John Wayne isn't dead, by the way. He was running a forest campsite on the north rim of the Grand Canyon last time I saw him. True story, not one of those "I saw Elvis in a 7-Eleven yesterday" stories. Here's how I know.
Me and my wife and two kids visited the USA in the summer of 2001, and because we were on a budget, we took our tent and camped out a lot, especially on forest campsites. We also pitched our tent on a campground on the north side of the Grand Canyon. While I was unloading the car, I heard someone explaining to our neighbours that campfires were allowed, but only at the designated places. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I heard his voice: it was pure, undiluted John Wayne. Drawl and all.
I hissed to my wife: "Did you hear that?", but didn't wait for an answer and hurried towards the voice. And there he was, driving a little off road mobility scooter, wearing a big white Stetson and a beautiful ranger belt with intricate turquoise beadwork. He looked just like an older John Wayne too! I just stood there, staring at him. But he didn't seem fazed, gazed back for a bit and then just said "Howdy". I was over the moon, but didn't want to embarrass him, so started a conversation about his campsite and his awesome ranger belt.
He was fun to talk to, and in no hurry. After exchanging our final pleasantries he wished me a good night and slowly drove away, to check on the rest of the campers. He looked very relaxed and content. So that's how I know. If you are in the area, it's the campground closest to the Canyon. Maybe he's still there, gently warning people about having campfires only at the designated places.
