority continues to make like miserable and hazardous for cyclists. 

BANFF TO JASPER ON 23MM TIRES

Decades ago, the late CBS News correspondent Charles Kuralt crisscrossed the United States filing a series of “On The Road with Charles Kuralt” reports. After driving his RV over Beartooth Pass, a 64-mile section of U.S. 212 on the Montana/Wyoming border between Cooke City and Red Lodge, he decided to call it “the most beautiful drive in America.”

A lot of people have already heard that, but I want to point out that he did not say “North America.” If he had driven his RV on the route between Banff and Jasper, Alberta, the famed Icefields Parkway, he would have ranked the Beartooth Highway no better than second place.

And if Charles had ridden a 20-pound bicycle instead of a multi-ton RV, he’d enjoyed both roads even more.