September Road Meeting

Published by starrcomm

Years ago, actings an assistant to a USFS engineer, I took part in the monitoring of all dirt roads within the district, and during those years, I traveled thousands of miles on every kind of dirt road you can imagine. checking for erosion, blocked ditches, culverts, creeks, berms, the impact of travel, slopes, and runoff. Up to the snow-line and back. Along roads that followed rivers dotted with giant tailing piles and deserted dredges leftover from mining along with the miles and miles of ditches used to move water to feed the giant cannons used in hydraulic mining. Into and out of wilderness areas, we followed one-track’s that led to established hunting camps and roads that were built for patented mining claims without the availability of a blade to cut the grade in the mountain. Access roads for tracts of timber going up for bid and the temporary roads inside a logging show. Skid roads to landings, to haul roads to get the logs back to the access road. Dust abatement, water, oil, and plant-based had to be considered. Haul roads often down-sloped and dicey, enough to make an experienced city driver get out of the truck and walk off the job. I’ve been down roads that looked more like a goat track, high above the creek bed, with the distance between the outside tire and air measured in inches. Enough to have me scribbling my last wishes on my lunch bag while keeping an eye on the upper bank for something to grab onto if the truck went over the edge. For those years, we covered every road within an area probably the size of Lincoln county. In my off time, I sometimes played at mining gold, In smaller waterways, using shooter damns, and dredging in the larger creeks. You could say that I have more than a passing acquaintance with dirt and water. I guess you could say it was my love of dirt and water, ad the challenges they present, that drew me to this position. I look forward to getting things done. View more posts