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Tony crossing a small trestle bridge
on our way into Carrizo Gorge
the gaps between the bridge ties can be rather wide,
so keep the speed up and ride straight
"Danger" is my middle name...
Tony Taylor photograph
abandoned railcars
on a siding
another view
of the railcars
I'm approaching the first tunnel
Tony Taylor photograph
entering Tule Canyon,
one sees the first substantial trestle
I'm crossing that first large trestle
concentrate on riding straight
while looking down through the trestle tie gaps
Tony Taylor photograph
riding along the railway,
with a tunnel ahead
there's the bike track along the other side of these tracks,
so it isn't healthy to bobble your line while riding along
I'm exiting a dark tunnel
Tony Taylor photograph
more abandoned railcars
along a siding
quite colorful
these railcars
were from Montreal
Tony at entrance to what turned out to be a half mile long tunnel !
three tunnels were so long that we couldn't see after quite a distance into the tunnel, so we dismounted and walked between the rails in pitch darkness, keeping the small distant light of the far tunnel opening in the middle. Some stumbling was involved, but you wheel the bike ahead to feel what's coming, plus feel the rails with your feet to stay centered. The longest tunnel was this one at a half mile long,.. which was a heck of a long walk in total darkness. As I wandered along in absolute pitch dark, to reassure myself, I wondered if animals lived in these manmade caves. Next time... lights!
Carrizo Gorge view
along the railway
the views down into the gorge were great!
I'm that little figure up there,
approaching a tunnel
Tony Taylor photograph
tunnel framed within a tunnel
there were a lot of tunnels !
I didn't keep track of the number of tunnels... maybe ten or so.
we popped out of a tunnel
and there it was,... the Goat Canyon trestle
Tony riding across the Goat Canyon Trestle, which my GPS said was 8.0 miles from our start at the Hwy 8 Jacumba exit. The Goat Canyon trestle is 186 feet tall and 630 feet long, and was the tallest wooden structure in daily use. It's a designated Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
the Goat Canyon Trestle
from the other side
We turned around one tunnel further on, after we met three hikers who came in from the other end. They told us what was ahead for us, and we decided to head back. Tony is the white spec riding across the trestle
we exited a tunnel
and saw five bighorn sheep
on the slope above
They're in the upper middle below that pointed red rock on the ridge.
I shot a few 'safety' shots with the wide lens already on the camera,
and then changed lenses.
bighorn sheep watching us
After moving along the slope,
the bighorn sheep stopped and watched.
I had plenty of time to change lenses.
the bighorn sheep left us
after a long while
Time now for us
to ride back out...