Community News
I I I
To catch a helicopter
It's been a busy month. Any job that lasts over a week makes me
feel employed. Finally a couple of days off to sleep in and service the
Trooper. A fresh filter or two, a banquet of fresh lubricants, and
enough soap and water to wash the Egyptian army. The equipment
is serviced and l'm caught up on a couple of weeks of missed naps.
Now I could use an easy one. The ringing of the phone heralds the
granting of my wish...sort of.
A one-day job using my large dune buggy, The Great White Rail.
A German music video needs softie desert backgrounds with aerial
shots and a few shots of space monsters walking the dunes. This has
got to be a simple laid back day of tooling around the Dumont sand
dunes flirting with some pretty young frauleins. I can handle it. I
deserve an easy job. I've earned a day of ease and goofing off. Maybe
HI do a bit of tanning and catch a nap or two. This is going to be a
day of Califoroia living. Yes, sir[
The producer is a brash, young, hard driving fellow I've worked
with before. His crew arrives in Baker at midnight and he wants them
at the dunes by dawn. He selects locations far from base camp that
require a lot of tricky dune buggy driving. One location is on the far
back side of the dunes and requires many trips to deliver equipment,
crew and cast. The second location is a casual one that handles the
launching and control of a small remote controlled helicopter
carrying a camera and film.
I ought to charge mileage on the Great White Rail. Trip after trip
is made through the dunes to fully equip and staff the main location.
If anyone has to go potty, that's another trip back to the motothome.
I barely have time to give a few thrill rides to the attractive young
women. The helicopter crew is only a few men and they seem happy
with whatever it is they're doing, and they don't require much,
service.
Lunch is a very brief styrofoam affair and it's quickly back to
work. The days are short in November and this can't last too long. In
spite of the friendly young crew, the pretty blonde women, and the
creaky old space monsters, this is starting to seem like work. Well,
the pay's good, the days are short, and the company is friendly. I can
handle this.
The helicopter crew calls for the buggy. Probably want to make
a short move. Very simple task. No problem. Right. This time it's a
little different. It takes a while for me to catch what they're saying,
what with me only speaking Californian and they're talking some
German and trying to introduce me to a new idea.
The radio-oontrnlled, camera-carrying helicopter is maybe seven
feet long. It looks like a regular helicopter, without a cabin (bubble).
Slung under the wee chopper is a black cylinder with a lens on one
IIII III I I IIII III
In The Thermometer's Shadow
by Mike Dougherty
I
end, the whole camera rig is about the size
of two Foster lager beer cans stuck to-
gether end to end.
The fellow who operates the remote
control radio unit explains to me that he
will sit beside me in the buggy and fly the copter, while all I have to
do is follow the chopper where ever it goes so be can keep it in radio
range. Naturally, thereql be a director and a technician in the back
seat of the buggy and some special video equipment to add to the
weight.
Not only that, but while I've been thinking I was giving thrill
rides, these good German folks have been scouting the dunes for
ever better locations. Naturally, they want to start at the top a very
tall dune. To keep this from ge.tting dull, the helicopter will take off
from the luggage rack on he top of the Great White Rail.
We go to the top of the tall dune. The crew scrapes a level place
for my buggy in the sand. The chopper is lifted onto the overhead
rack and the equipment is loaded in to the large white dune buggy.
All they want me to do is start out going up hill on disturbed sand with
a full load of people and equipment on board. This is totally
impossible. I have been stuck before, and even with my new wider
wheels and tires, this can't be done.
I can't get this across to the helicopter driver. He doesn't seem to
understand can't, impossible and other English words to the same
effect. Damn. Might as well give it a try, there's enough people on
this rig to push me out of any sandy indiscretions.
Around Amargosa with Andrea
by Andrea Lynn
A pumpkin coach, Prince Channing, a glass slipper and a dream
come true are woven together by the magic of a fairy godmother on
Saturday, November 15 when Missoula Children's Theatre and over 50
local students present an original musical adaptation of Cinderella.
Cinderella will be presented at 3 and 7 p.m. at the Amargosa
Community Center. Tickets are $6 per person or $ I 0 per family and are
available at the door. There will be an ice cream social immediately
following each performance. This is a must see show. For more
information please call the Amargusa Elementary and Middle School at
372-5324.
It's election night at the town board meeting Thursday, November
20. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. There are two positions on the board and
five candidates: incumbents Jim Quirk and Ralph McCracken, and new
nominees Libby Hall, Lee Lewis and Dave Steel. General public
comment will be moved to the top of the agenda, but there will be a five
minute time limit for anyone wishing to make comments. Please respect
this time limit. There will be an update given on becoming a town board
form of government.
The Veterans Day Celebration was a lot of fun for everyone who
attended. I don't have information on who won what except for the Chili-
Enchilada Cook-off and parade. Aj Lynn won for the best enchiladas
and C.J. Henry had the best tasting chili. In the walking category of the
APP()INTMENTS WEEKL
f
parade, the color guard got first and the Pabmmp Moose Clowns took
second. The school bus took fh'st place in the vehicle category, while
Miss Beatty got second and the tri-mobiles took third. First place for the
floats went to the Amargosa School,
second to Ms. Senior, and third to
the VFW Ladies Auxiliary. There
was a baby pageant, tricycle race,
volleyball tournament and raffle that
also had winners. Maybe next week
I'll have those.
November calendar of events:
Saturday, November 15 -
Citrlerella performance by Missoula
Children's Theatre, 3 and 7 p.m.,
community center, $6 per person or
$ I 0 family, ice cream social follow-
ing performances.
Tuesday, November 18 - Cem-
etery Board meeting, 1 p.m. com-
munity center.
Thursday, November 20-Town
Board meeting, 6 p.m. community
center.
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We stand back as the helicopter engine is started on the rack over
the buggy. The engine winds up to a full scream and the machine tilts
forward and lifts offofthe Great White Rail. We run for the seats and
I hit the starter. No time for fooling around, I jam the transmission
into low gear, goose the engine up to 3,000 RPMs and pop the clutch.
The buggy bogs, squats, and takes off like a turpentined cat. Away
we go.
Forget scientific driving, just follow that dancing helicopter. Up
and over, down and around. Orders and curses shouted in English
and German. I'm doing it. The buggy is doing great. The guys in the
back are screaming a bit, but that's good for their lungs. A mighty
down swoop, a leap up the next dunes, a drop into a bowl, lifting up
into the sun. Oops. The sun blinds the pilot and the flitting white
copter plows an ignoble furrow in the sand with its belly slung
camera. We're done. Whew.
A great smile from the copter pilot. We may have sanded the
camera a bit but the job was a success. The director smiles with pride
as he reviews the video tap from the camera. The pictures are all that
he had wanted. I try not to let on how surprised I am that the buggy
did so well keeping up to the fast flying little white copter.
We retire the copter crew. While the sun is lowering behind the
Avwatz Mountain, I retrieve the crew from the back of the dunes.
Before full dark, all is loaded back into the trucks and with my buggy
tucked securely behind the Trooper I follow the last of the crew hack
to the pavement. Maybe next time I catch up on my California living.
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