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The Slice: Not exactly an avalanche of fun for truck driver

Scott Champion had his fill of Lolo Pass.

The Slice asked what mountain pass readers would like to have renamed after them.

And Judy Champion of Spokane Valley made a decent case for Lolo Pass being called Champion Pass.

About five years ago, her husband, Scott, was making his first solo run as a long-distance truck driver. An avalanche blocked the highway and forced him to stop near the Idaho/Montana state line. While parked, another snow slide pinned him in his cab.

Then a third avalanche rumbled down the mountain and picked up Champion’s fully loaded rig and carried him and the truck off the side of the road, down a hillside and into the nearby Lochsa River.

“Luckily for him, there were others there to help get him out of the truck,” said Judy. “Other than a huge bruise on his leg, he was uninjured.”

Pros and cons of having a birthday that sometimes coincides with Thanksgiving: Norma Barrett-Lincoln shared her first-hand knowledge.

Pro: Easier to weasel out of doing the dishes.

Pro: No real decision to be made about what to have for your birthday dinner.

Pro: More family members actually show up, though the present quotient doesn’t actually get better.

Con: Again, no real decision to be made about what to have for your birthday dinner.

Con: Harder to have a party with friends, especially if they actually like their families.

Con: A pumpkin pie with candles in it looks kind of goofy.

The INW lexicon: “Trash angel” – someone who picks up after those who litter country roadsides with everything from bottles and cans to mattresses and worn-out carpet padding.

Karen Arndt’s family lives in rural Spokane County, on North Old Trails Road. She tries to pick up stuff dumped near her home. But she is not alone. Someone else also does this, often getting to trash before Arndt has a chance to go back and collect it.

“I don’t know who my trash angel is, but I hope they see this and know that I am SO grateful for their help and applaud their environmental concern,” she wrote. “Thank you, neighbor!”

Today’s Slice question: If we are what we eat, what are you?

Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Jeannie Maki said she has been a Rolling Stone reader for “eons.”

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