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Benchmark Picture Contest 2006 - Part 1


Black Dog Trackers

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If you haven't seen them already, check out the pictures in the previous BM contests:

2004 2005 Part 1 and 2005 Part 2.

 

Once again here's the picture 'contest' 'rules' (with one new addition).

==========================================

 

Contest rules:

 

1. No intersection stations (the station IS the tower, building, etc.) Why? Well they all look pretty good, but they're not really all that 'benchmarky'.

 

2. The disk has to be at least vaguely visible in the picture. No - 'view from', 'the area', etc. with no PID marker in it. Why? It's gotta be a Benchmark picture!

 

3. It has to be a PID in the database, or at least one of its reference marks or its azimuth mark (in case they don't have their own PID).

 

3½. Waymarked benchmark disk - any country.

 

4. No closeup of just the disk. (Comeon, it's just a disk - where's the nice scenery?)

 

==========================================

 

Even though this topic is called 2006 part 1, feel free to put in your favorite 'contest picture' from any previous time.

 

So, here's a few that caught my eye recently in then Benchmark Gallery:

 

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3 A by CallawayMT

 

0807039d-f10b-46ca-9811-078895a7a946.jpg

P 150 by CallawayMT

 

b14147bc-ffa4-43ac-b29c-caa88612d751.jpg

M 150 by CallawayMT

 

c26a742b-714a-4c43-a20f-9381b1e2d9b4.jpg

YSIDRO by Team Gecko

 

72e02fc2-7e08-4b7b-a010-9254b11b0849.jpg

S 10 by VagabondsWV

 

b42b74e9-ee09-4667-bc2f-00ee5b57f6f1.jpg

METLEN by CallawayMT

 

796da52b-fc66-4860-99fc-e120223092c8.jpg

DAYPORT by SSandifer

 

be86729d-58c6-42d4-8886-3dcc15834eb3.jpg

H 256 by ArtMan

 

220299dc-8543-4555-82eb-c7fef67357ea.jpg

K 9 by CallawayMT

 

22d24bcc-4124-4461-bcec-83ada37767c4.jpg

BNA ARP 1964 by mdfulghum

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Oh. O.K.. I thought you needed a pic that you could see the numbers. But you just want a pic verifying I was there and some good scenery shots to boot!! Cool!!

 

The best way seems to be a closeup that gets the numbers and markings on the mark plus an area shot that would help another hunter to find the mark. If the area shot also happens to be scenic all the better.

 

Labeling the pictures for the logs is also important especially if NGS ever gets photo logs on their site.

The format asked for by NGS is

 

PID_YYYYMMDD_AorC.jpg

 

example

 

KM0443_20050508_A.JPG

 

It works for me by letting me know the exact date I took the picture and I can look up the PID on my GSAK database, I also link back to the picture from GSAK.

 

PS thanks for including me in the "contest" BDT I really wasn't too impressed with the scenery on that shot. That scene is as common for my area as an overpass is for the urbanites :unsure:

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Oh. O.K.. I thought you needed a pic that you could see the numbers. But you just want a pic verifying I was there and some good scenery shots to boot!! Cool!!

 

Woody_K,

 

Also, do not confuse this Picture Contest with the current Benchmark Contest, where you need a clear shot of the disk in your log and we will be posting soon as to how to post the link to your log.

 

The Picture Contest is BDT's way of bringing out our best shots to see and enjoy. I do not think that he has ever declared any winners.

 

Shirley~

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2oldfarts (the rockhounders): The Picture Contest is BDT's way of bringing out our best shots to see and enjoy.
That's true, the benchmark picture contest is not a type of contest in which material stuff is given to winners. The 'win' is basically for your picture to be shown in the thread, even if you're picking your own picture, which is perfectly acceptable. It seems to me that people enjoy this picture contest so I search through all 50 pages of the benchmark gallery from time to time, keeping the URLs of those that catch my eye. Other people can do the same thing of course. A few 'entries' haven't even exactly followed the picture contest rules, and that's no big deal, since there's usually something interesting or eye-catching about them. The ongoing picture contest pre-dates (by about 14 months), and is not associated with 2oldfarts (the rockhounders)'s contests.

 

One thing that I like to point out with the picture contest is that the 'distant' shot is an important part of photographic benchmark logging, not just the closeup shot. A closeup shot will not help anyone find the disk. Of course, because of the contest, some shots have gone somewhat beyond the finding aid concept to be interesting photography, but hopefully a good 'finding' picture will be included in the log too. Another thing the contest points out is that it's really a good goal to have the 'distant' picture shot to include the disk, not be from the disk. A picture taken from something is very difficult to use as an aid to finding something, since it puts you in a position of trying to find the thing with your back!

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Here's a nice one with Mt. San Gorgonio in the background. The mark on the foundation is the azimuth mark for DX3800, and the foundation in what is left of DX3812, which I logged as destroyed. Mt San Gorgonio is on the right, about 26 miles away, at 11,490 feet. Picture taken at about 2,900 feet. [Darn telephone pole & wires!!]

 

d10fdd31-a4bb-41f1-a0ee-32a2410a4e0f.jpg

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We had an exceptional day for great pictures. We would like to share a few.

 

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V 62 FQ0173

Mt. Humphry's in the background

 

 

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R 62 FQ0372

Volcano in background

 

 

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Q 62 FQ0371

Little Colorado Canyon in the background

 

 

3d01fb6b-07b5-4171-8479-57624b08ac99.jpg

P 62 FQ0370

Bridge 1

 

 

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and same bridge - Red arrow shows where mark is.

 

Lastly, this is "Not" a benchmark...but we got this shot of #73 and we just have to show it to someone!!!

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It is a picture of Condor #73 (the number can just be made out on his wing) that swooped over our heads today at one benchmark site. Way cool!

 

Thanks for letting us share.

 

Shirley~

 

P.S. Do we win? :laughing:

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30385_500.jpg

 

This is the Table Mountain Cairn in rural Ellsworth County Kansas. I am guessing it does not qualify as it is man made (Indians) and does not have a copper disk, the rock cairn is the benchmark. Not really a tower or building. We have several scattered throughout this area. You can visit the cairn and see other photos from our hike up there at the site. JG0689 was a wonderful place to visit. I have several other unusual and historic marks to contribute, but I better take time out for sleep first. Thanks for the cool thread. :ph34r: Glen

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The Oxide cairn, also in rural Ellsworth County, also an Indian made marker, it is a long hike, but a great view!

 

28034_100.jpg

 

While you can still see the circle of rocks, this one has been plummeted, treasure seekers. It was a great day, two of my boys hiked in with me, about 1 1/2 miles. A great view! As legend has it, they used these rock circles for communication fires, and you thought two Indians capturing smoke on the cartoons was just an active imagination.... Glen

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he White Bluff Cairn also in rural Ellsworth County, this one is on public hunting ground and has been plummeted. Somebody had driven a steel pipe in the middle, I suspect to use as a survey marker. This is a pretty historic area, just south of the B.O.D. line or the Military Road from Ft. Riley to Ft. Hays.

 

27687_400.jpg

 

You can park within about 200 feet of this one, maybe another reason it has been scattered. Across the River Canyon to the south, there is a fourth cairn for this area, the Sherman Ranch Cairn. Must have been quite the communication system. The rock bluffs in this area are loaded with petroglyphs. Glen

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13ac3f0f-512d-4f2d-a493-7e25c9dd315d.jpg

 

5pm Easter Day 4-16-06 UW7862 DARK RESET (visible at lower left). Mrs NorthWes was kind enough to accompany me on this first benchmark hunt of the year along Turnagain Arm (upper Cook Inlet) on Anchorage's south side. The goldrush town of Hope is visible across the Arm at upper left.

 

Our standard poodle Aero is an experienced cache hound... finding her first cache at the tender age of 10 weeks in Talkeetna AK last June. In September she sniffed out Moun10Bike Coin #398 at The gold mine cache north of Wasilla AK. She's a keeper!

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OK, I know I'm not supposed to add pics of the 'view', but after hiking up here only to find the mark destroyed, the view is all got!

1cd56170-68d6-4140-a137-8bde41b4c1a1.jpg

 

Looking easterly towards Mt baldy, with I-15 in the foreground. See my turck?......it's parked on the bridge.

Oh yeah.....this is EV3703

Edited by ffjerm
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SLO Trekker and ffjerm, beautiful photos from Southern California (or at least Central Coast California in the former case). Obviously spring has sprung farther south! I hardly saw any wildflowers on my drive to Yosemite a few weeks ago. ffjerm, I'm glad you at least got some nice photos for your effort. Your truck looks to be way, way below where you had to climb to.

 

Patty

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And now for something completely different:

e310fb2b-883e-4628-8602-f6d7adf5268e.jpg

 

That benchmark is DC0888, the rivet next to it is DC0890. They're very conveniently located next to the Aircraft Carrier Midway, which is now a museum.

 

I also took a photo of the benchmarks from the flight deck of the Midway (the dark circle on the curb is the benchmark, right below darker oval splotch in the paving):

 

c4a88cee-3c10-4891-a62a-1f4943465e8e.jpg

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ded5597a-8057-491d-8ea2-8e9b234e9a1d.jpg

LY0748 Old Millbrook village, Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey. Large parts of northwest New Jersey were bought by the federal government, when plans were made to build a dam at Tocks Island, on the Delaware River. The plans for the dam fell thorugh, and the area is now the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Most of the houses and newer buildings were torn down. Many old historic buildings remain.

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Here's a couple from SoCal this weekend. We're not much green this time of year, but brown can be pretty, too.

d2838ae8-616f-4f4d-a9ff-dcc190a7b4c0.jpg

DX2668 in Riverside CA, just south of San Timoteo Canyon

 

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DX2627 in Riverside County CA, Looking down into eastern Moreno Valley

 

b4528e1d-3e2d-49e6-bf5d-73accf6fd68b.jpg

DX1798 in Southern Orange County CA, North of El Toro, along a recreation trail, that used to be a road!

Edited by Klemmer & TeddyBearMama
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