Post by Blue Tyke on Oct 4, 2008 22:07:57 GMT -5
Tag we are it!
Some great mind thought of playing tag with motorcycles, cameras and of course the Internet. So the general idea is someone posts a first picture of their bike at some landmark, place, etc… and then a person would find it, take a picture of their bike there at the spot and post that up. If they are the first one then they are now it and must post up a new tag. Some of the spots that were listed were very interesting!! I haven’t gone to them yet with the exception of today.
The clues that were given:
“Notable facts about this tag:
The largest bridge in the US – 173 years ago when it was constructed
The bridge is built on a curve – a first
Many thought it would collapse under its own weight – but it’s still in use today”
Photos provided by Dbomb1050
So the research done… Here is the information on the Viaduct
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Viaduct
Today I checked the board, after meticulously looking for it on the Internet, and found that no one had tagged it so I decided to go for it!
So the race was on though one never knows if it is a race as I don’t know who is trying for it. So I take out thinking it would be a good ride regardless.
I just went straight streets no back roads though once I found it I did explore a bit and I can say that the Patapsco State Park is a nice area to ride around in. No sweet curves or anything but a lot of nice picturesque nature.
Sadly I did not have my camera due to it being broken on my last adventure. So the pictures are going to suck but I had to take some for the tag… So Zumo tells me to go a particular way and so I follow him to a tee. And end up at the other end of the bridge…
I passed it so I made a u-turn and snagged these photos…
Rounded around to the other side
So I wanted to see what the bridge was hiding and I wanted to see if I could see the top side so I explored back in that way and discovered it was part of the park.
I passed a huge bridge… I don’t think the pictures even due the height justice.
Patapsco River in the background
So at this point I pause thinking that I am playing a game right? So I jump on my phone and emailed the picture to me and also one other friend to let her know I found it… the page won’t load!! It’s to large!! Eeep!! What to do! I looked around and then smiled… “Oooohhhh Zumo!! Find me a library!” And we were off!
The only thing that thwarted this perfect plan was… Construction. Zumo and me were going at each other’s throat. I tried to get at it another way hoping he would choose a different path but noooo the mule. So I pulled up next to the construction guys and was like “Excuse me, can you tell me a detour? I need to get to the library and my GPS unit is not giving me one..” The guy looked at me funny… Then went and talked to one of the guys. What they did next surprised me. Instead of giving me directions around their work… They guided me through it! I didn’t even have to bat an eye! As I passed one of the guys he went “Ride that thing!” I just laughed and said thanks. Making it through I had a hard time finding the library it was hidden in a warehouse complex. That was new for me. All the libraries I have been to have been in self standing… Ah well. I found it the Arbutus Library. I hopped online and contemplated how to get the photos from my phone to website. The computer won’t let me save anything to it so that cut out that idea. Maybe though I can upload my photos to my photobucket!! Yeah!! So I look it up and apparently they have an email address that I can send photos too and it would upload it onto my account for me! Awesome! So of course I do this. Get the link and post up the picture! So far no one had tagged it.
I did admit on the post that it was the opposite side of the bridge. But the tag was mine! Muwahahaha! I am soooo it!
But really where did Dbomb1050 take those pictures… Well I have an hour on the computer might as well look for more details. Of course I had a bit more so I work to find the beginning of the bridge. I punch in Patapsco state park into Zumo and he gives me a locale so off we go again!
Sadly I was directed away from Thomas Viaduct. Zumo informed me that I needed to get back on 695 and head up a few miles to a more popular spot. From there I asked the attendants where I could find the park part of the Viaduct. They tell me… get this.. Go back! Get on 695 go to exit 12A and then go to South avenue make a right and you can’t miss it on the left.
Alright that simple enough, you get that Zumo? O.o apparently he wasn’t paying attention so lets do this from memory. We can do this!
Off again we head out and finally find it!
I enter in behind a truck as we come up to the ‘guard’ gate there is someone there to collect money, so despite the earlier mentioned honor system they were enforcing it today. That’s alright I brought a fiver… so I am behind this truck as they are paying. I swing my bag around so I could fish out my cash. Get it out and waddle my bike up to the guy and he goes.. “Oh your cool go on in..” And I go.. Huh!? But okay! That’s fine with me. Toss the five back in my bag, throw it over my shoulders and head off into the park!
I see the Viaduct right away, kind of hard to miss something that big after all but with the ranger guy still watching me I didn’t want to stop. I figured I had to leave sometime so I would snag the picture then.
I was wandering around and saw this neat bridge all by itself. It didn’t think they wanted people actually driving on it as it was not fully paved so I parked her at a distance…
I explored one way and then came back around and explored the other… I saw this neat tunnel
Yes that water is down the center and there is a bit of a guide to the side leading into a ‘Lost Lake”
I got back to the beginning and just in time too!! A train!
And there it goes…
My next adventure will have to wait until after it gets tagged. Stay tuned!