Dodd of HisKids is on his way home from Bolivia!!! When I last checked Dodd on Facebook, he messaged that he was waiting in the airport in Atlanta for his flight to Michigan which was delayed. He should be safely home in a few hours.
Join me in thanking God for a safe trip home for Dodd and for a successful time in Bolivia.
Ranger Headquarters
Big Pine National Forest, Knotty Pine
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
RB-087 The White Fields
A flu epidemic near Central City has left the farmers there short-handed for the harvest. Bill sends some of his rangers out to help with the harvest. There is a threat of forest fire, so Bill can only send a few men. One of the farmer-rangers, Marty Nelson, feels the need for a career change while combining the wheat, but not to become a farmer. This ranger hears God's call to mission work. Marty wrestles with his call, his loyalty to Bill, and his love for his job as ranger.
The Life of the Fire Tower Lookout
July is the beginning of fire season in Big Pine National Forest. The fire towers and especially the tower rangers are critically important to spotting and controlling fires in Big Pine. Ranger Bill keeps in close contact with all of his fire towers every day. You may not know that there are also fire lookout cabins. These cabins are built on top of several of the higher mountain tops and have even better views of the national forest.
Fire lookouts begin their day at 5:30 am. The four walls of their fire towers or cabins are surrounded by windows to give an unobstructed view of the forest. Tower lookouts must go for their daily water from a local stream. Lookouts in mountain cabins must gather and boil snow for drinking water. Cabins and towers are swept and picked up every morning just in case visitors stop by.
This time of year the days are hot and the forest is dry. The lookout must spend 20 minutes out of each and every hour scanning the forest for any telltale signs of fire. Lookouts must pay special attention to anything that might look like smoke.
Rain usually means thunderstorms and lightening. Lookouts each have special lightening stools with glass feet. The lookout must stand on the stool in the middle of the room during a storm to protect from electrocution. Then there is the Osborne Fire finder, a circular topo map with two rotating sights. This is used to locate a fire within 160-acre grid quadrants. The static in the air will make a ranger's skin tingle and make his hair stand up. He or she may see St. Elmo's Fire may roll down tree branches. Rangers may see multiple fires come to life in just a matter of minutes.
Boredom is a problem these rangers and volunteers must deal with all summer long. The isolation can become a major problem for some. Others, such as writers, find the isolation the perfect outlet for their creative side. Mammoth mountains with ominous names, like Desolation Mountain or Terror or Fury, derived from stories from fur traders and Indians add to the stress many rangers feel at times.
If you ever get a chance to meet a fire lookout, whether full-time ranger or summer volunteer, please tell him thanks from all of us for caring for our safety and for the forest.
Fire lookouts begin their day at 5:30 am. The four walls of their fire towers or cabins are surrounded by windows to give an unobstructed view of the forest. Tower lookouts must go for their daily water from a local stream. Lookouts in mountain cabins must gather and boil snow for drinking water. Cabins and towers are swept and picked up every morning just in case visitors stop by.
This time of year the days are hot and the forest is dry. The lookout must spend 20 minutes out of each and every hour scanning the forest for any telltale signs of fire. Lookouts must pay special attention to anything that might look like smoke.
Rain usually means thunderstorms and lightening. Lookouts each have special lightening stools with glass feet. The lookout must stand on the stool in the middle of the room during a storm to protect from electrocution. Then there is the Osborne Fire finder, a circular topo map with two rotating sights. This is used to locate a fire within 160-acre grid quadrants. The static in the air will make a ranger's skin tingle and make his hair stand up. He or she may see St. Elmo's Fire may roll down tree branches. Rangers may see multiple fires come to life in just a matter of minutes.
Boredom is a problem these rangers and volunteers must deal with all summer long. The isolation can become a major problem for some. Others, such as writers, find the isolation the perfect outlet for their creative side. Mammoth mountains with ominous names, like Desolation Mountain or Terror or Fury, derived from stories from fur traders and Indians add to the stress many rangers feel at times.
If you ever get a chance to meet a fire lookout, whether full-time ranger or summer volunteer, please tell him thanks from all of us for caring for our safety and for the forest.
Monday, July 19, 2010
HisKids' Dodd in Bolivia!
Dave:
I'm traveling with Compassion International on a Vision Trip and will be working with Cornerstone University Radio in hopes of helping our listeners show God's love by sponsoring children to release them from poverty in Jesus' name.
http://www.wcsg.org/special/compassion/
--> Dodd
Rangers,
Please join me in praying for Dodd as he travels with Compassion International. Ask the Lord for a safe and successful trip to help children of poverty and that the gospel would be spread through this work.
In Christ,
Ranger Dave
I'm traveling with Compassion International on a Vision Trip and will be working with Cornerstone University Radio in hopes of helping our listeners show God's love by sponsoring children to release them from poverty in Jesus' name.
http://www.wcsg.org/special/compassion/
--> Dodd
Rangers,
Please join me in praying for Dodd as he travels with Compassion International. Ask the Lord for a safe and successful trip to help children of poverty and that the gospel would be spread through this work.
In Christ,
Ranger Dave
Knotty Pine GAZETTE - "Construction" Projects
Two unusual construction projects are slated to begin immediately here in Knotty Pine.
Skiing in July
Paul Alexander, owner and manager, of the Big Six Ski Lodge has a little construction project planned for a ski run this week to cap Knotty Pine's Christmas in July celebration. Paul has all available dump trucks, a steam shovel, a front loader, and a couple bulldozers moving snow from the tops of the Big Six Mountains to the lodge's biggest and most popular ski run. Paul says that he is planning to pack over a foot of snow on the hill. He expects that the snow should last over a week before totally melting.
Squirrel Bridges
Some of the boys in Henry Scott's scout troop have found a new use for old fire hoses - as bridges for squirrels over some of the major roadways in and around Knotty Pine. The boys read that people in other cities were saving squirrels' lives by making bridges for squirrels over busy roads. One city is attaching old worn-out fire hoses to trees across busy roads and above the tallest vehicles. These squirrel bridges should greatly reduce the squirrel traffic deaths. The hardware to hold these hose bridges is relatively modest in cost and will hold firm for years to come. So Henry's troop started checking with some local fire departments and found a wealth of old hoses that are no longer safe for fire fighting. Knotty Pines' firefighters are quite willing to donate their old hoses. Several wildlife enthusiasts in town also support the project. City Council has given its conditional approval to the Squirrel Bridge Project, as it is officially named. Final approval from the county engineer is needed to get the scouts' project under way.
Skiing in July
Paul Alexander, owner and manager, of the Big Six Ski Lodge has a little construction project planned for a ski run this week to cap Knotty Pine's Christmas in July celebration. Paul has all available dump trucks, a steam shovel, a front loader, and a couple bulldozers moving snow from the tops of the Big Six Mountains to the lodge's biggest and most popular ski run. Paul says that he is planning to pack over a foot of snow on the hill. He expects that the snow should last over a week before totally melting.
Squirrel Bridges
Some of the boys in Henry Scott's scout troop have found a new use for old fire hoses - as bridges for squirrels over some of the major roadways in and around Knotty Pine. The boys read that people in other cities were saving squirrels' lives by making bridges for squirrels over busy roads. One city is attaching old worn-out fire hoses to trees across busy roads and above the tallest vehicles. These squirrel bridges should greatly reduce the squirrel traffic deaths. The hardware to hold these hose bridges is relatively modest in cost and will hold firm for years to come. So Henry's troop started checking with some local fire departments and found a wealth of old hoses that are no longer safe for fire fighting. Knotty Pines' firefighters are quite willing to donate their old hoses. Several wildlife enthusiasts in town also support the project. City Council has given its conditional approval to the Squirrel Bridge Project, as it is officially named. Final approval from the county engineer is needed to get the scouts' project under way.
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