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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Concrete Arrows
by Ed 28 Aug '13

28 Aug '13

Patrick & Brent, I finally got the GIS site to work by going to the home page via Google. Anyway, I may be missing something here, but the arrows at exit 77 and 62 do not point down the flight path, not even close. Both of them point eastbound toward Ogden +/-. Any ideas? ------------------- Kelly, You said: "I don't think you sound crazy at all." I concur or I have to be included, or counted, as crazy, too. You said: "...One more cool thing about Utah, maybe." Absolutely no maybe about it. I enjoy your very nice and imaginative art. Ed

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Hey, we're Martians!
by D P Pierce 28 Aug '13

28 Aug '13

http://news.yahoo.com/earth-life-likely-came-mars-study-suggests-221402608.… Deloy

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Concrete Arrows
by Bruce Hugo 28 Aug '13

28 Aug '13

Wow! What a cool investigative trip! Bruce Hugo ------------------- Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 14:37:32 -0600 From: Daniel Holmes <danielh(a)holmesonics.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Concrete Arrows Message-ID: <6728A7D7-B085-4942-9783-6AE98F72E920(a)holmesonics.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 I drove the old Transcontinental railroad bed from Promontory to Lucin last summer.... <clip> Dan

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Concrete Arrows
by Joe Bauman 28 Aug '13

28 Aug '13

Very cool. Thanks! Joe ------------------------------ On Wed, Aug 28, 2013 4:01 PM MDT Daniel Holmes wrote: >Here's a couple of pictures: The original marker, a closeup of the 1957 USGS marker that's on top, and the sign commemorating the original... > >https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/60391566/WheelerSurvey1.jpg >https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/60391566/WheelerSurvey2.jpg >https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/60391566/WheelerSurvey3.jpg > >Dan > >On Aug 28, 2013, at 3:20 PM, Joe Bauman <josephmbauman(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > >> Dan, What was the Wheeler Survey marker like? Thanks, Joe >> >> >> >> >> ________________________________ >> From: Daniel Holmes <danielh(a)holmesonics.com> >> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> >> Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 2:37 PM >> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Concrete Arrows >> >> >> I drove the old Transcontinental railroad bed from Promontory to Lucin last summer. Dad was riding shotgun looking for holes and other terrain that'd kill the Jeep and Mom was writing down GPS coordinates of the water stations, sidings and ghost towns along it--almost nothing left of most of them--they were company owned and were in most cases physically picked up and moved to Nevada when the railroad moved south over the GSL. We stopped in Lucin for a while and looked around, saw the old watering hole that was fed from a 4" pipe from a spring up in the mountains 10+ miles away. Up until a few years ago, there were a few people living there, now it's only Ivo. We did see a UPS truck making a delivery (or a pickup, I guess) to the buildings to the side of the airstrip. >> >> It took the better part of the day because of the mapping, but it was a great trip. Hot and dusty, but the railbed was in remarkably good shape (could hit 45 mph in parts). Most of the bridges have had bypasses installed so you can't drive over them, but there are still plenty of ties, spikes, metal parts, etc left. I found the remains of a firehouse, and took a couple of the firebricks. I was amazed at how light it was, even with some of the slag still attached. The old cemeteries for the various towns are still there, but only a few readable markers. I also found the 1869 Army survey marker put in by 1st Lt Wheeler on his 'Survey west of the 100th Meridian',the 1957 USGS marker and a more modern marker--he was off by only about 10 feet. >> >> We finished the trip by driving down to the Sun Tunnels, and had dinner at the Salt Flats Cafe. I've never had better, or cheaper Mexican food, and make it a point to always eat there when I can. >> >> Dan >> >> On Aug 28, 2013, at 1:37 PM, Brent Watson <brentjwatson(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >> >> His name is Ivo Zdarsky and is an escapee from the communist blok - literally. That's how he got his start in aviation. He built his escape machine. Here is a story about him. >> >> http://www.heraldextra.com/news/state-and-regional/airport-owner-is-only-re… >> >> It says he cleared the airstrip. I think I remember there being an airstrip when I was a teenager. I'll have to check out my old sectionals. >> >> But, I almost like your story better, Chuck. >> >> Brent >> >> From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards(a)gmail.com> >> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> >> Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 1:22 PM >> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Concrete Arrows >> >> >> I bet Larry remembers the days when you could meet the Tuesday autogyro at >> the Lucin airstrip to pick up your mail. The dirigible came one Saturday a >> month, unless the wind was blowing. ;-) >> _______________________________________________ >> Utah-Astronomy mailing list >> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy >> >> Send messages to the list to >> Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com >> >> The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. >> >> To unsubscribe go to: >> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy >> Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". >> >> -- >> Daniel Holmes, danielh(a)holmesonics.com >> "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Utah-Astronomy mailing list >> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy >> >> Send messages to the list to >> Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com >> >> The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. >> >> To unsubscribe go to: >> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy >> Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". >> _______________________________________________ >> Utah-Astronomy mailing list >> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy >> >> Send messages to the list to >> Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com >> >> The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. >> >> To unsubscribe go to: >> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy >> Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". > >-- >Daniel Holmes, danielh(a)holmesonics.com >"Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin > > > > >_______________________________________________ >Utah-Astronomy mailing list >http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy > >Send messages to the list to >Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > >The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. > >To unsubscribe go to: >http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy >Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".

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Transcontinental Air Mail Route
by Beverley Getzen 28 Aug '13

28 Aug '13

More info on the beacons and arrows: http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-traveler/2013/06/transcontinental-air-mail-… -- Beverley Getzen Retired, US Army Corps of Engineers PO Box 202 Wadesboro, NC 28170-0202 704-694-7022 "There are times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time we fail to protest." Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Concrete Arrows
by Ed 28 Aug '13

28 Aug '13

Brent, I must apologize, you are correct! I got the wrong orientation from the fuzzy Google Earth images, then discovered the higher resolution Bing images but, mesmerized by the detailed image, failed to notice the orientation. Not intending to beat a dead horse, but why then does the exit 77 arrow not point at the beacon site north of Grantsville, in effect skipping that marker and pointing at Lakeside. Is the answer that if a pilot can see the arrow in daytime, he can fly the straight path to Lakeside, while at night, following beacon lights he would be better off going for the clearer, less confusing perhaps, and brighter beacon directed at him from the marker north of Grantsville before changing course and heading for Lakeside? As a pilot yourself, does that make sense? Could a pilot set a reasonable course based on a short blunt arrow as he flies over or near it? Or, would he have a chart listing the compass course for each leg of the route and use that for navigation? In the later case, I guess the arrow would just be a coarse reminder of which way to turn when passing the marker. Ed ------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 10:22:02 -0700 [11:22:02 AM MDT] From: Brent Watson <brentjwatson(a)yahoo.com> I did try Bing maps. There is better resolution, I agree. However, the arrow at exit 62 looks to point right at the arrow at exit 77. The arrow at exit 77 does point a bit north of Lakepoint, but not that far. I could give the 1930s surveyors a bit of slack, and over that distance an airplane should be able to connect the dots. Neither appears to me to point to Ogden. All of this assumes that Bing keeps north at the very top of the image. Did you notice the color paint on the arrow at exit 77? It looks to be red with a dark blue border. That is different than the yellow they were supposed to be painted. Patrick, is that paint still there? Brent

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Concrete Arrows
by Kelly Ricks 28 Aug '13

28 Aug '13

I don't think you sound crazy at all. I think your idea of preserving some of these arrows is a great idea--not only repainting, but maybe even reconstructing the whole thing...a mini museum. That way generations who never knew a world without iphones and ipads can marvel at the strangely creative way their ancestors dealt with navigation problems. Quirky little bits of history preserved by chance. I've been trying to find out if there are any arrows still remaining in the Cleveland area, but with no luck. There's a lot less open space out here. My guess is that they've all been bulldozed. One more cool thing about Utah, maybe. ~Kelly > It was really neat standing on those things with all my fancy electronics > thinking how when the arrows were poured almost 100 years ago the workers > doing the pouring could never have imagined things like iPhones and iPads. > > I look at these things as a fascinating part of aviation history. So much > so that I pitched doing a story about them to a reporter friend. He likes > the idea and is thinking sometime next month. We'll see. > > And, at the risk of going a bit crazy here, I'd really like to see at > least some of these things preserved. I'd start with the one off exit 77 > as it's in pretty good shape, already has something of a fence around it > and you can drive right up to it. > > I'm envisioning getting some CAP cadets out there to clear brush and maybe > even apply a coat of the same color paint that was on the arrows > originally. I see on the web it's been done elsewhere, so why not here? > > Lots of pictures in the camera. Hopefully I'll get a few posted later > tonight. > > All in all a really fun day. > > patrick > > On 27 Aug 2013, at 09:24, Joe Bauman wrote: > > > These things were set up 10 miles apart. Some must remain near roads in > nice dark areas. -- Joe > > > > ------------------------------ > > On Tue, Aug 27, 2013 8:22 AM MDT Erik Hansen wrote: > > > >>> Did not see a road, looks like quite a hike. > >> > >> > >> Great little platforms for setting up in a dark sky area! Do you think > we > >>> could get the government to install electrical outlets and bathrooms > for > >>> us? > >>> > >>> -A > >>> > >>> > >>> On Mon, Aug 26, 2013 at 3:28 PM, Patrick Wiggins > >>> <paw(a)wirelessbeehive.com>wrote: > >>> > >>> Hi Ed, > >>> > >>> Thanks for the tip. > >>> > >>> I looked on Google Earth at that area but could not find it. > >>> > >>> Here's a screen shot of where I was looking: > >>> http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/exit62.jpg > >>> > >>> Is that the right area? If it is can you see the arrow and help me > >>> narrow > >>> the search? > >>> > >>> Thanks, > >>> > >>> patrick > >>> > >>> > >>> On 26 Aug 2013, at 07:23, Ed wrote: > >>> > >>>> Patrick, > >>>> > >>>> There is an aviation arrow for the SLC to San Francisco route on top > >>> of > >>> the hill just north of exit 62 on I-80. > >>>> > >>>> This is the same spot I mentioned some time back as a good place to > >>> get > >>> an unobstructed view of the western horizon. > >>>> > >>>> Ed > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Utah-Astronomy mailing list > Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy > Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php > > End of Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 126, Issue 179 > ************************************************ >

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Chaco Culture National Historical Park: Dark Sky
by Bruce Hugo 28 Aug '13

28 Aug '13

FYI - Just got the latest International Dark Sky Association press release: The 34,000-acre Chaco Culture National Historical Park is home to many ancient wonders including the remains of a civilization that thrived over 1,000 years ago. The park, which has been protecting its archaeological riches since it was established in 1907, is now protecting its views of the starry skies too. It has just been named as the International Dark-Sky Association's newest Dark Sky Park. As a Gold-tier IDA Dark Sky Park, Chaco has shown its commitment to preserving its near-pristine night skies. The park has adopted a set of strict lighting guidelines that include the use of dark-sky friendly lighting now and in the future, ensuring that it will do its part to keep the nighttime environment natural and unspoiled for generations to come. Nice! Bruce Hugo

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Concrete Arrows
by Ed 28 Aug '13

28 Aug '13

Brent, On the exit 62 eastbound arrow, I disagree, it clearly points considerably north of due east which is not toward the exit 77 arrow, which also points north of due east. The arrow at Lake Point (not Lakeside) has two tails, one for the incoming SFO route and the other for the one from LAX. At least that's the way I see them. For really clear ground pictures, use Bing maps, they are higher resolution from more recent photos. Ed ------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 07:31:40 -0700 [08:31:40 AM MDT] From: Brent Watson <brentjwatson(a)yahoo.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> Reply-To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Concrete Arrows Headers: Show All Headers | Show Mailing List Information The arrow at exit 62 looks to my eye to be pointed at the arrow at exit 77. The arrow at exit 77 is pointed at the arrow near Lakeside, and passes the intermediate location. There is no arrow at the intermediate location, at least as far as I can see on the sat photo. It is interesting that the Lakeside arrow also has two stems. What does that indicate and where does that route come from?

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Light Pollution
by D P Pierce 28 Aug '13

28 Aug '13

When I was doing the North Rim Grand Canyon star parties I was surprised at how many people had never seen the Milky Way. As it was rising in the east some thought clouds were approaching. Humorous but sad. Deloy

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