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Show Our Readers Write fo Tell Their Views Dear Sam: This letter is rather long but after seeing the picture of the Rankin vehicles in the Sept. 9th paper saying the accident took place above Pinhook, then the letter by the Carter's saying about some of the treatment received by the Rankin's; then the letter by Mr. Rankin himself; I feel forced to tell some true facts nbouf the accident. On Friday, Sept. 3, Oren and I drove down from Warner Campground to a nice place a short distance this side of the Harpole Mesa and camped. In the evening we built a small fire and were sitting out enjoying the stars, nice fresh air, and the crickets singing; then I heard what sounded like a horse winnie; then sounded like a little thumping and a little later some voices. So I said, "Someone must be loading or unloading a horse from a truck or trailer, isn't it something the way sound carries from the valley all the way up here." Because other times when we have camped there we could hear dogs barking, children laughing, and hear talking. Since we were unaware of an accident, we do not remember how many vehicles might have gone up or down the road after we heard the thumping and voices. We went to bed after 10 p.m.' Saturday morning I walked out on a point to see the colors on Castle Rock and said, "What is that real shiny thing down on that curve," and Oren said it was the sun shining on a big rock; that didn't satisfy me so I got the binoculars and looked. Then said, "It looks like a camper top down over the curve, let's go see." So Oren got a bag of tools and we walked down the road. First we saw the pop-up camper and then Oren said, "and here is the rest of the outfit." I said a prayer; please don't let us find dead people in it. Oren made his way down the steep bank and looked the Toyota stationwagon over real good, then said, "There isn't anyone in it and there isn't any blood." A big rock and tree are holding it in place. He came back up to the wide overlook and we were standing there wondering what could have happened to the occupants occu-pants when a pick-up truck drove past. After he got up the hill far enough that he could see a corner of the camper sticking up, he backed up to see if we were hurt, if we needed help; and I think he called on his CB radio to try to learn about the occupants. He went on about his business. Pretty soon another pick-up with two young men came down the road and they stopped and asked if we were hurt. We said no; we had discovered this accident. They got up-set and asked, "Well, is there anyone in the vehicle and started down to it. We told him it was empty, but he looked for himself. They went on; as we were walking back to our camp, 3 motorcycles came along, one passed, the other two pulled up and stopped. It was Russell and Danny Dunn. We asked if they had seen the accident and they hadn't so we pointed it out to them. They went back as did Calven-sorry I don't know how to spell his last name. We went on to camp, got in the truck and drove back to the overlook. Danny had taken a picture and took 1 or 2 more. Oren and I took 3 slide pictures. We kept wondering why a wrecker didn't come for the vehicles. After a visit with our young friends, all of us went on our way. We kept a watch out and an ear open in case anyone would try to take something from the vehicles. At 10:50 I heard something and told Oren to see if someone was bothering the vehicles; it was the Thompson's body shop wrecker and the Sheriff's vehicle. So I grabbed my hat and a chair and joined Oren on a point and we had a ring-side seat and binoculars to see the action. After they looked everything over real good, the wrecker hooked to the pop-up camper and so very slowly and carefully brought it up onto the big overlook. After more investigation, they hooked it to the station wagon and very carefully brought it up onto the overlook. This made 4 vehicles on the quote Mr. Rankin unmarked hairpin turn; and there was room for at least one more vehicle. The sheriff's yehicle left and there was much examining of the two vehicles and then the station-wagon station-wagon was raised high off the. ground from the backend and examined. Mr. Rankin got a wheel and it's tire out of the backend of the Toyota and changed wheels. It was let down on the ground and Mr. R. got in and started the motor, turned it around and backed up to the camper, hooked up and drove around the turn out of our sight. The rightside of the Toyota was mashed some, and we thought from on the scene that the trailer axle might be slightly bent. While all this was taking place, a child was jumping rope part of the time. We only saw one child. At 12:30 they drove around the turn out of our sight and we went back to camp. After we ate our dinner, we drove back down to the spot and took some measurements; and here is where all of you are going to be surprised. This is a turn that has a large over-look of the valley. It measured 30 feet from the edge of the blacktop to the edge of the dropoff, and the front of the Toyota was approximately 40 feet from the edge of the drop off. Oren figures the Toyota flew 20 feet in the air and landed on or in the top of a big cedar and the cedar tree trunk snapped off near the ground, letting the vehicle down rather easy. The trunk measured 9" across; so the tree gave its life to perhaps save the life of the Rankin family. We didn't hear their Toyota come up the hill so the accident made little noise. We could see where the brakes were applied just before the Toyota went off the black-top and the wheels trail went right across the 30 feet of overlook and off the edge. No attempt was made to turn and go along the wide overlook. As I said there is room for 4 or 5 vehicles to line up off the blacktop on that turn. Several hours later Mr. Rankin whized past our campsite alone. The Dunn young men saw his wife at the Warner Campground and the Toyota and what they took to be the pop-up camper; so you see they did not spend the rest of their weekend trying to get back to Salt Lake Ctiy. And I wonder why his family didn't ride with him to Warner and back if Mrs. Rankin was driving when the accident took place. In my opinion the Rankin family should be so very thankful to the Heavenly Father that they went off the edge where they did. They could have gone off that sharp turn that has the so called Battle Grounds a few hundred feet below; that is where we need warning signs. We sure said a prayer of thanks that we found the vehicles empty of people and noone was injured. Respectfully, Violet Wiler Dear Sam: Normally I ignore misstatements misstate-ments about BLM in your letter-to-the-editor column, but this week two of them contain such serious charges that I cannot let them go unanswered. You have a responsibility to your readers not to print anonymous lies such as appeared under the signature "Youth of America." That particular letter is completely untrue and should not have been printed. The BLM Organic Bills contain enforcement enforce-ment provisions, but to suggest sug-gest that Congress would give any agency the authority to "shoot you" for miscellaneous small offenses is incredible. Sam, you might have at least read the bills or even the information I gave you before printing such tripe. Who are the "Youth of America" anyway? Joe Stocks also went too far this time. I respect Joe's right to his opinion but I cannot permit him to quote BLM as saying that, "We were told that our input would not be used in the plan." If that were true, Lee Wangsgard and I certainly wouldn't have bothered to hold the meeting on our own time at night. We would simply have held it during the day or wouldn't have held it at all. Lee concluded the meeting by noting that some of the decisions are constrained by court decisions and detailed laws passed by Congress. He was attemtping to point out that for this reason we cannot always do what the people attending a particular meeting may request. Joe isn't too good in his note taking regarding the cattlemen either. We did not say that their permits will be reduced to 60 of their present allocations. While it is true that some allotments will be reduced, the implications that we are out to put D. L. Taylor and others out of business is not true. I would like to invite anyone who is interested in the management of their lands to come in and give us their thoughts. You may visit Lee Wangsgard at 446 South Main or me at 125 West 200 South. Sincerely yours, S. Gene Day District Manager P.S. We'll even talk to the "Youths" if they aren't afraid to use their names. Dear Sirs: We have been coming up here for 21 years and have explored nearly all of Utah. For 16 years we have been stopping overnight at your beautiful spot on the river either going or coming, noting every year the improvements. Have meant every year to write and tell you of our appreciation of such a peaceful, peace-ful, lovely spot to get off the highway. We heard last year that the commercial parks were trying to stop overnighters as causing messes, health hazards. I can't see why as you had all the trailer parks listed in plain i if sight. Its particularly U that overnighters caused these th.ngs. It's the day picnicker,'''' We have noticed that for ye7'- j'l wherever we are: rest rooms ' V,, bottles, cans, papers thrown i v J trees, shrubs and water. I have H never known a trailer to UW f , a mess. '' We left Texas this year p" f?i u yUr Sp0t (Li0"' Park) like homing pigeon, saw the sign first thing. We Tl were very disappointed bu : V were there about 30 minu,e ' vj. making and drinking coffee ' , Hnuhat time S PicV W load ot Mexicans (or Indians') j drove up, cut a bunch of ' It cantaloupes ate them and (d threw the rinds into the trees toward the river and one was left in the drinking fountain basin. Revolting. :is I don't know how other' K people who love that spot feel but we feel no need to ever come through that part of Utah again. The town has lost on groceries and gasoline, and whatever else a person night K need. 1 Regretfully yours, Mrs. John Markham Rt. 1 - Box 143 Idalou, Tex. 79329 |