The elders of the Methodist Church in Johnstown fell into his trap. Fearing they would lose control of their church, they came to believe the Miracle Ranch people had devised a sinister plot to steal their church from them. Encouraged by the Organization of Pastors, they aided in the poison rumors and blackballing. Their intolerance belied their preaching of tolerance which went unrecognized or silently supported by the majority of townspeople who were prejudiced and intolerant. The group had its beginnings as a popular gospel singing group who believed they had been called to share their land with like-minded Christians. The community, unbeknownst to outsiders, were well prepared for the anarchy and social chaos and had built most of the little village underground. Their forethought had saved their lives. Forgiving and compassionate people, they opened their community to the survivors of Johnstown and several other small nearby communities. In the years that followed they proved themselves an asset in defending the northern border.

The Bermuda Creek group numbered thirty three and had also been spared. A group member who had been in town on the first night of the gang slaughter had manage to escape. He had made his way through the woods on foot, nearly a 20-mile journey and warned his friends. They too had an escape plan and in less than an hour had hidden themselves in the surrounding national forest as they made their way to Gardener Cave at the border. Along the way they removed all signs leading to the cave, felled several trees, and used explosives on the lower section of the road leading to the cave.

They were heavily armed and prepared to defend themselves in the face of an attack. Once inside the cave they had removed the outer ladder and locked the iron gate from the inside. They had set traps just inside the entrance, moved to the lower levels of the cave, and set up their camp. As the days passed it became apparent that they were not in harm�s way, and they ventured out to set up an outside warning system and found themselves in relative safety.

Isolated, they never saw or heard any of the gang violence but had been shaken by several small earthquakes that occurred while they were in hiding. With enough food and water for six weeks, they had quickly settled into their new home. They increased their spiritual rituals, prayers, and meditations and hoped it would not only sustain them but would help the people of the world and the earth itself. The tiny group, alone in a mountain top cave and without confirmation from the outside world only hoped they had been successful.

Grateful for their safety, they gladly shared their new home with packrats and other small animals until their supplies ran out. They had stayed put in the cave until the last minute before venturing back to Bermuda Creek. From abandoned homes they passed along the way they collected medical supplies, food, and weapons that increased their already sizeable arsenal. To their great relief they found the community relatively in tack. The main house had been minimally ransacked but their supplies and stores were untouched. The animals had not wandered far and were easily convinced with food and water to return to their pens. A perimeter had been quickly defined, bobby trapped and foot patrols organized. Heavily armed, they had agreed to a limited patrol plan of the north central sector of the border.

Reaching the Spokane and Colevale Reservations on the southeast and southwest end of the lake, they discovered a nation of people already dug in and doing well. Fighting head on with the gangs, they had quickly won several skirmishes and caused the perpetrators severe casualties. They had suffered no losses and only a handful of minor injuries.

They had established a security patrol along their perimeters booby trapped with rattlesnake pits and other equally unpleasant traps awaiting the next attack. A problem had not come up that they couldn't handle. The had adequate medical care and their food supplies were in good shape.

By the end of that first year some communications had returned. Local phone lines had been repaired, minimal emergency services had been re-established, and some local wireless computers went back on line. The radio station began receiving news off and on from the satellites but could not broadcast from its facility. News releases were prepared in a one sheet newsletter along with other community news and important announcements. Copies were posted at the hospital, churches, and the few stores that could open. It would take until the next spring before the radio station would be capable of broadcasting again.

When the group returned to the upper valley for winter, they had counted a little more than 7,500 healthy, strong residents, about 2000 sick or wounded, and 600 dying. Those who had survived 2007 made a commitment to remain in the newly defined county and protect each other and their homes. The roads inside the trine had been secured, with one exception along the Canadian border between Boundary Dam and Deep Lake. The area was dense, a beautiful huge old growth forest with dense underbrush that presented more of a problem for raiders then residents.
Ingress into the trine had been limited to three roads, all patrolled and trapped, and the river. High speed ski boats became patrol boats that cruised the lake from Canada to the Spokane River. For the first time everyone knew what was going on, who they could trust, and where most of the survivors were located. In a very short time a sense of safety had returned. But it had just begun, and no one knew or could guess at what awaited them in the years to come.

The next year the search began in the spring, took a hiatus in the summer, with the last round of the remaining villages made in the fall. That's when the trading and reporting began, the birth of the Journey and the reason for today�s celebration.