Ranger Headquarters

Ranger Headquarters
Big Pine National Forest, Knotty Pine

Saturday, April 27, 2024

RB104 The Fighing Parson

   RANGER BILL for late Saturday morning, Apr. 27,2024, is:

RB104 The Fighting Parson 

Silvertown is a rough, tough mining town. The miners there spend all their free time drinking and scaring the residents. They have driven five preachers out of the only church in town. The few members of the church ask Bill to find a parson willing to fight - with his fists. Bill gets Spence Fielding, a powerful young man from State U. Can Bill and Spence get Silvertown under control? Or will the drunken miners succeed in destroying the church?

https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Ranger_Bill_Singles/Ranger_Bill_58-07-30_ep036_The_Fighting_Parson.mp3

OTRR #80

RB098 The Runaway Railroad

  Our RANGER BILL for early Saturday morning, 4/27/24, is:

RB098 The Runaway Railroad

Henry hears stories of an antique steam train abandoned way up in the Shady Mountains. The engine belonged to the Three Rs - the Rimrock, Rawhide, and Ragweed railroad. Henry goes hiking in search of the valuable old train. Henry's tough walk is rewarded when he discovers an old engine in a shed. Two men find the train first and are determined to take the engine and sell it to a collector. They tie up Henry and fire up the train to steal it. Will Bill discover the thieves, stop them, AND rescue Henry?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRDTneOaA98

Nature Corner/Storybook Room

 Nature Corner/Storybook Room - 4/27/24

Uncle Bob Devine gets a visit from Polly Polynya. The polynya are regions of open water near the Arctic Circle and west of Greenland.

https://moodyaudio.com/products/polly-polynya-open-water-arctic-ocean

Friday, April 26, 2024

RB108 The Wrong Valley

   RANGER BILL for Friday afternoon, 4/26/24, is one of faith in the midst of pain and suffering

RB108 The Wrong Valley

Jacq McIntosh is Knotty Pine's blacksmith and one very powerful man. He is usually quite happy and full of joy. He likes to sing worship songs as he works. Trouble visits the McIntosh home suddenly one day with terrible force. His wife Annie is blinded in an explosion, and his son Ernie is badly injured in an auto accident. Jacq is angry with God and feels like Job. Can anything more go wrong for Jacq? Will anger and despair keep Josh in the terrible valley of depression? Can Bill do anything to bring Jacq out of that wrong valley?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKCt9Vmy8ak

RB107 Petticoat Rangers

 Our RANGER BILL for a Thursday, 4/25/24, is a classic:

RB107 Petticoat Rangers

Bill doesn't have enough men for all the work around the national forest. He and his rangers have to work 18 hours a day. Bill has a solution to the problem - women volunteers in the fire towers. The rangers refuse to allow women rangers. Will the rangers work themselves to death or will they give Bill's PETTICOAT RANGERS a chance? Can female rangers do a ranger's work if they get that chance? In my opinion, this is one of the funniest Ranger Bill stories ever! You get to hear some of Stumpy's funniest and most famous lines! And you get to see a little of what life was like back in the 1950's.

https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Ranger_Bill_Singles/Ranger_Bill_58-10-22_ep039_Petticoat_Rangers.mp3

RB106 Terror on the Finger River

  RANGER BILL for Wednesday, 4/24/24, is one scary mystery:

RB106 Terror on the Finger River

The Finger River flows out of the Rockies and into the Pacific. Much of the river is a mix of salt and fresh water. That mix makes hunting and fishing along the river excellent. Suddenly, fishing lines are being robbed and hunters are losing their kills to something in the river. The thief appears to be a baracuda, a killer with two rows of razor-sharp teeth and fins. Bill must find this thief and stop it - whatever it is. Can Bill locate our thief, or will terror continue on the Finger River?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNvNgha3Vjk

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

RB105 The Falling Giants

  Our Ranger Bill adventure 

for Tuesday, April 23, 2024, is RB105

The Falling Giants


The Giant Pines are falling over without any explanation. Bill and the boys must find out what is happening before the forest is lost. What is causing this? Is it insects, a new disease, poor soil. or what? Millions of dollars of beautiful, majestic pines are in danger. The forest service and lumber companies want answers, and Bill is at a loss to provide those answers.


This story first aired on October 8. 1958.

Saturday, April 20, 2024

RB224 The Donner Party Treasure

  RANGER BILL for early Saturday morning,

4/20/2024, is:
RB224  "The Donner Party Treasure".
Two men, Mr. Delong and the Carabou, cut down trees in the mountains outside Knotty Pine. Delong says he is a lumberman, but Bill found out he is an antique book seller. Delong has the Carabou cutting down more than a hundred trees.
Our rangers learn that Delong is looking for a treasure hidden in a tree. The treasure may be something left behind by the Donner Party on their ill-fated journey west in 1847.

Nature Corner and beyond

 Nature Corner and beyond

For those interested in learning a bit more about our natural world, you might like the 5-part BBC TV series The Green Planet hosted by David Attenborough. The show was originally aired in 2022 but PBS is playing the series again and can be found online as well.

The show is about the wide variety of plants, how they grow, where they live, and more. The five parts involve different regions around the world such a deserts, the tropics, regions with four distinct seasons, and under water.

Compare and contrast the Green Planet with what you learn on Nature Corner. One plant Uncle Bob didn't cover was the creosote bush of deserts. You might be surprised about how a creosote bush differs from the shrubs and bushes around your home,

Nature Corner/Storybook Room

 Nature Corner/Storybook Room for 4/20/24

Uncle Bob Devine meets Simon the Surgeon Fish. Simon lives in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Aqaba north of the Red Sea. Bob learns how the surgeon fish got its name, what it eats, and much more!

https://moodyaudio.com/products/simon-surgeonfish

Friday, April 19, 2024

RB078 The Outsider

 Our Ranger Bill for Friday afternoon, 

April 19, 2024, is RB078
The Outsider

Skinny is new in town, and he's from the deep country. He is trying, without much luck, to make friends with a gang. The gang ends up killing dozens of birds, and Skinny is a witness. Folks in Knotty Pine are furious. Bill must act quickly to stop this senseless violence.

Thursday, April 18, 2024

RB077 Henry's Bus Trip

  Our Thursday afternoon Ranger Bill

for Apr.18 2024, is RB077
Henry's Bus Trip

Henry is taking a long-distance bus trip home to Knotty Pine. He meets the Cavanaugh family and several other of the bus passengers. It’s getting dark and the mountain roads are getting rough, winding, and narrow. Rains have caused landslides, damaging the road and trapping the bus.

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Nature Corner/Storybook Room

 Nature Corner/Storybook Room

From what I have read about Bob Devine, he produced Nature Corner and Storybook Room at least from the late '50s through the late '90s. During that time, Bob Devine created about 500 Nature Corner episodes and about 1200 Storybook Room episodes. That's nearly 1,700 15-minute episodes or more than 400 hours of God-honoring nature programs.

Moody has ofered Nature Corner/Storybook Room for many years, for sale at first and then as free downloads. They no longer offer the complete sets. Individual episodes are still available to stream by anyone. People who are registered customers with Moody can also download the individual episodes.

I expect that they will be closing out Nature Corner/Storybook Room in the not too distant future. So if you are a Nature Corner/Storybook Room fan, you might want to stop by the Moody Audio site and enjoy some of Bob Devine's wonderful work.

RB076 The Salesman

 RANGER BILL for this midweek, 4/17/24 is RB076

The Salesman

Bill saves a child who wandered into the street and is hit by the car himself. Bill is slightly injured and needs just a little rest at home. Gill Major, an insurance salesman, visits Bill to try to sell him life insurance. Bill turns the tables on Gill and tries to sell him Eternal Life Insurance. Gill is not a Christian and has no interest in eternal life insurance. But can Gill ignore insurance whose premium was paid in full 2000 years ago, provides protection after death, guarantees the insured eternal life, and the insured person is the beneficiary? See the Spirit at work in Gill through Bill's words.

https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Ranger_Bill_Singles/Ranger_Bill_xx-xx-xx_ep007_The_Salesman.mp3

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Thanks for your Support

 Thank you all for your continuing interest in Ranger Bill and for your positive feedback. You make this a very rewarding hobby.

God bless!!!

Dave

RB075 Rabies Scare aka In Shape

 Our spine-tingling  Ranger Bill adventure

for this Tuesday, Apr. 16, 2024, is RB075
Rabies Scare aka In Shape

Bill and Henry find and shoot a fox and a wolf, both with rabies. Even more rabid animals threaten the lives of Knotty Pines residents. School is in session. Bill must find a way to protect the school children from being bitten.
The children are trapped in the school building when the school bus has a flat tire. Henry's friend Don, who is a long-distance runner, may be the only one who can get help.

Saturday, April 13, 2024

RB093 The River That Wasn't There

  Our Ranger Bill for late Saturday morning, Apr. 13, 2024, is:

 RB093 The River that Wasn't There

There is no drought, but the Rio Perdido River runs dry without explanation. A young lettuce farmer and a tough old cattle rancher are both in danger of losing everything without the river. Bill and the boys investigate and try to bring the river back. Henry may have the key to the problem in a book he’s studying.


Nature Corner/Storybook Room

 Nature Corner/Storybook Room

Uncle Bob chats with Hariett the Spring Hare who lives in Kenya.

https://moodyaudio.com/products/harriet-springhare-mammal

RB072 The Clown of Blue Lake

 Our Ranger Bill adventures for early Saturday morning

April 13,2024, are RB072
The Clown of Blue Lake

Ben Stout and Pop run High Ridge Lodge at Blue Lake. A mysterious creature is attacking tourists all around the lodge. Folks aren't safe in the water or on land. And they are beginning to believe that this is some sort of monster. Ben calls in Bill and Stumpy to get rid of this not-so-funny clown of Blue Lake

Thursday, April 11, 2024

RB070 Houseboat Charlie

  Our Ranger Bill story

for Wednesday afternoon, April 10, 2024, is RB070
Houseboat Charlie


Houseboat Charlie has been ferrying folks back and forth across the Shady River longer than anyone can remember. He’s survived outlaws and Indian attacks, heat, fires and more. Bill wants him to dock the ferry until the heavy rains and flooding stops, but Charlie isn't about to let a little rain scare him.

RB069 Earthquake

  Our Ranger Bill adventure

for Tuesday afternoon, April 9, 2024, is RB069
Earthquake

Bill and Ralph enjoy watching the construction of a new office building. Then an earthquake strikes Knotty Pine causing fairly minor damage. More quakes are forecast. Bill thinks the town’s disaster teams need more training. 

Key Phrase - "Don't lose your head or you may lose your life."

Bernie Holcman - Civil Defense Coordinator

Mr. Hansen - Construction Foreman


One of my favorite episodes!

RB068 Hot Fire

  Our Monday afternoon Ranger Bill

for April 8, 2024, is RB068
Hot Fire

Stan Woods’ procrastination causes big problems for Bill. Stan won’t take the time to clear brush from in front of his company’s caves. The caves are used to store explosives. Wildfires threaten the caves as well as Bill’s firefighters.

Saturday, April 6, 2024

RB092 The Return of Sitting Bull

   Our Ranger Bill

for late Saturday morning, 4/6/24, is: 

RB092 The Return of Sitting Bull


An Indian college student, the great-grandson of Sitting Bull, tries to share his Indian heritage on his college campus, but other students laugh at him. The abuse and rejection are too much for him. He loses control and decides to take revenge for everything done to him.

RB065 The Cat in the Wall

  Our  Ranger Bill

for early Saturday morning, 4/6/24, is RB065
The Cat in the Wall
Stumpy’s neighbor Beulah Lindstrom thinks Stumpy is trying to steal her cat Blackie. She insists that Blackie has crawled inside the walls of Stumpy’s house. She wants Blackie back at any cost – to Stumpy’s house! And we get to hear from Bill’s mom in this adventure.

Nature Corner/Storybook Room

 Nature Corner/Storybook Room for April 6,2024

Uncle Bob Devine welcomes Woodrow the Striped Weasel who comes from the country of Angola.

https://moodyaudio.com/products/woodrow-striped-weasel-0

Friday, April 5, 2024

RB066 The Blessing of Snow

  Ranger Bill ends our  work week this Friday 4/5/24, is a wintry blast:

RB066 The Blessing of Snow
The Big Prairie region is suffering from a long, hard drought. The farmers there are ready give up and quit farming. The area hasn't seen a significant rain or a lasting snowfall in several years. No one can believe that a deep, lasting snowfall is coming let alone a dangerous one - with blessings. Bill gets Big Brute ready to plow in case of heavy snow.

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Nature Corner/Storybook Room

Nature Corner/Storybook Room  

Uncle Bob Devine's Nature Corner for 3/30/24 chats with Auxin hormone, which makes plants sprout upward and  their roots grow down.

I apologize, but I could not find the audio for this program. I did find a Wikipedia article on auxins:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxin

If this article is too technical, I would be happy to find other more basic articles on auxins.

https://www.powergrown.com/the-complete-guide-to-plant-auxins/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFT2F27oKn8


RB064 Penny Wise and Pound Foolish

 Our story for this midweek is a construction project on Ranger Bill

for 4/3/2024 - 
RB064 Penny Wise and Pound Foolish

It’s late winter in Knotty Pine. Winter is just beginning to loosen its grip, and the snow is starting to melt. Bill, Henry, Stumpy, and Gray Wolf take a trip upriver to see the construction of the new Silver River Dam. The construction foreman Brick Finch is as proud as a peacock of the money he saved on motors for the flood gates. But will there be other costs to these cheap motors?

RB063 The Big Headache

  Our Ranger Bill story

for Tuesday, April 2, 2024, is RB063
The Big Headache

Ranger Brad suffers from severe headaches. He won’t see a doctor, so Bill grounds him from flying. Brad wants to fly, headaches or no headaches. Another severe headache while in the air could cost him his job - or his life.

RB062 The Boy Who Wouldn't Quit

  Our Ranger Bill for Monday, April 1, 2024, is RB062

The Boy Who Wouldn't Quit

Young Norman hurts his back when he falls on a rock while playing football. Surgery doesn't completely fix the damage to Norman's back. The lad is left unable walk. Norm's dad Al is afraid of anything that might make Norman's injury any worse.
Norm wants to join scouts and participate fully in all the activities. But he can't convince his dad. To advance in scouts, Norm will have to hike five miles, learn to swim, and more. Norm will need Bill's help. Will Bill be able to help Norm overcome his handicap and Al overcome his fears?