CHUCK BOWDEN MEMORIES

Katie Lee Posted on by

MY first reaction when I think about Chuck these days, or am asked to think about him, is how scared I am for him.  Why he’s still above ground after all his researching, on-the-spot reporting, investigating, and publishing the drug scene on both sides of our border with Mexico, is nothing short of a miracle.  Sometimes after putting down one of his articles or books, I want to run to the phone and call him—make sure he’s still among us. Vaguely, I recall a discussion we once had about “the razor’s edge” -–of explaining my dear deceased husband’s years of … Continue reading →

Katie Lee, keepin’ on truckin’

Katie Lee Posted on by

Su Lum I first met Katie Lee in the winter of 1965, when I was delivering a manuscript to her at the little Victorian house on Hopkins Avenue that she rented from Freddie Fisher. My ex-husband Burt had copped the job of editing her manuscript of “Ten Thousand Goddam Cattle” and had immediately, as was his wont, turned the actual work over to me. “It’s open,” a female voice shouted in response to my tentative knock, and then more impatiently as I hesitated on the sill, “I’m out here!” I followed her voice and found Katie Lee sitting naked at … Continue reading →

THE RIDE

Katie Lee Posted on by

THE RIDE Essay originally published in “Sandstone Seduction” (Johnson Books) Published in Mountain Gazette – #78 Re-launch Issue – December 2000 – Breckenridge, CO.   It was the hottest day of the year when I decided to do it. Sure as hell it wasn’t anything planned in advance. Intuition works best in a case like this. I remember dreaming up something similar a year or so back and threatening that I would do it someday, but the notion didn’t even get out of bed with me that morning. I was still deep into the sorrow of loss. He was such … Continue reading →

Snail Mail Magpie

Katie Lee Posted on by

Snail Mail Magpie          They don’t fly very well. Or maybe I mean they fly awkwardly compared to other birds their size; more like a glide-skip-plop than a zoom-bank-settle. To some people who live around them they’re a damn nuisance but they are beautifully marked in the eyes of various artists who find them worthy of intricate drawings, paintings, carvings, or whatever. I saw a boat once down in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, named the Mad Magpie—something I can well imagine. When the Sea of Cortez acts up, a sailboat can glide-skip-plop on a mad sea just like … Continue reading →

Dear Mom

Katie Lee Posted on by

DEAR MOM… [Published – The Zephyr – Oct/Nov –2001] There was an Old Woman who lived in a shoe She had so many children she didn’t know what to do. She fed them some broth without any bread And whipped them all soundly and put them to bed. I hate to bring up nursery rhymes at a time like this, but it kinda looks like the spot you’re in at the present millennium. I can see you’re in real trouble from way up here. Got them crawling all over you like little fire ants–eating and drinking you out of house … Continue reading →

Sabino On The Rocks

Katie Lee Posted on by

Essay originally written for The Arizona Historic Quarterly, Tucson I suppose it was a training ground for what would come later; never thought about it that way at the time, but more than likely, Sabino Canyon is the place where–over a dozen years practicing–I learned to stick to near vertical surfaces; to recognize the temperament of various rock forms; and for sure, what grows beside, on, and especially inbetween those rocks.  Years later, those skills probably saved my life more than once during my ten year exploration of Glen Canyon on the Colorado River. Sabino came in two parts: upper … Continue reading →

Hidden Passage Sunk

Katie Lee Posted on by

How long does it take to launch a sixteen foot fibreglass boat with a thirty-five horse motor–twenty minutes maybe?   And when launching it over a grave?  No longer. I pull up to the dock where three fishermen are gassing up, themselves already gassed to the eyeballs. Thank god my old friend Bill, from the river days, thought new to this “marina business”, is here to assist however he can.  As we launch and load the gear for my first death-watch trip on what Russell Martin calls The Foul Little Fjord, one of the anglers steps into the middle of our … Continue reading →

Ed Abbey – Outhouse Reading

Katie Lee Posted on by

The postcard: 8-12-77 Dear Katie—- Come visit.  Bring self, guitar & beaucoup vin du pais. We’re up on Aztec Peak L.O., Tonto NF, about 20 mile south of Young off 288.  Will be here till October, probably. Love, Ed & Renée. The night before it came, I’d just return from California where Earl and Travis Edmonson and I had recorded twenty eight songs for a double album to accompany my first book, Ten Thousand Goddam Cattle—a  book I’d proudly sent to Ed in February of that same year—a book he’d made favorable comments about; nonetheless, I wanted to talk to … Continue reading →

News – Water in the West – Part 9: Why We Love Water

Katie Lee Posted on by

The audio clip above is from a multi-part series created by KDNK Community Radio and Aspen Public Radio. Both organizations have teamed up to bring listeners this in-depth series looking at the threats to the region’s water. Reporters from the two stations examined how population growth, climate change, the loss of agricultural land, developments and the energy industry all put strains on Colorado’s limited resource. The demands on water that impact states like Arizona and California are moving upstream and are just decades away in Colorado. Steve Skinner created this river montage. The entire series may be found by clicking … Continue reading →

Monkey-wrenchers, bless ’em, keep on keeping on

Katie Lee Posted on by

The following article appeared in the online version of the Salt Lake Tribune on July 8, 2010. You may click HERE to view the original online article. Monkey-wrenchers, bless ’em, keep on keeping on By Peter Shelton High Country News Updated Jul 8, 2010 12:14AM When the news spread last year about Tim DeChristopher’s impromptu act of civil disobedience in Utah, I thought: Somebody is finally reviving the lost art of environmental monkey-wrenching. So I made certain to attend one of DeChristopher’s talks at the Telluride Mountain film festival in May. Appearing on a breakfast panel billed “Three Generations of … Continue reading →