Playing in the road

[+GeckoGeek]

When I was a kid some people used to tell me to go play in traffic. Little did they know that if they just gave me a GPS I just might .......

 

How do you guys deal with BM set in the road? Just wondering.

 

If you try it in the day, traffic is a bit heavy. You try it at night and it looks suspicious as well as being harder motorists to see you. Is finding the mini-manhole good enough for a "find"?

[+Renegade Knight]

Orange vests for visibilty and watch for traffic JIC

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

Whats a car?

I live so far back in the woods that I see a car or 2 a day.

I haven't had any problems.

But its like those next to the R.R. Tracks,

1. Make sure they see you.

2. Get the big Picture.

3. Keep your eyes moving.

4. Leave yourself a way out.

 

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS *GEOTRYAGAIN*

 

**1803-2003** "LOUSIANA PURCHASE"

http://www.lapurchase.org

 

"LEWIS AND CLARK EXPADITION"

http://lewisclark.geog.missouri.edu/

Initial Points Page

http://www.True-Meridiansubscribe@yahoogroups.com

[+GeckoGeek]

I guess I should have explained, I live in a city. It's more like how many cars a minute, not how many in a day. I may be able to find a lull to run out and shoot a photo of the cover, but to open it up and clean it out would require closing a lane - maybe two lanes of traffic for safety. I'm not sure the police would appreciate that.

 

I figure the answer is 'forget it" or "leave it to the pros" but I wanted to see what others do.

[+Webfoot]

quote:

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Originally posted by GeckoGeek:

I figure the answer is 'forget it" or "leave it to the pros" but I wanted to see what others do.

---

I think you've said it best. A benchmark is not worth your safety or the safety of others around you.

 

_________________________________

 

Webfoot

 

Tromping through the underbrush looking for Ammo cans, Tupperware containers, & little round disks.

[+BlueDeuce]

I was going to ask to let me know when you're going to try one. That way when they close the highway to pick up what's left of you, I could step right up and claim the mark. But seeing where you do most of your searching I'd probably be too busy sitting on the beach.

 

Out here in Iowa we have a lot of water tower marks, yours are probably mostly volcanoes.

[dsurveyor]

Remember this thread when next you see someone who's job is to be there!

 

Experience - A list of non fatal mistakes.

[Team Kender]

I about got myself run over a couple of months back while looking for a curb-side benchmark at an intersection. I was concentrating so much on the ground and following the description that I confused which direction the light was turning green for and walked out in front of a city bus.

Whoops! I probably looked funny jumping back on the curb but I'm alive to make fun of myself about it.

Don't get so distracted by the hunt that you wind up not aware of the surrounding dangers.

 

Team Kender - "The Sun is coming up!" "No, the horizon is going down."

[+Black Dog Trackers]

This thread seems weird to me - I've never seen a benchmark description saying the mark is in the road.

 

Perhaps the best solution is to Post a Note describing what evidence you saw of the mark from a safe spot. (Hopefully Jeremy will someday list Found, Not-found, Destroyed, and Note in the benchmark user stats along with a total Benchmark-count that includes all these categories and then the motivation won't be as strong to take risks.)

 

If you just can't resist looking at it, at least have 2 persons searching the mark - one to look at / photograph the mark and the other to be the lookout. Even that won't eliminate the risk. There are 700,000 other ones to look for. Post a Note and move on!

 

I think finding the mini-manhole is not good enough to count Found-it.

 

[This message was edited by Black Dog Trackers on July 29, 2003 at 10:36 AM.]

[+GeckoGeek]

Originally posted by Black Dog Trackers:

This thread seems weird to me - I've never seen a benchmark description saying the mark is in the road.

 

Take a look at TU0415, TU0415, TU0419 just to name a few. I'm sure it's a function of where you live. In the city where buildings have been changed and space is tight the most stable BMs are going to be in the road. Old ones that may be been on the sidewalk are now in the road. Everything else is subject to "progress".

[sixthings]

see RY0809, and note the pics. this is not in the middle of a road, but if the mini-manhole you mean is this variety, then the designation is stamped on the rim, which is definitey sufficient to log it as found. however, i have also found cast-iron mini-manholes with the word "survey" on them. inside these i have found disks. you need to get to the disk to have it count. try early on a sunday morning, and bring a spotter to help you be safe.

[+gnbrotz]

On a recent trip to Fletcher, OH, the picture below shows the typical setting that I encountered.

 

 

Greg

N 39 54.705'

W 77 33.137'

[Team Kender]

This is the one that about got me ran over. It's set in the elevated part of the curb, less than a milimeter from the dropoff to the road. It's not IN the road but very close.

 

Team Kender - "The Sun is coming up!" "No, the horizon is going down."

[+seventhings]

I think the mini-manhole is a good find IF the designation is stamped on the outside. Otherwise, you gotta see the object inside.

If the traffic is too heavy at 5:00 am on Sunday morning for a safe search, post a NOTE saying the mark is not safely accessible.

Hunting benchmarks doesn't pay me well enough for me to risk getting hit by a bus. Nor do I think it proper to disrupt traffic in order to indulge my hobby.

[+Black Dog Trackers]

quote by seventhings

quote:

---

Hunting benchmarks doesn't pay me well enough for me to risk getting hit by a bus. Nor do I think it proper to disrupt traffic in order to indulge my hobby.

---

 

Excellently put!

 

These marks are not for hobbyists to look at.

[Cholo]

quote:

---

Originally posted by gnbrotz:

On a recent trip to Fletcher, OH, the picture below shows the typical setting that I encountered.

 

http://www.innernet.net/gnbrotz/OH_BM_example.jpg

 

Greg

N 39 54.705'

W 77 33.137'

---

That picture looks like a Klan member stepped in front of a steam roller.

[Z15]

This reminds me of a true story my boss always told to new employee's in our survey section.

 

Way back when he was just starting out in the early 70's. The boss at the time sent 2 new guys out to find this one survey mark. It was the PI (where 2 straight centerline intersect) of a highway curve. The point was supposed to be a steel pin and it was located about 100 ft from the centerline midway in the curve. At the end of the day when they came in, the boss said "well did you find it". Yeah they said. "I'll go get it, its in the truck". So much for that point. The boss assumed they understood what he was telling them to do but they did not. They dug it out. The day before they could not even spell sirvayer?

[+beejay&esskay]

quote:

---

Originally posted by elcamino:

At the end of the day when they came in, the boss said "well did you find it". Yeah they said. "I'll go get it, its in the truck". So much for that point. The boss assumed they understood what he was telling them to do but they did not. They dug it out.

---

 

He probably asked them to "recover" it. That unusual term has confused a lot of people on this site.

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

No he said to recover it the next day.

Sr.Hombre,yo no se!(I did not know Sir),we go put it back right away.

 

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS *GEOTRYAGAIN*

 

**1803-2003** "LOUSIANA PURCHASE"

http://www.lapurchase.org

 

"LEWIS AND CLARK EXPADITION"

http://lewisclark.geog.missouri.edu/

Initial Points Page

http://www.True-Meridiansubscribe@yahoogroups.com