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Saturday, March 31, 2012

3/30/12 - Generator Work Complete - Prime Contractor Complete

Most men, it seems to me, do not care for Nature and would sell their share in all her beauty, as long as they may live, for a stated sum — many for a glass of rum. Thank God, men cannot as yet fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth! 
Henry David Thoreau - Journal, 3 January 1861

Thirteen days since my last visit when the workers appeared to be wrapping up the work on the ramps and the railings.  In Florida for six days of that respite, I could but imagine what was happening on the summit.  And, I might add, I was fairly well on point!  

The power systems would likely be installed on the western edge of the summit and the railings would be complete.  Would they begin dismantling the old tower?  Would they remove the perimeter fence?  I could only wonder as I visited my father in Florida.  

But now, I'm back!  Little, I found, transpired in the past week.  But then again, this project is almost complete; there isn't much more to do than to transfer the communication components from the old tower, remove or dismantle the old tower, do a bit of landscaping, remove the site perimeter fence, and call it complete.  

The gate was locked tight while a construction company vehicle sat in the still cold air.  Had the gate not been locked, I might have surmised that someone was working inside the bunker, but not so.  Let's take a look around.

First, the old NE Corner - someone has removed Old Glory - not even a trace, a thread, a broken flag staff, nothing.

NE Corner
Eastern Wall and Ramp
NE Corner Complete with Grating and Railings
NW Corner
Grading and Railings Complete
NW Corner - Detail
I always wondered about how this giant erector set came together, and how the superintendent knew where each piece was to be placed.  The key is in how the steel was marked at the fabrication site.  Notice in the above photo, the writing and in particular, the numbers.  You can see the sequence proceed in the next picture as well.  

Since this structure will not be painted, in time, the writing will surely disappear.



Western Wall
SE Corner
The Ramp Begins - Detail
Skiing??  Not For Months To Come
 So, that is about it for the tour about the usual sights.  But ... as always, there is more; clues abound.

The road which winds around the summit just as you pass the pond, is where they blue tarp was found on the 17th covering some type of cement foundation.  Well, the project is now before us ... the generator station for the tower.  Excellent design as it is off the western side of the summit and out of sight - a big improvement over the old tower and generator which is protected by fence with barbed wire on top - see below.

New Generator Site
Old Power Generator and New Generator
The New
Viewed from Western Edge of Summit
By contrast, here is the original power station.



Old ID Tag
Old Fence, Barbed Wire, and Bunker
We continue about the sight and yet another discovery is made!  Construction Dynamics Inc., the prime contractor, has left the mountain!  Well, at least their construction shed!  It is no more!  What remains is a waste container, toilet facility, a bulldozer, and the large lift vehicle.

In many places about the site, you can see that the fence is not quite as strong and robust as it was in the beginning, 10 months ago.  It is tied together with string and wire where it has fallen or been loosened by the winds.

Construction Shed Footprint

Certainly, things appear to be winding down.  A beautiful Saturday, although on the cool side, yet there is no work being done.  The contractors must see the end in sight.

Two Shall Become One
Normally I don't get to visit on a weekday, so I decided to stop at the Visitor's Center on the way home and see if there might be someone on site to lend some information on "what's next?"

I entered the center and could hear voices in the "employees only" room in the back.  I rang the bell for assistance and was warmly greeted by Ms. Denise Morrissey, Supervisor of the Wachusett Reservation.  She was most open to answering my questions.  Indeed, after delays in the steel, a warm winter has finally enabled the end to be in sight.  She hopes that the Summit Road will be opened by Memorial Day.  Moving the antenna's, the vertical ladder for access to the cab, some minor landscaping, activation of communication lines, disposal of the old tower, and removal of the site perimeter fence are still on the "to do" list.  Summer is looking up on Wachusett.

Stay tuned.















Monday, March 26, 2012

3/24/12 - Wachusett from Florida

A man must generally get away some hundreds or thousands of miles from home before he can be said to begin his travels.  Why not begin his travels at home?  Would he have to go far or look very closely to discover novelties?  The traveller[sic] who, in this sense, pursues his travels at home, has the advantage at any rate of a long residence in the country to make his observations correct and profitable.
Henry David Thoreau  Journal II, 376-377, August 6, 1851

So, here I am on the west coast of Florida, 1,200 miles from home.  My travels can now begin.  It is a long way to the mountain from here.    And there is probably no finding of anything except a longing for the muddy trail and the rocks and the winds from the west.    The sun comes up straight over the horizon, albeit about an hour later, and you can get the same view from anywhere in the state - the closest thing to a mountain is probably a highway overpass!  One thing that is clearly different is the temperature.  Even with the unusually mild winter back home, we have not had a steady flow of +80°F temperatures.  I hear that the temperature back home today is in the mid-30s! 

And so, I must resort to breaking out my notes and reviewing my blogs as I wonder what might be taking place on the mountain this past week.  Probably a continuation of work to move the electronics from the old tower to the new one.  But, I will be back this coming weekend - or maybe even Friday morning.  See you then.

I would rather travel at home!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

3/17/12 - Railings and Grating Work Continues

There is nothing so sanative[sic], so poetic, as a walk in the woods and fields even now, when I meet none abroad for pleasure.  Nothing so inspires me and excites such serene and profitable thought.  The objects are elevating.  
Henry David Thoreau - Journal IX, 400-402

Daylight Savings Time came upon us last weekend, so the work can continue later in the day.  And as the project is behind schedule, I am sure this is a welcome window of opportunity.  But today, as I reach the foggy summit at daybreak, steel workers are already busy at work making up for lost time.  Railings and deck grating are the order of the day..

I immediately notice that the high rise orange lift is back on site - perhaps for work on the ladders and grating.  

Daybreak in the Fog
A Yard Full of Railings
NE Corner
 Here I get my first look at the newly placed deck grating for the ramps.  And as I watch and take a picture or two, the workers position the railing as it moves around the NE corner.

 


Still Overseeing the Operation
 
Continuing across the Northern Ramp
Around the Corner And Up the Western Ramp

Western Ramp
 None of this was done without the construction engineers recipe for success - "The Prints."

Prints for the Railing
Hopefully those prints will tell which piece to select ....

 


Deck Plate Positioning
 

Where Do All These Parts Go?
Securing the Railing on the NE Corner
 Workers had screw guns and aluminum snap fittings to secure the railings... as long as they fit!

Landing Grating in Place
Foggy Twosome
On the western side of the site, beside the old tower, I notice that the brush has been cleared and that there has been activity on the road below the tower.  Looks like the communications power work has begun ... the next major phase of the project.

View Down the Side of Old Tower Fence
 Beneath the blue tarp is some cement work that will house utilities which will service the tower.


 Time to say good-bye for the weekly visit.




I will be in Florida next week, visiting my 91 year old Dad.  Back before the end of the month however.  If you visit, send me some pictures; I will fill in the blanks.  Thanks.  Safe hiking....

Saturday, March 10, 2012

3/10/12 - Calm on the Summit

 The change from foul weather to fair, from dark, sluggish hours to serene, elastic ones, is a memorable crisis which all things proclaim.
Henry David Thoreau - 3/26/1846 - Journal*
* forms the basis of the chapter entitled Spring in Walden

Before I review the week's progress on the mountain, I must mention an organization which is very interested in the happenings on Wachusett.  In fact, the organization is very interested in what happens on any mountain in the world (and especially in America) which lays claim to a Lookout Tower.  That organization is the Forest Fire Lookout Association and is involved in research of former forest fire lookout sites, ground cabins and early forest fire detection methods.  Visit them at Forest Fire Lookout Association.  I am honored that they chose to use some of my photographs in their quarterly publication Lookout Network.  Visit their site and take a look at some of the other towers that stand throughout the United States; perhaps you can visit one someday soon.

And now it is time to visit our closest and to me, our dearest Lookout Tower site.

A chilly and dark afternoon it was and with tomorrow being quite busy at home, I thought it a good time to dress for the outdoors and head to the mountain.  And as you can see from the picture below, it turned out to be warmer than expected with the sun breaking through the clouds by mid-afternoon.
 
Afternoon Sunshine Lights up the Southern Face of Our Two Cabs
It was quiet on the mountain today and even though I could hear the ski lift in operation just over the northern edge of the summit, it still seemed eerily quiet.  It took a moment for me to figure it out.  The last of the high-lift cranes, the orange one that has been present from day one, has rolled down the road and off the summit this past week.  The large rock pile has been removed; only a few large rocks remain.  With the exception of one bulldozer and the water tank, both sitting to the side of the site, the new tower pretty much stands alone ... as she will for years and years to come.  The Coastal Survey marker remains surrounded by the hay bales.  Indeed, we are certainly on the "back nine" of this project.

Four things are clearly not yet in place:
  1. Hand railings which will be affixed to the anchors on either side of the ramp.
  2. The walkways on the ramps for the north, the west and the south.  I am not sure if they will be of wood or of metal.  Since they are not yet in place, I suspect that they will be of metal.  [probably another reason for the project delays.]
  3. The retractable vertical ladder the goes from the observation deck to the first level stairway to the cab.
  4. The electronic equipment has to be moved from the old tower to the new one.
Once these three occur, the old tower will probably then come down.  After that, the fence around the construction site will be removed and we will have free access to the new tower.

Eastern Wall and Ramp
 At the northeast corner, the ramp continues, but it will not be concrete.  Wood or metal grading will provide the walking surface.  For now, the workers use plywood which lays across the joists.

NE Corner

NE Corner and Old Glory
The flag was all knotted up so I untangled it and it spread open in the wind - a little worn and frayed, but no question about what she represents.

Plywood Ramp at the NW corner.
 Here again, we can see the anchors for the railings which have yet to be placed.

C-Clamp Securing a Wooden Railing Joing
 I am not sure of the purpose of the C-clamps, but they appear at the joint of two pieces of the top railing that goes around the outside of the ramp.  This clamp is on the inside of the railing so only the top and bottom are visible right at the joint.

View Down the Northern Wall
 Between the Red Metal Construction Office and the tower, you can see a cylindrical cement structure.  This has been the compass stand for the unofficial "summit."  Climb up and stand on that!  Your climb to the summit is official ... or it always was, before the new observation deck appeared.

Western Ramp From the Ground
 Nice stone work Mick!

Western Wall

SW Corner
I notice this week that the "broken" sections of the ramp fence have either been replaced or repaired.  They are now positioned.  And for the most part, the topmost wooden railing is now continuous.

View to The East off the Southern Side
As I wrote above, the site is now clear, except for the water tank and a single backhoe.

Sun Creeps Behind the Towers
Late Afternoon on the Summit
Skiing continues, but obviously, the snow from last week is now but a memory.  Spring is coming fast.  I saw birds building nests for new families as I trekked back to the car.

Looking Towards Worcester

So at last, the end of this project is in sight.  The air was quiet, the site was pretty much empty, and I could imagine what it will be like in a few months when a "new" normalcy reigns over Wachusett.  Right now, it leaves an empty void in the activity I have witnessed for the past 11 months.  It's a different feeling, but one that we will all adjust to and find quite comforting over time.

Til Next Week.  We're not quite finished yet.