Proving I'm not a 'bot, I guess. LOL
Here's my story...
My name is Churchill Clark, 4th great grandson of William Clark. I followed the Lewis & Clark Trail during the Bicentennial Commemoration, from May 14, 2004 - September 23, 2006. The goal was to follow the journals, and camp where he did, 200 years to the day: representing the family the whole way! I actually fell into a full-scale reenactment, and joined a crew of nut-jobs from St. Charles, MO, known as "The Discovery Expedition of St. Charles". I was with them from St. Louis to Washburn, North Dakota, in 2004. In 2005, I split-off with some of the hard-core guys, paddling up the Mighty Mo' in a beautiful cottonwood dugout made by Lee Gilbert and Lee Guthrie (Lee squared), from the Twin Cities.
When we ran out of water, horse people in and around Twin Bridges, MT came through for us! We rode over three mountain passes for 5-1/2 weeks, to Orofino, Idaho! We had a beautiful 26-ft ponderosa pine waiting for us in Lewiston, which our crew carved into a five-man canoe in eleven days! From there, we paddled to the Pacific, then turned around, and went back (long story short)!
A great personal depression followed, Life just wasn't the same, anymore. It all came to a head in 2009, when I had a terrible wreck that broke my orbital socket, my jaw (lost a tooth), and crushed my T-5 vertebrae. I now have metal in my skull, and cement in my back. My vision was ruined. After three more surgeries, years later, I have one eye working... kind of/sort of/more-or less.
BEFORE I had my surgeries, Knotty found me! (please see my previous post "Knotty The Dugout Canoe".
She changed my life!
Now, I travel the country, going where the big trees call me. I've had hundreds... possibly thousands of people carving on my canoes! I've worked with schools, Tribes, and festivals, to name a few. The trees teach many lessons. I love working with children, and stand-back in awe, as the tree talks to them! I teach what I feel I need to, but let the kids figure things out for themselves, generally. Teamwork, creativity, problem-solving, history, and (my favorite) patience, among these lessons. The biggest thing I can do for them is to get them to think "outside the box", and to follow their dreams!
It's a beautiful thing!
If, by some chance, I actually make some sort of income here, it will all go towards keeping this crazy idea of a "business" going!
The kids need it. This much, I know.
Love is here.
Canoe! Canoe!
