Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2017)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, February 15, 2017 Page A-9 Winding Trails: by Al Hobart Thursday, February 16, 1967 Illinois Valley News Lake of the Woods x-c ski races With my tongue making a third track between my skis in the deep soft snow, I at long weary last came to the packed trail that some blessed ski-doo had laid in the snow-filled road up Page Mt. way. From that point for 1½ miles I glided easily and thankfully down the road to my waiting jeep. This heroic event took place four days before our up-coming Oregon Nordic x-c ski races at Lake of the Woods, and I was “training” for the big event. I almost trained myself out of the running on that trip. For 6 miles I plowed through deep new snow, my narrow racing slivers letting me sink to knee depth for much of the way. Once I stepped in an exceptionally soft spot and fell over sideways into that bottomless fluff. With my heavy- mitted hands effectively handcuffed to ROGUE VALLEY the long ski poles by the wrist straps, and the skis with my imprisoned feet nowhere in sight, for a while I was in much the same position as the gentleman I read about in Gulliver’s Travels. It was only when I noticed the snow melting all around me that I became aware of the language I was using. From where I had left the end of the ski-doo track I had skied up the Happy Camp road to the Hell’s Hole turn-off, and up this road to its junction with the old Happy Camp road. I continued up the old HC road to within a short distance of the Bolan Lake junction, then back down the new road, fighting the soft snow ev- ery foot of the way downgrade. The day before the races was a holy terror–heavy rain and high wind. I expected the races to be postponed for a week, but when I arrived at Pruitt’s place in Grants Pass with my racing equipment Bill gave me the glad tidings: the races were to be held as scheduled come hail or high water. This was considered necessary because Southern Oregon College, a co-sponsor with Oregon Nordic, was sending its young racing hotshots, and the college’s tight itinerary called for the joint event as planned or indefinite postponement. But our weather worries proved unnecessary. Mamacita Nature, recog- nizing the importance of our double- header ski-racing meet obligingly closed one spigot and opened another, shutting off the rain and allowing the sun to smile down on our happy, ac- tive gathering. (The following day the interrupted storm resumed.) The day of the meet Bill left home real early for Lake of the Woods in order to make final preparations for the big event. Claudette, Pearl, and I showed up later, still early enough for some warming-up exercise before the races started at 1 p.m. As lone representative from our wee Valley I felt I had an obligation to compete, and the self-imposed re- sponsibility goaded me into calling up any latent reserve forces that might be lazing about somewhere within, just in case the going might get real tough. Although the weather was per- OF GOVERNMENTS Food & Friends Menu FRIDAY – FEB. 17 HOMESTyLE PORk PATTy W/ gRAVy MONDAY – FEB. 20 PORCUPINE MEATBALLS OVER RICE If you need meals delivered please call 541-955-8839. i.V. Wellness resources Do you have a tendency toward ear wax build-up? It can cause problems with hearing and may affect your balance. If you have not had ear surgery or your eardrum doesn’t have a hole or tube in it, here are some steps to help you avoid wax build-up. Soften the wax using an eye-dropper to apply a few drops of slightly warmed baby oil, mineral oil, glycerin or hydrogen peroxide to the ear canal twice a day for no more than four to five days. After a day or two when the wax is softened, use a rubber-bulb syringe to gently squirt body-temperature water into your ear canal. Tilt your head and straighten the ear canal by pulling the outer ear up and back. When finished irrigat- ing, tip your head to the side to let the water drain out. Gently dry your outer ear with a towel or hand-held dryer. You may need to repeat these steps several times. If the build-up does not improve after a few treatments, see you doctor. Please note that ear candling- a technique that involves placing a lit, hollow, con-shaped candle in the ear is not a safe earwax removal method and shouldn’t be done. Candling may result in serious injury, such as burns and eardrum perforation. Using cotton-tipped swabs are also not recommended as they can harm the ear and pack the wax in deeper. Mom always said don’t put anything smaller than your elbow into your ear! This information from the Mayo Clinic Health Letter, March 2014. You can contact I.V. Wellness Resources at www.ivwell- nessresources@gmail.com. Please like our Facebook page by searching for ivwellnessresources. Senior BULLeTin CLOSED fOR HOLIDAy WEDNESDAY - FEB. 22 doesn’t matter. I feel honored to have even competed with the win- ner of first place. He was John Day, our supreme chief, whose den walls are covered with national and inter- national trophies, and who has won at least one world championship, an unprecedented endurance event that took place on a Norway glacier. Our next ski-racing meet is scheduled for early March. Between such events are the less exciting but more solidly pleasureful ski tours, where the best that winter has to offer can be thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. And now that the big event of my life is over, and I have the trophy I bragged I was going out after, I can settle back into the comfortable old rut–and try to regain the lost appetite that all the excitement scared out of me. The race is over, the coveted trophy on the wall – and my self- banishment to Singapore indefinitely postponed. Senior SPoTLiGHT Sponsored by COUNCIL fect for the races, the snow’s condi- tion was not exactly ideal, its wetness demanding painstaking experiments to find the proper wax or wax combi- nation to ensure that the skis should have the best holding quality on the forceful “kick” that propels the racer forward in conjunction with his vigor- ous pole thrust. My race, the Senior Class, was to be once around a figure-8-shaped course, a distance of about 2 miles. Before the event I had skied around it once, and made a number of short runs to keep limbered up. The wonderful success of the meet and the enthusiastic acclaim of visitors and participants alike at the thrilling enjoyment of the event and the well-organized manner in which it was conducted, far exceeded our greatest expectations. For me, personally, the event would have been a screaming suc- cess if all around me had been chaos instead of sparkling happiness. I had my yearned-for trophy to bring back home. The fact that the engraving says second place instead of first HOME SAFETy EVALUATAIONS If you are in need of a home safety evaluation with a registered nurse please call I.V. Wellness Resources for an appoint- ment. We have flexible hours to meet your needs. Call 541-592-9781. LIVING WELL WITH FREE ADS AARP TAx-AIDE CHRONIC PAIN If you are a senior and PROGRAM WORKSHOP want to place a FREE Providing free tax as- Siskiyou Community AD for a living or health sistance for middle & Health Center, Wednes- low incomes. Tax coun- care need call Laura days, March 1-April 5. selors are IRS-certified. Mancuso at Must register at 541- 541-592-2541 or email Call 541-592-6139 for a 864-9611. You can visit Wednesday appointment laura@illinois-valley- sohealthyoregon.org news.com. in Cave Junction. WAnTeD ILLINOIS VALLEy WELLNESS RESOURCES SEEKING SERVICES Valley seniors are looking for transportation, caregivers, firewood, handymen, computer skills, housekeepers and yard work. If you would like to provide one of these services and will complete a background check and have references, please contact Laura Mancuso at 541-592-9781. SEEKING W/C ACCESSIBLE HOUSING. If you have a home that is wheelchair accessible for rent, we have a couple that really needs a place to live. Please call Laura at 541-592-9781. Get your life back at the new depression and anxiety recovery program!
