Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Page A-7
tales from the Rural Patrol
(Editor’s Note: Factual information for ‘Blotter’ is provided by official law enforcement agencies. All persons listed are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges can be amended or dismissed.)
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Tales from the Rural Patrol will be back next week (there was a problem on our end). Don’t worry it will be twice as long next week. djm
Winding Trails:
Thursday, July 7, 1964 – Illinois Valley News,
Cave Junction, or –
Climbing Rabbit Ears
Strange how the frightening past can leave
such a delicious aftertaste in one’s psychologi-
cal mouth. I’m thinking about my last vacation
experience in the Cascades with the Grants Pass
rambling scramblers, who have accepted me as
one of the gang, and delightedly, if a wee bit sa-
distically, insist in teaching me (mostly against
my will) the thrilling tricks of rock-climbing.
And when I say rock I’m not referring to sling-
shot ammunition.
Our latest such climb, the last weekend in
June, was to the top of one of the Rabbit Ears.
What a rabbity, mild sound that name has! These
“rabbit-ears” have an elevation of over 6,000
feet and stand out like two great thumbs, side
by side in splendid and startling isolation when
viewed from the Diamond Lake highway a few
miles above the Union recreational area. From
a highway viewpoint high above the Rogue you
look north toward Hershberger Mountain, and
there they are. For a long moment your view
will be entirely occupied by the Rabbit Ears.
And if you could stand on top of one of them
and look back at your roadway viewpoint, and
all other points on the horizon, the thrill would
be incomparably greater.
On the sheerest side, from the base of the
Ears proper, the vertical distance to the ears is
probably 7 or 8 hundred feet. When we reached
the foot of the one we were to climb, and I near-
ly broke my neck just looking up, I rebelled. I
had explained to these Rogue River rogues, af-
by Al Hobart
ter that Mt. Thielsen hair-bleaching climb, that
I didn’t intend to go in for rock-climbing, that I
would botanize around below, and take pictures
of them risking their necks on the cliffs and pin-
nacles above. And I was greatly relieved when
they thoughtfully and smilingly seemed to
agree. But, as I found later, I had grossly mis-
interpreted those friendly grins and sympathetic
noises. Now, at the foot of our awesome Rabbit
Ear, I made another plea for the picture taking
and posy plucking, but ruthless Maestro Dean,
our gang leader, suddenly found himself unable
to understand plain, if quavery, English, and
the next thing I knew I was roped in a line-up of
human flies, taking turns at belaying (holding
fast to a point of relative security while others
move up, a, precautionary gambit designed to
save any who might fall), traversing (moving
laterally across) an almost perpendicular wall
hundreds of feet up.
And now, to prevent you from jumping
out of your skin every time the telephone rings,
I’ll simply state that eventually we reached the
top. And, strange to relate, I didn’t even feel
panicky – I guess something my hard-boiled
companions have must be rubbing off on me.
But don’t go yet, we still have to get down off
this up-ended needle, and the scariest bit of all
(to you laymen) is about to take place – the rap-
pel. Rappelling is walking backward down a
vertical rock face by means of anchor rope cara-
bineer, seat sling and climbers’ ropes, in that or-
der. We rappelled 100 feet down in one stretch.
Still no qualms. Steve and I, the two tyros, had
been given previous instructions, and practice
in rappelling, and found it to be no problem at
all. Queasiest part of the climb was making the
roped together traverse, but with Dean’s me-
I.V. GUNS & AMMO 541-592-3349
WHERE’S
THE ALARM?
The volunteers and staff of the
ticulous and constant coaching, and continual
words of encouragement and praise, it didn’t
seem half bad.
This was the first to technical climbing
for both Steve and me. The three pros, Dean
Charles and Joe, went on to climb the other
ear while I shot pics of them against the sky-
line from a vantage point far below – climbing
nearly straight up rappelling down – Steve went
on down to do some more practice rappelling
on his own.
Thus ended the day’s major adventure.
But two lesser ones remained, one when Dean
drove higher up toward Hershberger lookout,
so I could get a good shot of the R.E.’s, and
suddenly one side of the Volkswagen dropped
into a quaking pit of quick-mud and kept sink-
ing till the mud was above the bottom of the
door. During the next hour Dean and Steve and
I chalked up a new and mucky experience, get-
ting the Volkswagen back on more firma terra, a
bit of tangy spice added to the day’s program of
thrills. I don’t know what Marcia said to Dean
and Steve when she saw her little mud-caked
Volkswagen, and it’s probably just as well – it
likely couldn’t be printed anyhow.
Showiest of the Rabbit Ears’ floral deco-
ration were rock penstemon, apline daisy, and
alpine fawn-lily. The fawn-lily, Erythronium
montanum, was a new one to me, so far not
found in the Siskiyous. Three of our miniature
high-altitude ferns, parsley fern, lace fern, and
Sierra cliffbreak, grow in the same community
at the base of the Ears.
Last adventure of the day, and one I’ll
never forget if I live to be 67 (which is doubt-
ful), was consummated in an excellent little
eatery in Shady Cove, where three half-starved
Illinois Valley Fire District
responded to these recent Emergency calls…
Monday-07/21
100 blk N REDWOOD HWY, Grass Fire
200 blk SW BRIDGE ST 102, Medical Emgcy
Wednesday-07/23
200 blk WILD PARK LN, Medical Emgcy
7600 blk CAVES HWY, Medical Emgcy
Friday-07/25
500 blk FERNWOOD DR, Medical Emgcy,
200 blk S CAVES AVE, Medical Emgcy
600 blk LONE MOUNTAIN RD, Open Burn
Saturday-07/26
3200 blk LAKESHORE DR, Medical Emgcy
HOLLAND LOOP RD / HAYS CUTOFF RD, Medical Emgcy
CHIEF’S CORNER
By Dennis Hoke
Fire Chief, Illinois
Valley Fire District
Most people will never have to call 911, but when they do,
they want help fast. But responders can’t help if we can’t find
you. Please help us by having your address clearly marked so we
can see it. We will provide you with an Illinois Valley Fire Dis-
trict address plate free. Just stop by our administrative offices at
681 Caves Hwy. M-TH 9AM-4PM and ask for one. Display your
address plate where it is visible from the main road. (Having the
sign a half-mile down a dirt path does not help us help you.)
Make sure you keep it visible by regularly clearing out any brush
that may block the numbers.
Southern Oregon Sanitation Inc.
Serving Southern Oregon for over 50 years! (800) 922-1025
Al Hobart with homemade skis.
Exclusive dealer of Viper Tactical Arms
Sunday-07/27
400 blk E RIVER ST, Lift Assist
28000 blk REDWOOD HWY, Traffic Accident
Tuesday-07/22
REDWOOD HWY / HANBY LN, Traffic Accident
desiccated, mud-speckled mountain playboys
thankfully landed late in the evening and stoked
ourselves to repletion with wonderful food and
coffee.
Then on to a happy, profitable journey’s
end, back to the waiting, worrying wives and
kiddies – comfortably hurting inside, pleasantly
tired all over, and not mad at anybody.
A lot of us have gates. In a time of need, you may not be
able to open the gate. So you should place a key box with a com-
bination near the gate. Then be sure to provide us with a combi-
nation or gate code; we will notify the 911 agency and they will
load it into the computer-aided dispatch system. When your ad-
dress comes up, dispatch will tell the emergency responders to
call dispatch by phone for the key box location and your code/
combination information. For your safety and security, this infor-
mation is not broadcast over the radio.
Help us help you by making sure 1) we can find you, and
2)your gate doesn’t stop us from getting to you quickly!
Until next time…let’s be safe out there.
www.IVFire.com
www.Facebook.com/ivfire
FIRE SEASON
NO BURNING
ALLOWED
Across
1- Grassy plain; 6- French
clergyman; 10- Till stack; 14-
Future oak; 15- Knitting stitch;
16- Seaweed; 17- Brown ermine;
18- Plumlike fruit; 19- Tabula
___; 20- Latin-American dance;
21- Stretch; 23- FedEx rival; 25-
O Sole ___; 26- Easy stride; 29-
Drinks (as a cat); 32-
Discombobulate; 37- Acapulco
gold; 38- Soup with sushi; 39-
Caught; 40- In spite of; 43- Goes
in; 44- Gull-like predatory bird;
45- Compete; 46- Martini's
partner; 47- Long time; 48-
Sawbucks; 49- Shoe tool; 51-
Alias; 53- Gives life to; 58-
Available; 62- ____-friendly: not
too technical; 63- Steps down to
an Indian river; 64- Hersey's bell
town; 65- Ailing; 66- Architect
Saarinen; 67- ___Nexis; 68-
Inquires; 69- Comedian Carvey;
70- Miss by ___;
Down
1- What you do to a shadow; 2-
Official records; 3- Earth's satellite; 4- Capital of Czech Republic; 5- Dominant; 6- Church recess;
7- Male of a bovine mammal; 8- Sweeping implements; 9- Nicholas Gage book; 10- Gumbo
veggie; 11- Tidy, without fault; 12- Ultimatum word; 13- Pampering place; 22- Australian lizard;
24- Narrow openings; 26- Hermit; 27- Maine college town; 28- Annie of "Designing Women"; 30-
Tree used to make baseball bats; 31- Deputised group; 33- Pop; 34- Compel; 35- Bolshevik
leader; 36- Boundaries; 38- Sister of Moses; 39- Sweatbox; 41- Bentley of "American Beauty";
42- Ref's decision; 47- Gibson of tennis; 48- Bicycle built for two; 50- Carried on; 52- Australian
marsupial; 53- Garage sale sign; 54- Bottle part; 55- Bothers; 56- Deserve; 57- Greek portico; 59-
Cab; 60- Indigo source; 61- Prepare to be shot; 62- Country bordered by Canada and Mexico;