So Much For That....

[+fly46]

So I went out to find that benchmark..

Aside from a few curious looks from passerbys (it is a busy street), and a massively gross side of the road (one side, nice clean church land, other side, broken beer bottles... apparently the yellow line is the sinner/saved divider), it was a simple location to get to and I give up.

 

GC0698 may very well be missing...

In a way it's kinda dissapointing, but if I really wanted to have logged a find I would have gone for one that was already found, right?

[+Touchstone]

Ya, wouldn't surprise me if it were missing. Seeing as it was placed prior to the construction of the Interstat, just about anything could've happened to it.

 

I'm not a BM pro by any means, but I'd suggest something a bit more remote for a first BM. Tops of hills, firelookouts and the like are much easier than BM's set in streets and railways. Much less conspicuous too

[+Black Dog Trackers]

fly46 -

 

For scaled marks like GC0698, you will have to go by the verbal directions, not the GPSr. Your best bet would be to start with power pole 75 and the fence.

 

If you want to start off easy with benchmarks, find marks that are adjusted, not scaled, and also ones that have been found fairly recently, like in the 1990's or 1980's. An adjusted one near you that might be findable is GC2217 (it says location is Adjusted near the top of the page).

 

Touchstone is right - stations last found in the 1960's and near a proposed interstate are likely gone.

[mloser]

I am with both opionions above. It seems there were hundreds of marks set in 1960 to help with interstate construction. A few around here have them all along their lengths. A little guesswork based on how they were set has be believing that many of the marks should still be there, especially if the interstate was totally new--they did not set the marks very close to the exact location of the road. If I40 replaced an existing road the marks may be gone, as many interstates have been widened since they were put in.

You did indeed pick a hard mark to find, and went out less than totally prepared. I never hunt in shorts or sandals. You have found one of the reason--debris. The others are all the fun things you can get bitten, scratched, or touched by (I have gotten 3 major cases of poison ivy since I started this hobby in February).

Take a measuring tape, something to poke at the ground with, a compass, and a brush of some nature to brush off the dirt that will be on the mark. Be prepared to jump fences and get dirty. The mark was at ground level in 1960, so it would be covered by dirt, grass and anything else by now. It may not be visible. Also, ignore the looks--nobody really cares what you are doing. If you are on someone's property, ask permission. Other threads have gone into that topic in depth, but I have never been refused permission.

 

Here is how I would go about it:

THE BENCH MARK IS ABOUT 250 FT. NORTHWEST OF THE CENTER OF PROPOSED INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 40 This places the mark along Elm Hill Rd. It is too far to bother measuring, unless you really need to, so eyeball it, 157 FT. EAST OF THE CENTER OF THE T JUNCTION OF MC CROY CREEK DRIVE AND ELM HILL PIKE Again, eyeball this one. You should be about 2/3 of the way from I40 and 1/3 from McCroy Crk Rd, 15 FT. NORTH OF THE CENTER OF ELM HILL PIKE It is on the north side of the road, just off the shoulder, 91 FT. NORTHWEST OF THE CENTER OF A PRIVATE DRIVE Eyeball this one again, if the private drive still remains. You may have to come back to this one if other distances don't check out. , 5 FT. EAST OF A POWER LINE POLE NUMBER 75 WITH A GUY WIRE This is your key! Hopefully the pole and guywire still exist and even better, it is numbered 75 (look hard, it may still be there!) , 0.5 NORTH OF A FENCE Yep, you have to cross the fence, or at least look over or through it, since the mark is NORTH of the road and NORTH of the fence. , AND 2 FT. NORTH OF A WITNESS SIGN This is probably gone, but if it is there your whole search is simple. . THE DISK IS SET IN TOP OF A CONCRETE POST THAT IS FLUSH WITH THE GROUND AND IS ABOUT LEVEL WITH THE ROAD. This is important--unless you are in a landscaped area, this disk is under dirt, grass, etc. and you will have to poke around to find it and clear off the dirt to prove it is a benchmark.

 

So head on back out and get this one!

[/color]

[+Colorado Papa]

So I went out to find that benchmark..

 

In a way it's kinda dissapointing, but if I really wanted to have logged a find I would have gone for one that was already found, right?

Okay, So I'm driving down Elm Hill with my arm hanging out my window since it's the only way to get my GPSr to work in the car, and I'm trying to figure out which side of the bridge it's on... Of course, I guess wrong..

How do I get your attention? I the previous string, I said to go by the description. Forget the GPSr until you find the mark. The description said it was west of the proposed interstate. There is no guess work there.

 

See if you can find GC0362. You don't have to be first to find a mark. Just get the feel for it, then try for one that has not been found.

 

Also not necessary to start a new thread everytime you want to post a comment. This would have fit in very well with the other string.

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

Regardless of what some BM hunters would have you believe, it is a good idea to use the GPSr to get you to the general area. A scaled BM may be be off the coordinates by as much as 1/10 mile (but it is usually closer). Once you get to the area then follow the description in the 'Official History'. Another thing to remember is the description can be misleading if you're not familiar with how the area has changed sinced the mark was set. We chased one mark for about 2 1/2 months before we figured out the road had been moved west about 150 yards.

 

It doesn't bother most of us if you do start a new thread when refering to the hunt that occured after the first thread ran.

 

Just remember this is for fun, it's just a game, unless you work for the NGS or USGS or some other agency.

 

Good luck and enjoy the hunts.

 

John

 

 

edit for spelling

Edited July 16, 2004 by 2oldfarts (the rockhounders)

[+Colorado Papa]

Regardless of what some BM hunters would have you believe, it is a good idea to use the GPSr to get you to the general area.

I agree that I used the GPSr to get me in the vicinity (maybe 1/4 mile) but the description tells me what side of the road and which end of the bridge. I don't expect the unit to lead me directly to the mark, scaled or adjusted, since it has a delay.

[mloser]

See if you can find GC0362. You don't have to be first to find a mark. Just get the feel for it, then try for one that has not been found.

 

Colorado... did you take a look at the log and pic on that BM? The pic is certainly NOT of the BM in the description, so I question whether it was found or not.

[+Colorado Papa]

Colorado... did you take a look at the log and pic on that BM? The pic is certainly NOT of the BM in the description, so I question whether it was found or not.

m- Thanks for pointing that out. No, I hadn't looked and I agree with you. Certainly not A STANDARD DISK, STAMPED M 85 1935 AND SET IN THE TOP OF A CONCRETE POST.

 

fly- Try GC0801 instead. (This time I looked at the picture!)

Edit to add pictures.

Edited July 16, 2004 by Colorado Papa

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

It appears as though someone has a hard time keeping their pictures straight. Cresent is an Azimuth mark and the data sheet says it should have the #1 on it, the one shown has a 2 instead. I guess that happens when you find too many in one day.

 

John

[+Colorado Papa]

It appears as though someone has a hard time keeping their pictures straight. Cresent is an Azimuth mark and the data sheet says it should have the #1 on it, the one shown has a 2 instead.

John

 

John,

On second look, I think you will agree the picture is correct. That is a Z, not a 2.

I, too, am a victim of making errors like that. Some BMs are hard to read.

 

GC0801_STAMPING: CRESCENT AZI 1961

GC0801_MARK LOGO: TNHD

Edited July 17, 2004 by Colorado Papa