Community News
Pahremp Valley Gazette, Thursday, May 1,
1997 19
The Wind Doesn't Blow in the Desert
by Mike Dougherty
"The wind doesn't blow in the desert", is the beginning of
a rather rude remark. In fact we who live in the desert have
experienced an occasional gentle desert zephyr. Like in 1991,
Thanksgiving Day, when the World's Tallest Thermometer
blew down and seriously impacted the parking lot of the Bun
Boy Restaurant.
In the wonderful world of desert breezes it was only last
summer that a crew of us working at the dunes were treated
to the sight of a moving wall of blowing dust over a thousand
feet tall moving out of Death Valley like a fugitive from the
days of the dust bowl of the 1930's.
Mobile homes are a particular target of desert winds.
There's something about those smooth curving roofs that
welcome the breeze like the true air foil they are. As lift is
applied to the wing of an aircraft, so is it spread over the
curving roofofa mobile home. Lift is lift. In 1982 we watched
our mobile home at Zzyzx lift ever so gently off of it's jack
stands, gently part the restraining ground cables, and travel 5
feet in free flight before yielding to ever present gravity and
crashing to the ground. An exciting sight, and a two week
clean up job.
As strange as it might look, those who place old tires atop
their mobile homes do know what they're doing. Those ugly
old tires cause eddies in the air flow (like spoilers on a wing)
and the wind doesn't have a clean shot at creating lift. Even so
simple a thing as leaving a few windows open during high
winds helps defeat lift and keeps the trailers from exploding
as the air pressure decreases over the roof.
More modern modular types of homes - double wides and
such - have pitched roofs and usually asphalt shingles. As-
phalt shingles are a joy all by themselves. The shingle is
fastened on one edge and glue or good faith or something is
supposed to hold the other edge of the shingle down. Until the
wind blows. Again the air rushing over the shape of the roof
provides lift. All the little shingles break loose their glued
edge and flap in the breeze. In the house it sounds somewhat
like a herd of squirrels attacking. Eventually whole sections
of shingles will let loose and decorate the yard around the
home.
A salesman once explained that any wind over 50 miles per
In The Thermometer's Shadow
by Mike Dougherty
hour was considered an act of
God and not covered by insur-
ance. Therefore, no matter what
my insurance premium might be, I get to climb up on the roof
and nail the shingles back down. Regardless of what the
shingle installation instructions may suggest, lots and lots of
nails vigorously applied are very satisfying and the shingles
stay put. Some might think that nailing vigorous might cause
leaks. So what, I live in the desert. What's it gonna leak,
sunshine?
Trucks and motorhomes are especially appreciative of
wind. Every now and again a large modular home destined for
Pahrump ends up decorating the banks of the Interstate as the
drivers push just a little too hard to keep their schedule. Many
half-a-houses rest in the scrap yards around Baker.
Motorhomes are quite a different matter.
In motorhome driver's school it is taught that the worse the
AroundAmargosa with Andrea
by Andrea Lynn
Happy Cinco De Mayo! There will be a celebration of this
day Saturday the 3rd of May. Mexican dinner will be served
at the community center from 5-7 p.m. Margo Torea's Dance
Company will perform at 6 p.m. and the students from the
Amargosa school will also pea-form. Afterwards, the Longstreet
Inn and Casino will be holding a dance from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Come and have some fun!
The town advisory board had another quick meeting on
April 24. The commission has not made a decision on the
change of government to a town board. A public hearing will
be held at the meeting on May 19th, which will be held in
Amargosa. Several letters were approved. One to the Depart-
ment of Taxation addressing a severe financial emergency in
Nye County. Another to the school district protesting the use
of a contracting service for bus drivers. And finally, one to the
Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge requesting a donation to the
fire department for their help with the brush fire. Brent gave
a budget report, and it seems that Amargosa is doing well
money wise.
The next meeting will be held May 29th at 6 p.m.
The Sky Club had their annual dinner serving 45-50. They
are now up to 86 members. The next jump is coming up soon!
CALENDAR:
Monday: Boy Scouts, 3-4
p.m., Community Center
(cc)
Tuesday: Senior Tap i
Dancing, 9-11 a.m., CC
I
Crafty Ladies Club, 9:30
a.m., Senior Center
Girl Scouts, 3-4 p.m., CC
Wednesdays: Bingo, 7
p.m., CC
MAY
Saturday 3: Cinco De
Mayo Fiesta, 5-7 p.m., C/C
Wednesday 7: People for
the West meeting, 7:30p.m.,
C/C
Cactus Cactus
Largest Selection in Nevada
Desert Plants ~ Succulents
Lots of native Nevada plants including:
Red Barrels, Cholla, Yucca, Mound Cactus, Clariet
Teddy Bear, Beaver Trail, Prickly Pear, Saguaro
Golden Barrels, Organ pipe, Desert Willow
Blue Pale Verde, Ocotillo, Mexican Fence
Post and Extremely Nice
Nevada Joshua Trees
Free Cactus Say you saw it in the Gazette, limit of one.
Lake Mead la
Chleste
OaLy
(702) 875-1968
i
Fax (702) 875-1913
160 To
___J
weather, the faster one should drive to escape it. This may
work, but often motorhomes must not be driven quite so fast
enough because they rest gently on their sides along the desert
roads waiting for the wind to drop and the big tow truck to
come along. A few of the motorhome persuasion stop and
park their rigs facing into the wind and wait it out. It is
suspected that these motorhomes may be paid for and valued
by their owners.
There has been a breeze or two this past week. I believe we
had a goodly part of Death Valley pass through our home. One
might think that a great idea would be to open all the doors and
windows and the dust would blow right on through. This
doesn't seem to work. No matter how we rig the house, little
sand dunes tend to build up in the corners of the rooms and the
bath tub.
Sand dunes. That new bridge and culvert system that Cal-
Trans built over the Amargosa River on highway 127 is
forming a fine new dune. The road nearly disappears at the
new bridge as the dune creeps slowly across the pavement.
So it must be spring. The wind seems to blow forever and
the whole world is full of grit. The sun rises and sunsets are
glorious shining through the blowing sand and the sky above
is clear, but my how the winds do blow. We of the cloths line
class have laundry dried in but a moment, but the gritty results
are definitely, non-skid.
So much for the wind. The rude remark? "The wind doesn't
blow in the desert, Los Angeles sucks..."
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• Certificute ol Completion
• Job Placement Assistunce
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• l=l00ible Schedulin 8
• Limited enrollment
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