Stampede
A Week of Strikes
Seth woke early. He took Aizu and Duke with him to find the person in charge of the campgrounds. They walked over the hill to a shack at the roadside entry. The sign in the window said the park opened at eight, only ten minutes away.
Seth spotted a billboard on the wall with postings about the area. He read the basic lake facts: how the dam was completed on the Little Truckee River in 1970. That it sits seven miles in from the highway at six thousand feet elevation, and it has more than twenty-five miles of shoreline…
He ran his finger over the list of facts. “Hey Aizu. No more foxtails. The surrounding hills are covered with Jefferson pine trees and sagebrush.”
He kept scrolling down. “July is the driest month and January the wettest, so we’ll be fine. The summer highs are in the eighties and the lows in the forties.”
Duke tugged on the leash, pulling Seth from the billboard. “Hold on… I’m looking for your dinner. It says the main fish include trout: rainbow, brook, brown, and mackinaw. And because there is an abundance of plankton, the lake has a large supply of kokanee salmon. Wow, we’re going to eat like kings.”
Aizu and Duke both started to bark. They pulled Seth around the corner of the shack. He saw a lady and her dog walking up the road toward them. She waved.
Seth held both leashes with one hand to wave back, but Aizu and Duke pulled hard, causing him to stumble toward the lady and her dog. He regained his balance a few feet from her. “Aizu! Sorry ma’am. Good morning. This is Aizu and Duke. They’re both friendly.”
She smiled. “Good morning. This is Pepper. She’s getting old, but she can still pull me up the hill. I’m Jane.”
“Hi Jane. I’m Seth.” He reached down to pet Pepper. “A large group of us came in late last night. We settled in the Whistle Punk area.”
Jane crinkled her eyebrows. “I didn’t see anyone come in last night? How many in your group?”
Seth scratched his head. “I’d have to guess around forty?”
“Forty!” Jane turned and looked toward Whistle Punk, but couldn’t see anything because it sits over the hill.
Seth quickly added. “But we didn’t bring forty cars, or dogs. We just have two regular trucks, and a minivan… and these two dogs. That’s it.”
“How did you get forty people in three cars?”
“Well, it’s a long story.” Seth rubbed his chin. “Basically, we have a bus, but it broke down. It’s back toward highway 89. The roads were too crowded, so we tried to cut across. We walked in last night by following the shoreline.”
“You sure were quiet. Let’s get you signed in.” Jane pointed toward the shack and tugged the leash for Pepper to come along. “Last week people started canceling their reservations. This week others started going home early. The few tents you see out there now are locals. I have friends I call when someone leaves their campsite early. People rarely cancel. We’re usually pretty full right now.”
“We’re going to stay as long as you let us. Our goal is September.”
“I guess we’ll get to know each other pretty good then. We’re open until mid October.”
Seth smiled. “Here’s a deposit. This should at least get us started.” He handed her twenty crisp hundred-dollar bills. “Just let me know when it gets low. If there’s ever anything you need, just ask anyone in our group… They’ll treat you like a mom.”
Jane counted the money. “Okay, let me get you a receipt for this.” She put the cash in her drawer and closed it. She started to write a receipt when the phone rang. “Stampede Reservoir, this is Jane. May I help you? … Okay… What was the date? I see…Thank you for calling.” She hung up and turned to Seth. “See. Another cancellation.”
Seth started to say something, but the phone rang again. He smiled and whispered. “I better go. I can get a receipt later.”
Jane gave him a thumbs-up as she picked up the phone.
Seth took Aizu and Duke back over the hill to camp. As they were getting closer Seth smelled breakfast in the air. He didn’t need a map. He didn’t even need to have his eyes open. The smell of Megumi’s pancakes and maple syrup tickled his nose, guiding him right to his seat at the table.
Cruz shrugged his shoulders. “Well?”
“We’re in.” Seth said to everyone. “It looks like people are flaking on their camping trips this summer.”
“That’s great Seth.” Jovel responded from the back.
Seth stood up. “You’re right Jovel. It is great.” He held up his cup of coffee. “Make sure each one of you gives a little personal thanks for breakfast this morning. Make sure you tell Him you are well aware ‘we’ are on the field in the last two minutes of this game. And make sure you tell Him you will do your personal best. People. This isn’t going to be an easy couple of months. There is a lot to do. We can’t just have people show up and hang around. We have to be structured enough to function as a community. We have to instill our community rules from the first of us here today, to the last who make it here to be with us later.”
Bruce interrupted. “I thought we were camping?”
Everyone laughed.
“I hope we get a little relaxation in, but we have to figure out how to feed all of us, and how to keep our diverse groups occupied without conflicts. Take a quick look around you. Look at the people next to you, across from you, and even you. We are the core group charged with keeping civility. Now, look around the campground. Can you hear the silence? Can you see the emptiness? For just a moment I want you to take a mental picture of all these vacant campgrounds, because we are going to bring the name Stampede to its biblical meaning. When you look across the lake, it will look like a stadium full of people. They will be everywhere. For that expectation, and for that honor, I ask you each to spend some time with the Father this morning and reflect upon your role. Amen.”
They all replied together. “Amen!”
Megumi, Debbie, and Amy brought tray after tray of pancakes. Debbie yelled above the commotion to the hungry crowd. “Please go gently on the syrup. We have to make it last.”
Seth knew this family style dining wouldn’t work. There already had too many people to feed this way. With the crowds later it would be impossible for sure. He made a note to have Cammy and Marcus take care of it.
*****
The first week at Stampede brought only one small addition to the group. One of the families camping spent some time with West and decided to stay. The other campers left when they heard the latest news reports from a few locals who were fishing for the day.
Seth turned to Randy. “Except for our group, more people left… Nobody came to get baptized into the truth. Not one.”
Danny ran around the corner and bumped into Seth. Falling backward he dropped seven fish. “The fishing was great! Dad caught a five-pounder. He’s cleaning it for Megumi to make sushi.” He picked up his fish and ran on his way.
Randy put his hand on Seth’s shoulder. “There you go. The fishing’s great. The weather’s great. Everything is just like camping.”
Seth tried to relax. “Well, maybe a little more than that. We’ve pushed through some pretty intense meetings, and already within a week we have a loose structure in place. It’s better to be prepared with nobody here than to get hit with numbers we aren’t prepared for.”
“Seth. We’re getting there. Let it unfold.”
“You’re right Randy, we’re on pace. I’m going to talk to Megumi and Cammy about setting up a fish taco party tomorrow afternoon.”
*****
Megumi, Marcus, Christopher, and Cammy combed the area for edibles, but they only found a few things they wanted to work with, so Jovel snuck off back to the vacation home with a list.
The party started mid afternoon. People started to gather as the smell of the grill spread. The fish was cooked many different ways. Ground beef and steak strips rounded out the meat selection. A variety of salsas and peppers were followed by a batch of Megumi’s spicy coleslaw. The last thing on the table was a giant bowl of refried beans topped with cheese and onions. There wasn’t anything missing.
Seth stood behind Jovel in line, tapping him on the shoulder. Jovel took a couple of grilled tortillas and put them on his plate.
Seth asked. “Wow… How did they make tortillas? You don’t know anything about this do you?”
Jovel smiled. “I know to squeeze a thick bead of Megumi’s secret spicy aioli, followed with a sprinkling of shredded cabbage, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, and top it off with grilled fish.”
Seth laughed. “You’ve eaten here before?”
Cruz walked by to get in line. “No. He walked the line when they were setting up, like I did. We’re going to feast tonight Seth, just like we do at my fish fry birthday parties each year.”
Seth handed Cruz a plate. “That’s one of my favorite memories from Napa… You have an awesome family man. I can see it.”
The line moved ahead, but Seth didn’t notice since he was lost in the memory. Jovel nudged him. “That was then. Right now there are several trays, including grilled trout fillets, deep fried fish sticks, and several choices of sushi. Move it dude.”
After dinner Seth stood up to make an announcement. He dinged his glass a few times. “People. Can I have your attention for a moment? I just want to thank those in the kitchen and their helpers, and those of you who caught the fish.”
Everyone laughed.
Someone yelled. “And whoever is going to do the dishes!”
They laughed louder.
Seth held his hands out and shrugged his shoulders. “Seriously. It was a great dinner. Restaurant quality for sure.” He looked over to the crew. “You guys are awesome. It’s really come together.”
Everyone clapped for the crew.
Seth pointed toward Cammy. “Stand up and say something Cammy.”
Cammy stood and bowed. “I think our team is ready. They did a great job with the food.” She bowed to Jovel. “Of course Jovel helped us today, but we’re also getting our dry stock together. We’ll have plenty of pastas, rice and beans. But, I have to say… I was really skeptical when we were back at the Ranger Station, and the first week up here exposed all types of holes in our operation. Holes that would make most people turn and walk away. But everyone on our crew has given more to this effort than I’ve ever seen before.” She held her glass up to toast. “I’m truly proud to say this is the best kitchen I’ve been a part of.”
Seth held his hands up to quiet the applause. “I also want to talk a minute about what’s going on in camp. It’s been a week already. Maybe it feels like more? Maybe it’s because we don’t want to go back to face what’s just over those hills? So far I think we’ve had a great start. As you experienced at dinner tonight, our kitchen services have really set the standard.”
Debbie raised her hand. “Anyone that has dietary issues can talk to me or Amy.”
“Perfect. Next, Randy and his students will handle all the perimeter security. They will also do any scouting if we need it.” Seth held his hand out to introduce Randy.
Everyone clapped as Randy looked around and pointed at the people from his group, asking them to stand. “These have been my students for many years. We are not the ‘in your face’ martial artists you see in the movies. We are internal martial artists, but we also have deadly external skills. Being internal means you might never see us at work. We take care of our business as one with nature. As long as you are in camp you don’t have to worry. We are in constant rotation around the camp’s perimeter. Each person makes a complete loop. If need be we can run in both directions at the same time. We can shrink or expand with the camp. Because of that, our system ensures every warrior is always up to speed with our total encampment. We may work in the background, but we’re everywhere.” Randy toasted his team. “We are the camp’s Great wall of China.”
Randy sat down to a warm applause. Seth turned to Cruz. “You all know Cruz. He’s going to take four of Randy’s students, his cousin, and Nico. They are going to train and develop a squad for internal security.”
Cruz stood and waved. “Thanks. I don’t think we’ll have any real problems. We are all supposed to be here for the same reasons. But it’s true we won’t have the conveniences of life we’re used to. After a while it won’t be like camping anymore. As long as we’re sensitive to that, we should be fine. One thing you have to know is that it’s going to be up to us to police our own community. We can get off to a great start by practicing politeness. The best way for us to keep the peace is to treat this as our own backyard, but we also must realize sometimes friends get riled up. That’s what we will focus on.”
The people clapped as he sat down.
Seth pointed to his left. “Bruce and West. Please stand up. These men are going to organize and schedule the baptisms. There will be several people helping them. People who come to be baptized will be assigned a line to stand in based upon where they came from. Different people have different questions, customs, or even languages if enough people come… things like that. We’ll start small, but there’s no telling where it will go.”
Somebody in the crowd asked. “Who’s going to record the baptisms?”
Seth laughed. “God is. He’s the one who keeps the books. We just process.”
*****
At sunset Seth took a tray of fish tacos to Jane’s camper. Pepper barked when he knocked on the screen door to their RV.
Jane leaned against the screen to see outside. “Oh, hi Seth. How was your first week?”
He held up the tray. “We were just celebrating it.”
“Sure smells good down there.” She pointed at the tray. “That looks pretty good too.”
Seth smiled. “We thought you might like to taste a little.”
“You’re very thoughtful.” She opened the door. “Come on in. This is my husband, John.”
Seth stepped inside and saw John struggle to stand. “No. Don’t get up.” He set the tray on the counter and walked over to shake hands. “Nice to meet you John.”
“You too. Jane’s been talking quite a bit about your group.”
“I hope she’s been nice.” Seth turned around to smile at Jane, but noticed they were watching the Chapel. “Hey, how did you get Pastor Flynn?”
Jane admired the arrangement on the tray. “This is our seventh year of spending the summer here. Part of my deal with John was to hook up an old school satellite. We call it the ‘big dish.’ Our son came and installed it five years ago.”
Seth smiled. “I’ve been a student since ‘96.”
Jane handed Seth a glass of ice water. “I thought something was odd when you said September?”
“You got me.” Seth took a sip. “How long have you been students?”
John cleared his throat. “We’ve been with Pastor Flynn since the war.”
Seth laughed. “I hear he’s been teaching for fifty years.”
Jane grabbed a tape from a stack next to the TV. “Yeah, but he’s been on a real roll the past few months. Have you seen the specials he has been doing with Henry Malony?”
“I watched the first time he was on the show, and then the guest appearance he had following it. Then all heck broke loose and we haven’t seen a thing.”
“Do you have a VCR?”
“No.”
John leaned forward toward Jane. “Maybe he can watch here with us.” He turned to Seth. “You have to hear him talk about the hour of temptation. He cuts right to the point.”
“Thanks. I’d like that. He has a way of making things so easy to understand.”
Jane added. “He does a pretty good job of addressing the different denominations too. I think you’d really like these segments.”
“If Pastor Flynn is doing what I think he’s doing, I don’t want to miss it.”
Jane smiled. “You can bring a couple of your friends if you like. I’ll make tea and snacks.”
“Great! I’ll get back to you about the timing. Well I better go. I don’t want to bother your night. I hope you like the fish.” Seth turned to leave.
“Hey Seth.”
“Yes John?”
“It’s good you finally made it.”
Seth opened the door and stepped down. At the bottom he turned and asked. “What do you mean?”
Jane explained. “Eight years ago we were watching a campsite down south. Two men came into our camp and told us we needed to camp up here.”
Seth looked over to the intro theme and title screen on the television. “It must be the top of the hour. By the way, was one of the men a tall one, and the other a short one?”
Jane slightly tilted her head. “Why, yes they were. Have you seen them?”
“Once last month, and once over ten years ago.”
She laughed and glanced over to John, who was smiling. Jane whispered. “It will be wonderful when we don’t age again.”
“You’re right, I can’t wait. Well, I better go.” Seth waved goodnight and returned to camp.
That night there were about five campfires raging in the dark. People circled around each one. Some drilled each other over their new job skills. Others talked of what heaven might be like.
In the nearby flickering shadows Megumi washed and prepped grubs for the next day.
*****
On Thursday afternoon reports came in that pockets of people were heading their direction.
Seth found Jovel down by the dock, fishing with Cruz. “Could you and Rick take the fire roads out the back and down to Reno? I think we should get another load of supplies in case people really are coming this way. See what the buzz is? Things might start popping around here soon.”
Jovel started reeling in his line. “Sure. I think Rick is fishing around the corner with Danny. I’ll go get him.”
Five hours later Seth started pacing by the entry shack. Aizu chased a squirrel up a tree and wouldn’t stop circling it. The sun faded to dusk, and Seth could smell the food over the hill. He looked to see the glow from campfires flickering in the trees, inviting him back, then kicked the gravel and turned to sit and wait.
Aizu started barking when the truck came around the corner. They screeched to a stop within a foot of Seth. Rick jumped out of the truck first. “You won’t believe it Seth! We’re about to get bombarded with people.”
Seth looked around. “What are you talking about? Where have you been? You did get the supplies didn’t you?”
Jovel got out and came around to Seth, pointing his thumb over his shoulder toward the back of the truck. “We have a double batch of everything. The city is full of reports about people working their way across the desert. All the hotels are gearing up. You should see the lines at the buffets Seth. They go all the way outside the casinos.”
Seth started toward the back of the truck. “Good thing you got extra. We might not be able to go down there again? You never know…” He looked toward Reno and ran his fingers through his hair.
Rick stopped him. “Dude, a lot of people are coming here. A lot more than you think, and they are all bringing supplies. That’s what everyone is talking about.”
“Really?”
“Seth. We went to Best Buy, Home Depot, and even Chevron. Everywhere we stopped we told people how to get here. When they found out we’re from the camp… they piled all the goods in for us. Dude, we didn’t have to buy a thing.”
Seth nodded and started walking to the back of the truck. “That’s how the Father works man.”
Jovel started undoing the tarp on the back of the truck. “We’re full of boxes and bags of food.” He peeled back the tarp, throwing his corner to Rick. They worked together to get it off the supplies.
Danny came running up. “Is that an X-Box? And Rock Band… Dad?” He jumped in the back of the truck. “There’s a projector. What’s going on?”
Jovel leaned over to Seth. “There’s a Honda generator, and enough gas to play all you want.”
Seth laughed. “You guys got Rock Band? Man I miss those nights. Seems so long ago, doesn’t it?”
Danny grabbed the X-Box. “Not any more Seth! Not any more!”
Rick patted on a pair of long tubes sticking out of the back of the truck. “We have two roll up screens we can spread out to make one giant one. I thought we could project a split screen with the heaven commercial on one side, and Rock Band on the other. You know, side by side, just like when we watch football at your place.”
Seth took a deep breath. “Man, I miss those days. . . It’s too bad they couldn’t work out a deal. They had the best pro sport going.”
Rick asked. “Remember when you bought that jersey for Christmas, and they traded the player before the season started?”
Seth scowled. “How can I forget that? That cost me two Benjamins. I’m sure Megumi has it in one of my bags. Maybe I’ll break it out tonight. Hey, let’s get this back to Whistle Punk and get some people to help us unload.”
*****
After dinner Danny helped Cruz and Jovel get the new equipment together. Trent and Christopher found a flat spot in the tiny meadow at the center of Whistle Punk. They struggled a little in the dark, but after a half an hour they were ready to test everything.
Seth filled the generator with gas, picked it up and started walking. “Hey guys, I’m going to set this over by the trucks. Danny, can you grab a fifty foot extension cord and run it from the equipment to me?”
Seth set the generator down behind the truck. He pulled several times on the chord. It tried to start, but only spit a puff of black smoke. He tried again. The engine chugged and stopped. Danny brought the cord around the corner while Seth adjusted the throttle. “Thanks Danny. Wrap it around that tree once. I don’t want it to get pulled out.”
Danny bent over and wrapped the cord. When he stood something came flying out of the dark, skidding to a stop. Danny screamed as he dropped the cord and ran. Seth jumped back and fell on his butt. “What the?”
“Sorry Seth. Sorry. I didn’t mean to…” The scout reached to help Seth up.
“Man… Don’t ever sneak up on me like that! How long have you been there?” Seth looked around for Danny.
The scout bent over, resting his hands on his knees and breathing hard. “I wasn’t.” Without looking he pointed one hand off into the night. “I was way over there, up on the peak. I just got here.”
“What is it?” Seth dusted off the rear of his pants.
The scout looked up to Seth. “You won’t believe it. The hills are alive with lights coming from the west. The word is our path from highway 20 is swarming with people.”
Rick, Cruz, and a few others come running around the corner. Everyone came to a stop, except Danny who came running up a little late, and bumped into the back of Rick.
Cruz looked at Seth. “What’s going on?”
Seth nodded toward the scout. “Looks like we have visitors coming from Cali, and they might be here by morning. Lots of them.”
Cruz rubbed his hands together. “That’s great. I’ll get Nico, and we’ll…”
Another scout came flying in from the dark, right past Cruz, who couldn’t do a thing if he wanted to. “Man! Stop doing that! You guys are going to give someone a heart attack.”
The scout pointed east. “The desert is alive Seth. You can see pockets of people streaming to Reno, and there are a number of trails filtering up the canyons. They’re coming.”
“Where’s Randy?” Seth inquired.
The second scout answered. “I passed him on the way here. He’s sending out welcoming committees so we can guide the groups to a central area before we send them to different areas around the lake.”
“Why’s that?” Danny asked.
Rick turned to him. “Well, let me see… Okay. You know how during rush hour the road gets very crowded and people lose their temper?”
Danny chuckled. “You mean like when you flipped that guy off in the fast lane for going the same speed as the person in the slow lane?
Rick looked around to see who heard, a little embarrassed he confessed. “Yeah, kind of like that.”
“You said he was holding everyone else back.”
Rick smiled. “That’s true, but I’m talking more about a highway with many lanes like the 101, or 80. Imagine everybody is trying to get somewhere at the same time, and they are all coming from different walks of life. Even though they are all headed in the same direction, they have their personal differences. If the highway isn’t crowded it is easy for people to adjust.”
Danny thought for a second. “I get it. Like if smoke is coming out of the back of an old diesel, you can go around it?”
Rick rubbed Danny on the back. “Exactly… but traffic changes your options. People’s personal differences become magnified.”
Seth added. “Unfortunately in American culture people confuse freedoms and rights. They find enough comfort in their differences they often embellish themselves at the cost of others.”
Cruz nodded to Danny. “You know… One guy likes to thump old school rap like Bone Thugs, or Tupac, and the guy next to him can’t get his baby to stop crying. Rolling up the windows does nothing to stop the bass that penetrates every inch of everyone’s car… it’s only a matter of time. People get mad at others around them. It can be very volatile.” He pointed to the extension cord for Danny to hand it to him.
“So everyone will be mad when they get here?” Danny picked up the cord and handed it to Seth.
Seth took the cord. “No. When they get here they will be very tired, but it’s going to get like a crowded highway around here. The challenge for us is to keep things calm.”
“Yeah, but once they are here and rested, won’t they be happy? I’m having the best summer ever!”
Rick laughed. “We hope so. It’s a fact however that they will be just as diverse as the people stuck in traffic. Each of them will bring something a little different to our group.”
Cruz added. “We are changing. We will have to step up our discipline…”
Seth looked to Cruz. “And widen our compassion.” He turned back to Danny. “Collectively we will be strong, but if we are not together, this will be what breaks us apart. We must be very careful. We have to recognize who is around us, and what their motives might be? Those who want to join us should camp in a section with others who share the same belief.”
“Is that what all the ropes are for by the entry shack?”
Seth nodded. “That will be our reception. We are going to spread the people around the entire lake. Each group will have unique questions. We have to consider their perspective. Keeping them in order is a big help. Besides, we don’t want any young firecrackers going off because they think they are going to save the world. I already know there will be a few that try.”
Rick rubbed his chin. “Think so, Seth?”
“Oh yeah.” Seth plugged in the extension cord. “I promise you.”
Jovel came walking around the truck. “Hey, everybody is waiting. What are you guys doing?” He reached his hand toward Seth, holding a pair of orange drumsticks with white tips glowing in the dark.
They drew the immediate attention of everyone in the group.
Jovel grinned. “We have one screen up and systems are go. These are ready to be tested, sir.”
Seth grabbed the drumsticks and held them close, the glow illuminating his face. “Where did you get these?”
“Megumi gave them to me.”
“What?” Seth turned toward camp for a second. “Megumi?”
Danny tugged on Rick’s shirt. “Come on. It’s time to play a song.”
Jovel started up the Generator. Everyone followed the blue hue from the screen in the meadow. Christopher got Rock Band to show, but there wasn’t any noise yet. Jovel leaned over and plugged in a cord.
The speakers blared and the sudden noise startled everyone. Rick quickly turned down the volume.
Seth started laughing. “It works!”
Jovel strapped his guitar on. He turned to Cruz, and they did an air guitar move together. Trent grabbed the microphone and logged in.
Seth scrolled to the song, ‘Keep ‘em Separated.’
Cruz adjusted his strap. “I even like Offspring.”
“You got it, and if you pay attention and you’ll love them even more.” Seth twirled the glowing drumsticks in the dark, making orange circles with a white ring.
*****
During the song Danny asked Rick. “Dad. Why did he tell him to pay attention?”
“Well, can you hear the words?”
“Sure”
“Do you know what they mean?” Rick asked.
Danny laughed. “Of course not. I didn’t write the song.”
“Okay, just listen a bit…” Rick sang along.
Danny’s eyes opened wide. “Oh! All those people coming across the desert.”
“Or over the mountains. However they get here. We are going to have our hands full.”
Danny looked around the camp. “What if they don’t listen?”
Rick asked him. “I think they will. Most are coming because they know we are baptizing people into the truth.”