Nostalgia & History > Motorcar'n Up the NWP (Part 7 of 13)

Continued...

If I recall, this trestle wasn't far (RR) East of Island Mountain.  The wind out mid-span was both a surprise and frightening!!  We didn't lose anything off the car, but only because we were quick and lucky in grabbing stuff-  jeez!
SR

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You're just south of Alderpoint. I can't remember the name of the bridge at the moment.

To the question asked previously about the possibility of doing this trip today, the answer is indeed no. You can see on Google Earth how large and numerous the slides are; trains north of Willits--and likely north of Cloverdale or Ukiah--are not coming back. I wish it weren't the case, but opinions to the contrary are fantasy and wishful thinking.

The attached photo shows another reason for the "no": this pot farm off Island Mountain Rd. was busted a couple of years ago. You can see the numerous greenhouses as well as outdoor plants, and two huge rubber "reservoirs" (the beige things). Cops also confiscated a lot of weapons. The pot growing scene in the Emerald Triangle over the last 20 years has changed dramatically: lots of guns, lots of meth, international gang involvement, and total disregard for the environment. And Alderpoint (which has long been a rough little town) and Island Mountain are the belly of the beast.

If you listen to the law-and-order crowd on TO you'd think the whole country is a crime-ridden dystopia compared to some mythical good old days. But the area between Dos Rios and South Fork really is dangerous for trespassers. I don't mean to hijack this thread--which has been great!--but anyone even thinking of exploring this area should think twice. I'm pretty adventurous, and able to sweet talk my way out of many confrontations, but I wouldn't go near the old NWP.

Loleta Fernbridge



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/17 11:54 by loleta.

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loleta Wrote:
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> You're just south of Alderpoint. I can't remember
> the name of the bridge at the moment.
>
> To the question asked previously about the
> possibility of doing this trip today, the answer
> is indeed no. You can see on Google Earth how
> large and numerous the slides are; trains north of
> Willits--and likely north of Cloverdale or
> Ukiah--are not coming back. I wish it weren't the
> case, but opinions to the contrary are fantasy and
> wishful thinking.
>
> The attached photo shows another reason for the
> "no": this pot farm off Island Mountain Rd. was
> busted a couple of years ago. You can see the
> numerous greenhouses as well as outdoor plants,
> and two huge rubber "reservoirs" (the beige
> things). Cops also confiscated a lot of weapons.
> The pot growing scene in the Emerald Triangle over
> the last 20 years has changed dramatically: lots
> of guns, lots of meth, international gang
> involvement, and total disregard for the
> environment. And Aldergrove (which has long been a
> rough little town) and Island Mountain are the
> belly of the beast.
>
> If you listen to the law-and-order crowd on TO
> you'd think the whole country is a crime-ridden
> dystopia compared to some mythical good old days.
> But the area between Dos Rios and South Fork
> really is dangerous for trespassers. I don't mean
> to hijack this thread--which has been great!--but
> anyone even thinking of exploring this area should
> think twice. I'm pretty adventurous, and able to
> sweet talk my way out of many confrontations, but
> I wouldn't go near the old NWP.
> y
> Loleta Fernbridge

The hope is that the legalization of marijuana in the state of California will dramatically reduce the illegal grows - there won't be the price incentive anymore. Then things can come above board and the area can benefit from a legal agricultural economy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/17 18:38 by doge_of_pocopson.

www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/sonomacounty/6906904-181/cannabis-sonoma-construction

Cain Rock Bridge, if I'm not totally off. Site of the gold spike driving ceremony completing the line is just off one end of the bridge.

Do a search for this bridge in Youtube, you should easily find a video from a year or so ago shot from a drone, the guy flew it the length of the bridge going one way, followed by some acrobatics around the bridge. Cool video.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

Whoa!
That really IS cool!
Thanks for the heads-up!
SR

You're welcome! Been enjoying the series a lot, thanks for putting it together!

With a little homework I'd be able to help with a lot of the locations, that just hasn't been in the cards for a couple days now....

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

I scanned these and am posting them from aboard the boat, so I'm unfortunately away from my library at home- otherwise I could have maybe researched this thing better myself. Oh well...
SR

JDLX Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cain Rock Bridge, if I'm not totally off. Site of
> the gold spike driving ceremony completing the
> line is just off one end of the bridge.
>
> Do a search for this bridge in Youtube, you should
> easily find a video from a year or so ago shot
> from a drone, the guy flew it the length of the
> bridge going one way, followed by some acrobatics
> around the bridge. Cool video.
>
> Jeff Moore
> Elko, NV

Just to the west of the bridge is Golden Spike which is where that happened and the actual Cain Rock is across the river. Yes, that is Cain Rock Bridge.