Saturday, January 11, 2014

"Most highways aren't long enough to need one"

"Colorado officials think a difference of one-hundredth of a mile will be enough to stop thieves from stealing the mile marker 420 sign along Interstate 70."
Amy Ford of the Colorado Department of Transportation says the "MILE 420" sign near Stratton was stolen for the last time sometime in the last year, and officials replaced it with a sign that says "MILE 419.99."

Ford says it's the only "420" sign to be replaced in the state that recently legalized recreational marijuana.
"Mile Marker 420 Becomes 419.99 to Thwart Thieves"

38 comments:

Chip Ahoy said...

Joke if you like, it is an important mile marker

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I hope this marks a new trend toward more precision in road signs.

john said...

There's a road sign in town that says "Pavement Ends 1121 feet".

So did they measure 1121 feet up the road to put in the sign, or did they put the post in first?

The asphalt has a ragged edge, so that figures in.

Unknown said...

lol. I approve of the response.

Unknown said...

Guys. You know how to get to Cameron pass? You have to take The Poudre.

Unknown said...

From the link:
"Mile 419.99, about 25 miles from the Kansas border, isn't the only place in Colorado with a fractional mile marker. Cameron Pass in Larimer County has a "MILE 68.5" sign after frequent thefts of the "MILE 69" sign."

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I didnt have enogh time this morning to find it forthis post location feature. So i located the vicinity.

chickelit said...

Out here there used to be highway signposts on highway S-6 en route to Palomar Observatory link, but they're long gone.

JAL said...

I liked the one near the Westchester County Airport 40 years ago.

Caution
Low flying airplanes

Several hundred miles away I saw it again on the wall of the studio apt of a college friend from a nearby town.

Funny how signs and college kids find each other.

JAL said...

The cow sign on a road near our old house kept disappearing. I think the one with the tractor dude lasted way longer.

Don't know what it was about college kids and cows.

Revenant said...

I'll be damned -- an actual clever idea from government. It CAN happen!

chickelit said...

April Apple said...
Guys. You know how to get to Cameron pass? You have to take The Poudre.

Nice cache, April.

AllenS said...

I hate to admit this, but as a yout, I had a sign thing.

chickelit said...

@April: maybe you can refresh my memory cache...what was the name of that long established bar way up Poudre canyon on the right side overlooking the river. It was a popular stop and small venue bands used to play there.

Unknown said...

Pollo - I don't know off hand. I'll have to goggle it.

Known Unknown said...

I'm still angling at the Monkey Hollow Road sign not far from home, but I think I need to bring a stepladder and a serious socket set to free it.

The Dude said...

Hey, it's 419.99 somewhere!

Shouting Thomas said...

If I was a young pothead, I'd definitely steal the 419.99 sign!

sakredkow said...

I hope this marks a new trend toward more precision in road signs.

I'm looking forward to more randomness in road signs.

Unknown said...

The Mish?

chickelit said...

The Mish

That's it!

The full name always sounded vaguely Algonquin to my ears -- a cross between Michigan and Milwaukee -- but way out and up there!

Good times.

Thanks, April!

Unknown said...

You've been to the Mish?
I've been to Bellvue but not the Mish.
Bellvue is one of my favorite spots. There's a really gorgeous area near Watson lake and the Poudre river in Bellvue that provides an amazing view. Super pretty.

Michael Haz said...

More than a few signs wind up in the Watson Lake (Yukon Territory) sign forest.

When I stopped there I was shocked by the hundreds of signs with the name of Wisconsin cities and villages.

Unknown said...

wow Haz, that's crazy. You brought the thread full circle.

chickelit said...
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chickelit said...

El Pollo Raylan said...
@April: I lived in Fort Collins in the 80's. I've been atop ten or so 14'ers, Longs was the toughest.

Leland said...

Got your Mile Marker 420 right here in Texas.

Unknown said...

Nice! I've only been to the top of 3 14ers.
Would have been 4 if it hadn't snowed in July on top of Sneffles a few years back.

You're probably more familiar with that area that I am. I won't do Longs for that very reason.

chickelit said...

The rule of thumb at Longs Peak was to be off the summit by noon. We started out at something like 2 or 3 in the morning, hiking through the meadows and the boulder field and reaching the keyhole at sunrise. Then there was the perilous scurry around and up the western slope (all without ropes) which was still freezing cold because it was shaded. I recall the weariness because of the slow increase in slope for the last 8 hours and the last 100 yards seemed the steepest. But then..relief at how open and flat the summit was. It was a clear day and we could see hundreds of miles in all directions with nothing higher. Scattered clouds -- the ones that were close -- seemed below us. We stayed maybe an hour and then began the descent which seemed to go quicker except at the end at the flattest part when it seemed like forever and we struggled to remember which turn might be the last one.

Unknown said...

Your description of the hike up Longs matches everyone else's. Longs is long and you have to camp out and hike most of it in the dark. I really don't find that alluring.
I know I'm not going to climb all 53 14ers, so I’ve decided that I only want to hike A) the pretty hikes B) the easiest of the pretty hikes. Now certainly the view from on top of any 14er is amazing. It's spectacular up there, and the moment you step foot on top, it’s an exhilarating feeling like no other and worth every step. But I also want to enjoy the journey up the hill. I’ve studied the 14er.com webpage and I know each and every 14er I want to hike. Longs is not on my list. All the technical climbs, as amazing as they would be, are not on my list.
I've considered hiking one 14er in each mountain range group, as sort of a personal goal. I’ve also considered hiking the Western most, the eastern most, southern and northern most. But that would include Longs. Oops. Scratch that.
If you lived in Ft Collins, I’m sure you explored Rocky Mountain Nat’l Park. I have hiked many of the lovely scenic hikes that surround Longs peak – and that’s good enough for me. (Mills, The Loch, Sky Pond etc...)
I’m glad you made it up Longs. I consider that an awesome achievement. I’ve climbed Princeton, Torrey’s and Grays.

We arrived late at the trailhead for Grays. 10:30 AM. That's rather insane. But we thought – eh what the heck we’ll just go as far as we can, and if we see a rumble in the distance we’ll turn around. The day was perfection. Not a cloud in the sky. Had no problem ascending both Grays and Torreys and a wild mountain goat bounced along with us on our crazy late afternoon descent.
(I can talk about 14ers and them thar hills all day long.)

chickelit said...

@April: Mt Princeton is the most beautiful of the 14ers IMO. Many others have noted its aesthetic perfection -- even if they've never climbed it. I link a photo here I just found on the web: link

Other 14ers in the Front Range which are easier than Longs are Bierstadt, Evan's, and Pikes, although you can drive to the summit of the latter.

Unknown said...

Princeton is glorious. It's a natural fact.

I think the reason it's so perfect is that it stands alone and rises above the valley floor without any clutter. She's like a beautiful woman walking down the street, curves perfectly placed. Nice outfit.

There are a large cluster of 14ers just to the north of Princeton. They are all clustered together and it's confusing telling them apart. Not Princeton.
Princeton says hello.

chickelit said...

Collegiate Peaks.

chickelit said...

Princeton says hello.

Say hello to Einstein!

Unknown said...

The Collegiate peaks are indeed part of the Sawatch Range.

Huron is on my list. Nice view of the three apostles on the way up.

Unknown said...

View on the way up.

chickelit said...

A nice hike of (minor) historical is the way up to the old Alpine Tunnel. The grade is gentle as you might expect for an abandoned rail line. There used to a ghost town near the east portal.

Unknown said...

Hmmm. I've not heard of that at all. Thanks. I do like gentle grades. A nice reminder that a proper hike in CO doesn't necessarily involve 14ers. One of my favorite hikes is one that begins between Ouray and Silverton at South Mineral Creek. It's called Ice Lake Basin. It's a solid hike up to the lakes, but the scenery on the way there is pure knock-out. & if you climb even higher, which I have not, the views get even better.