Benchmark Picture Contest 2007 - Part 2

[+Black Dog Trackers]

Here are links to the last 2 benchmark 'contest' topics: 2007 - Part 1 2006 - Part 2

 

Once again here's the picture 'contest' 'rules'.

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

 

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).

 

4. Waymarked benchmark disk - any country.

 

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

 

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

 

Even though this topic is called 2007 part 2, feel free to put in your favorite 'contest picture' (either yours or someone else's) from any previous time.

 

What's the prize in this contest? The prize is that your picture will be seen here with all the other excellent benchmark pictures! (Put your own in if you like, of course.)

 

I check the Benchmark Gallery now and then, and here's some I saved....

 

Mass DPW MEMORIAL 1975 by Shorelander

 

A 339 by greywolf1242

 

V 339 by greywolf1242

 

T 258 by CallawayMT

 

2105 by CallawayMT

 

W 21 by CallawayMT

 

T 245 RESET by biomap

 

Santa Clara Valley Water District BM-48 Reset by TimberToo

 

CHEESMAN by 2/3 Marine

 

CHEESMAN by 2/3 Marine

 

Ten's the limit for a post, but there's more to post ....

[+Black Dog Trackers]

QUANDARY by go_pokes

 

MILLER by BloominFun!

 

BEACON by bullit

 

4071 by CallawayMT

 

P 159 by shorbird

 

San Diego City Engineering Dept. Benchmark at San Pasqual Battlefield State Park by Johnny_Quest

 

PB0703 - MOFFIT, Oregon by Volcanoguy

 

BLACK BUTTE 2 by bigeddy

 

P 18 by msrubble

 

GREEN POND 2 1938 1984 by Harry Dolphin

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

Here are a just a couple...All from the contestants in the last contest.

 

Deadman RM 3 recovered by AZcachemeister in AZ.

 

PTC 1661.4 recovered by Ernmark in PA.

 

A 804 Reset recovered by Doc Geo in TX.

 

OCF 5 Reset recovered by Klemmer in CA.

 

Q 380 recovered by Me & Bucky in UT.

 

CAMP recovered by andylphoto in MI.

 

62 407 1 PCO recovered by shorbird in OH.

 

T 229 recovered by wvhillbilly59 in IL.

 

ZZ 104 recovered by TheBeanTeam in OR.

 

SOUTH recovered by monkeykat in NY.

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

We can't let anyone out, now can we?

 

G 226 recovered by AstroD-Team in WI.

 

Z 349 recovered by GrizzFlyer in OH. (Even Ohio can have some pretty scenery)

 

F 176 recovered by 2/3 Marine in CO.

 

T 35 recovered by Harry Dolphin in NJ.

 

BM recovered by GEO*Trailblazer 1 in NM.

 

LUTE recovered by fossillady in CA.

 

ROCK 2 recovered by Difficult Run in VA.

 

N 384 recovered by Papa-Bear-NYC in NY.

 

F 11 recovered by holograph in PA.

 

F 6 recovered by Holtie22 in VT.

[Wintertime]

Oh, well, since waymarks count now...

 

 

[+Black Dog Trackers]

Wintertime -

Heh, I put that Pirates River shot in the 2006 Part 2 edition.

(Plus another one there; check it out!)

 

2oldfarts (the rockhounders) -

Wow, excellent collection !

[Wintertime]

Wintertime -

Heh, I put that Pirates River shot in the 2006 Part 2 edition.

(Plus another one there; check it out!)

Oops, sorry! These threads are fun, but with all the images, they do get rather long, so I don't always keep up with them...

 

Patty

[Wintertime]

(sorry for the spurious posting. I've edited it to remove the duplicate text, but can't figure out how to get rid of it entirely!)

Edited July 23, 2007 by Wintertime

[+Ernmark]

HPGN D CA BELL by russellvt

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

HF0443 WICHITA

 

[+RazorbackFan]

Here are a few photos from my recoveries over the last few months...

 

LZ1865 - Azimuth Mark

 

 

NA2214 - RM #1

 

 

USGS - GDV4

 

[+ddnutzy]

OC1354 Chococura 1876 w/ Mt Washington in the upper left corner. Taken 8-4-07 but i logged the BM in 2005.

[+ddnutzy]

OC1354 RM1 which I think is different.

[+NorthWes]

Managed to find two marks this past weekend which have piqued my interest for quite a while. They're located on Turnagain Arm - one of the northernmost extensions of the North Pacific's Cook Inlet, just south of Anchorage Alaska. These photos don't do justice to the actual vistas found at each location, but the recovery logs have a few scenic vistas uploaded to assist and encourage the next searcher.

 

UW7512 INGRAM, whose recovery illustrated how much loess (windblown silty soil) can be laid down over 43 years. There was 4" of hardpacked soil atop the mark. The recovery was complicated by the presence of salmon in the stream below, as they were the target of a bear who'd been fishing as we strolled up to the site. Mrs NW idly wondered aloud just how long the bear would tolerate my puttering about to find the mark before he returned...

 

UW7737 CAPE RESET - a prize awaiting recovery at the end of a somewhat difficult 5.5 mile (one way) hike from the trailhead. Mrs NW accompanied me on this quest... so she shares credit for this recovery! Again, bears were never far from our thoughts, as we saw scat or tracks about every 200 feet or so on the overgrown trail. Anchorage lies across Turnagain Arm in the far distance. Tide range in this body of water is a dramatic 37 feet, producing a tidal bore (wave) which is spectacular to see.

[Difficult Run]

Here's one I found today. It's especially satisfying because the USGS failed to recover it in 1959.

V157 DAM PBPP

 

~ Mitch ~

[segler999]

H88 on the Skyline Trail, Strawberry Wilderness, Oregon

[+Harry Dolphin]

Since I was a newby when I logged LY2652, I went back to search for the two 1942 reference marks, and two of the three 1882 reference marks, and the 1942 azimuth mark. (I did not search for the 1937 Azimuth.)

One of my favorite places in the world!!!

LY2562 Bear Fort Reset

[+PinkDolphin]

Wow what very nice photos, some are even amazing. So many neat ideas in this forum. Today was my first visit here and I have already come away with 2 wonderful ideas.

 

This is a really interesting forum.

 

Hello to all!

[+Harry Dolphin]

Ooh! I'll have to nominate this photo by Klemmer & TeddyBearMama

for TZ1987 RED

[+Klemmer]

Thanks, Dolphin! You beat me to it. There are a lot of great pics I got a couple weeks ago out on San Clemente Island. As soon as I finish logging all the marks, I'll toss some of the better ones here also. Or, pick some yourself.

 

Oh, OK, here's another one. It's not quite as scenic, but I like it because the mark was monumented (originally) in 1862, and we also ended up waaaaayyyy down there on Eel Point a couple days later, by bike, via a little different route than straight down from TZ1974 (Bluff) below.

 

In case your California history is a little foggy (as mine was until I checked), 1862 is only 14 years after the US was "ceded" Alta California by Mexico after the Mexican-American War. Never let it be said the surveyors back then weren't quick enough!

 

[+Rumpled]

Mind if I ask HOW you got on San Clemente Island?

As far as I know, it's a Navy Reservation and no access?

Or am I misinformed.

 

PS Good shots BTW.

[+Black Dog Trackers]

Here's some more cool pix I had saved.....

 

A 368 by imapackrat

 

CAPE RESET by NorthWes

 

INGRAM by NorthWes

 

REINERT by Jeonlyep

 

M 307 RESET by greg1701

 

INITIAL MONUMENT by 46 ZULU 50

 

K 427 by CallawayMT

 

Bright Angel Point by P of T Bill

 

GORMAN RM 4 by GEO*Trailblazer 1

 

Sunset 1962 by CoinsAndPins

[monkeykat]

OK, so I realize I am breaking rule number 1 with this post, but I found this pretty amazing, and quite a rare opportunity to see. This is mark LW3976 CENTERVILLE CHURCH, a mark I visited last summer while vacationing on Cape Cod. We had so much fun we went back again this year, and when I woke up in the morning I noticed this was going on:

 

 

Their truck said "Historic Painters". I guess this is what they do. Pretty amazing.

 

 

[+PFF]

Here are two of my finds in "urban" settings:

 

EZ6558 'INTEGON' Raleigh NC

 

EZ6530 'ANDERSON' Raleigh NC

[monkeykat]

This disk is a little unremarkable at first.

 

 

Except for when you see the picture from the same location 3 days later.

 

 

I found the disk while scouting out viewing angles for another Eastman Kodak Building Implosion. No marks destroyed in this implosion, but I was happy to make this unexpected find. I will be adding it to the Waymarking website shortly. It is a NY State DPW Disk.

 

For pictures of the actual building implosion, view my gallery at: Kodak Building 65 and 69 Implosions

[+Harry Dolphin]

Q 450 Tusten, Sullivan County, New York

 

H 450 Tusten, Sullivan County, New York

We were heading home, when we saw the witness post on the side of Rte 97, so we stopped to find the disk. View toward the Delaware River.

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

A Benchmarks View.

GF0983 K 349

[foxtrot_xray]

I'll put a few of mine, since I finally went through my pics from my cross-country trip. Here's some from my stay in Colorado. ..Hope they're big enough..

 

JL0038

 

JL0019

 

HK0510

 

That's it for me.

Edited October 24, 2007 by foxtrot_xray

[+Harry Dolphin]

KV6547 New Jersey is NOT itty-bitty and all city!

[+PFF]

Some photos from my recent benchmarking expedition in Western North Carolina:

 

 

FZ1996 'LUMP' along the Blue Ridge Parkway

 

 

FZ2962 'GLENDALE SPRINGS AZ MK' Ashe County, NC

 

AJ1572 'BARELY AZ MK' Ashe County, NC

 

FZ2996 'OBIDS' Ashe County, NC

 

FZ1998 'JEFFERSON' in Mount Jefferson State Park, Ashe County, NC

[+Ernmark]

..and I was all proud of these, but since nobody else nominated 'em I'm posting them anyway :

 

AI8792 (what looks like a bag of trash by the pole)

 

AI9387

[Papa-Bear-NYC]

Who doesn't love a covered bridge:

 

(sorry I couldn't convince the sun to move behind me.)

 

And what is as lovely as a New England Courthouse. (Prize for finding the mark. Holtie not eligible):

 

 

And who has done a recovery while a live surveyor does his thing (extra credit if you can identify the surveyor):

 

Edited October 25, 2007 by Papa-Bear-NYC

[+PFF]

It's Hotie.

 

What's the prize?

 

-Paul-

[Papa-Bear-NYC]

It's Hotie.

 

What's the prize?

 

-Paul-

The prize is you will get your picture taken at this same spot and I will post it here. Unfortunately you have to hike up, not take the gondola. Let me know when you're ready to go. Added bonus, you get to recover the mark (OD1332).

[+piper28]

KV6547 New Jersey is NOT itty-bitty

 

Well, maybe compared to something like Rhode Island, but not compared to real states.

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

It's Hotie.

 

What's the prize?

 

-Paul-

The prize is you will get your picture taken at this same spot and I will post it here. Unfortunately you have to hike up, not take the gondola. Let me know when you're ready to go. Added bonus, you get to recover the mark (OD1332).

 

He gets a prize for claiming "Hotie" is the Surveyor? Who is "Hotie"?

 

 

John

[+PFF]

Who is "Hotie"?

 

Sorry for the typo on his name.

 

I envy those in this hobby who are REAL surveyors. The next best thing, as PapaBear has demonstrated, is to have your own personal surveyor accompany you on the tough recoveries!

 

-Paul-

Edited October 30, 2007 by PFF

[Papa-Bear-NYC]

... The next best thing, as PapaBear has demonstrated, is to have your own personal surveyor accompany you on the tough recoveries!

-Paul-

Although Mr. Holtie22 is a good friend, he is hardly my "personal surveyor". It was more like he was the boss and I was the intern that held the "whatsis" while he did the skilled work. It is however a pleasure and a privilege to do a recovery with such a person.

 

This particular recover was also made much less tough by his access. He went into the front desk at the ski area and said he had to do some surveying stuff on the summit. So they handed him the key to the gated access road, no questions asked.

Edited October 30, 2007 by Papa-Bear-NYC

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

... The next best thing, as PapaBear has demonstrated, is to have your own personal surveyor accompany you on the tough recoveries!

-Paul-

Although Mr. Holtie22 is a good friend, he is hardly my "personal surveyor". It was more like he was the boss and I was the intern that held the "whatsis" while he did the skilled work. It is however a pleasure and a privilege to do a recovery with such a person.

 

This particular recover was also made much less tough by his access. He went into the front desk at the ski area and said he had to do some surveying stuff on the summit. So they handed him the key to the gated access road, no questions asked.

 

We would also deem it a pleasure and a privilege to recover a mark with a Professional someday. I don't think that will happen anytime soon though, just because of where we decided to live....out in the boonies - far away from anywhere.

 

Papa Bear, you are very lucky!

 

Shirley~

 

Now, back to the pictures.

 

GPO208 G 404 North of Bitter Springs, AZ.

Edited October 30, 2007 by 2oldfarts (the rockhounders)

[+Harry Dolphin]

Okay. Now youse people got me trying to take artistic photos! From today:

RM1 for KV5788 Guerin

[+Harry Dolphin]

It's fall in New Jersey!

R 22 KV1246 Liberty, NJ

[+GrizzFlyer]

Here's one I took the other day. Nothing special, just a multi-colored skyline at dusk. Taken in Ohio, the tree line is in Indiana. Its LA0592, an AZ MK.

 

[/img]

Edited November 18, 2007 by GrizzFlyer

[+Klemmer]

View of the Connecticut River and the surrounding valley over from top of Mt Holyoke, with the mark of same name (MX1654) in the foreground. Not often you can find an almost drive up (50 feet and some stairs from parking) from 1895. LOTS of prior logs. Nice place to visit in Mass while there on business from my usual California home area.

 

[wwflover13]

I've really enjoyed seeing all the great photos posted here, so I figured I'd post a couple of mine too:

 

SPILLWAY (AH4813)

 

HI BRIDGE (EA2722)

[holograph]

KV1606

 

This shot looks across the Delaware River valley in the distance. Another nice photo of rural New Jersey. Of course the stacks of the large BASF Belvidere industrial complex can just be barely seen in the distance in the upper right corner of the picture. But still, this part of New Jersey is nicely rural.

 

This is one of the few photos I've been able to submit to this contest. As an added bonus, neither the USPSQ nor the New Jersey Geodetic Survey were able to find this mark, so this was the first recovery since it was set in 1942!

 

[+Harry Dolphin]

KU4755 Guess I should have moved the garbage can??? Hempstead Harbor from Sea Cliff, Nassau County, New York.

Hmm... The village is at 7 feet above sea level, and on an arm of Long Island Sound. Let's call it Sea Cliff!

[+Klemmer]

Well, it's probably the first pic of a trashcan in this thread, I'll give you that!

Yeah, I'd say next time move it.

[+maconart]

Sometimes the beauty is up close.

[+Klemmer]

Yes, very nice. But not too close. Isn't that mostly Poison Ivy? Or Poison Oak, depending on the part of the country you were in.

[+maconart]

Leaves of three... let it be? This is a close representation but notice the "thumb" on some of the leaves. Just another local weed that is as deceiving as "Virginia Creeper".