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Find out what's new and interesting in Garden Valley, with Marilyn Rich.
By Marilyn Rich
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Q. What do George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Lewis & Clark, have in common?
A. All of them were surveyors. The Lewis and Clark team makes sense, and Thomas Jefferson was everything, but Lincoln and Washington…who knew? This was just one of the interesting details I learned last week when my husband and I had dinner at the Joint in Crouch, with Rusty and Jo Jones, owners of Three Rivers Land Surveying.
Side note: It was great to talk surveying with Rusty and Jo. Not only are they some of the most comfortable people I've ever conversed with, surveying is a profession that has intrigued me since childhood. Surveyors, even more than the flashing lights of police cars and ambulances, taught me the meaning of rubbernecking. As I rode in my family's station wagon with nine other people, I strained to see those men along the roadways who were holding up all sorts of impressive instruments and looking through cool tri-pods. A surveyor in action was a valued phenomenon and my Dad never drove slowly enough to satisfy my curiosity. But no problem now because the Joneses have invited me to go with them over the hills and vales and take all the time I want to observe and experience what goes on in their professional world. At this point in my life, however, I prefer to relax in the Longhorn with a nice glass of merlot and ask questions about surveying. I'm no longer naïve to what skills and stamina it requires locating and digging out pins placed in 1960 on a rugged twenty-acre lot where the property lines are as distinct as the centerline on Middle Fork Road. But difficulty isn't a big deal for either Rusty or Jo who can both be described as intelligent and strong in a salt-of-the-earth power ranger sort of way. Plus they both have stick-to-it-iv-ness. Jo, born in Illinois, was an Equine Veterinarian for 25 years. Rusty, born in Colorado, has been a surveyor for nearly 30 years.
Q. How do two people, a Vet with a practice in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and a Surveyor in Carbondale, Colorado, join forces?
Ten years ago, Jo put on her first pair of skis and took some lessons while on vacation in Aspen. In addition to surveying, Rusty was a ski instructor in Colorado for 23 years. If that doesn't connect the dots for you, maybe this will: Watch Rusty ski and you'll know just how quickly Jo would sell her clinic and move to Carbondale, Colorado, a small town close to Aspen AND Rusty. And as for Rusty, well, he's an excellent surveyor-an expert at scrutinizing, scanning, examining, and observing. Of course he recognized a woman who lives life to its fullest, and the perfect partner for him.
Q. Why would Jo and Rusty, both extreme outdoor enthusiasts, leave the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado, one of the most desirable outdoor recreational areas in the world, to live in Crouch, ID.
A. Jo is an expert Kayaker who has enjoyed Idaho's rivers for many years. Eight years ago, while on an Idaho river trip, she spotted The Payette Motel in Crouch and thought, "That is one of the most charming buildings I've ever seen."
Q. Where is Three Rivers Land Surveying?
A. In the most suitable and charming location possible. The Payette Motel.
