Jump to content

Ever have one of those days?


mloser

Recommended Posts

I set out today to find KW3112 ELLENDALE. It is on top of a nearby mountain, or what we PA folks call mountains (western folks may laugh as much as they want), elevation about 1,500 feet or so. I saw that a road went to the top of the mountain so I figured I would drive up it and walk along the ridge for the mile or so it would take to reach the mark.

 

Problem number 1--the road was gated. The mountain is a PA Game Lands area. Ok, no big deal, I can walk up a road. So I headed up the road. About a mile into my walk I decided it would be smarter to just head cross country, up the side of the mountain, instead of walking another mile up the road and then backtracking along the ridge to the station.

 

Problem number 2--the hill was STEEP! And covered with rocks and boulders. My 20 pounds of benchmarking junk in my backback was weighing heavily on me, and as I stumbled and rested, rested and stumbled, up the slope, I thought of turning back a few times. But the description kept me going. I was hoping to see some evidence of the 30 foot tower from 1934. Not counting on it, just hoping.

 

Problem number 3--bad satellite coverage. While I kept GPS coverage MOST of the way, there were a few dropouts, and when I got to the area where the mark was supposed to be the foliage made reception poor. I lost coverage a number of times and often the accuracy was 20 or more feet.

 

Problem number 4--the hill was COVERED with rocks and boulders. None of them fit the description of the rock the mark was on, but enough were close enough to make searching difficult. The GPS kept pointing in different directions. The place it pointed to most made no sense as it was quite a bit lower than the ridge line and was in a pile of huge boulders, of which no mention was made. Nor would it have been a good place to set up a tower. To the south, on the next mountain, was LINGLE, mentioned in the description as being a substitute azi. Yet also to the south on the same ridge was a huge outrop of rock about 15 feet high. I guess the tower would have been high enough to see over it, but why set the mark on the downslope.

 

Problem number 5--the distances and elevations to the reference marks didn't make sense. If the station was actually where my GPS indicated RM 2 couldn't be 8 feet lower, at least not in the direction it was described, since that was uphill, towards the ridge.

Problem number 6--no metal detector. I shoulda, but I didn't. I do know that if I had tried to carry one up the slope I would have given up earlier. The pack and my walking stick were already too much.

 

The end result was that I wondered around the ridge for well over an hour, kicking dirt off every rock I saw. Most of the viable rocks had moss and about an inch of dirt on them. I had no luck whatsoever. I tried looking for RM 1, since it seemed the easiest to find, but found nothing at all. Nada. Zip. Honestly, I almost cried after all it took to get there.

 

Coming back down the slope was not really any easier than going up. I was already tired, and loose rocks made footing bad. It was a complete failure of a hunt.

 

After I got my strength back (a fast food burger and huge soda) I was tempted to go home, but instead headed out to find 3 marks I had put off since they are on a railroad bridge, and a very busy one at that. I was lucky enough to meet a homeowner who lived near the bridge and he let me access the tracks from his property, giving me much closer access than I previously had. It was a small consolation though.

Link to comment

Wow! Great story!

 

By the way, if the burger and soda came from McDonald's, you could log the visit in Waymarking.COM, where there is a category for recovering that chain's restaurant locations. (Logging requirement: Visit the restaurant and describe what you ate, which you have done, already--Grin.)

 

Let's see....that would give you one NF, three Found, and one Waymark for the day's effort! :angry:

 

-Paull-

Link to comment

Paul,

Or, I see you have changed it to PauLL so we can use that from now on.

 

It was a Hardees, and if I hadn't been starved I would probably have thrown most of it away! It was just the first restaurant I saw, and since I was too stupid to have brought water I wasn't sure I could make it to a different place.

 

As for the three marks I did find, I figured if I had lived through my little adventure a couple of trains or railroad cops weren't stopping me now. Or maybe I was just too tired to care. Yeah, that was it.

Link to comment

Although it is not always the case, the call for a large wooden stand left in place might mean some old weathered lumber laying around near the station.

 

It would probably have been worth while spending 15 minutes getting a good GPS fix first, but that is easy for me to say since I wasn't there.

 

The coordinate certainly doesn't 'seem' to fit being "..TOP OF THE

THIRD KNOLL ALONG THE TOP OF THE RIDGE FROM THE TRAIL LEADING UP THE MOUNTAIN.." though does it?

 

- jerry

Link to comment

Back when we were working, we went in to this one mark 3 times over 3 yrs before we found it on the 4th try. It was about 1/4 miles hike up wooded hill and the area was all grown over. Well one day in 1995 we got this catalog in our office mail from West Marine and there was a $50 off coupon. So we each (3 of use) called and ordered a Garmin GPS 45's. When we got them we got a 12 pk (for after) and headed out to find station CLASH. So 3 of us are fighting brush, I ended up lugging 3 plastic witness posts and a driver while the other 2 LS led the way. We came to a location and Steve said, Its around here somewhere. All we could see was moss covered rock and big trees, no 1954 references. So we wonder around for a few minutes and I got tired of carrying the 10 lb driver and posts and let them fall to the ground. The driver hit the rocks and made a lot of noise but I kept walking. After about 20 min we still had found nothing when Brian ended up by the driver. He hollered for me and I walked over to him (about 200 ft distance). I said, give up? He pointed to the driver and I looked. Seeing nothing he kicks the ground and there is Ref Mark 1 or 2 (don't recall which). For that they made me carry the driver back down the hill and the only thing I was looking forward to was the cold Bud Light in the suburban.

 

 

QM0581_U.S. NATIONAL GRID SPATIAL ADDRESS: 16TDR1449489944(NAD 83)

QM0581_MARKER: DS = TRIANGULATION STATION DISK

QM0581_SETTING: 7 = SET IN TOP OF CONCRETE MONUMENT

QM0581_STAMPING: CLASH 1954

QM0581_MARK LOGO: CGS

QM0581_MAGNETIC: O = OTHER; SEE DESCRIPTION

QM0581_STABILITY: C = MAY HOLD, BUT OF TYPE COMMONLY SUBJECT TO

QM0581+STABILITY: SURFACE MOTION

QM0581_SATELLITE: THE SITE LOCATION WAS REPORTED AS NOT SUITABLE FOR

QM0581+SATELLITE: SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS - March 11, 1995

QM0581

QM0581 HISTORY - Date Condition Report By

QM0581 HISTORY - 1954 MONUMENTED CGS

QM0581 HISTORY - 19950311 GOOD MIDT

QM0581

gap'd

 

QM0581 STATION RECOVERY (1995)

QM0581

QM0581'RECOVERY NOTE BY MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 1995 (BRT)

QM0581'NOTE-STATION RECOVERED WITH THE AIDE OF A GARMIN GPS45 RECEIVER. IT

QM0581'WAS REPORTED BY A TIMBER CRUSIER THAT THEY PLAN TO CUT THIS AREA IN

QM0581'THE FUTURE THE STAION IS LOCATED IN QUAD 450881. ABOUT 16.1 KM (10.00

QM0581'MI) NORTH-NORTHEAST OF IRON MOUNTAIN, MICHIGAN, ABOUT 12.9 KM (8.00

QM0581'MI) NORTHEAST OF FLORENCE, WICONSIN, NEAR THE SOUTH END OF THE HIGHEST

QM0581'TIMBERED RIDGE IN THE VICINITY. IN THE SOUTHWAST 1/4 OF SECTION 7,

QM0581'T-41-N, R-30-W, SAGOLA TOWNSHIP. PROPERTY OWNER-KEWEENAW LAND

QM0581'ASSOCIATION LTD, 117 WEST GENESSE STREET, IRON RIVER, MICHIGAN 49935,

QM0581'PHONE (906) 265-4400 TO REACH FROM THE NORTH JUNCTION OF US HIGHWAYS

QM0581'2/141 AND STATE HIGHWAY M-95 AT THE NORTH SIDE OF IRON MOUNTAIN FOLLOW

QM0581'STATE HIGHWAY M-95 NORTH FOR 7.9 KM (4.90 MI) TO A PAVED ROAD LEFT

QM0581'(SWANSON ROAD) , TURN LEFT (WEST) FOR 1.87 KM (1.15 MI) TO A 3 WAY

QM0581'INTERSECTION, TURN LEFT CROSSING RAILROAD TRACK TO ANOTHER 3 WAY

QM0581'INTERSECTION (BASS LAKE RD-CO RD 607) , TURN RIGHT (NORTH) ON COUNTY

QM0581'ROAD 607 FOR 1.87 KM (1.15 MI) TO A ROAD LEFT (PEAVY FALLS RD) , TURN

QM0581'LEFT (WEST) FOR 1.89 KM (1.15 MI) TO THE END OF PAVEMENT, CONTINUE

QM0581'ALONG GRAVEL ROAD (UNDER CONSTRUCTION 1995) FOR 2.3 KM (1.40 MI) TO A

QM0581'SMALL CLEARING ON THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT. THIS IS THE END OF TRUCK

QM0581'TRAVEL. FROM HERE PACK OR ATV NORTHEASTERLY THRU TIMBER 0.4 KM (0.25

QM0581'MI) MORE OR LESS TO THE TOP OF THE HILL AND A DIM LOGGING ROAD.

QM0581'FOLLOW DIM ROAD NORTHEAST APPROX. 90 M (295.3 FT) MORE OR LESS TO THE

QM0581'STATION STATION 0.0 M (0.0 FT) EAST OF A CARSONITE WITNESS POST ON THE

QM0581'RIGHT SIDE OF A DIM LOGGING ROAD. NO OTHER PROMINENT REFERENCE MARKS

QM0581'EXIST EXCEPT FOR RM 1 AND RM 2 WHICH WERE RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION

QM0581'AND WITNESSED BY CARSONITE WITNESS POSTS

Edited by Z15
Link to comment

It was indeed on a knoll, and from the topo I think it would have been the third one. After getting to the top I was unpleasantly surprised when I discovered another 50 feet of climb to get to that third knoll. After I got to the indicated coords nothing really seemed right. I did indeed let the GPSr rest a while, mostly because I was sitting on a rock trying to get my strength... err... bearings, yeah, that's it, bearings! The problem was the tree growth. I simply couldn't get a lock on more than three satellites, and even when I did the accuracy was low. Each time the GPSr reestablished connection it took about 3 minutes for it to settle down to where it thought it was ok. However, I never was pleased with it.

I really thought I would see something left of the tower, but there was nothing in the area--no old wood that wasn't dead tree (without sawmill processing). All the time I stood up on that hill I could hear gunfire in the valley below, which of course made me nervous as I wasn't sure if it was hunting season or not (turns out it was NOT hunting season and I was hearing a rifle range, but I had no way of checking on that. Then).

 

To sum it up, something just seemed wrong. I have seen inaccurate GPSr readings, but not so consistently inaccurate. The mark WANTED to be in a totally illogical place according to the GPSr, and that made me wonder. And wander, to be honest.

 

I definitely have to go back, probably with help. I was concerned for my safety a few times as I scampered down the rock covered slope and wondered what I would do if I actually fell. I think two heads would be much better than one, and the addition of a metal detector would be invaluable.

Link to comment

Alright - let's find this one..we'll pull in everybody w/in a 1500 mi radius - mloser will lead the expedition, I'll bring the 100' tape & McDonalds burgers, PFF can drive up w/ RadioShack 3300s, 2200s, & 1100's, GEO* can bring excavation gear, Z15 a 12-pack (better make it 2), jwahl orienteering equip. ...hmm - upon re-reading mloser's last post, we may need bullet-proof vests also...

 

...while we're doing this, why doesn't eveyone take a month off & we'll just head westward in a more or less straight line, county by county, submitting NGS recoveries - would look real cool on holographs maps!

Link to comment

Hunting season(s) start the second week of October around here, if I am reading the Game Commission web site correctly, so we are safe until then. Theoretically.

 

The first gunshots I heard while on the ridge were from a state run gun range, but while walking, if that is indeed the correct term for the odd little shuffle I managed to do while heading down the access road after my adventure, I heard some much closer gunfire, this time on the opposite side of the mountain. They were either killing a whole herd (deer)/covey (grouse)/scurry (squirrels)/flock (seagulls, sorry, couldn't resist the 80s reference)/crapload (anything else) of something or were target shooting in their yard. And yes, it is that kind of area. The road to the access road is dirt, albeit well kept dirt, which is rare enough in this area that when I get to one I figure it is a private road. I could hear the banjos playing, figuratively. At that point I figured if they killed me at least I wouldn't suffer.

 

I am not trying to make this out to be the Matterhorn. It IS, after all, just a low Appalachian ridge, but to a person pushing 50, in typical American physical condition, it was a whole lot more than I was prepared for. Add the fact that I neglected to prepare for it at all--no water bottle, no snack, didn't take the right stuff, did take the wrong stuff, and I was just setting myself up for a dismal day. In fact, my legs still ache from it!

 

To quote some famous American general (yeah, I know who!), I shall return!

Link to comment

USPSQD stops by every year to boost their number because it is an easy one.

 

Ernmark, you know what hunting season is like in PA, and I am seriously considering the orange vest if I want to hunt benchmarks through the end of year. I think at some point there is a season called "Everything that moves, with the exception, maybe, of people".

Link to comment

O.K. - I'll amend post #8 - we give mloser a Garmin Rino & send him up the mtn w/ check-ins every 5 min, while the rest of us set up base camp at the bottom of the ridge & guard the 12-packs...

 

 

Ernmark, you know what hunting season is like in PA, and I am seriously considering the orange vest if I want to hunt benchmarks through the end of year. I think at some point there is a season called "Everything that moves, with the exception, maybe, of people".

..and that's just in town !

Edited by Ernmark
Link to comment

I am not trying to make this out to be the Matterhorn. It IS, after all, just a low Appalachian ridge, but to a person pushing 50, in typical American physical condition, it was a whole lot more than I was prepared for. Add the fact that I neglected to prepare for it at all--no water bottle, no snack, didn't take the right stuff, did take the wrong stuff, and I was just setting myself up for a dismal day. In fact, my legs still ache from it!

 

Hey! Make me feel old! Wait a minute. I was pushing 50 when I section hiked Dolphin County...

Always bring water!

Link to comment

Funny Harry,

As you know it is Dauphin County, named for something other than the swimmy thing. I have lived here for my entire life and don't know what French dude it is named for however, and refuse to look it up now. I know who Harrisburg and Hershey were named for though, as well as Wormleysburg, Mechanicsburg, Hummelstown, and a few others.

 

Yeah, yeah, take water. I know that, and I have been pretty good about doing it, but not this time. It is a small consolation to realize that I am not getting more foolish or stupid in my old age. I would have done this with even less thought and preparation in my 20s or 30s.

 

And if you are older than I, you are old. Simple rule.

Link to comment

..don't tell him about the names of some of those towns east of Lancaster !

 

..speaking of water - 10 years or so ago I drove thru Death Valley by myself with nothing but 2 liters of Dr. Pepper & a bag of Sun Chips! (ok, it WAS a brand new rental & it was Feb...but still!)*

 

* off-topic, but example of youthful (30's) indiscretion..

Link to comment

Funny Harry,

As you know it is Dauphin County, named for something other than the swimmy thing. I have lived here for my entire life and don't know what French dude it is named for however, and refuse to look it up now. I know who Harrisburg and Hershey were named for though, as well as Wormleysburg, Mechanicsburg, Hummelstown, and a few others.

 

Yeah, yeah, take water. I know that, and I have been pretty good about doing it, but not this time. It is a small consolation to realize that I am not getting more foolish or stupid in my old age. I would have done this with even less thought and preparation in my 20s or 30s.

 

And if you are older than I, you are old. Simple rule.

 

Ach. Sorry. Never feed the dolphin a straight line. His mouth works faster than his brain. Okay. I'll bite. Who is Mechanicsburg named after?

Okay. So when are we getting together to push you up the mountain? That's Stony Moutain? AT moves north from Blue Mountain to Second to Stony to Peter's Mountain, to avoid Fort Indiantown Gap. Ha! Try getting your day's supply of water at Peter's Mountain Shelter. The spring is down at the bottom of the mountain.

Yeah, there are strange people in Pennsylvania Game Commission Lands. I was at the top of Lehigh Gap once. No trees due to zinc pollution from the smelters at Palmerton. Severe warning concerning drinking any water found in the area. Small children should not visit this area more than once a year. (Great views!) And I saw four hunters carrying a deer down the hill. EWW! There was probably enough zinc in that deer to be lethal.

More than .2 from the car, I carry a liter of water. More than a mile, I'll carry 2 liters. When I backpacked, I usually carried 5 liters of water.

The dauphin was was the heir apparent to the throne of France.

Link to comment

Yup there will be a beer left.

Or was that bear left.

After 1 I can't remember.

I am ready to extracate,excavate or...... just don't give me that second beer.

 

You guy's are too much.

I have been having some flashbacks on this one.

If you only knew the long hikes in the desert with no water or provisions.

In our youth we could get away with a lot more.

 

But it is a fact no matter how(old) we are it is how old you feel.

 

And that is what I am told is called SOMETIMMERS Disease.

Sometimes we just forget.

 

It is when it becomes ALLTIMMERS is when it is bad.

I forget all the time errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Link to comment

The official sign for Mechanicsburg says

Mechanicsburg

Named for a town of mechanics

I have never seen a whole town full of mechanics before. Nor will I now--Mechanicsburg is more of a bedroom community for Harrisburg than anything else. Maybe it was named for some other town of mechanics. It shows no overt signs of mechanicsness other than the name.

 

One common thread in this area is the number of towns named for men whos first names were John--John Wormley(sburg), John Harris(burg), John Hummel(stown), John Palm(yra). It almost seems to have been a requirement for a while.

 

The mountain it is on is Third Mountain, between Second Mountain and Peters Mountain. I always assumed they moved the AT north to bypass Indiantown Gap Military Base ("Reservation" we used to call it), since they currently use the south face of the hill to fire against. I was lucky to get on base to hunt all the marks there, with escort. I was also along the old AT just east of Indiantown Gap and at the Susquehanna River north of Harrisburg looking for tri-stations. The trail has been gone so long at those places that it is impossible to see any evidence of it. It is cool to be standing at places of history though.

 

Ernmark, were you talking about Intercourse, Bird in Hand, Paradise and Blue Ball? I won't tell! And since you mentioned Lancaster, if any of you visit the area, be sure to pronounce it Lank' is-ter, not Lann-cass-ter as in Burt Lancaster or Lancaster, CA. Totally off topic, but when I was in high school I had a friend from Massachusetts who refused to bow to local customs and pronounce it "our way". When I found out he was from Worcester, pronounced, logically, Wooster, I taunted him endlessly by saying HIS town incorrectly. "Hand me that Worrr-sssester-shire sauce, please!" It drove him nuts, so I never did stop. Nor did he stop saying Lannncaster.

 

I won't argue about the water. I knew better. I just didn't act on it!

Link to comment
Ernmark, were you talking about Intercourse, Bird in Hand, Paradise and Blue Ball?

 

I was always partial to "East". Are there suburbs? Like "North East"? What about "West East"? Talk about getting confusion directions for the station... "15 miles west of east"..

 

Me.

 

No, but get this - my hometown has a North St., East St., South St. & West St. ...so we have addresses such as 10 West South, 10 South West, 10 South East etc, etc. ...I almost can understand why our mailpeson could "go Postal" !

Link to comment

You can always tell when the reporter on New York TV or radio is new, when they refer to ber-NARDS-ville. It's BURN-urds-ville. (Bernardsville) Or wuh-NOCK-ee, instead of WANN-a-que (Wanaque). Whis is near the why-uh-NOKE-ee (Wyanokie) Mountains. Same derivation. Very different pronunciations. HOUSE-ton Street in NYC, not HEW-ston (Houston). Not much time for benchmarking on my upcoming 21 County Tour of NJ Cache trip, but I will be going to BER-lin. (Not sure if the cache is in West Berlin or East Berlin.)

Link to comment

Speaking of pronunciation, in college I once took a course in Limnology (study of inland waters). There were lots of scientific names of insects (Freshwater Invertebrates) to memorize and the pronunciations were always a problem. One day the professor gave us all a rule-of-thumb that solved our pronunciation problems.......

 

"Always place the em-PHA-sis on the second syl-LA-ble."

 

I guess you could call it two exceptions that make the rule. It usually works pretty well with most scientific jargon.

Link to comment

The official sign for Mechanicsburg says

Mechanicsburg

Named for a town of mechanics

I have never seen a whole town full of mechanics before. Nor will I now--Mechanicsburg is more of a bedroom community for Harrisburg than anything else. Maybe it was named for some other town of mechanics. It shows no overt signs of mechanicsness other than the name.

 

 

In this area sugar plantations were the major industry. To fulfill the need for labor the plantations imported people from all over. Korea, Japan, China, Puerto Rico, and even Portugal to name some. As each group were brought in the plantation built a new village for them. Consequently the housing was segregated by race. The villages were named after managers of the mill.

 

With that in mind it's not a big stretch to envision a company town segregating its work force's housing by trade. After all the mangers did not associate with the mechanics and the mechanics did not associate with the laborers etc. Hence a whole town of mechanics is quite possible. And the “town” would be the housing area and not the working area so it would be what we now call a bedroom community. It would be interesting to look a little deeper into the history of the area.

Link to comment

 

No, but get this - my hometown has a North St., East St., South St. & West St. ...so we have addresses such as 10 West South, 10 South West, 10 South East etc, etc. ...I almost can understand why our mailpeson could "go Postal" !

 

We don't have it quite that bad, but where I live, there is and East Ave. and a West Ave. Both run north/south. What I never understood was why West Ave was to the east of East Ave. and hence East Ave. was to the west of West. Ave.

 

Edit for clarity. The two are only a few blocks apart, but of the two, East Ave. is on the west, and West Ave. is on the east. That makes more sense.

Edited by andylphoto
Link to comment

68-Eldo,

I don't think it is that deep. There is no corresponding Managersville nearby for instance. The concept of segregated communities isn't something I had thought of, nor is there any evidence of that in this area. Most towns simple sprang up unplanned.

 

I am trying to think of businesses that would require mechanics in the era that the town was formed and named, but come up empty. That doesn't mean there are none, just that I am not up to date on Mechanicsburg history (ask me something about Hershey though!). Currently it is known as being the home of the US Navy Inventory Control Point, and a whole lot of warehouses as it is very close to a number of major roads leading in all directions.

Link to comment

...the scoop on Mechanicsburg, PA:

 

Named for a settlement of mechanics who repaired and made wagons in the early 1800's, Mechanicsburg's continued growth was also attributed to the Cumberland Valley Railroad (CVRR). Another part of Mechanicsburg's growth occurred when the Naval Support Activity was built on 840 acres of land in Hampden Township.

 

Completing its line in 1837, Mechanicsburg was designated as a water station where workers could restock the locomotive's wood and pump water. The train became the town's link to the world of business and industry.

 

Grain and feed companies, lumber yards and numerous factories were purposely built along side the railroad tracks. Archives show that, at one time, there were twenty-five trains chugging through the town daily carrying travelers, coal, feathers, fruit, ice, mail and newspapers. During the Civil War, the railroad was an invaluable method of transporting troops and supplies.

 

Today, approximately two trains travel through Mechanicsburg each day. Although automotive technology changed the town forever, today's residents cannot dismiss the vital role the railroad played in its development.

 

Info courtesy of the Mechanicsburg Museum Association ....which I didn't know existed until a few minutes ago.... which is a shame - I don't live that far away..

Edited by Ernmark
Link to comment

68-Eldo,

I don't think it is that deep. There is no corresponding Managersville nearby for instance. The concept of segregated communities isn't something I had thought of, nor is there any evidence of that in this area. Most towns simple sprang up unplanned.

 

I am trying to think of businesses that would require mechanics in the era that the town was formed and named, but come up empty. That doesn't mean there are none, just that I am not up to date on Mechanicsburg history (ask me something about Hershey though!). Currently it is known as being the home of the US Navy Inventory Control Point, and a whole lot of warehouses as it is very close to a number of major roads leading in all directions.

 

What I had in mind was a steel mill. That would be an industry that needed mechanics to maintain the mill machinery. A large mill would also build a company town with the company store (to get the wages back into company hands) and the whole nine yards. I imagine a coal mine would be another possibility. But I don’t know if either one was anywhere near that location.

 

I see Ernmark came through with the details. Thanks Ernmark. The history of the name is even older than I thought. But even better too.

Link to comment

68-Eldo, we did have a huge steel industry in Harrisburg and Steelton. Harrisburg still has one small mill and Steelton has a larger one, downsized a lot from its former glory though. It makes rails (I think. I know it USED to because I toured it 3 times). There was also another in Harrisburg that has been gone since the 1940s. Absolutely NO evidence of it remains that I can find. For anyone who knows the Harrisburg area the Pennsylvania Dept of Transportation is on part of the site. There are benchmarks all along the railroad and road along the mill sites though. It is somewhat depressing to visit this area though. The community was once a thriving mill town and now is just a dirty semi-slum.

 

Mystery Ink,

I guess I could have submitted:

 

"MARK NOT FOUND AFTER 2 HOUR SEARCH. I FORGOT MY WATER AND THE GPS WAS WORKING POORLY, SO I GAVE UP. GOOD LUCK TO THE NEXT GUY."

Link to comment

Fun stuff, guys. Been there, done that myself (or very similar).

 

On the East Street subject: Just recovered 3 or 4 marks on East Street (in Anaheim CA, about 5 blocks from Disneyland). Here are typical to reach directions for these: AB8640

Some were worse, really messy! Oh, and there IS a West Street (used to run just west of Disneyland, but since that section has been renamed Disney Way). And out here on the left coast, West is west of East, and East is east of West! I haven't had time to log them yet, had to get back to Disneyland (really!).

 

We have a little gathering at Disneyland of all the US experts on Disney Benchmarks, from both coasts, all 5 of us! You might recognize Patty (Wintertime) from these forums, and her webpage. I'll say "Hi". Three of us recovered a total of 9 "Urban" Benchmarks in about 2 hours (well, I had recovered one previously, so only 8 for me). 10 marks searched for, so only 1 no-find. Power Benchmarking. Not my thing, really. I'd rather hike two miles for one, but it was interesting. And the other folks were out of towners and got some "near Disneyland" benchmarks. Darn... I ranneth off at the keyboard again.... Gotta run - time to meet at Disneyland for dinner!

 

Thanks for entertaining posts, mloser!

Link to comment

Hi,

I'm glad to see someone else run into the problems that I have on most of the bm's that I look for. I'm partial to stations that are on top of mountains or way off the beaten path. I have to carry my food and water along with the tools and a metal detector, some times four miles one way with a vertical climb of a few thousand feet. Since I've found most of the fun ones that are close by I have to drive a good distance so my production has dropped quite a bit.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...