The Big Pine Snowmobile

This week's episode The Jealous Stepfather begins with our rangers returning home to Knotty Pine down a remote snow-covered road. The boys are not riding horses or driving a jeep or truck. They are riding in the comfort of Big Pine's "snowmobile."
When I think of a snowmobile I picture something like a motorcycle on snow tracks and skis with seating for a rider and maybe a passenger. The Big Pine "snowmobile" that Ranger Bill and the boys built is nothing like my idea of a snowmobile.
Ranger Bill's "snowmobile" is actually a station wagon or SUV size car on great big skis. And this snow car doesn't use snow or tank tracks to get around. It uses a propeller like an airplane! The best way to describe this is to say it's an airboat or swamp buggy on snow. An airboat is a flat-bottomed boat that uses an aircraft type propeller to push the boat around swamps, everglades, and bayous. The "snowmobile" is pushed over the snow by a propeller on the rear. Bill's snow car keeps going in all kinds of weather and on all kinds of ice and snow. It is the winter workhorse of Big Pine National Forest.
You can hear about the "snowmobile" in RB034 Piggyback, this week's RB041 The Jealous Stepfather, and RB203 A Miss Is As Good As A Mile.

Ranger Bill mp3s at Moody Audio

Moody Audio now has five new Ranger Bill stories (8 episodes in all) for sale on their web site, individually or as part of CD #5. Go to our club web page (http://rangerbillclub.blogspot.com) to see summaries of these stories. Two shows are single-episode stories and three are two-part. One story is "The Spirits and the Spirit." Another is about a haunted church and organ and a third about Frenchy DeSalle and a man named Boris "The Bear." Go to the Moody Audio web page to order CDs and individual mp3s at www.moodyaudio.com. All of these shows probably haven't been aired in over 40 years. Moody Audio now offers 214 RB episodes on 5 CDs.

Moody Audio also offers 37 Sailor Sam stories. Each story consists of approximately 10 15-minute episodes, or over 2 hours of Sailor Sam per story.

RB-041 The Jealous Stepfather

It's the end of a cold day on a deserted road. Our rangers are driving back to Knotty Pine after a long day in the forest. They are just starting to get warm in the "snowmobile" when they pass a young boy walking out of town into the forest. The fellas pick up the boy, who reluctantly agrees to go back to town but not home. This young man Gary has been verbally abused and beaten by his stepfather. The stepfather Jake has trouble controlling his anger and lashes out at home and at work. Instead of getting angry at Jake, Bill is willing to help both Gary and Jake. But will Jake be willing or able to change his life - even with help? Jake's and Gary's lives both depend upon it!

By the way, the ranger snowmobile is very unusual. Look for some news about it in my next blog.

Knotty Pine GAZETTE - Worker Injured 2000 ft Straight Up

A worker on the new 2000-foot TV tower under construction east of the small town of Bent Creek was injured today. The construction crew was hoisting the main television antenna to the top of the tower when a sudden gust of wind caused the $200,000 antenna to sway and crush the worker against the tower. The worker was knocked unconscious and left hanging by his safety harness 2000 feet off the ground while the 11,000 lb antenna continued to sway. Fire rescue crews were unable to use the tower's elevator (a 6-ft triangular platform hoist) to reach the injured man because the tower's electrical power was knocked out by falling debris from the antenna.
Chief Ranger Bill Jefferson along with Ranger Gray Wolf of Big Pine National Forest near Knotty Pine were called in to rescue the injured tower worker. The two rangers flew by forest service "yellow banana" helicopter directly from Knotty Pine to the Bent Creek tower site. After several hours of climbing, Ranger Bill and Gray Wolf were able to reach the injured man. The rangers gave the man emergency first aid immediately to make him more comfortable for his return to the ground. The rangers with the assistance of other tower workers also trapped on top of the tower placed the injured man in a protective carrier. The rangers and tower workers then slowly lowered the injured man down through the tower. Power was restored to the tower and elevator at this time. The elevator was able to meet the rangers and their charge about half way up the tower. The three men were able to ride the elevator the final 100 feet to the ground. The forest service chopper life flighted the injured man to Central City Hospital. The worker is reported in fair condition and is expected to make a full recovery. The name of the injured man was not released to the press.

New Train Tunnel Proposed

The railroad has sent a proposal to the governor's office in Central City for a railroad tunnel to be bored through Blue Mountain in the Savage Mountain Range. This tunnel will shorten the rail route going north and south on the western half of the state.
The northwest region's rail manager tells the GAZETTE that the tunnel will be cut through the mountain by a tunnel boring machine (TBM). A TBM is a train-sized piece of equipment with a large circular cutting frame with 240-lb cutting teeth. The TBM braces itself against the walls of the tunnel as it cuts away at the mountain rock.
The railroad has several bids for the project on the table awaiting approval from the state. State officials say that this tunnel project will provide much quicker and safer rail travel and will give the state's economy a much needed boost.