Life on the Missouri
Life on the Missouri
Editorial by Charlie Williams
Guest editorial (and artwork!)
by Charlie Williams
I went on my first official BlueRibbon Coalition outing the other day. I went to Great Falls, Montana, to the Ought 6 Enduro motorcycle race. My objective was to pass out BlueRibbon magazines, recruit new members, kiss babies and spread goodwill.
The event was very good—very, very good. Completely by the rules and extraordinary riding. Spectacular scenery, a great group of people all on private property… Private property? Yep, the powers of the great state of Montana have most of the riding trails shut down to public use. That’s a whole different story, but I did want to remind you of this fact.
My favorite section of trail was high on the mountain; you could look down in the valley and see the Missouri River. Exhaustion allowed my mind to wander, follow the river in my mind’s eye… across Montana, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas. Past the gray stone walled Leavenworth Prison high above the river, then on to Kansas City.
Across the state of Missouri to St. Louis. Turn north and take the mighty Mississippi to the fork of the Ohio River and turn northeast, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In Pittsburgh you can split off again, take the Cheat to the south into West Virginia or north on the Allegheny River up to New York.
Back on the Mississippi, you can head north from Cairo and make a right in the Illinois River and come out in Chicago and
Lake Michigan. We know the Great Lakes are connected, connected to the St. Lawrence River and it connects to the Atlantic Ocean. Back in St. Louis, you can take the Mississippi south to Vicksburg, Natchez and New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico.
The Gulf mixes with the Atlantic down by the Florida Keys where the Gulf Stream rotates clock wise around the Atlantic, north along the east coast, Savannah Georgia, Beaufort North Carolina, New York City…
Man, my mind sure did some wandering considering how fast I was riding this Montana trail…
Back in Montana, after the riding on Saturday, I grabbed my satchel and started passing out BlueRibbon magazines. I was pleasantly surprised with my first problem. Most everyone I approached was already a BlueRibbon member! I would guess 75% of the people I approached were BlueRibbon supporters. This was a pretty goodproblem to have.
Russ Ehnes, from the National Off Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC), was at this ride too. He was a great asset to me while passing out magazines, he introduced me to many people and it was nice having the NOHVCC working along with the BlueRibbon Coalition.
So my first outing with the BlueRibbon Coalition was very positive, I had many nice comments about BRC and the fact I was out shaking hands and spreading the good word. So much of the work done by BlueRibbon is done behind the scenes.
I don’t know if I got any new members to sign up, but the friendly response I got from current members was reassuring.
Mostly I wanted to share that story about the Missouri river; it should spark your imagination. Dreams, imagination, adventure, it’s important to get out and see the world, that’s why BlueRibbon’s work is so important, they are fighting for your rights to use your public lands, to get out and explore, spark your imagination.
Okay, here I can tie the whole article together. Think about how all the water of the world is connected. All right, now think about how all the grassroots clubs and organizations NEED to be connected and you begin to see the vision of the BlueRibbon Coalition. Everyone needs to be working together because what happens in Montana affects what happens in California, and what happens in California affects Florida. It is all related. We all MUST work together, divided we fall. United we stand.
I want to encourage all of you to stay current with your BlueRibbon membership as well as supporting members of your local and state groups. I had a glimpse of the Missouri River and it changed the way I look at the world. I saw this from the seat of my motorcycle; every one deserves this sight.
—Questions or comments about this article may be directed to the BlueRibbon Coalition: 4555 Burley Drive, Suite A, Pocatello, ID, 83202. Phone: 208-237-1008, Fax: 208-237-9424. Email <brmag@sharetrails.org>.