n4voxgill said:
chicken ranch is frequency pretty regular also
Is that what they are calling Joe Conforti's (sp?) old Mustang Ranch now? If so I guess it would take a regular to know the frequency is "pretty regular also" ?!?!
Some years ago, on the west side of Montgomery Pass just off of U.S. 6 north of Bishop, was an establishment called "Janey's Ranch." I was working on the Toiyabe National Forest at the time when our Bridgeport helicopter was returning from a fire on the Las Vegas District (now called the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area) of the same Forest. They travelled east of the White Mountain range and were in the Montgomery Pass area when a "chip light" came on. All the components of a helicopter that contain oil reserviors such as the engine and drive trains have magnetic detectors that when a piece of metal lands on them, an indicatior lights up for the pilot. Normally, they land the ship right away as it could indicate the beginning of a serious problem, although in most cases it is not a large problem. Well as they fly near "Janey's Ranch" the chip light goes on and the helitack captain, who normally rides shotgun, comes on the radio and tells dispatch they have a chip light and are going to land the ship quickly. As he describes the location he pauses just before saying the words "Janey's Ranch", no doubt trying to think of another location he could use that was as easily understood as the name of the establishment, knowing that the odds are very low that a chip light would come on near such a place, and knowing the story they would have to endure on the Forest for many years to come. Since it was a semi-long flight, the service truck and mechanic were several hours behind the ship, negotiating U.S. 95. When the mechanic finally arrived and confirmed it was not a problem after removing the piece of metal, the helicopter had to transmitt they were in the air once again and would be enroute to Bridgeport on a certain heading from um, Janey's Ranch. The story still lives on even though this was in the early 80's.
Then there was the time a survey was done in the vicinity of the U.S. 395/Westguard Pass highway junction near the Cottontail Ranch. The survey indicated that past surveys done by the owners of the ranch had a significant error and the "ranch" was actually on public land administered by the BLM. While the necessary land exchange process was in motion, a special use permit had to be issued by the BLM to authorize the use of the land, pending the completion of the land exchange process, which, by necessity, takes at least 18-24 months if significant environmental issues are not found. It raised a few eye brows back in Washington when they asked how to code the use on the permit. Seems the database didn't have a numerical code for such a use of the land. When someone from the Tonopah Field Station of the Battle Mountain District of the BLM had to sign out and put their location on the board (they now all do this and call dispatch even if they are not a fire or law enforcement resource due to safety reasons) they had to list "Janey's Ranch" and the reasons they were going to the places they were traveling to that day. Such words as "Granite Mtn. Allotment" (a grazing permit area) and "permit inspection" or "counting" (when cattle or sheep are put on or taken off a permit area for the season). I can just see some dry erase board with "Janey's Ranch" and "permit inspection" written on it and the guff that employee had to take for several days or much longer. "Did you fully inspect all the facilities and activities authorized by the permit?" were no doubt asked of the employee later. "What did you find, are they in um, compliance?"