Frank belongs to the hidden world of over the road truckers. One of the hidden societies that we all see but few know or even give a second glance. He has driven away from his family and all human emotion to the point where he is more a truck part than a human being. It is during a terrific Christmas storm that Frank is stranded with a young girl with her deathly sick mother on a remote Montana Ranch that things change.

Santa Drives a Black Semi

By Charlie Johnson

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Charlie Johnson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-4720-7

Chapter One

MONTANA IS A COMBINATION OF HARSH AND BEAUTIFUL contradictions in nature. In the west the Rocky Mountains reach skyward like great geological hands groping for heaven. One range violently lifting from the prairie here and another there as if blindly guessing The further west you proceed the more concentrated they become until they finally form one continuous line that make up the continental divide. Like the range of human emotions there are great precipices of unbelievable height. Summits that demand massive amounts of physical and mental effort to obtain. Views that provide the climber with unique opportunities to view their world. Through the pristine clarity of unpolluted air a sense of exhilaration prevails with new insight. Yet it is not a place where one can long endure. Here you are exposed. Although good for perspective fierce winds and sudden storms deny the body and soul of those things necessary for life. Here the air is thin and there is no shelter from the elements. Food and water are scarce and there is room for few others. Ultimately there is only the solitude that drains and the curiosity that can never be satisfied. Regardless of how high you climb there is always another mountain where for some unknown reason we are drawn. Some other point of reference to which we respond. We must come down off the peak, descend through the boulder fields, and flanks of rock that chronicle the unimaginable effort that was required to lift and support these natural monuments. It is here that the snow fields live and die in a seasonal cyclical pattern. Born of nature's enduring forces. In the cold harshness of winter the tears of the earth are trapped, stacked, and stored and in the warmth of the lengthening days of spring and summer they are released. One here and then another combining consolidated in effort and purpose. Determined and destined by the laws of gravity into a downward spiral to the ocean. Not far from the birth of water new life emerges. Bound by earth, sun, and water small hardy plants cling doggedly to life in a niche they have carved for themselves. Lower still the three life giving ingredients become more plentiful and new more extravagant, diverse, and elegant plants emerge. Evergreen trees still mindful of their harsh surroundings reach towards the skies. Here the tears of the earth have gathered together in brooks and streams. They murmur and babble and giggle like an infant child. Sheltered by the forest plant life expresses joy in blooms of wildflowers and carpets of green. The cold hard rock is now covered with a blanket of warm nurturing soil. Wildlife and animals are present in growing numbers and variety. Yet few of them reside on a permanent basis. Each has it's own unique way of surviving and thriving. Most will be present only during the short summer months. In the fall and winter they will migrate to areas suitable and similar to the current favorable conditions. Others have hibernation abilities that allow them to sleep through the harshest months of this unforgiving country. Fascinating is the fact that almost all of them will start their next generation in these highland hideaways. They will come here to complete the second highest mission in their existence. The only higher priority being that of survival.

Lower still the land loses more of it's angular inclination. Often in graduated increments but sometimes in vertical cliffs or canyons. Cliffs that seem to defy the natural course of events to defiantly maintain their own identity standing out in stark contrast to the lay of the land. Here water has gathered strength and volume turning its new identity into streams and small rivers. Like a teenager it now has a mind of its own willing to test new abilities with a sense of independence. Now confident enough to cut gorges, canyons, and carve out its own course. In one case water will throw itself recklessly off the face of a cliff to form a waterfall. Still it is willing submit to the demand of a flat land to become a placid pond or lake content to wait in peace to continue its journey. It equally exudes the sounds of the typical teenager, It grumbles when given advise on which course to choose. Water screams with joy and excitement when falling out of control. Water will sob and cry softly as it struggles against the banks of a reservoir. Is it the wind or the water sobbing through the waves as its exhausted effort wanes. Here other influences begin to invade the nature of things. Here water may encounter the first of many biological influences. Beaver build dams to be used as homes. The human influence in felt in a more dramatic way as water is redirected for irrigating fields. Predators, who have been few and far between are now more prevalent. Bear, cougar, coyote, cougar, wolf, and fox now prey in larger numbers. The smaller members of the animal community were also subject to attack from the air and although bigger fish eat smaller they are not immune to land and air strikes. Man is an infrequent visitor that also exhibits occasional predatory nature. They have a far greater impact when they harvest trees or mine for precious metals. The biggest threat most often associated with man is accidental spread of fire. It is little wonder that many animals will tolerate the upper elevations to lesson the threat of becoming a predator meal. On these slopes trails and paths occur more frequently. They are born by the travel of animals upon their appointed rounds. These narrow dirt tracks are meant more to circumnavigate natural hazards and barriers than to connect destinations.

Without the violation of violent upheaval and tempered by wind and water the land levels. Forests hold steady on these slopes as if obeying some natural treaty that stops them from advancing further. Grass and brush now exert almost total control over the landscape. At these lower elevations, although not forgiving, the climate is more temperate. Here man believes he is much more dominate. Fencing, farming, and ranching they erroneously believe they own the land and can control nature. Nature displays an ambivalent attitude in response. Man battles with her. Instead of wildlife he wants domestic stock ... Man plows under the grass to plant crops and nature responds with weeds. Man wants rain and sometimes gets floods. In the end an uneasy compromise is reached where man will nourish his plants and animals in unnatural ways. He will fertilize, spray, plant, plow, and pray. Nature will take little notice. Nature tolerates man for the entertainment value he provides. In the spring man will fertilize, spray, and irrigate a hay field. In summer he will swath, bale, and stack hay. In the winter he will bring the hay back out to the same exact field he harvested if from just months ago to spread it on the same ground from which it grew for his stock to eat. Nature provides for her wildlife without the need of fences, irrigating, haying. etc.

Wildlife maybe less conspicuous but is still plentiful. Animals such as antelope, gopher, mule, and white tailed deer abound and have adapted to the restructuring of the predator list. Man is now a much greater threat. Not so much from the hunting aspect but from the threat of traffic. At this lower elevation the land has smoothed and the trails have become wider. Wide enough for cars and trucks. They lead from one residence to another and although they still navigate around natural barriers they more frequently overcome them with bridges. If there is a hill the dirt can be moved. These dirt roads lead to hard surfaced paved roads where bigger vehicles travel faster and with heavier loads. These highways will prove far deadly to wildlife than man's ability and desire to hunt. Another facet of mankind that must leave nature bemused is the way he survives. Unlike animals he does not live off the land. A majority of the time what he harvests he will sell and it is moved hundreds or thousands of miles from the source. When he buys what he needs it comes from equal distances. In order to accommodate this cumbersome logistics system towns and cities are necessary to take in the raw materials, manufacture, ship, and sell the items needed. Highways, railroads, and airports are now needed to accommodate this operation. Yet a majority of people prefer to live on this level and in this environment. In the noise, confusion, frustration, and conformation they seem to find a sense of comfort. Few develop more purpose or meaning in life than the average drone ant.

In stark contrast to the lofty summits are the valleys. The higher the mountains the deeper the valleys. Asking which came first is like asking was it the chicken or the egg. A climber tops one summit and looks to the next. His most vivid recollections are of the mountains he has climbed not the valleys he has crossed. The descent is not just physical but psychological. The adrenaline high is gone as he moves onward to the next challenge. He must pause to replenish his body and spirit but few stop at the valley floor. At the bottom your vision is limited and is painful contrast to the summit lose your way you feel more alone. There is no longer the vision of the next summit and it is easy to become confused and disorientated. The length of days is shortened under the walls and mountains. Even the forests close in threatening to purge the very essence of life. .Here the force and volume of water reaches it maturity. The tears of the earth are now a force with which to be reckoned. Closer observation would detect a pitched battle between earth and water. Water fights and claws and digs at the rocks continually seeking a new course. The earth is further defined by the force of water but seems to resist with all its might. The reality unfolds like a macabre dance with two foes interlocked in a destructive dance. The tears of the earth reach unknown depths as they plunge onward down a dark and unforeseen course. Even roads avoid the canyon floors choosing to stay well above and implement bridges whenever the need to cross becomes a necessity. One classic example if the fact that vast majority of visitors view the Grand Canyon from above.

Most of humanity finds a comfortable compromise of social interaction removed from nature. They adjust for a acceptable level of sanity through perceived control of emotion and environment. With random exception for only the rare individual ventures outside that comfort zone. These events are common enough to have been generically labeled in terms like mid-life crisis. The events are seldom more than a temporary phase of acting out before the subject returns to their conditioned pattern of conformity. Nature remains apathetic to these temporary deviations and, as noted earlier, remains apathetic as from previous introduction. The nature of emotion, however, does not deviate. Venture outside the comfort zone to climb the mountain and be prepared for the valley below. Beyond the unbridled courage and enthusiasm of youth most retreat to our own emotional plateau sacrificing the peaks and valleys whenever possible.

Weather is how the earth breathes. Hurricane forced winds make national news but not in Montana. It is not uncommon especially during the fall, winter, and spring months for the winds to howl at a constant speed of 40 miles per hour with gusts up to 70 and 80. Less frequently it is possible for the sustain winds of 60 miles per hour with gusts over 100. When the early manufacturers of wind turbines went looking they tried a bench of land around the Livingston area. They found that it was not a good site for turbines to generate power but it was an excellent place to test their equipment. The winds in that area ate the early models like candy. The gusts would flex the blades and towers causing them to crack and fatigue. In subzero temperatures with the cumulative wind chill would cause the lubricants to thicken to the point where they were no longer effective and turbines would seize. Domestic stock seeking shelter from blizzards would hold up in the bottom of coulees and ravines. Many died when the snow drifted them under. Cars left outside facing the wind would have their windshields pitted by flying bits of dust and gravel. Mindful natives would build where there was protection and face doors away from the prevailing wind. Those cocky enough to build on high ground for the view would plant rows of trees and scrubs to shelter their buildings from the wind. The wind was bad enough in its own right but when combined with other forces of nature it could be down right deadly. Cars and trucks on icy roads could be blown off the road and overturned. Add snow and the visibility would drop to where you could not see your hand in front of your face. A running vehicle facing into the right storm could pack the radiator and engine compartment so tightly with snow that it would stall the engine. During the hot summer months wind can drive air borne moisture so high that it freezes and becomes hail. In sizes ranging from small gravel to the size of a softball these wind driven projectiles strip the land of any foliage. In large enough size and velocity they significantly damage vehicles and buildings. Combine the winds with wildfire and all the forces of man were to no avail. Rain is a necessary life giving element especially in these high arid areas. Farmers depend on it for crops but there are two extremes. If you get too much to fast it can drown or wash the crops out of the ground. The other extreme happens more often when there is too little rain and the crops die from thirst. Rain's brother, snow, piles up making movement difficult if not impossible. It is versatile and adaptable. Pile it up high enough and it can cave in a roof. Warm it up and pack it and it can become ice. Wind pack it on a steep slope until gravity takes command and you have an avalanche that can plunge tons of snow downward at speeds reaching 100 miles per hour wiping out everything in its path. Fickle and unpredictable the old saying went, "If you don't like the weather in Montana just wait 20 minutes and it will change." Natives have seen it snow each and every month of the year. The only element that seems to keep its distance is humidity which usually remains relatively low. The breathe of the world acts in complete contrast the geology and water of the world. If nature has a quick response unit it is weather.

Chapter Two

Frank Adams had an unremarkable childhood in Rhode Island. An only child of loving parents his mother filled that position on a full time basis. His father was a union man working in a nearby ship yard for 35 years. Two weeks after his retirement Frank's father had a heart attack and died. The Navy had flown Frank back for the funeral. His mother grieved and then settled into life alone. Frank returned to the Navy and finished his tour on a Destroyer. The Navy choice had not been inspired by patriotism or inspiration but a youthful desire to see the world. He had bought what the recruiter had sold him hook, line, and sinker. His life had been tempered by mediocrity that exemplified itself throughout his six years of service. Upon his honorable discharge he returned home to live with his mother. He found her in cold steel resolve in response to the loss of her husband. The loss of affection she was able to give Frank would logically have been cut in half but in actuality the damage had been far greater. It became obvious that a great deal of the warmth he had known had been transferred from his father through his mother. Now with the loss of his father her ability to provide the same level of emotional support had been further diminished. The fortunate circumstances of his childhood now left him with few coping tools. He knew that it was up to him to provide the emotional support his mother needed. The problem was amplified by the fact that his mother had developed such a level of co-dependence with her late husband that she did not know she was in such desperate need. It was a mood point as she had no idea on where or to whom to look for such support.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Santa Drives a Black Semiby Charlie Johnson Copyright © 2009 by Charlie Johnson. Excerpted by permission.
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