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[OM] Re: now OT Re: copyright watermarks

Subject: [OM] Re: now OT Re: copyright watermarks
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 15:05:19 -0700
Bob Whitmire wrote:

>But, as long as we're talking about roads . . <g> . . the road from Asmara,
>capital of Eritrea, to Massawa, on the Red Sea, is 125 kilometers long and
>drops 8,000 feet in about 55 of them. 
>  
>
Well, I've been on what has to be one of the worst roads in the world. 
It goes through virgin mountain rain forest to the Rara Avis research, 
and now mostly tourist, camp. One rides in an unsprung, iron trailer 
pulled by a four wheel drive tractor. Even so, the tractor has to 
sometimes back down and try a slightly different line. They maintain the 
"road" by dropping large quantities of cut wood from fallen trees onto 
it, but the jungle swallows it up as fast as it is put down. Thought I 
would lose most of my internal organs.

More accessible than Eritria or the rain forests of Costa Rica, I offer 
a road in No. Calif. for a thrill experience. The road goes from US 101 
just No. of Orick through part of Redwook National Park across to State 
Hwy. 169 in the Hoopa Indian Reservation. The early part is beautiful 
old growth redwood forest, very scenic in an intimate way. The middle is 
across remote high ridges, very beautiful and scenic in a large vistas 
way. Somewhere along there, it goes from paved to dirt, but nicely 
graded 
<http://www.moosemystic.net/Gallery/MPhotos/BaldHills/pages/101-0162_IMG.htm>. 
Then, it starts down, at that point called Bald Hills Road. The rise 
from near sea level has been fairly easy in different parts up to a bit 
over 3,000 ft. Now it goes down to 200 ft. in about 2.3 miles as the 
crow flies. How far it is as the car skids, I don't know. You can work 
it out for yourself, if you want 
<http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=10&n=4561462.00012159&e=434985.99999997&datum=nad83>.

As it starts down, the road changes character dramatically. What was a 
pretty nice dirt road becomes a surface of some gravel/broken rock mixed 
with LOTs of very fine dirt/dust. It's an amazingly loose surface. The 
tires may have traction on the top layer, but it doesn't have much 
traction on the lower layers. Then it is graded for drainage to prevent 
washouts in winter. Each of the hairpin turns is strongly graded down 
towards the outside. There is a berm of the same loose stuff along the 
edge, but I'm sure it would offer only token resistance to a vehicle 
headed for the woods below.

Every curve was an exciting excercise in balancing sideways and forward 
slides to make the turn. I never hit the berms, but came too close a 
couple of times. I suppose it might have been worse without anti-lock 
brakes, but at the time I didn't notice them helping. One thing I'll say 
for the brakes on my non sporting Olds convertible. The pedal got lower 
and lower, but never stopped working. Bless four wheel disks. It did 
take a few minutes rest at the bottom and about half an hour of gentle 
driving on rather level road for them to feel normal again, though. The 
other fun part was the amazing cloud of fine, choking dust raised by our 
passage. Slow down too much and it was like being in a brown fog, but 
harder on the breathing.

This trip was about other things than photography and all I had along 
was my then new Can*n S110. I got some nice images elsewhere, but it 
wasn't up to the redwoods or the wide vistas. I only took 3 shots along 
this road, and none on the "interesting" part 
<http://www.moosemystic.net/Gallery/MPhotos/BaldHills/>. Too busy then. :-)

>On a motorcycle, it is a religious experience. 
>
Never, EVER, would I go down that road on two wheels.

Moose


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