Siskiyoumom
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Readers, sorry for the posting trouble, appreciate your patience : )
Chapter 12
What a long hot summer it has been.
After doing the cleanup at the school we held classes until the end of June under our own local control. Heard not a peep from the main office of the school district in Hoopa. Seems that the superintendent flew the coop and
went south to Mexico with his family. The school board was unable to hold a quorum and we could not get any help from the county office of education.
So we held school and graduated our eighth grade class of four students. We did not go on our planned eighth grade trip to San Francisco. Instead the class donated their funds towards the efforts to clean out the school from the flood waters.
In late June an eighteen wheeler pulled up and delivered a container full of school supplies donated from the Save the Children Foundation. In May we had sent off a check for $3,ooo for the tsunami relief effort in Sumatra and the school that got those funds reciprocated when they heard of our disaster.
State government was as usual not functioning, so the staff, students and families decided to hold off on starting the next school year until January 2006That would get us through the summer and seasons of gardening, fishing, hunting, and hopefully find us in a better state of affairs.
Parents and guardians of our students were very supportive. We distributed the salvaged school supplies among the families as we knew that in the fall flooding could occur again.
The town folks instituted an ad hoc security detail. In mid July, believe or not, out of state basket weavers showed up for the annual Indigenous Basket Weavers Camp.
Imagine our surprise when a convoy of ten vehicles showed up with the most respected weavers of the state of California and their families.
In the early spring the class had gone on a field trip to gather basket making sticks. Wespent the day gathering and stripping willow sticks. I was so glad we had gone to that effort.
The weavers stayed for two weeks. The gathering was free, all you had to bring was food, a tent, and desire to either learn or teach .
(Note: This is a real life event, do a Google California Native Basket Weavers or on Indigenous Basket Weavers Associations to connect with your local tribal association). For that summer, the gathering was the only truly “normal” community gathering.
The local tribal folks decided that of all years, this was the one that needed to have the yearly “World Renewal Dance” at the sacred dance grounds. The local Assembly of God Pastor decided that she to needed to have the yearly revival. So not matter which way you believed, the spirits were moving on the Klamath River.
The only down side was the crew of bikers who tried to make their run up to Happy Camp on July 4th weekend. The Californian Highway Patrol banned them at road blocks set up in Happy Camp and Willow Creek. All in all it was a quiet summer of 05. If you did not take into account the volcanic activity in Yellowstone and Shasta and the continued efforts of the earth to split apart near Sumatra.
As families returned to their homes in the area now known as the Siskiyou Islands of California where they rebuilt, planted, hunted, and established a militia to support the freedom of the people in their neck of the woods. They also keenly observed who went where. It quickly became known to the shady elements of the region to not mess with those crazy folks in the hills.
Sis and Ghost Dancer reaped the rewards of having two young house guests staying with them. The boys had proved to be admirable hunters and fishermen. Bubba had taken them out almost daily on his jaunts on the mighty Klamath River.
They waited eagerly for the return of their father the Burlyman. In mid August their mother gave birth to a strapping nine pound baby girl. The boys wanted to name her Gerta, because they heard their Mom yell out during labor, get her out of me!!
They settled on Sara Maria Hollyhock. The hollyhocks were in bloom and she was a bit blue purple at birth, so they liked the name. We had not heard from the Burlyman since early in the summer. He was still in the hospital and had to go through one more reconstructive surgery for his mangled stump of an arm.
Ghost had finished up the root cellar and contracted with a local guy to move two big containers to the property for a proper “earth quake shelter”.
Due to the devastation on the coast the clan of the Ghost Dancer made their way up to Medford to try and do as much shopping as they could in late August.
On their list:
cloth diapers
clothes for the boys
ammo
fuel stabilizer
chain saw chain, oil, sharpening tools
medical supplies
over the counter meds
food
clothes for the baby
tires for the rigs
chickens
Due to the road blocks it took them over 9 hours to go the distance that normally took 5 hours. They did not stay the night, but headed back south after the shopping was complete. Gas in Medford was only $4.99 a gallon at the COSTCO in Medford. In Happy Camp it was at $8.99. While in Medford the group decided to hit the vaccinationclinic at the local mall. The boys and baby got their regularly scheduled shots and the adults got boosters for tetnus and Hepatitis B. They passed on the flu shots. 9 months
later they were glad they had passed on the flu shots.....
Chapter 13
The trip south from Medford Oregon to the Oregon border was intense.
We had to drive through the Ashland Summit. For late August the weather had gotten very dicey. The long dormant Mount MacLaughlin east of Medford decided to act up while we were in the Costco Gas line.
As Ghost Dancer was filling up the gas and we experienced what one who may have done heavy drugs in the 60’s would of called a flash back i.e.. moving sensations, darkening skies, and nausea. The reality was
that the kids in the rig were not veterans of taking acid in the 60’s.
Holly threw up and screamed, the boys also threw up and I and their Mom held on for dear life. The rig bounced up and down, the electricity went out and the attendant said that we should disregard our bill and head for the hills.
Ghost Dancer put the gas tank cap on and we headed south down Highway 5 like a bat out of h*ll.
We were joined with about a thousand other rigs. The big rigs pulled off in the rest area south of town and all the cars with California plates surged south towards the border.
Due to the budget crisis in California the inspection station at the border only checked the big rigs. We blew by at 80 miles an hour. We took the highway 96 turn off and headed south west.
As we reached the Siad Valley we stopped at the card lock station to fill up.
For this first time ever I saw the owner at the station. He had a generator running the pumps. He recognized us and said “Fill up now folks I hear bad stuff is brewing east of us. I cannot guarantee that I will ever have gas again.”
He had a pallet of empty 5 gallon gas cans for sale. We bought 6, filled them and strapped them to the top of the Exterra. He also had fuel stabilizer for $45.00 a bottle. We passed on that and headed towards home.
When we hit Happy Camp we stopped at the local market. I picked up three bags of oats,
salt, more TP, sanitary pads and cigarettes and matches. I bought the favorite local brand, American Spirit forganic tobacco, full strength.
I also bought the entire supply of rolling papers. I knew
they would be a great barter item in about ten to twelve months.
We stopped at our new friends storage unit. When she opened the garage door we stood with mouths agape. In it were two massive gun safes, a fully tricked out 1987 Jeep Wagoneer, trailer and prepackaged plastic boxes loaded and ready to go. We quickly hooked her trailer up, she started her rig and she followed us home.
Her boys and newborn daughter were still asleep in our rig as we made our way down river. At Dillion Creek we slowed for the elk herd.
As we turned up our road we were greeted with the site of a small campfire and a lone one armed man waving us down.
The family was now reunited. The Burlyman had made it home.
Chapter 14
The Burly Man stepped back from the gravel forest service road and we pulled over, turned off our engine,s and then his kids and wife jumped out of the rig and knocked him to the ground, hugging, him, laughing, crying, and shouting questions.
We sat in the rig waiting for their reunion to calm down a tad before we exited the truck.
After about 15 minutes we realized we would have to interupt them and get them back into the rig as we heard a large rumbling coming from down river.
Ghost Dancer got out and said, "Slide over, get ready to drive."
He loudly told the family,"Guys, get in the rig now, there are bad guys a coming up the highway."
The newly reunited family quickly got in the truck. The boys were placed on the floor between their parents feet, all four adults pulled out their weapons and Sis slowly pulled onto the road and drove carefully up the mountain, trying to not leave a dust cloud. At the one mile marker, she pulled the truck over and Ghost Dancer got out and yanked a choker chain that was laying across on the high bank of the road. With in a few seconds three huge tan oak trees fell elegantly rolled down the bank and across the road across the road.
Thankfully he and Bubba had worked out a system of pre arranged road blocks.
He then went to the lower bank and under some brush pulled out some nasty pieces of tire piercing metal scraps which he tossed along the road bed. He pulled out a rake and as Sis slowly drove up the road a half a mile he meticuously raked away her tire tread marks.
As they made their way up the road they heard the roar of a large number of motor cycles pass by their road, and then a small number turned and went back to their road. By this time Sis had made it to the 2 mile marker. She pulled onto a logging spur road, Ghost got out and raked the small track of dirt leading into the forest.
They heard the cycles make it to the down trees and the futile attempts of a biker to try and go around the trees. The sound of cursing and racing motors carried high up into the forest.
Sis called her three closest neighbors on the CB radio warning them of incoming bad guys. As Ghost got into the rig he advised her to go on up the spur road and that they'd be about a quarter mile of their first gate at the end of the road leading down to their property.
When they reached the end of the logging spur road she turned the rig around. The six occupants silently got out. The two young boys stood silently as they watched the adults empty out the rig and then quickly conceal it under cammo netting.
All six now were outfitted with the BOBs hey had in their rigs. The food stuff and supplies purchased on the trip to Oregon were stashed away from the rig.
The six silently made their way up the mountain as they heard the roar of motorcycles continue far below them on the highway. Burly Man said that this must be the nortorious motor cycle gang that had been terrorizing the state from Santa Rosa to Eureka.
As the sun started to set they had made it to the dirt drive to their little hide away. Burly Man was slowing down and the boys were started to lag a bit as well. Sis whispered to Ghost "Lets get to the cache and stay out here tonight. We are all beat and we are probably safer here than at the house." Ghost shook his head yes and he lead them back off the road to where their spring box intake pool was located. As they crossed the water pipe he pulled back some netting and revealed two large clam shell Vietnam era waterproof boxes.
He quietly opened them, pulled out two small tentes and four sleeping bags. They quickly set up camp and with hand signals set up their watch shifts.
With in a half hour the boys, Burlyman, his wife and Ghost had taken care of "personal" business, eaten a powerbar, drunk some water and were asleep.
Sis had set up the deer stand that was in the cache and had climbed up the tree and began her watch. Using night vision goggles she was surprised to see a small herd of elk cows meandering up her drive. She also spotted a fox and a family of skunks.
As she listened to the night sounds she was distressed to hear distant gun fire and around 3 am to the north east she spotted a firery orange glow against the clouds.
She began to earnestly pray for the families she knew in that direction.
She asked the Lord to shield and protect all the children, women and men from the evil ones who seek out to devour and destroy the innocent.
Around four she started to nod off and she felt her boot being tugged gently. The Burly Man signaled her to come down from her roost. As she vacated her post, he nimbly climbed the tree with one healthy arm and one arm obviously damaged.
As she crawled into the tent and her sleeping bag Ghost rolled over and pulled her close. He gently brushed her hair out of her face and he kissed her gently and said, "Hon, keep up your praying, we sure are going to need some help to make it the through today." She quickly fell asleep as the sun began to rise.
Her dreams were surprisingly not filled with anxiety, fear, or imaginations of the bad guys killing them all. She dreamt of her long dead son playing in a huge beautiful garden with a very strong manly looking Jesus Christ. She awoke two hours later as refreshed as if she had slept ten hours.
She had not realized that during the Burly Man's watch, he to had interceded in praying for all of them and for rest and strength and wisdom.
Turns out that the Burly Man got a bit of Jesus when he was recuperating in the hospital from his hand being chewed off.
As the day grew sunnier the small group packed up their camp and made their way down the to the house via the water line trail. As they neared the upper flat where they in for a big surprise...
Siskiyou Islands Chapter 15
As we headed down the trail to our property we saw smoke coming from the stove pipe. We park ed the boys in hollowed out tree trunk and told them to stay put. Jennie has the baby and is nursing her while Burly Man and Ghost go over with Jennie and I how they want us to approach the home place. We did not spot any vehicles near the house and the cats were lazily sleeping on the deck, so we assume it must be friends not foes in our home. But, we are not willing to risk our lives by assuming anything.
Burly and Ghost take point and Jennie and I back them up. As the guys quietly sneak up on the house and peek in the windows they give us the thumbs up.
Turns out our guests are numerous in number. There are three families sacked out in the tiny house. They are our neighbors from upriver who heard the call out of incoming bad guys. They barely escaped their forest service housing unit and hid in the woods as the bikers roared up the road to their place. Thank God they had Bug Out Bags strategically placed up the mountain from their place.
They hid out and kept their children quiet. They watched the hooligans ransack their homes, hauling out electronic gear, food stuff, beer and then they shot up the homes. They killed the chickens, dogs, horses, and cats. They were screaming profanities at not finding any women at home. The families silently watched as their homes were burned to the ground and a large number of bikers headed up the road towards the homesteads further up the mountain.
The families bushwhacked to our place and had let themselves in. Jennie went back to the tree to get her boys. By the time she returned all the sleeping children and adults were awake and we were fixing up a huge breakfast of scrambled eggs, elk sausage, strong coffee, hot cocoa and rice crispy cereal for the finicky little ones.
Before eating Burly Man and his family were introduced to all and he said, “Well I would like to say grace and if any of you mind, and if you do, well, too bad. Lord Father, I thank you for bringing all of us safely to Ghost and Sis’s home. I thank you for the protection you have given us all. Give us wisdom for the coming hours. Be our shield of protection and thank you for the food. Amen.”
All present said “Amen.” After we ate the kids were sent out to play and two of the neighbor women went to do guard watch up the road. They took radios and were armed better than I thought possible.
The adults and teenagers sat down to council. The agenda was short and precise:
1.) Determine threat level and preparations needed to protect us all.
2.) Determine which neighbors were still standing and provide assistance as needed.
3.) How to communicate with folks up river to spread the alarm.
4.) Determine the status of down river communities and survivors.
5.) Establish fall back safe spots when danger comes a lurking.
6.) Determine who can do what role to make it through the next 24 hours.
Census at our place:
Family One:
1. Ghost Dancer, 61, male, capable of fighting.
2. Sis, also known as Mrs. H, 47, female, capable of fighting.
Family Two:
3. Burlyman, 46, male, ex military, one hand recently mangled in a freak accident, recent transplant from Glendale CA, Flying Patriot Squirrel, prayer warrior, master electrician. Limited shooting ability but able to be a spotter and has experience in war. A wealth of knowledge.
4. Jennie, his wife, 39. Experienced in hunting, food preservation, small arms, former Emergency Room medical technician.
5. Edison, 6, male
6. Lincoln, 5, male
7. Holly, infant female
Family Three:
7. Mike, 34, ,male, Ham operator, CB enthusiast, light plane pilot, EMT, fire fighter and all round welder and mechanic, experienced hunter.
8. Wife Big Sue, 39, skilled fisherwoman and hunter. Medicine Woman.
9. Son Jim, 11 years old.
10. 9 month old baby girl Patsy.
Family Four:
10.Joshua, 27, Wild Land Fire Fighter, hunter, fisherman.
11. Mary Beth 22, three months pregnant, Tech for Karuk Tribe.
Family Five:,
12. John Smith, 56, Forest Service Mechanic, served in first Gulf War as a heavy equipment mechanic..
13. Sue Smith, 52, house wife, gardener, seamstress, home schooler.
14. Little Sue, 17, student, 4 – H member, specialty horses and packing.
15. John John, 14, student, 4 – H member, specialty raising geese and poultry.
Ghost pulled out topo maps showing where the pre – positioned road blocks were set up. The group determined to maintain radio silence and listen in to see if any of the neighbors reported in. Joshua, John, Ghost and Sis would go and make contact in person with the closest neighbors and check the locked gates up the mountain. They would also release the road blocks if the coast was clear of bad guys. Jim and Big Sue would go down the trail from the house to the highway to see what was happening on the road.
Sue would take the young children to a hiding spot away from the house while the rest of the group was out on patrol. The parents calmly told their children to stay quiet and do as Sue said. Baby Pasty was getting antsy to be fed, and since she was both bottle and breast fed, Sue was able to fix her up a bottle and she carried a now sleeping baby on her back in a baby back pack carrier and led the children to their hiding spot. Little Sue would be in charge of Holly.
It was up the water line trail and deep into the forest. At the hiding place she pulled back some branches of a young alder tree and behind it was a cleverly hidden bird blind. Inside it she found a large metal trunk. She opened it and found sleeping bags, pads, and a hand held short wave radio and C.B. She put in the batteries and put the mike and earphone on. She settled the kids down with drawing paper and crayons, a pack of cards and gave them a snack. As the sun rose higher into the sky the children got sleepy and they all settled in for a nap.
Not two miles away the rest of the group began fanning out to the neighbors places to check on them. At each home they quietly approached watching for danger.
At each they found very heavily armed and concerned residents. The word had spread quickly via C.B. radio and satilite phones that the bad guys were on their way. The neighbors up the mountain had been warned in time to put into place the road closure plan and had successfully blocked Look Out Road three miles up from the Forest Service housing unit.
It is amazing what a little bit of pre-planning can do for one’s safety.
As the gang of thugs moved up river they were surprised to hear behind them the major bridge crossing the Klamath explode into a thousand large pieces of concrete. After Dillion Creek the river becomes very fast and runs through a steep gorge. Once the bridge was out the gang had to keep heading north up river.
One of the homesteaders up Look Out Road had been able to reach a HAM radio operator up river near Big Bar. She relayed the message of warning further up river to Happy Camp. The Jefferson Militia was in the process of intervening on the gang twelve miles past Big Bar. Hopefully they would be able to stop and eliminate the threat at that point.
A call was put out to the Highway Patrol, the National Guard in Yreka, the Sheriffs Department and the Rogue Valley Militia. The Rogue Valley Militia had already been given a heads up of the impending threat. Seems that the gang had split up after harassing the coastal communities and half had gone north up Highway 101. They had been engaged in a large fire fight near Big Lagoon and the coastal Yurok Tribal Militia had pretty much exterminated the threat. Sadly, some of the biker gang consisted of native men who had lost their way into the dark life of murder and mayhem.
After the adults reconvened at the home place and Sue and the children were brought back we sat down for the evening meal. This had been a very close call for us all. We learned that we were not as isolated as we had thought. And that all can be taken from us in the twinkling of an eye.
After dinner Ghost opened up a large storage container that we had gotten at an auction the previous summer. He laughed as he pulled out the three huge family camping tents Sis had bought on sale at the same time.
He thought she was nuts planning and preparing for extra folks who might need it. He passed out to the families gathered there sleeping bags, cots, battery operated lanterns, flashlights, and towels and ditty bags filled with toothpaste, toothbrushes, combs, and hand disinfectant. As the families selected tent sites near the lower garden, he went to Sis and gave her a hug. He said, “You know I am a very private man. I never thought I would be able to share with others our home. You always knew it could come to this. Thank you for being bull headed and making plans for this time. I hope we are able to get along with all these folks.”
Sis smiled and said, “Who has first watch tonight?”
Ghost replied, “I will do the first 6 hours, then Big Sue, then Joshua. Go to bed and get some sleep. You need it.” With a big grin he set off to a spot two miles up the forest service road that lead to our house. He carried with him a radio, gear bag and his rifle.
As I lay down to sleep I silently prayed and thanked God for protecting us this day. I knew it would not be long before we were faced with another group of bad guys. I could not sleep, got up and made some tea. I heard a tap at the door and I let in Burlyman.
He said, “Sis, I cannot thank you enough for opening your home to my family and for being there for me when I showed up at your door step. We need to sit down with all the folks and make plans. You saw the boxes of gear Jennie brought on the trailer and I have some electronic gear I would like to position around the perimeter to provide an added bit of time for us to responsed to any threats. “
I told him, “Well Burlyman, you are surly welcome to fortify our place. Our finances have been pretty low and we are not as prepared as I would of liked us to be. But I have enough stored food to last about 6 months or so with the added mouths to feed. I have some baby stuff I boxed up after our son passed away. I have not been able to have another baby but have been led to stock up on infant things and have a lot I can share with Jennie and Mary Beth. My major concern is on how much to reveal to our newly arrived house guests. Ghost and I have made other preparations that we are not willing to reveal with these folks until I know where they stand as far as defense measures. Want a cup of tea?”
He shakes his head yes and we hear another tap at the door. I let in Jennie and I bring out another cup and fix them their tea. We spend the next five hours talking and getting acquainted. Ghost comes in from his guard duty and we continue talking. Ghost shares his stories of escaping out of L. A. in the early 70’s and Jennie and I sort through the baby stuff. We find we have similar backgrounds. Both of us were raised by single Mothers in the city. AWe both always had a sense that we needed to be aware of the world around us, yet not be stuck in the world.
Jennie had experience working in an E.R. and she had met children with the genetic disease our son had. She cried when I told her of his home birth, the discovery of his being terminally ill, the battles fought, won and lost with the public school system, and his death at the age of almost seven.
She shed silent tears as I told her of miracle after miracle that had occurred in our lives during our son’s life. She said that as the years have passed she had learned to heed the still small voice in her head. The red headed lady that had visited her and told her of coming to our place was her first experience in the flesh with what she calls a guardian angel.
Jennie told me of her wild younger years. Of her close calls where she could of died due to being surrounded by some really nasty characters. I told her of my wild misguided youth and of the times I too had been protected from rape and death.
The conversation turned to spiritual preparedness and the harsh reality that we may soon be faced with tribulation not seen before on the Earth.
The four of us joined together, clasped hands and began to pray. When we were done Burlyman and Jennie left to go sleep a few hours in their yurt and Ghost and I made our way to bed.
I slept so soundly and awoke to the sound of the children and adults cooking breakfast laughing and joking. Joshua found the cd collection and put in one of Ghost’s favorites, “Hymns to the Silence”. By his favorite recording artist Van Morrison. We got up, dressed and joined our rapidly expanding family.
After saying grace we ate and then set about with setting up work schedules and Joshua and Ghost left to head down river to check on the folks downriver. They expected to be gone at least two days. The entire group prayed for them and Big Sue burned Indian Root and sage over them. And they left us. As I watched them ride mountain bikes up the road I had a deep sense of foreboding. Instead of dwelling on it I prayed silently and set to work taking inventory of the pantry and storage container. Little did I know that my prayers would be providential for the well being of Joshua and Ghost.
Chapter 16
After breakfast the next day Sis, and as Mrs. H or as Mrs. Hansen sat down with the huge stack of planning notes she, Ghost and Burlyman had drawn up the night before. Sis chaired the meeting to discuss preparations and reflections on how to better secure the families. It was decided that they'd use Roberts Rules of Order for meetings and that they'd use a modified consensus form of decision-making. In order for the survival of all it was determined that consensus might take longer, but would have the best success because all sides would have a fair hearing and all decisions would be fully supported. One person not getting with the program could mean the death of all of them.
Big Sue took notes during the meeting on chart paper and while Ghost made sure that everyone’s mugs were full of tea, coffee, or cocoa.
The families decided that Mike would upgrade the communication systems to be able to more quickly get a hold of the nearest neighbors.
A work schedule was set up to bring in the harvest in the garden, set up the drying racks and begin canning. The greenhouses were determined to be inadequate for the large number of folks and plans were made to expand the growing space five fold. Ghost had gotten a great deal on greenhouse glass and has already drawn up plans on expanding the space. He had already milled up lumber, had concrete blocks on hand and a gas powered mixer.
It was decided that any construction that made a lot of racket would wait until it was determined that there was not a threat from the highway. Sound carries in the woods and we did not want to guide any unwelcome visitors to the home place.
Inventories of what might be salvageable from the burned out houses was drafted and plans were made to have a small group go to the site the next day to try and recover as much as they could.
An afternoon visit to the nearest neighbors to borrow a pack mule and gear was arranged.
Burlyman set about checking out the hydroelectric system and came up with ideas on how to improve it. Which matched idea for idea with what Jennie and Ghost had already discussed. Seems it was Jennie who trained her hubby in alternative power system design.
The group determined that keeping a lookout posted up the forest service road would give the families a better chance of responding quickly to incoming threats.
The teens were sent down the trail to scout out the situation on the highway.
Big Sue and Jennie spent time going over the medical supplies on hand and it was decided that all the adults and teens needed a quick first aide class. They also took medical histories on all the residents.
One glaring concern became apparent. There were folks who had prescription meds and would need to be carefully monitored until replacement script could be gotten from the Karuk Clinic in Orleans.
The kids reported back that all was quiet on the river. They took it upon themselves to hike down river to the homes directly below the property. They found that those homes were burned down and they discovered the mutilated remains of fthe families that lived there.
There were two young boys missing from the Connor family and they tried to locate them. They brought back with them seeds and hand tools discovered in an out building that had not been torched.
They also found some 55-gallon drums with some type of fuel. They moved them deep in the underbrush thinking we could go back for them later. They were very somber as they told of how they had dug graves for each of the families.
After hearing their report Sis was emotionally devastated. She had gotten to know each of the three families who were murdered. Millie had been 8 months pregnant with her first baby. She was 43 and had been trying to get pregnant for many years. Her husband Don had been laid off from the California Dept of Transportation the previous year and he had started a nursery raising native plants and fruit trees. They were kind dear people.
John John said, "Sis, I think they put up a fight. There were two dead men right next to them. We let them lay where they died. Let the turkey vultures and bears eat them." With that said, he left the house and went to his tent.
Little Sue told us, "We found the baby up on the highway. It was awful. It looked like someone had run over it. It still had its umbilical cord on. It was a baby girl. I got so sick I threw up and then we cried as we picked it up. Then we found Millie. Why does God let this sh*t happen. They were good people. I feel like I will never be clean again."
Her Mom and Dad wrapped their arms around her and began to pray for her. As they quietly prayed Little Sue began to sob. They led her out of the house and towards John Johns tent. Where they spent the rest of the day consoling their children.
The rest of us set about doing our chores and talking little. Big Sue selected a CD to play by Keola Beamer the famous Hawaiian Slack Key Guitarist. It was his last release where he was joined by R. Carlos Sakai the famous Lakota Flute player. As the soothing sounds of the guitar and flute filled the air we worked at a steady pace.
At five o'clock Sis went to the Smith tent and asked Little Sue to join her on her quest to borrow the pack mule. Sis had absolutely no experience with horses or mules. She had hoped to find her neighbors alive and well. And more importantly she needed to get the transportation for the salvage job.
It took an hour to hike to the neighbors place. Coming up the back trail she saw a small no trespassing sign on the trail. It was the signal the family had set up to say you could come up to the house. As they left the covering of the fir trees they could see smoke coming from the chimney and the dogs started to bark. They could see Bubba peeking around the corner of the log cabin and Sis yelled, "Hey there, its your pesky neighbor!" Bubba came around the corner and yelled "Howdy". He motioned them to come up to the house and ushered them in.
In the house were Bubba's family as well as neighbors from lower down the forest service road.
Carolyn and her husband Tommy were there, as well as Jason and Teva their teenage children.
We quickly shared our stories of the night before. Ghost and Joshua had come by earlier on their way down river. Brant, Bubba's son had joined them adding to their number. Bubbas reported that the roadblocks had kept the MZB's from making up to their place. He stated that the up mountain folks had fended off a small contingent and they were eliminated.
We discussed the additions to our place and the need for borrowing the mule. He agreed to bring both his mules and gear the following morning. He would also bring his three horses and gear and would guide two of the adults to go foraging for gear.
He stated he needed help setting up his short wave system and we committed Mike to work on that. Carolyn and Tommy had been out mushrooming when they heard the motorcyclists. They stayed hidden while they too watched their animals killed and their home burned down. Luckily for them they had their original make do earth berm shelter that was set away from their newly built house. They buildt it after leaving the commune called Black Bear which is located above the Salmon River in Siskiyou County.
In it were Carolyn's pantry and storage for things not yet put in their new house (built in 1981). Tommy was pissed that his guns were taken and he was upset over the loss of his goats and dogs.
They had decided to stay with Bubba's family for mutual protection and were in the process of moving gear to the cabin. Bubba said that the mountain families were in agreement to meet and discuss a larger area of security plans and response to threats. They had heard on the CB that the down river families were mostly wiped out but did not believe it.
Bubba said that if Ghost, Joshua and his son did not make it back in the appointed time, he and Tommy were going to go look for them.
It was getting late and Little Sue and I headed back down the trail towards home. As dusk was ending we made it to the checkpoint and called out our hellos. John called back and told us that all was well for now. As we neared the house we could see the much our now much larger family sitting down to eat. As we entered the house we smelled onions and garlic and fresh baked rolls.
We sat down to join the group and as food was passed to us we relayed our report. It was decided that Big Sue and Little Sue would go with Bubba in the morning. Big Sue had already drawn up a list of what to look for and the Look Out Road folks determined that they all must have been paranoid preppers. Turns out that each family had cached supplies that would prove useful for the entire group.
Early the next day Bubba could be heard coming down the road with his mules and horses. The ladies quickly saddled up and off they went.
The rest of us continued our assigned tasks and chores. We hoped to see the salvagers by the end of the day. Before we set to work Burlyman called us together to pray for the ladies safety as well as Ghost, Joshua and Brant. Mike hiked to Bubba's to work on the short wave system and CB tower. As the day grew to a close Bubba and the ladies were not back. As we made dinner we decided to not worry but pray. Mike straggled in close to 10 PM. We were sitting by the woodstove having tea when he heaved himself through the door.
He exclaimed, "Oh, my God, you will not believe what is happening down river!"
Chapter 12
What a long hot summer it has been.
After doing the cleanup at the school we held classes until the end of June under our own local control. Heard not a peep from the main office of the school district in Hoopa. Seems that the superintendent flew the coop and
went south to Mexico with his family. The school board was unable to hold a quorum and we could not get any help from the county office of education.
So we held school and graduated our eighth grade class of four students. We did not go on our planned eighth grade trip to San Francisco. Instead the class donated their funds towards the efforts to clean out the school from the flood waters.
In late June an eighteen wheeler pulled up and delivered a container full of school supplies donated from the Save the Children Foundation. In May we had sent off a check for $3,ooo for the tsunami relief effort in Sumatra and the school that got those funds reciprocated when they heard of our disaster.
State government was as usual not functioning, so the staff, students and families decided to hold off on starting the next school year until January 2006That would get us through the summer and seasons of gardening, fishing, hunting, and hopefully find us in a better state of affairs.
Parents and guardians of our students were very supportive. We distributed the salvaged school supplies among the families as we knew that in the fall flooding could occur again.
The town folks instituted an ad hoc security detail. In mid July, believe or not, out of state basket weavers showed up for the annual Indigenous Basket Weavers Camp.
Imagine our surprise when a convoy of ten vehicles showed up with the most respected weavers of the state of California and their families.
In the early spring the class had gone on a field trip to gather basket making sticks. Wespent the day gathering and stripping willow sticks. I was so glad we had gone to that effort.
The weavers stayed for two weeks. The gathering was free, all you had to bring was food, a tent, and desire to either learn or teach .
(Note: This is a real life event, do a Google California Native Basket Weavers or on Indigenous Basket Weavers Associations to connect with your local tribal association). For that summer, the gathering was the only truly “normal” community gathering.
The local tribal folks decided that of all years, this was the one that needed to have the yearly “World Renewal Dance” at the sacred dance grounds. The local Assembly of God Pastor decided that she to needed to have the yearly revival. So not matter which way you believed, the spirits were moving on the Klamath River.
The only down side was the crew of bikers who tried to make their run up to Happy Camp on July 4th weekend. The Californian Highway Patrol banned them at road blocks set up in Happy Camp and Willow Creek. All in all it was a quiet summer of 05. If you did not take into account the volcanic activity in Yellowstone and Shasta and the continued efforts of the earth to split apart near Sumatra.
As families returned to their homes in the area now known as the Siskiyou Islands of California where they rebuilt, planted, hunted, and established a militia to support the freedom of the people in their neck of the woods. They also keenly observed who went where. It quickly became known to the shady elements of the region to not mess with those crazy folks in the hills.
Sis and Ghost Dancer reaped the rewards of having two young house guests staying with them. The boys had proved to be admirable hunters and fishermen. Bubba had taken them out almost daily on his jaunts on the mighty Klamath River.
They waited eagerly for the return of their father the Burlyman. In mid August their mother gave birth to a strapping nine pound baby girl. The boys wanted to name her Gerta, because they heard their Mom yell out during labor, get her out of me!!
They settled on Sara Maria Hollyhock. The hollyhocks were in bloom and she was a bit blue purple at birth, so they liked the name. We had not heard from the Burlyman since early in the summer. He was still in the hospital and had to go through one more reconstructive surgery for his mangled stump of an arm.
Ghost had finished up the root cellar and contracted with a local guy to move two big containers to the property for a proper “earth quake shelter”.
Due to the devastation on the coast the clan of the Ghost Dancer made their way up to Medford to try and do as much shopping as they could in late August.
On their list:
cloth diapers
clothes for the boys
ammo
fuel stabilizer
chain saw chain, oil, sharpening tools
medical supplies
over the counter meds
food
clothes for the baby
tires for the rigs
chickens
Due to the road blocks it took them over 9 hours to go the distance that normally took 5 hours. They did not stay the night, but headed back south after the shopping was complete. Gas in Medford was only $4.99 a gallon at the COSTCO in Medford. In Happy Camp it was at $8.99. While in Medford the group decided to hit the vaccinationclinic at the local mall. The boys and baby got their regularly scheduled shots and the adults got boosters for tetnus and Hepatitis B. They passed on the flu shots. 9 months
later they were glad they had passed on the flu shots.....
Chapter 13
The trip south from Medford Oregon to the Oregon border was intense.
We had to drive through the Ashland Summit. For late August the weather had gotten very dicey. The long dormant Mount MacLaughlin east of Medford decided to act up while we were in the Costco Gas line.
As Ghost Dancer was filling up the gas and we experienced what one who may have done heavy drugs in the 60’s would of called a flash back i.e.. moving sensations, darkening skies, and nausea. The reality was
that the kids in the rig were not veterans of taking acid in the 60’s.
Holly threw up and screamed, the boys also threw up and I and their Mom held on for dear life. The rig bounced up and down, the electricity went out and the attendant said that we should disregard our bill and head for the hills.
Ghost Dancer put the gas tank cap on and we headed south down Highway 5 like a bat out of h*ll.
We were joined with about a thousand other rigs. The big rigs pulled off in the rest area south of town and all the cars with California plates surged south towards the border.
Due to the budget crisis in California the inspection station at the border only checked the big rigs. We blew by at 80 miles an hour. We took the highway 96 turn off and headed south west.
As we reached the Siad Valley we stopped at the card lock station to fill up.
For this first time ever I saw the owner at the station. He had a generator running the pumps. He recognized us and said “Fill up now folks I hear bad stuff is brewing east of us. I cannot guarantee that I will ever have gas again.”
He had a pallet of empty 5 gallon gas cans for sale. We bought 6, filled them and strapped them to the top of the Exterra. He also had fuel stabilizer for $45.00 a bottle. We passed on that and headed towards home.
When we hit Happy Camp we stopped at the local market. I picked up three bags of oats,
salt, more TP, sanitary pads and cigarettes and matches. I bought the favorite local brand, American Spirit forganic tobacco, full strength.
I also bought the entire supply of rolling papers. I knew
they would be a great barter item in about ten to twelve months.
We stopped at our new friends storage unit. When she opened the garage door we stood with mouths agape. In it were two massive gun safes, a fully tricked out 1987 Jeep Wagoneer, trailer and prepackaged plastic boxes loaded and ready to go. We quickly hooked her trailer up, she started her rig and she followed us home.
Her boys and newborn daughter were still asleep in our rig as we made our way down river. At Dillion Creek we slowed for the elk herd.
As we turned up our road we were greeted with the site of a small campfire and a lone one armed man waving us down.
The family was now reunited. The Burlyman had made it home.
Chapter 14
The Burly Man stepped back from the gravel forest service road and we pulled over, turned off our engine,s and then his kids and wife jumped out of the rig and knocked him to the ground, hugging, him, laughing, crying, and shouting questions.
We sat in the rig waiting for their reunion to calm down a tad before we exited the truck.
After about 15 minutes we realized we would have to interupt them and get them back into the rig as we heard a large rumbling coming from down river.
Ghost Dancer got out and said, "Slide over, get ready to drive."
He loudly told the family,"Guys, get in the rig now, there are bad guys a coming up the highway."
The newly reunited family quickly got in the truck. The boys were placed on the floor between their parents feet, all four adults pulled out their weapons and Sis slowly pulled onto the road and drove carefully up the mountain, trying to not leave a dust cloud. At the one mile marker, she pulled the truck over and Ghost Dancer got out and yanked a choker chain that was laying across on the high bank of the road. With in a few seconds three huge tan oak trees fell elegantly rolled down the bank and across the road across the road.
Thankfully he and Bubba had worked out a system of pre arranged road blocks.
He then went to the lower bank and under some brush pulled out some nasty pieces of tire piercing metal scraps which he tossed along the road bed. He pulled out a rake and as Sis slowly drove up the road a half a mile he meticuously raked away her tire tread marks.
As they made their way up the road they heard the roar of a large number of motor cycles pass by their road, and then a small number turned and went back to their road. By this time Sis had made it to the 2 mile marker. She pulled onto a logging spur road, Ghost got out and raked the small track of dirt leading into the forest.
They heard the cycles make it to the down trees and the futile attempts of a biker to try and go around the trees. The sound of cursing and racing motors carried high up into the forest.
Sis called her three closest neighbors on the CB radio warning them of incoming bad guys. As Ghost got into the rig he advised her to go on up the spur road and that they'd be about a quarter mile of their first gate at the end of the road leading down to their property.
When they reached the end of the logging spur road she turned the rig around. The six occupants silently got out. The two young boys stood silently as they watched the adults empty out the rig and then quickly conceal it under cammo netting.
All six now were outfitted with the BOBs hey had in their rigs. The food stuff and supplies purchased on the trip to Oregon were stashed away from the rig.
The six silently made their way up the mountain as they heard the roar of motorcycles continue far below them on the highway. Burly Man said that this must be the nortorious motor cycle gang that had been terrorizing the state from Santa Rosa to Eureka.
As the sun started to set they had made it to the dirt drive to their little hide away. Burly Man was slowing down and the boys were started to lag a bit as well. Sis whispered to Ghost "Lets get to the cache and stay out here tonight. We are all beat and we are probably safer here than at the house." Ghost shook his head yes and he lead them back off the road to where their spring box intake pool was located. As they crossed the water pipe he pulled back some netting and revealed two large clam shell Vietnam era waterproof boxes.
He quietly opened them, pulled out two small tentes and four sleeping bags. They quickly set up camp and with hand signals set up their watch shifts.
With in a half hour the boys, Burlyman, his wife and Ghost had taken care of "personal" business, eaten a powerbar, drunk some water and were asleep.
Sis had set up the deer stand that was in the cache and had climbed up the tree and began her watch. Using night vision goggles she was surprised to see a small herd of elk cows meandering up her drive. She also spotted a fox and a family of skunks.
As she listened to the night sounds she was distressed to hear distant gun fire and around 3 am to the north east she spotted a firery orange glow against the clouds.
She began to earnestly pray for the families she knew in that direction.
She asked the Lord to shield and protect all the children, women and men from the evil ones who seek out to devour and destroy the innocent.
Around four she started to nod off and she felt her boot being tugged gently. The Burly Man signaled her to come down from her roost. As she vacated her post, he nimbly climbed the tree with one healthy arm and one arm obviously damaged.
As she crawled into the tent and her sleeping bag Ghost rolled over and pulled her close. He gently brushed her hair out of her face and he kissed her gently and said, "Hon, keep up your praying, we sure are going to need some help to make it the through today." She quickly fell asleep as the sun began to rise.
Her dreams were surprisingly not filled with anxiety, fear, or imaginations of the bad guys killing them all. She dreamt of her long dead son playing in a huge beautiful garden with a very strong manly looking Jesus Christ. She awoke two hours later as refreshed as if she had slept ten hours.
She had not realized that during the Burly Man's watch, he to had interceded in praying for all of them and for rest and strength and wisdom.
Turns out that the Burly Man got a bit of Jesus when he was recuperating in the hospital from his hand being chewed off.
As the day grew sunnier the small group packed up their camp and made their way down the to the house via the water line trail. As they neared the upper flat where they in for a big surprise...
Siskiyou Islands Chapter 15
As we headed down the trail to our property we saw smoke coming from the stove pipe. We park ed the boys in hollowed out tree trunk and told them to stay put. Jennie has the baby and is nursing her while Burly Man and Ghost go over with Jennie and I how they want us to approach the home place. We did not spot any vehicles near the house and the cats were lazily sleeping on the deck, so we assume it must be friends not foes in our home. But, we are not willing to risk our lives by assuming anything.
Burly and Ghost take point and Jennie and I back them up. As the guys quietly sneak up on the house and peek in the windows they give us the thumbs up.
Turns out our guests are numerous in number. There are three families sacked out in the tiny house. They are our neighbors from upriver who heard the call out of incoming bad guys. They barely escaped their forest service housing unit and hid in the woods as the bikers roared up the road to their place. Thank God they had Bug Out Bags strategically placed up the mountain from their place.
They hid out and kept their children quiet. They watched the hooligans ransack their homes, hauling out electronic gear, food stuff, beer and then they shot up the homes. They killed the chickens, dogs, horses, and cats. They were screaming profanities at not finding any women at home. The families silently watched as their homes were burned to the ground and a large number of bikers headed up the road towards the homesteads further up the mountain.
The families bushwhacked to our place and had let themselves in. Jennie went back to the tree to get her boys. By the time she returned all the sleeping children and adults were awake and we were fixing up a huge breakfast of scrambled eggs, elk sausage, strong coffee, hot cocoa and rice crispy cereal for the finicky little ones.
Before eating Burly Man and his family were introduced to all and he said, “Well I would like to say grace and if any of you mind, and if you do, well, too bad. Lord Father, I thank you for bringing all of us safely to Ghost and Sis’s home. I thank you for the protection you have given us all. Give us wisdom for the coming hours. Be our shield of protection and thank you for the food. Amen.”
All present said “Amen.” After we ate the kids were sent out to play and two of the neighbor women went to do guard watch up the road. They took radios and were armed better than I thought possible.
The adults and teenagers sat down to council. The agenda was short and precise:
1.) Determine threat level and preparations needed to protect us all.
2.) Determine which neighbors were still standing and provide assistance as needed.
3.) How to communicate with folks up river to spread the alarm.
4.) Determine the status of down river communities and survivors.
5.) Establish fall back safe spots when danger comes a lurking.
6.) Determine who can do what role to make it through the next 24 hours.
Census at our place:
Family One:
1. Ghost Dancer, 61, male, capable of fighting.
2. Sis, also known as Mrs. H, 47, female, capable of fighting.
Family Two:
3. Burlyman, 46, male, ex military, one hand recently mangled in a freak accident, recent transplant from Glendale CA, Flying Patriot Squirrel, prayer warrior, master electrician. Limited shooting ability but able to be a spotter and has experience in war. A wealth of knowledge.
4. Jennie, his wife, 39. Experienced in hunting, food preservation, small arms, former Emergency Room medical technician.
5. Edison, 6, male
6. Lincoln, 5, male
7. Holly, infant female
Family Three:
7. Mike, 34, ,male, Ham operator, CB enthusiast, light plane pilot, EMT, fire fighter and all round welder and mechanic, experienced hunter.
8. Wife Big Sue, 39, skilled fisherwoman and hunter. Medicine Woman.
9. Son Jim, 11 years old.
10. 9 month old baby girl Patsy.
Family Four:
10.Joshua, 27, Wild Land Fire Fighter, hunter, fisherman.
11. Mary Beth 22, three months pregnant, Tech for Karuk Tribe.
Family Five:,
12. John Smith, 56, Forest Service Mechanic, served in first Gulf War as a heavy equipment mechanic..
13. Sue Smith, 52, house wife, gardener, seamstress, home schooler.
14. Little Sue, 17, student, 4 – H member, specialty horses and packing.
15. John John, 14, student, 4 – H member, specialty raising geese and poultry.
Ghost pulled out topo maps showing where the pre – positioned road blocks were set up. The group determined to maintain radio silence and listen in to see if any of the neighbors reported in. Joshua, John, Ghost and Sis would go and make contact in person with the closest neighbors and check the locked gates up the mountain. They would also release the road blocks if the coast was clear of bad guys. Jim and Big Sue would go down the trail from the house to the highway to see what was happening on the road.
Sue would take the young children to a hiding spot away from the house while the rest of the group was out on patrol. The parents calmly told their children to stay quiet and do as Sue said. Baby Pasty was getting antsy to be fed, and since she was both bottle and breast fed, Sue was able to fix her up a bottle and she carried a now sleeping baby on her back in a baby back pack carrier and led the children to their hiding spot. Little Sue would be in charge of Holly.
It was up the water line trail and deep into the forest. At the hiding place she pulled back some branches of a young alder tree and behind it was a cleverly hidden bird blind. Inside it she found a large metal trunk. She opened it and found sleeping bags, pads, and a hand held short wave radio and C.B. She put in the batteries and put the mike and earphone on. She settled the kids down with drawing paper and crayons, a pack of cards and gave them a snack. As the sun rose higher into the sky the children got sleepy and they all settled in for a nap.
Not two miles away the rest of the group began fanning out to the neighbors places to check on them. At each home they quietly approached watching for danger.
At each they found very heavily armed and concerned residents. The word had spread quickly via C.B. radio and satilite phones that the bad guys were on their way. The neighbors up the mountain had been warned in time to put into place the road closure plan and had successfully blocked Look Out Road three miles up from the Forest Service housing unit.
It is amazing what a little bit of pre-planning can do for one’s safety.
As the gang of thugs moved up river they were surprised to hear behind them the major bridge crossing the Klamath explode into a thousand large pieces of concrete. After Dillion Creek the river becomes very fast and runs through a steep gorge. Once the bridge was out the gang had to keep heading north up river.
One of the homesteaders up Look Out Road had been able to reach a HAM radio operator up river near Big Bar. She relayed the message of warning further up river to Happy Camp. The Jefferson Militia was in the process of intervening on the gang twelve miles past Big Bar. Hopefully they would be able to stop and eliminate the threat at that point.
A call was put out to the Highway Patrol, the National Guard in Yreka, the Sheriffs Department and the Rogue Valley Militia. The Rogue Valley Militia had already been given a heads up of the impending threat. Seems that the gang had split up after harassing the coastal communities and half had gone north up Highway 101. They had been engaged in a large fire fight near Big Lagoon and the coastal Yurok Tribal Militia had pretty much exterminated the threat. Sadly, some of the biker gang consisted of native men who had lost their way into the dark life of murder and mayhem.
After the adults reconvened at the home place and Sue and the children were brought back we sat down for the evening meal. This had been a very close call for us all. We learned that we were not as isolated as we had thought. And that all can be taken from us in the twinkling of an eye.
After dinner Ghost opened up a large storage container that we had gotten at an auction the previous summer. He laughed as he pulled out the three huge family camping tents Sis had bought on sale at the same time.
He thought she was nuts planning and preparing for extra folks who might need it. He passed out to the families gathered there sleeping bags, cots, battery operated lanterns, flashlights, and towels and ditty bags filled with toothpaste, toothbrushes, combs, and hand disinfectant. As the families selected tent sites near the lower garden, he went to Sis and gave her a hug. He said, “You know I am a very private man. I never thought I would be able to share with others our home. You always knew it could come to this. Thank you for being bull headed and making plans for this time. I hope we are able to get along with all these folks.”
Sis smiled and said, “Who has first watch tonight?”
Ghost replied, “I will do the first 6 hours, then Big Sue, then Joshua. Go to bed and get some sleep. You need it.” With a big grin he set off to a spot two miles up the forest service road that lead to our house. He carried with him a radio, gear bag and his rifle.
As I lay down to sleep I silently prayed and thanked God for protecting us this day. I knew it would not be long before we were faced with another group of bad guys. I could not sleep, got up and made some tea. I heard a tap at the door and I let in Burlyman.
He said, “Sis, I cannot thank you enough for opening your home to my family and for being there for me when I showed up at your door step. We need to sit down with all the folks and make plans. You saw the boxes of gear Jennie brought on the trailer and I have some electronic gear I would like to position around the perimeter to provide an added bit of time for us to responsed to any threats. “
I told him, “Well Burlyman, you are surly welcome to fortify our place. Our finances have been pretty low and we are not as prepared as I would of liked us to be. But I have enough stored food to last about 6 months or so with the added mouths to feed. I have some baby stuff I boxed up after our son passed away. I have not been able to have another baby but have been led to stock up on infant things and have a lot I can share with Jennie and Mary Beth. My major concern is on how much to reveal to our newly arrived house guests. Ghost and I have made other preparations that we are not willing to reveal with these folks until I know where they stand as far as defense measures. Want a cup of tea?”
He shakes his head yes and we hear another tap at the door. I let in Jennie and I bring out another cup and fix them their tea. We spend the next five hours talking and getting acquainted. Ghost comes in from his guard duty and we continue talking. Ghost shares his stories of escaping out of L. A. in the early 70’s and Jennie and I sort through the baby stuff. We find we have similar backgrounds. Both of us were raised by single Mothers in the city. AWe both always had a sense that we needed to be aware of the world around us, yet not be stuck in the world.
Jennie had experience working in an E.R. and she had met children with the genetic disease our son had. She cried when I told her of his home birth, the discovery of his being terminally ill, the battles fought, won and lost with the public school system, and his death at the age of almost seven.
She shed silent tears as I told her of miracle after miracle that had occurred in our lives during our son’s life. She said that as the years have passed she had learned to heed the still small voice in her head. The red headed lady that had visited her and told her of coming to our place was her first experience in the flesh with what she calls a guardian angel.
Jennie told me of her wild younger years. Of her close calls where she could of died due to being surrounded by some really nasty characters. I told her of my wild misguided youth and of the times I too had been protected from rape and death.
The conversation turned to spiritual preparedness and the harsh reality that we may soon be faced with tribulation not seen before on the Earth.
The four of us joined together, clasped hands and began to pray. When we were done Burlyman and Jennie left to go sleep a few hours in their yurt and Ghost and I made our way to bed.
I slept so soundly and awoke to the sound of the children and adults cooking breakfast laughing and joking. Joshua found the cd collection and put in one of Ghost’s favorites, “Hymns to the Silence”. By his favorite recording artist Van Morrison. We got up, dressed and joined our rapidly expanding family.
After saying grace we ate and then set about with setting up work schedules and Joshua and Ghost left to head down river to check on the folks downriver. They expected to be gone at least two days. The entire group prayed for them and Big Sue burned Indian Root and sage over them. And they left us. As I watched them ride mountain bikes up the road I had a deep sense of foreboding. Instead of dwelling on it I prayed silently and set to work taking inventory of the pantry and storage container. Little did I know that my prayers would be providential for the well being of Joshua and Ghost.
Chapter 16
After breakfast the next day Sis, and as Mrs. H or as Mrs. Hansen sat down with the huge stack of planning notes she, Ghost and Burlyman had drawn up the night before. Sis chaired the meeting to discuss preparations and reflections on how to better secure the families. It was decided that they'd use Roberts Rules of Order for meetings and that they'd use a modified consensus form of decision-making. In order for the survival of all it was determined that consensus might take longer, but would have the best success because all sides would have a fair hearing and all decisions would be fully supported. One person not getting with the program could mean the death of all of them.
Big Sue took notes during the meeting on chart paper and while Ghost made sure that everyone’s mugs were full of tea, coffee, or cocoa.
The families decided that Mike would upgrade the communication systems to be able to more quickly get a hold of the nearest neighbors.
A work schedule was set up to bring in the harvest in the garden, set up the drying racks and begin canning. The greenhouses were determined to be inadequate for the large number of folks and plans were made to expand the growing space five fold. Ghost had gotten a great deal on greenhouse glass and has already drawn up plans on expanding the space. He had already milled up lumber, had concrete blocks on hand and a gas powered mixer.
It was decided that any construction that made a lot of racket would wait until it was determined that there was not a threat from the highway. Sound carries in the woods and we did not want to guide any unwelcome visitors to the home place.
Inventories of what might be salvageable from the burned out houses was drafted and plans were made to have a small group go to the site the next day to try and recover as much as they could.
An afternoon visit to the nearest neighbors to borrow a pack mule and gear was arranged.
Burlyman set about checking out the hydroelectric system and came up with ideas on how to improve it. Which matched idea for idea with what Jennie and Ghost had already discussed. Seems it was Jennie who trained her hubby in alternative power system design.
The group determined that keeping a lookout posted up the forest service road would give the families a better chance of responding quickly to incoming threats.
The teens were sent down the trail to scout out the situation on the highway.
Big Sue and Jennie spent time going over the medical supplies on hand and it was decided that all the adults and teens needed a quick first aide class. They also took medical histories on all the residents.
One glaring concern became apparent. There were folks who had prescription meds and would need to be carefully monitored until replacement script could be gotten from the Karuk Clinic in Orleans.
The kids reported back that all was quiet on the river. They took it upon themselves to hike down river to the homes directly below the property. They found that those homes were burned down and they discovered the mutilated remains of fthe families that lived there.
There were two young boys missing from the Connor family and they tried to locate them. They brought back with them seeds and hand tools discovered in an out building that had not been torched.
They also found some 55-gallon drums with some type of fuel. They moved them deep in the underbrush thinking we could go back for them later. They were very somber as they told of how they had dug graves for each of the families.
After hearing their report Sis was emotionally devastated. She had gotten to know each of the three families who were murdered. Millie had been 8 months pregnant with her first baby. She was 43 and had been trying to get pregnant for many years. Her husband Don had been laid off from the California Dept of Transportation the previous year and he had started a nursery raising native plants and fruit trees. They were kind dear people.
John John said, "Sis, I think they put up a fight. There were two dead men right next to them. We let them lay where they died. Let the turkey vultures and bears eat them." With that said, he left the house and went to his tent.
Little Sue told us, "We found the baby up on the highway. It was awful. It looked like someone had run over it. It still had its umbilical cord on. It was a baby girl. I got so sick I threw up and then we cried as we picked it up. Then we found Millie. Why does God let this sh*t happen. They were good people. I feel like I will never be clean again."
Her Mom and Dad wrapped their arms around her and began to pray for her. As they quietly prayed Little Sue began to sob. They led her out of the house and towards John Johns tent. Where they spent the rest of the day consoling their children.
The rest of us set about doing our chores and talking little. Big Sue selected a CD to play by Keola Beamer the famous Hawaiian Slack Key Guitarist. It was his last release where he was joined by R. Carlos Sakai the famous Lakota Flute player. As the soothing sounds of the guitar and flute filled the air we worked at a steady pace.
At five o'clock Sis went to the Smith tent and asked Little Sue to join her on her quest to borrow the pack mule. Sis had absolutely no experience with horses or mules. She had hoped to find her neighbors alive and well. And more importantly she needed to get the transportation for the salvage job.
It took an hour to hike to the neighbors place. Coming up the back trail she saw a small no trespassing sign on the trail. It was the signal the family had set up to say you could come up to the house. As they left the covering of the fir trees they could see smoke coming from the chimney and the dogs started to bark. They could see Bubba peeking around the corner of the log cabin and Sis yelled, "Hey there, its your pesky neighbor!" Bubba came around the corner and yelled "Howdy". He motioned them to come up to the house and ushered them in.
In the house were Bubba's family as well as neighbors from lower down the forest service road.
Carolyn and her husband Tommy were there, as well as Jason and Teva their teenage children.
We quickly shared our stories of the night before. Ghost and Joshua had come by earlier on their way down river. Brant, Bubba's son had joined them adding to their number. Bubbas reported that the roadblocks had kept the MZB's from making up to their place. He stated that the up mountain folks had fended off a small contingent and they were eliminated.
We discussed the additions to our place and the need for borrowing the mule. He agreed to bring both his mules and gear the following morning. He would also bring his three horses and gear and would guide two of the adults to go foraging for gear.
He stated he needed help setting up his short wave system and we committed Mike to work on that. Carolyn and Tommy had been out mushrooming when they heard the motorcyclists. They stayed hidden while they too watched their animals killed and their home burned down. Luckily for them they had their original make do earth berm shelter that was set away from their newly built house. They buildt it after leaving the commune called Black Bear which is located above the Salmon River in Siskiyou County.
In it were Carolyn's pantry and storage for things not yet put in their new house (built in 1981). Tommy was pissed that his guns were taken and he was upset over the loss of his goats and dogs.
They had decided to stay with Bubba's family for mutual protection and were in the process of moving gear to the cabin. Bubba said that the mountain families were in agreement to meet and discuss a larger area of security plans and response to threats. They had heard on the CB that the down river families were mostly wiped out but did not believe it.
Bubba said that if Ghost, Joshua and his son did not make it back in the appointed time, he and Tommy were going to go look for them.
It was getting late and Little Sue and I headed back down the trail towards home. As dusk was ending we made it to the checkpoint and called out our hellos. John called back and told us that all was well for now. As we neared the house we could see the much our now much larger family sitting down to eat. As we entered the house we smelled onions and garlic and fresh baked rolls.
We sat down to join the group and as food was passed to us we relayed our report. It was decided that Big Sue and Little Sue would go with Bubba in the morning. Big Sue had already drawn up a list of what to look for and the Look Out Road folks determined that they all must have been paranoid preppers. Turns out that each family had cached supplies that would prove useful for the entire group.
Early the next day Bubba could be heard coming down the road with his mules and horses. The ladies quickly saddled up and off they went.
The rest of us continued our assigned tasks and chores. We hoped to see the salvagers by the end of the day. Before we set to work Burlyman called us together to pray for the ladies safety as well as Ghost, Joshua and Brant. Mike hiked to Bubba's to work on the short wave system and CB tower. As the day grew to a close Bubba and the ladies were not back. As we made dinner we decided to not worry but pray. Mike straggled in close to 10 PM. We were sitting by the woodstove having tea when he heaved himself through the door.
He exclaimed, "Oh, my God, you will not believe what is happening down river!"
