"Rindercella" & Bill Bradley entertained us all on the guitar. The next day, slightly the worse for wear, some of us climbed Tucki; At a campfire at the base of Old Woman we had the first (& only) nude qualifier for the Desert Rat award with Geoff Godfrey. Ruth Kirk, well-known desert author, was our speaker at the 2nd Luminaria's banquet. She spoke on Desert Survival & showed a film on Organ Pipe National Monument. Dinner prices escalated to $10. I passed the Royal crown on to Duane McRuer. - - RON JONES

THE DPS IN 1979-1980

Dear Ron, Enclosed is my contribution recalling the 1979-1980 DPS year. Unfortunately Betty and I won't be at the banquet celebrating the glorious 50th Anniversary. I'll very such miss seeing everyone, getting to stand up at various times. etc. But I have to be at an awards banquet in Washington that same evening and there is no way to make both. Please give Betty's and my very best wishes to everyone and to the DPS a wonderful organization that deserves another fifty years! It's given us all a great deal of happy climbs, trips, and friendships. This DPS year was like many others in keeping with the casual approach to life that has long been a DPS hallmark. For instance, our "lease" on the Youth Service Center was essentially month to month, requiring Program chair Mike Manchester to pick up a permit monthly, muscling potential competitors out of the way. He made it through the year, albeit often just in the nick of time. In other respects we did try to get organized; the first management meeting was in May; peaks list, index, membership list, a DPS history (a John Robinson reprint). etc. were duly published; notebooks for officer, prepared. etc. (I often wonder if the chairman's notebook I put together has survived, or when it was lost in a transition period.) The meetings were excellent, sometimes with a major emphaais on conservation since this was the year of a draft Desert Plan for alternatives for the California Desert Conservation Area. Refreshments occasionally bordered on the exotic such as the rattlesnake canapes with mint tea supplied by Joe and Betty McCosker. And, as usual, then, was much sound and fury about the peaks list, this time combined with an early indication of future liability insurance difficulties. The 1979 version was a small groundswell for deleting the Mexican entries because of the Clubs $80/person liability insurance surcharge on Mexican travel. The end of the 70's was an inflationary period, but we steadfastly held the line on Sage subscription rates; and the Banquet cost was $11! Most important: the year had a great variety of excellent trips, each full of good fellowship, well-led, and in our exceptional desert environment. All in all, a very good year!

Duane McRuer, DPS Chair, 1979-1980

Hi Ron - I'll never forget the time when Doug & I rode back with Paul Lipsohn after climbing Chuckwalla (think you were the lead), to climb Eagle in Joshua. We fortunately made it out of the Monument but when we stopped for gas, the accelerator in his VW wagon would not work. Don't remember if Paul tried to get a mechanic, probably not. He rigged up a mechanism from behind with a long nylon cord that would reach the driver's window. That way Paul would pull the string to work the accelerator and ease up on it as required. This was in the height of winter and we rode with the window open so that Paul could keep his elbow & forearm in a "L" position on the door sill to enable him to pull the cord. There was a real draft from the window (as well as coming up through the floorboards. Now & then I wonder if that car, old Rosie, is still around. I last spotted it in Paul's driveway sitting on blocks awaiting renovation. I hope that Paul Lipsohn comes thru with his "Jefe Azul" trips into Baja. Nobody hears from him any more. (Paul attended the last HPS banquet - Editor)

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