Untitled [Access Cut], by Matt Niebuhr.

I’m interested in finding a way of reconciling the manner of ease with which we have made our way into the forests of the northwest. The impact of making these lands conveniently accessible and the footprints we leave behind give me an uneasy feeling. Yet, I am compelled to also drive along these roads and see what can be seen. It is all so new and unusual to me and my “native” Midwest and a move westward into the fascinating edges and layers of landscapes.

I am reading “An American Epic of Discovery – The Lewis and Clark Journals” – an abridgement of the Definitive Nebraska Edition – the abbreviated but “in their own words” journal of exploration of the territories included in the Louisiana Purchase. Thereby of these men’s words I am able to imagine setting off some 200 odd years ago – May 14, 1804 from the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri – on a expedition to find out – to see in a way – just what lies beyond. William Clark’s journal entry according to the reading, is poignantly stated: “fixing for a Start”. And Meriwether Lewis – “Expedition Underway”….

At the same time, I’m looking at the book – “Turning Back” by Robert Adams – and wondering if anything I see today is of any less consequence to report.