Unfamiliar Terms

[foxtrot_xray 4]

Thought I'd re-open this topic with two terms I came across that confound me..

 

First, in EE0008, the description mentions a 'Balustrade Post' on a bridge. That would be...?

 

Second, JL0661, it is a Cairn. I know what cairns are, but am more familiar with the very old ones used for Native American rituals. This one is at 14-thousand feet. Did they build it? Or is this another definition of the word 'cairn'?

[AZcachemeister 3]

Thought I'd re-open this topic with two terms I came across that confound me..

 

First, in EE0008, the description mentions a 'Balustrade Post' on a bridge. That would be...?

 

Second, JL0661, it is a Cairn. I know what cairns are, but am more familiar with the very old ones used for Native American rituals. This one is at 14-thousand feet. Did they build it? Or is this another definition of the word 'cairn'?

 

A balustrade is a row of repeating balusters -- small posts which support the upper rail of a railing. Staircases and porches often have balustrades.

 

 

In your case it's probably molded concrete.

 

 

A cairn is simply a pile of rocks...usually carefully stacked to be more like a column than a mere pile.

Here's a nice one. I'm sure there will be better ones along shortly.

 

Edited May 18, 2008 by AZcachemeister

[Papa-Bear-NYC 0]

Thought I'd re-open this topic with two terms I came across that confound me..

 

First, in EE0008, the description mentions a 'Balustrade Post' on a bridge. That would be...?

 

Second, JL0661, it is a Cairn. I know what cairns are, but am more familiar with the very old ones used for Native American rituals. This one is at 14-thousand feet. Did they build it? Or is this another definition of the word 'cairn'?

Cairns are common as trail markers or summit markers and may be as old as 100 years or as young as yesterday. Sometimes one was placed over an old mark (copper bolt, etc.) to make it a bit easier to find it. Sometimes just the cairn was the station.

 

Here's a fairly modest on over QUODDY (1860)

 

 

Here's a big one over station DUTCH (1916)

 

Edited May 18, 2008 by Papa-Bear-NYC

[foxtrot_xray 4]

Alright, thanks guys. That one station says the mark is on the TOP of the balustrade - so I'm guessing that when I get there, it'll actually be on top of the top railing. (I haven't seen ANY bridges in my state that just have columns/balustrades, and no top railing item.)

 

About the cairns - also thanks. That's what I thought they were, but I was surprised that someone would have put one on the top of a fourteener. Heck, there's another cairn on the top of another fourteener one mountain down. That must have been some fun work.

[AZcachemeister 3]

The trouble with cairns on mountaintops is they usually get pushed over...people think there MUST be something buried underneath them.