Infill Benchmarking

[ArtMan]

Infill development is what builders call it when the acquire a lot or two and build a mini-mansion or a couple of townhouses in an existing neighborhood, as opposed to clear-cutting a hundred acres for an entirely new subdivision.

 

A lot of my benchmarking is of the latter variety. I'll pick out an interesting town or stretch of road maybe an hour from home, print out my datasheets, tank up the car, and go.

 

Here in the Washington area — and possibly where you are, too — after several years of this hobby you would think all the nearby marks have been visited.

 

Well, not so, bunky!

 

I just returned from a short morning trip to an area less than 10 air miles from home that had quite a few unvisited marks. This is not some dicey area where an armed escort showing proper gang colors would be needed either. Just an ordinary suburban area with disks in the ground and on buildings; radio towers, church spires, hospital stacks, etc. (For those familiar with the area, I'm talking Silver Spring.)

 

Hell, in preparing for this trip I even discovered that I have failed to log one extremely prominent and nationally-known historic intersection station that I see every day as I leave work!

 

Boy, do I feel dumb.

 

Anyway, the point (and I do have one, as Ellen DGeneres says) is that there may be some good benchmarking right under your nose, and in these times of high gas prices, it pays to look.

 

-ArtMan-

[+Ernmark]

..I've got quite a few in my area that I need to get to, but haven't because

 

- they're currently covered by ticks & poison ivy - or -

 

- the owner isn't ever around to ask permission to hunt

 

...I've got one a few min. from my house I haven't been able to "occupy" and it's driving me crazy...just a little too far from the road (heck, ArtMan, YOU've even seen it from afar!). I've stopped by maybe a dozen times, but no one was home...sigh!

 

- E

Edited June 13, 2006 by Ernmark

[ArtMan]

...I've got one a few min. from my house I haven't been able to "occupy" and it's driving me crazy...just a little too far from the road (heck, ArtMan, YOU've even seen it from afar!).

 

Boy, that one has me intrigued. I'm going to have to do some investigation to see which one Ernmark has in mind.

 

The one I referred to in my earlier post has now been safely logged. It's UA0016 FREEDOM, The Statue of Freedom atop the U.S. Capitol dome. Whew!

 

-ArtMan-

[+Intermountain Angler]

...I've got one a few min. from my house I haven't been able to "occupy" and it's driving me crazy...just a little too far from the road (heck, ArtMan, YOU've even seen it from afar!).

 

Boy, that one has me intrigued. I'm going to have to do some investigation to see which one Ernmark has in mind.

 

The one I referred to in my earlier post has now been safely logged. It's UA0016 FREEDOM, The Statue of Freedom atop the U.S. Capitol dome. Whew!

 

-ArtMan-

 

Hmmm interesting, was there another PID # before 1993? or was this the first time it was designated as a mark?

Also if I remember correctly wasn't the statue removed in the late eighty's to be refurbished at the same time the dome was worked on?

[ArtMan]

Hmmm interesting, was there another PID # before 1993? or was this the first time it was designated as a mark?

Also if I remember correctly wasn't the statue removed in the late eighty's to be refurbished at the same time the dome was worked on?

The statue was removed in May 1993 and replaced in October. The Architect of the Capitol website has more information.

 

The datasheet doesn't specify the date of monumentation, but I am fairly confident it would be after the reinstallation.

 

It is SO prominent a landmark that you would have to believe it was used as an intersection station pre-1993. Not sure how to find out, thought.

 

-ArtMan-