To The Lincoln County Folks,
After losing my place due to the Yarnell Fire aftermath, we have helped hundreds in their hopes to rebuild in Yarnell.
My hiking partner and caregiver, Joy A. Collura, and I have been hiking with a lot of authors, media, reporters, journalists, retired smokejumpers/firefighters, investigators, and more since June 30, 2013. We have been on the Weather Channel and other stations and newspapers/magazines in regards to how we survived that fire and why and how 19 men did not. We have helped by sharing our photos with courtesy credit given to Joy A. Collura to properly assess that wildfire. Or you can google Yarnell Hikers to see who we are.
I needed a break from the depression laid upon Yarnell and its folks who faced loss(es).
Joy is very much tied to her small town community of Congress and its surrounding areas; she is not your Congress woman but County-oriented kid.
She cares about the people, and helps on assessing the damage, as well as the off-the-grid folks and street living folks. She did not want a break. We disagreed on topic, as I am in search for land in the state I was born; Fallon, Nev.
We agreed to go North of the Grand Canyon for the summer months for our hikes. We headed out and I had three blow outs on my tires on highway 15 so my friend Matt Monzillo stated we could stay at his cabin at Navajo Lake in Utah.
The altitude was affecting us both. At the Cedar City Walmart, a woman shared to us to try a better elevation and her home place has hot springs: Panaca. She said just go down Highway 56 and you will run right into it. Well, we did a few hours later and ran out of gas.
I put some gas from the jeep into the truck and we landed in the hot springs of Panaca. While soaking in the water, the most amazing community of folks greeted us and shared the points of interests to this county. Since it was approaching the holiday [Memorial Day] weekend and many were loading up in the parking lot of the hot springs, I decided to show Joy my old stomping grounds and headed south to Caliente. Once we arrived, I ran out of gas and we gathered $10.22 in change and my remaining $3 and got gas, ready to leave town and head to my old mining spots. As Joy counted the change to pay, a man threw four dollars on top of her change. Joy, with her brain tumors, was lethargic that night and she insisted on sleeping over. Many mentioned parks and places to sleep but Joy pointed to across the BLM field office as a pull off so she can rest. We did. The next day we walked the town of Caliente. We met a very nice man, the local librarian, as he gave us much education to the town and its activities. I saw produce next to the library. I inquired with our last 60 cents to buy a honeydew melon and Shirley, assisting Three Squares, gave us cantaloupe, tomatoes, cucumbers, ginger snaps, milk, yogurt drinks, and carrots. That was a much needed blessing. Shirley even educated us further that meals were at the senior center Monday through Friday at 11:30 a.m. She really went out of her way to share food sources to us. We cannot tell you how well appreciated all this kindness means to us. The senior center folks were top notch. Joy even asked 2 local sheriffs if where we parked was okay until I got paid on the 30th and they stated yes. Local mechanics John and Griffith gave us 20 to 30 percent tread left tires for free and that helps until we can get to a place that sells tires at a fair price.
Yet the most amazing thing was on Memorial Day when we walked and tried to find the festivities we could not locate them. The heat got us to drive to the train depot which was locked but the picnic table area was well shaded and we got out of the heat that way. On the way out, my jeep ran out of gas and in seconds a woman came out of her home and got her husband and returned quickly with five gallons of gas and she said it was a gift. We want to pay her back Friday. We feel her gift was coming out quick and the gas funds need to be returned. Our thanks is to the county: with such a fine top notch community, you really make it difficult for an old miner, who was heading to take Joy to areas I mined and where I was born, but now you have me online looking for land in this area. I just have to take the time out and tell you, the paper, what a fine county you all are.
Thank you to everyone who has assisted the survivors of the Yarnell Hill Fire. We appreciate you. We are here until at least Friday in Caliente. After that I want to take Joy to the Rachel/Alamo/Hiko areas.
Huge Thank You To You All-
Tex (Sonny) Harold Eldon Gilligan and his desert walker Joy A.
Collura
Thank You UNR,
The Nevada Cooperative Extension Service from UNR came to Pioche to present their Living With Fire program. Presenting their statewide theme and information were Ed Smith, Sonya Sistare, and Taryn Holland. Dinner was provided by the Lincoln County Fire District board and Tillie?s. Pioche Volunteer Fire Department and Ed Wright prepared the meal, with several people donating desserts.
Nevada Division of Forestry, National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Pioche Fire, and Panaca Fire had equipment and personnel on hand to answer questions and showcase local fire apparatus.
Thank you to all of the people that volunteered their time and items to make this evening a success. The Lincoln County School Board, Mrs. Teel, Trista Boyce and Austin Cole.?
?Prepare your homes and lots for a safe fire season.? Have a plan and be prepared.
Rick Stever,
Lincoln County Fire District