Canyon Lands

by T J Reeder

  It’s like Harvey and his people working so hard on our home, I could hand them a hundred pounds of gold and a sack of diamonds, but for what? Or a truck load of ammo but hell we have it right here and it belongs to all of us. Want some? Go get it.

  So how do you pay somebody for helping, just by being there if and when they need help.

  But there are so many willing hands here that help can be overwhelming, so the girls and I do what we do best, we protect our families, clan, tribe or whatever, which includes all the canyon folks, the lake people, and Charleys People.

  We are good at that, better then most folks, so when we are needed we go. And everybody knows when we go we may not make it back. I don’t say this; it’s what they say to us.

  And we all are happy with the arrangement. Of course the girls do a lot of stuff with the other women but it’s more for the companionship of other women plus they like to eat so helping grow food is their way to feel good about bumming.

  I don’t hunt when we are here because the younger lads take care of that, they ask in the morning what the ladies want and they go find it, fish is easy, the lines are out and checked daily. Rabbit demands a bit more work because they are so tasty and get hunted more. Deer is something the ladies all agree on together before hand so it will be used up or so it was before the cold cave.

  Now deer or beef can be hung and used as needed. But feeding so many means nothing will go to waste.

  We have folks who tan the cow hides and some who can make a pair of boots, need boots? Stop off and get fitted and pick them up when they are done.

  We have a better life here then most of these folks ever had or ever would have had before the lights went out. I know the kids have just blossomed in this life, help when you can or are needed, play or study or go fishing or hunting or whatever. They are growing up to be better citizens then they ever would have in the so-called civilized gang filled world they would have grown up in. We have a good life here in case I haven’t mentioned it.

  On a whim I asked Ralph to take one of the girls up on an aerial scout in the small plane just to see what’s what. Sandy won the toss and they took off,

  May and Beth went off to work in a garden, I wandered off to the ammo loading shack and chatted with the loading crew who complained about not having enough to do since we hadn’t been shooting much.

  I agreed, so I took a can of 45’s to the range and spent time on my draw and shoot drills, I had noticed the girls were getting faster then me and I can’t have that.

  Shortly May and Beth showed up with a few other ladies who wanted to shoot so it turned into a training session which I really enjoyed.

  When our ladies leave their home spot they go armed so they do need to practice just like I do. It was fun. I was showing them how to draw and shoot without really aiming. That’s called “Shoulder Point” shooting. I’ve done it so long I have to slow down and force myself to use sights. I started them off slow to develop their muscle memory and before we were done for the day they were showing a lot of improvement.

  All wanted to do it again tomorrow so we settled on in the morning when it’s coolest but after they had done their morning chores.

  We policed the brass up and the girls and I took it to the two Old Farts as we called them, like I got room to talk. They said, “Well shit, John we didn’t ask you to shoot so much!” I told them to get to work because the women were training for the big match. What big match?? The one I just decided to hold in two weeks.

  Beth and May were up for a match but I told them they were going to have to shoot in the “pro” section because they shoot more, this was really for the ‘other’ women. They loved it.

  They told Sandy as soon as they landed and she was pissed she missed an afternoon of shooting but I reminded her she gloated over winning the ride with Ralph.

  I’m number one I guess since that’s what she waved in my face. Can’t I ever win?

  (Nope, never have never will)

  We spent the two weeks before the big match helping the ladies who wanted to compete get some practice and just in general get pumped up for it.

  What started out as a whim has turned into a major event. I guess folks were bored or something but I believe too that folks realize we live in a very violent world even if our little island is safe.

  And of course the event has become an excuse for a feast day, which is always a good thing, people are coming from all the canyons and from across the lake even though we seldom have much contact with the, as we refer to them, “fishing villages.” But getting to know everyone that lives here will help us know when somebody comes along that doesn’t belong, so this is a good thing.

  Even Charley and a lot of his people are coming just to be a part of the event. I’m glad since I miss Charley if too much time passes.

  Old Woman is coming which has all the ladies excited and pleased. She fills a leadership role I believe is missing among the women.

  Hell, I don’t know, she just brings wisdom with her and since she came out of the shadows at the last get together she has become more approachable it seems.

  We set the whole thing up for three days as far as the match part of it; the feast will last until it ends, if it ends.

  Recalling the days when I shot matches I got Joe and Willy and several of the men and a lot of the young people together and laid out what I had in mind. Mostly it was for the ladies but there was going to be a part that was two gun, rifle and pistol, a sniper shoot and a man on man event where two shooters face identical targets and on the beep from the timer they draw and start shooting, the person who knocks down their targets first moves on and the loser is out.

  Without going into a lot of the match which would be boring as hell is you’re not in it or watching it suffice to say it was a blast (Pun Alert!)

  My ladies didn’t shoot in it but did have a side match on the dueling tree which is six plates on an upright stand, when hit they swing to the other side, the point is to keep them moving so you don’t get all on your side, if so you lose.

  Sandy and May are pretty close but Sandy has more experience and edged May six out of 10 runs, of course May vows to be out here practicing daily!

  But they compete in a good way. The sniper shoot was won by a young man maybe 18 years old, young eyes will out most times. What he don’t know is he will be the designated “hitter” from now on IF he can shoot like that for real. Most people are great on paper but just don’t have what it takes to turn out somebody’s lights, which is not necessarily a good skill to have. Time will tell with him.

  The main thing the match did was teach all the ladies that they can defend themselves with hand guns if needed and that’s a good thing.

  It also introduced the Lee’s to the entire community and also Jasper our new cook and door gunner and his daughter!

  I’m waiting for others I know are making the move as soon as they can. Like our good friend “Ma” from up north. I figure he will roll in one day. I expect “Ma’s café” will be turned over to his young helper and her and Jack will own the world soon.

  Will and Marylyn from St. George were all settled in and had become members of the extended family in the canyon. So many others, and all of them good folks, will bring good things to the Settlement on the Lake.

  One of Charleys young men came in second in the sniper shoot and missed winning by a quarter of an inch. He too will be offered a slot in the precision shooters group.

  But again it was the ladies matches that I enjoyed most. And they really got into it which was the best part.

  Well the food was right up there in the best part section, too. We had a wonderful time and everybody voted to make it a bi-annual event. The Old Farts were whining about the work of loading all those empty cases, but in truth they love it.

  I just hope the match idea wasn’t some portent of things to come. But if so we will face it together as a family, and a damn tough family at that.

  Boredom is setting in for the f
our of us, the girls are really feeling it, hell Walker is pacing around like he can’t find a place for a nap, me too.

  Road trip!! But where? And not too long, maybe a couple of weeks, Beth offered the thought that we might put together a scavenging party. Great idea but to where?

  We loaded up our gear and rolled out for the Fort, I figured they might have something in mind that could include us.

  Their hunting crews were all out so we were on our own, so we just headed east and north, I figured we might find something if we looked. We spent almost two weeks going thru abandoned places and while we did find some goodies we found one real treasure trove!

  It was an old house that looked to have been abandoned before the event and in the basement we found case after case of canning jars, hundreds of them, all in boxes, why? Not a clue, they were just there and also boxes of lids with the ring things. We spent the day carrying them out and trying to figure out how to move them and decided we needed a trailer. According to the maps we had, there was a small town about 10 miles away off on a narrow road so we headed that way, and sure enough there was a town, abandoned and partly burned. There had been a fight here for sure and there were several graves looking to be a couple of years old.

  Markers were stone with names scratched on them and that was it.

  We did find an old flatbed trailer in a back yard and with the small air pump running off the 12 volt we got the tires aired up. Nothing much had been left here and it was depressing so we left and headed to get our jars. As soon as they were loaded and tied down we hit the road back toward home. We wanted to leave this area. Nothing in particular was bothering us, we just wanted out into the open country.

  Our trip was well worth it with the jars and the ladies at home would make good use of them so we were happy and we had spent some good time together out in the open air. But it was time to go home.

  I don’t think in the entire two weeks were ever were more then 150 miles from home as the crow fly’s but the Dodge don’t fly so we had to drive more then that.

  We returned to a good welcome and of course the ladies went batty over the jars, I’m sure there is thousands at the Fort, maybe. But we have these and a bird or jar in hand …

  Nothing much had happened while we were gone, none of the kids drowned biking off the cliffs, no broken bones. Boring as hell I’d say.

  Doc stopped by the dinner fires and joined us which was kind of unusual, not that he was a loner just that he was all alone in the medical thing.

  He had a EMT but she was pregnant and wasn’t gonna be working for a while. I told him I’d put out the word he needed some help in the pill pusher field.

  The commo lady from the day shift was sitting right there so I asked her if she could put out the word tomorrow which she would be happy to do since it was boring as hell sitting there all day listening to static.

  Delegating is cool! Ask and ye shall receive, or not.

  We had been gone two weeks and I wanted my bed, my shower and my ladies so we headed up the ridge where we had the shower and piled into our big bed and we just all sighed and died.

  I think we never even moved. I woke up with no pile of bodies on me so I was able to get up and head out the back door to take my morning leak. I had found that if I stood close to the edge I could hit the water way down below, it was cool, in a little boy kind of way, I grin. From behind I hear “Oh for gods sake!! Will you grow up?” I laughed and said, “Hell no! This is the one thing I can do that y’all can’t and I’m gonna enjoy it!”

  Sandy snorted or at least it sounded like it, I headed in, put the coffee pot on and headed for the shower where I enjoyed the water alone for a change. It was lonely but I manned up and finished, dried off, put on my cut offs and found “them” sitting in the living room, all curled up drinking coffee and yes the pot was empty, they pull this shit all the time, I swear I’m gonna wait to make coffee until I can stand over the pot.

  (Like that’s gonna help???) Stop it! (Don’t yell, you’ll wake the baby!) Huh? I give up and make more coffee but I’m not moving from where the damn pot sits. They laugh, even Beth, she’s corrupted at last.

  I think this whole baby listening thing is a crock, but then again I’m a man and that means I’m tuned out on that wave link.

  One place we had not been to and I can’t say why is the town of Page AZ and the Dam.

  Some of May’s people wanted to look it over and see what the EMP had done to the power-producing abilities.

  I figured since we were bored we might take a run up there. Since a lot of the population was Navajo at the time of the EMP I wanted Charley to go along so I contacted him.

  He said he would go along but most all of his people had pulled out of that area as soon as the event hit, can’t say as I blame them. We took little gear except our usual battle rattle and sleeping bags, ok the back of the truck was full, so what?

  We left the next morning early and spent the night in Shiprock and left early in the morning, the girls rode in the back seat allowing me and Charley to chat as we drove, of course it also put them all three behind me where they could plot whatever it was they were plotting. And I know they were because they were awake.

  Charley said Page wasn’t a bad town, just got a lot of weekenders who caused some issues, He said his people who had lived there had suffered from their own weaknesses, booze mostly and some racism. But, he said that the main bulk had moved back to the rez and were doing much better being away from the temptations found in the white man’s towns.

  I fully understood that, having been born in Oklahoma, and half my family was Indian on my granpa’s side. Granma was white and while my dad carried his step fathers name he was white. Granma went to a brush arbor revival and brought back more then she took, it happens.

  So yeah, I’ve seen it from both sides but never experienced the racism part against me but I heard all the comments directed at the native peoples, and saw the bad parts of it.

  I was glad Charleys people had returned to their lands and people. Maybe someday things will change, but not soon I’m sure.

  We got to Page and it seemed to have been bypassed by the main troubles, there was the usual road block but we were recognized by one of the men even though I don’t recall having ever met him.

  We headed on into town and stopped at the former city offices, although I guess they never stopped being that. We headed in and were greeted by the Mayor and chief of police who seemed glad to meet us. We settled into the conference office and explained what we were looking at, they said they had power to the town but there was a great deal of work needed to really get things going again.

  The people who had run the dam never left and had done all they could but were in great need of tech help. May took over and explained what her people did before the event and what their skills were.

  The mayor asked the chief to send out a call for the head man at the dam to come up.

  In the meantime we talked about

  everything that had been going on. The Mayor said he had heard all about our adventures and he believed the bad folks were bypassing the entire area because of us. That pleased me to no end. I wanted a buffer zone. He also said he had heard about the so called plague if it was in fact real and they had taken steps to close off access to their area as much as possible.

  I told him the Navajo People were mostly back in their lands and intended to close them off at the first sign of a problem.

  Charley asked how many Navajo were still here but the mayor had no idea, he said some for sure and other then drinking issues weren’t any trouble. He said they had cut off all public booze sales shortly after the event but it still made its way in. He also said that the few Navajo were by far less trouble then a lot of the white trash that showed up after the event. Most had been weekenders who caused problems pre event so nothing changed with them but the chief and his people had put a stop to their crap so over all it was quiet.

  The Chief came back and said the sup
ervisor was on his way, I told the chief that if he ever had trouble he couldn’t handle to call us and gave him the frq’s. He said they did monitor our traffic and smiling said “When we can understand it!” causing a laugh.

  The “Dam Man” arrived and was introduced as that for a laugh, his name was Roland and when he heard what May had to say I thought he was gonna cry.

  He said the brain power was exactly what they needed; they had brawn but weak minds.

  The Mayor said there was plenty of housing and with power it was kind of like before the event, at least they had air conditioning.

  We took a tour with the two of them and looked at the dam and were taken down into it. Not my cup of tea! I was ready to get out and Beth said the baby wasn’t happy at all!!??

  How does she know? She smiled and said, “I’ll tell you later.” Sandy, like me, wanted out of there so we headed up to the light leaving May who seemed fine.