It’s been awhile since I was personally involved with their services, after taking a wrong turn, at dusk, off a dirt logging road onto another dirt logging road, looking for a mining claim. It had been miles and hours since I last saw a paved road(aptly named Graves Creek Road!) Now I was in the snow!(City chick had been to Tahoe a few times, but other than that, no snow sense.) I was confused and lost! The next day, when my miner friend showed up at my place(I lived on a paved road in town about 20 miles away with a population of 170!) and my roommate told him I had driven up to the miner friend’s claim the day before they realized I musta taken a wrong turn somewhere. A call went out and within minutes JCS&R Team Members started«staging» in Sunny Valley ready to come find me. In the meantime, a new day dawned and I found my way out. There were S&R team members driving up good olé Graves Creek Road as I made my descent. They greeted me enthusiastically with hot chocolate, blankets and a desire to hear about my «adventure». I became friends with some of those team members and can assure you, with no doubt, these are dedicated people who VOLUNTEER their time to come to the aid of those in need. They are ANXIOUS to help and take pride in their knowledge of the remote areas, rivers and creeks that make Southern Oregon a very beautiful place to visit. Most are bred, born and raised in these parts; have spent time hunting, fishing, logging and running the river and the knowledge and expertise they bring when they are called out is invaluable. The county covers a wide territory and the total population is about 81,000. Bless these mountain men and women!
