VALUABLE INFO FROM GONE REFERENCE OBJECTS

[kayakbird]

My recent Snowbird visit to the BLM Squaw Lake campground on the Colorado River just above the Imperial Dam

was primarily for birding and kayaking but GSAK/DSWORLD map scouted a bit and had selected a few nearby targets.

 

The first attempt at DB1297had ended in failure when two new kayaking (non-gecaching) friends and I stopped

there with just DDDMMSS.s info on my Garmin Vista and a vague remembrance of bearings and distances

to the RM's. Did come up with some broken pieces of cementing material at the likely location

of RM 2 so a few days later equipped with numbers, 100 ft tape, skewers, probe and digging tools

I made a return trip (happens to be one of the very few places to get on the bank along this reach of the river).

 

Nailing the end of the tape into the center of the mass at

 

 

SQUAW RM 2

and probing either side of the distance while swinging the arc quickly produced the satisfying thud

of steel on brass about four inches down and a bit of easy digging brought the mark to light.

 

The tape was then pinned near the station and close scrutiny at the distance revealed broken cementing material from RM 1.

 

A week earlier I had hiked to a triangulation point with numbers, tape and tape holder to a triangulation point

that has what I believe is a 'clerical error' in the DS.

 

DB1299'STATION AND REFERENCE MARKS ARE STANDARD BRONZE DISKS WEDGED

-------

 

DB1299 STATION RECOVERY (1954)

DB1299

 

------

 

DB1299'AND STATION.

DB1299'

DB1299'LAC CAP--LOS ANGELES COUNTY CAP ON 1-INCH IRON PIPE IN GROUND.

 

--------

 

I believe that the above partial sentence referring to a LAC CAP is missing from some other DS.

 

Locating the remains of both RM settings and measuring from both helped to determine that the pipe

 

POSSIBLE BOR TP

in the previous erroneous (read soft bogus, as are several) log is about two feet NW of the station location,

which is also most likely busted out & gone also, but no probe or digging tools on this trip.)

 

Moral of the story: having all the information and the tools to use it will make a much more satisfying day afield. kayakbird

Edited January 10, 2012 by kayakbird

[TillaMurphs]

Nailing the end of the tape into the center of the mass... and probing either side of the distance while swinging the arc quickly produced the satisfying thud

of steel on brass about four inches down...

Ahhh, the joy of finding a station or RM after swinging the arc(s) and probing down for a solid noise! Nicely captured.

 

Did come up with some broken pieces of cementing material at the likely location of RM 2...

Any idea what happened to your missing RMs? Do you think someone pried them out?

 

 

Thanks for sharing your story kayakbird.

[kayakbird]

 

Any idea what happened to your missing RMs? Do you think someone pried them out?

 

 

TillaMurphs & all,

 

Most of the rock outcrops in this part of the world are very fractured making removal of disks very easy. MEL

 

SENATOR RM 1 SETTING

[AZcachemeister]

Possibly the only thing that saved the station mark was the fact that it was buried.

 

I'm sure you covered it back up, right?

[kayakbird]

Possibly the only thing that saved the station mark was the fact that it was buried.

 

I'm sure you covered it back up, right?

 

I did at SQUAW; with a few pallet fire nails and also at the RM 1location. MEL