Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2019)
Wednesday, February 13, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 15 LETTERS Continued from page 2 note on the door said, <This room is provided as a GIFT to users of the community trail.= WOW. The Methow Valley community trail (www. methowtrails.org) was conceived of in 1977 and today encompasses over 200 km of hiking, biking and Nordic ski trails of which 44 percent crosses over 175 private properties via ease- ments generously provided by visionary private property owners. Today, this amazing trail sys- tem generates over 6.7 million dollars annually in economic benefit to the area. WOW. Later, while skiing blissfully along the well- groomed trail and contemplating the generosity of so many private landowners co-operating to make this fabulous trail possible, we came upon a unique modern structure with a traditional for- est service sign, including user icons, that said <BASECAMP.= As a curious builder, I had to investigate. Shortly after opening the door, I was greeted by a friendly fellow, who introduced himself as Greg. I said, <Is this a public warming space?= He said, <No, this is my home 4 but come on in anyway!= After profuse apologies, Greg told me he could have built his house anywhere on his four-acre property, but he and his wife love being close to the trail and seeing all the happy people ski past their front window. He also said homes close to the trail command a higher value in the real estate market, and knows of no issues related to theft, vandalism or assault due to trail use by the public. I was their first bona fide <intruder= and would I care for a hot drink? WOW! Onward we went, meandering through for- est, stream and meadow passing people of all ages and physical capabilities 4 every one with rosy cheeks, wide smiles, and cheerful greet- ings to others on the trail. WOW. Kris Calvin s s s To the Editor: I am in strong support of upgrading the existing Tollgate trail. Given the dollars made available through generous donations, the residents of Tollgate would be receiving an upgrade to our living community without additional cost to the home- owner. Hiking and cycling trails connecting living communities to towns and cities has the dual benefit of increasing livability and increas- ing property value for those living there. Let9s get it done. Winter Lewis s s s To the Editor: My ole Dad used to say, <you can9t change the spots on a leopard.= We sure witnessed a recent example of that as two prominent <black- face= Democratic politicians were exposed. I thought all that changed after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Or was 1964 just a politi- cal necessity resulting from public pressure as Americans witnessed on TV night after night peaceful demonstrators being beat, watered down with fire hoses, attacked by dogs, or being lynched? The <party of slavery= racists didn9t give up easily. Senator Robert KKK Byrd even filibus- tered for 14 hours 13 minutes leading the fight to defeat the 1964 legislation. I9ll bet there are a lot more secrets not yet revealed. I have to admire how Democrat politicians have fooled many into believing that everyone who disagrees with them are racists. Seriously, See LETTERS on page 23 Sisters Skiers race at Mt. Bachelor By Rongi Yost Correspondent The Outlaws skied in a sla- lom race at Mt. Bachelor on Saturday, February 9, in cold conditions and a lot of new snow. The combination made for slow race conditions on the I-5 run, which is already a fairly slow run. <Our team trains on steeper runs at Hoodoo, so we don9t get a lot of opportunity to train for these conditions,= said Coach Gabe Chladek. <However, the Sisters racers raced hard, and the varsity and JV boys managed to hold onto fourth-place spots.= The boys team finished in the following order: George Chladek, 10th place (1:27.46); Evan Palmer, 12th (1:28.65); C o l t o n S e y m o u r, 1 7 t h (1:30.25); Kincaid Smeltzer, 20th (1:30.90); Mitchell Griffin, 38th (1:38.14); and Christopher Lundgren, 40th (1:40.25). Chladek told The Nugget that George did a good job of staying off his edge and letting his skis run, which helped him maintain speed on the slower course. The girls varsity team skied a great race and moved up into fifth place. Skylar Wilkins took 24th (1:47.30); Hollie Lewis 27th (1:49.67); Sydney Wilkins, 29th (1:59.91); and Piper Adelt was 45th (2:08.24). <Skylar and Hollie moved into the next level with a more advanced technique,= said Chladek. <They started going more direct and cross blocking the gates, which also helped them maintain speed.= Noteworthy performances on the boys JV were Simon Rhett, who skied a very fast first run and was on track to have an even faster second run, but unfortunately fell just before the finish line. August McKeown also skied well with the smoothest slalom runs he9s skied all season. R h e t t f i n i s h e d 4 3 r d (1:42.73); McKeown 59th (2:00.78); Jacob Lee 62nd (2:02.60); and Austin Ekern 65th (2:10.14). Both Ethan Hicks and Ian Cash raced hard, but crashed and did not place. Next up for the Outlaws is a race at Mt. Bachelor on Saturday, February 23.