By Michael J. “Hoss” Barker

156 pages

Two hundred years ago, a group of hardy frontiersmen set out from St. Louis, Missouri, and headed west under orders from President Thomas Jefferson to find the Northwest Passage and open up the newly-acquired Louisiana Purchase Territory. The adventure is still celebrated with all the zeal as it was in the days of yore.

Come along on the trip with Oregon wilderness poet and retired logger, Michael J. “Hoss” Barker, and partake of the festivities from the comfort of your own easy chair.

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By Michael J. “Hoss” Barker

378 pages

Hoss Barker may be a self-proclaimed redneck who spent his younger adult years working in the rough and tumble logging industry in the backwoods of Oregon, but he is also a poet in the truest sense of the word. Hoss’ poetry is scattered throughout this book and when he dons his poet’s hat, the words flow from his heart and soul. His poetry speaks of his deep love and respect for Mother Nature’s creations, whether they be the rivers, trees and mountains or the many and varied types of wildlife that he enjoyed while spending six years at the Paradise Lodge in the wild and scenic section of the Rogue River — Zane Grey Country!

Hoss took the job at Paradise so that he could write his poetry while communing with Mother Nature and all of her wonders. While there, he published three books of poetry and prose. “My Time in Paradise” is Hoss’ story of those six years spent in the wilderness that he loved. There was little time during the tourist season when he could write, so most of it was done in the solitude of borrowed cabins during the long, wet and wild winters on the Rogue.

One of the main parts of his job at the lodge during tourist season was overseeing the work of the temporary crew members that “The Boss” brought upriver to work each spring and summer. With much humor and a bit more exasperation, Hoss tells of the difficulties and adventures that were presented to him as he wrangled his “herd of Meatheads.” He struggled to learn to be a little more tolerant, but it was not easy for a former Marine and logger who was used to giving an honest day’s hard work for his pay… who had a work ethic that would not tolerate laziness or carelessness. There was no such thing as “political correctness” in the woods where lives — your own and others’ — were on the line. Either you did the job well or you “hiked er.” In the process, however, after dozens of “sensitivity lectures” from The Boss and The Boss Lady, he began to realize that maybe, in truth, he was the biggest Meathead of them all.

I’ve Got to Go Back

I’ve got to go back to the tall timber soon, 
Back where the big firs saw at the sky. 
Back where I rise to the cries of a loon, 
Back where the osprey and eagles still fly. 
The city and its woes scare me to death, 
The squalor and stench burns in my eyes. 
My heart is pounding, I can’t catch my breath, 
To tell you the truth I’m sick of their lies. 

by Michael J. “Hoss” Barker

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by the late Ken Coon

1960s and 1970s In-Depth Research of a Northwest Legend

Prepared and published by Joe R. Blakely and Pat Edwards

181 pages

Joe and Pat have been entrusted with an unpublished manuscript written by the late Ken Coon who spent over 13 years researching Sasquatch/Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest and other areas of the U.S. where sightings were reported in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

Even though Mr. Coon never saw Bigfoot, he was convinced that Bigfoot was real. He interviewed many people who had seen Bigfoot; he examined hundreds of footprint casts; and had personally seen actual footprints he believed had been left by the monster. He collected hair and feces samples. Mr. Coon worked with most of the well-known Bigfoot researchers in the United States from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s—the decades when many Bigfoot sightings were made.

With his family’s blessing, we are finally giving Mr. Coon the respect that he richly deserves by publishing his work in the just-released book, Sasquatch!

Both Joe and Pat feel privileged to be able to honor the years of work—the dedication and honest belief—that Ken put into his manuscript. Whether, upon turning the last page, you accept his hypotheses as facts or even possibilities, or if you prefer to dismiss them as flawed, we are convinced that you, too, will respect the man and his work.

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