JohnTheLuck
Member
What a coincidence, yesterday I was watching TV about abandoned structures (it was the translated version of an american series) and guess what, they went to this exact amazing place. Where did you start your hike?
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Adventures of Megaweapon!
- Thread starter Ray Dunakin
- Start date
What a coincidence, yesterday I was watching TV about abandoned structures (it was the translated version of an american series) and guess what, they went to this exact amazing place. Where did you start your hike?
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Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
I went out past the old water tower at Dos Cabezas siding and drove to the end of the trail:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/3...0x0!7e2!8m2!3d32.7657237!4d-116.1689636?hl=en
BTW, in the satellite view you can see a trail that crosses the tracks a mile or two west of the water tower, and goes all the way over to Tunnel #20. Unfortunately the park service closed this route several years ago.
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Today is Megaweapon's second birthday! It's been exactly two years since I bought it.
They grow up so fast!
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They grow up so fast!
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Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Couple weeks ago I went out to the desert and hiked along the old railroad tracks, part way into Carrizo Gorge.
Didn't get very far that day, and crashed my drone too.
So last Wednesday night I went out again. Spent the night at trail's end next to the tracks, near the north end of
the gorge. Got up just before dawn, shot a few sunrise pics, and then started hiking. This time I made it to my
goal, which was the famous Goat Canyon Trestle at approximately the mid point of the Carrizo Gorge route.
I'm still working on getting the pics posted to my website, and haven't even begun to work with the video yet.
But for now, here are a few shots of Megaweapon in its natural habitat:
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Didn't get very far that day, and crashed my drone too.
So last Wednesday night I went out again. Spent the night at trail's end next to the tracks, near the north end of
the gorge. Got up just before dawn, shot a few sunrise pics, and then started hiking. This time I made it to my
goal, which was the famous Goat Canyon Trestle at approximately the mid point of the Carrizo Gorge route.
I'm still working on getting the pics posted to my website, and haven't even begun to work with the video yet.
But for now, here are a few shots of Megaweapon in its natural habitat:
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JohnTheLuck
Member
Great! Can't wait to see the video. What was the round-trip hike length?
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Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Thanks guys! The round trip hike about about 11 miles, maybe 12 tops. Took me nine hours from when I left the 4Runner until I got back, including time spent flying the drone, snapping photos, etc. I was carrying about 25 pounds of gear.
I kind of overdid it on this hike. I've had severe bursitis in my heel since the end of August, and have only recently been able to do much walking. So I'm pretty out of shape (more than usual), plus my foot's not completely healed up yet. By the time I got back I felt like I'd been worked over with a 2x4.
Megaweapon took a bit of damage too. On the way out, there's a steep, pitted drop. It's not bad if you hit it at the right angle, but I miscalculated this time. The passenger side corner of the rear bumper scraped going over the drop, and the part that comes around to the wheel well popped loose:
I'm hoping it can just be popped back in place, so I won't have to pay for a replacement. In the meantime I've used the "handyman's secret weapon -- duct tape" to keep it from flapping around.
I kind of overdid it on this hike. I've had severe bursitis in my heel since the end of August, and have only recently been able to do much walking. So I'm pretty out of shape (more than usual), plus my foot's not completely healed up yet. By the time I got back I felt like I'd been worked over with a 2x4.
Megaweapon took a bit of damage too. On the way out, there's a steep, pitted drop. It's not bad if you hit it at the right angle, but I miscalculated this time. The passenger side corner of the rear bumper scraped going over the drop, and the part that comes around to the wheel well popped loose:
I'm hoping it can just be popped back in place, so I won't have to pay for a replacement. In the meantime I've used the "handyman's secret weapon -- duct tape" to keep it from flapping around.
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Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
I took Megaweapon in the to the dealer today to have them check out that detached bumper. The guy tried to push it back in place but had no more luck than I'd had. He thinks the mounting points at the rear (below the tail light) may be damaged. Also, one of the tabs for the fender screws is definitely broken off.
He sent me to a body shop, the body shop guy said the same thing and gave me an estimate of over $1300 to fix it, including a new bumper cover!
Sounds way too high to me, and so far no one has actually pulled the bumper cover off to find out for sure what damage, if any, there actually is. So I'm debating what my next course of action should be.
He sent me to a body shop, the body shop guy said the same thing and gave me an estimate of over $1300 to fix it, including a new bumper cover!
Sounds way too high to me, and so far no one has actually pulled the bumper cover off to find out for sure what damage, if any, there actually is. So I'm debating what my next course of action should be.
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Plumbrunner
New member
IMO I dont see a better time to ditch the rear bumper cover and complete your look with one of those steel rear bumpers. Swing out, gas cans etc. seems like you get far enough out it could be useful?
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Here are some photos from my recent trip to Carrizo Gorge...
There is an old water tower next to the tracks at Dos Cabezas siding, that was used to supply the steam locomotives in the days before diesels. I stopped there and got some pics of the tower silhouetted against the stars:
In the morning I got some scenic shots at sunrise:
Then I parked as close to the tracks as possible, and started hiking:
Here's Tunnel #19:
Cactus and rocks along the track:
After passing through Tunnel #19, I entered the Gorge itself. Here the track clings to the side of the mountains, supported by a series of trestles where the slope was too steep to carve out a ledge. The huge Goat Canyon Trestle is visible in the distance:
The catwalk on one trestle was smashed in by fallen boulders:
The steep mountainsides are covered with ocotillos, cholla and barrel cactus, and other desert plants:
Straight sections of track are rare, as the line snakes around the mountainside:
A pair of boxcars that derailed and went over the side back in the early '70s:
Tunnel #18:
More rocks and cacti:
Tunnel #17, with the remains of a construction road above it:
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There is an old water tower next to the tracks at Dos Cabezas siding, that was used to supply the steam locomotives in the days before diesels. I stopped there and got some pics of the tower silhouetted against the stars:
In the morning I got some scenic shots at sunrise:
Then I parked as close to the tracks as possible, and started hiking:
Here's Tunnel #19:
Cactus and rocks along the track:
After passing through Tunnel #19, I entered the Gorge itself. Here the track clings to the side of the mountains, supported by a series of trestles where the slope was too steep to carve out a ledge. The huge Goat Canyon Trestle is visible in the distance:
The catwalk on one trestle was smashed in by fallen boulders:
The steep mountainsides are covered with ocotillos, cholla and barrel cactus, and other desert plants:
Straight sections of track are rare, as the line snakes around the mountainside:
A pair of boxcars that derailed and went over the side back in the early '70s:
Tunnel #18:
More rocks and cacti:
Tunnel #17, with the remains of a construction road above it:
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Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
The north end of Tunnel #16 is blocked by a rock fall. I had to hike around the mountain on the old construction road:
The view from the railroad construction road, looking to the north:
As I came around the end of the mountain, I got a great view of the famous Goat Canyon Trestle. This trestle was built after a massive landslide destroyed the original tunnel. I've added some red lines along the top of the mountain that show how far the slide came down:
The ends of the trestle are blocked off with a chain and metal stakes:
A short tunnel was created when the big trestle was built:
Here are a couple aerial views of the trestle:
The other side of the trestle:
Here is the end of the caved-in tunnel. At the time of the landslide, it was undergoing repairs including reinforcing the portal with concrete. The landslide crushed the tunnel interior and moved the portal at least twenty feet downhill:
That's it for now. Enjoy!
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The view from the railroad construction road, looking to the north:
As I came around the end of the mountain, I got a great view of the famous Goat Canyon Trestle. This trestle was built after a massive landslide destroyed the original tunnel. I've added some red lines along the top of the mountain that show how far the slide came down:
The ends of the trestle are blocked off with a chain and metal stakes:
A short tunnel was created when the big trestle was built:
Here are a couple aerial views of the trestle:
The other side of the trestle:
Here is the end of the caved-in tunnel. At the time of the landslide, it was undergoing repairs including reinforcing the portal with concrete. The landslide crushed the tunnel interior and moved the portal at least twenty feet downhill:
That's it for now. Enjoy!
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...Great Pics!
...Ray...ya got some great pics there...and that trestle is damn Impressive!...
..hope you will post some Mavic vids of it in the near future?...Nicely Done!...:thumb:
The north end of Tunnel #16 is blocked by a rock fall. I had to hike around the mountain on the old construction road:
The view from the railroad construction road, looking to the north:
As I came around the end of the mountain, I got a great view of the famous Goat Canyon Trestle. This trestle was built after a massive landslide destroyed the original tunnel. I've added some red lines along the top of the mountain that show how far the slide came down:
The ends of the trestle are blocked off with a chain and metal stakes:
A short tunnel was created when the big trestle was built:
Here are a couple aerial views of the trestle:
The other side of the trestle:
Here is the end of the caved-in tunnel. At the time of the landslide, it was undergoing repairs including reinforcing the portal with concrete. The landslide crushed the tunnel interior and moved the portal at least twenty feet downhill:
That's it for now. Enjoy!
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...Ray...ya got some great pics there...and that trestle is damn Impressive!...
..hope you will post some Mavic vids of it in the near future?...Nicely Done!...:thumb:
BrianSD_42
New member
Pretty awesome that you made the hike out to the trestles. I went there about two years ago and it was exhausting. We camped out by the water tower on the southern side as well, then drove as far as possible before stopping and walking the tracks. I counted about 9mi round trip but at least it was mostly flat. That large cave in was pretty cool to climb over. My only disappointment was that none of the tunnels I went through were actually dark enough to need a flashlight.
Great night pics btw!
Great night pics btw!
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Thanks! I did shoot a lot of video with the Mavic, but it's going to take me a while to get something put together for YouTube. I've been really busy this week. Also, I had some minor technical difficulty -- when I was customizing all the settings on the new drone, I forget to set the white balance. Default is "Auto", so the WB keeps changing during the videos. So I'll have to spend some extra time doing color correction on a lot of the footage.
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
If you ever make it south of the big trestle, there are a couple of tunnels that are at least a half mile long.
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Last week I took another trip out to the Carrizo Gorge. This time my brother-in-law Matt was with me, which was great. We've wanted to do a trip together for years, but he lives in CO so it's never worked out until now. Anyway, we spent the night at the end of the trail, got up just before sunrise, and started hiking at 6:45 a.m.
Here's a shot of Matt hiking the tracks:
I had more camera gear I wanted to bring this time, so I bought a luggage cart and hauled some of it on that:
This worked ok, but the tiny wheels were far from ideal and made for slow going. The round trip to the big trestle and back took eleven hours -- two hours longer than on my previous trip.
The weather was perfect, both for hiking and for flying/photography. It was warm but not overly hot, with winds variable from zero to five mph. During much of the day there was a thin, hazy overcast that not only kept the heat down, but also provided a fantastic diffused light for shooting photos and video.
Here are just a few stills from the many videos I shot:
I have so much video that it's going to take me a while to get it edited into something I can upload. Once I do, you can be sure I'll post it here.
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Here's a shot of Matt hiking the tracks:
I had more camera gear I wanted to bring this time, so I bought a luggage cart and hauled some of it on that:
This worked ok, but the tiny wheels were far from ideal and made for slow going. The round trip to the big trestle and back took eleven hours -- two hours longer than on my previous trip.
The weather was perfect, both for hiking and for flying/photography. It was warm but not overly hot, with winds variable from zero to five mph. During much of the day there was a thin, hazy overcast that not only kept the heat down, but also provided a fantastic diffused light for shooting photos and video.
Here are just a few stills from the many videos I shot:
I have so much video that it's going to take me a while to get it edited into something I can upload. Once I do, you can be sure I'll post it here.
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Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
On Monday Cris and I took another little trip up to Julian, CA and spent the night at the historic Julian Gold Rush Hotel. Didn't get to do any off-roading or even get any decent pics of Megaweapon, but here are a few shots from our trip. First up are a couple pics from the one brief drone flight I made, at Mt. Laguna:
I tried to get some photos of the Milky Way but there was a thin hazy cloud cover obscuring all but the brightest stars:
So I played around with shooting some pics of the town after dark. The first two feature the hotel:
Here's a shot of me and Cris in the lobby of the hotel:
A stained glass window at the Julian Grille:
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I tried to get some photos of the Milky Way but there was a thin hazy cloud cover obscuring all but the brightest stars:
So I played around with shooting some pics of the town after dark. The first two feature the hotel:
Here's a shot of me and Cris in the lobby of the hotel:
A stained glass window at the Julian Grille:
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Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
I took a pair of my earlier videos, and added a little narration to them. Please let me know what you think, and whether you'd like to have some narration on my future videos:
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1GSMw_whPHU" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BuN0NfaUYmM" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1GSMw_whPHU" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BuN0NfaUYmM" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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JohnTheLuck
Member
Man, I like that second video. Amazing job. The comments are welcome and just enough. Too much would not be better. Keep up this excellent work!
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