Miata Mailing List: February 1997, Message #139
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   From: (none)

Subject: Re: Mt. Hamilton - Hyw. 130 - BAMA (long)

   Date: (none)



You wrote: 

>

>Eric Schwarzentraub wrote:

>> 

>> Bay Area Miataers:

>> 

>>      I recently had the great opportunity to drive up highway 130

>> from Patterson to San Jose.  While driving I noted some obstacles

>> such as unusually sharp turns, and the most notorious of road

>> hazards: Cattle guards. 

>

>Okay Eric

>

>As a New Yawker transported to South Carolina I am not ashamed to ask

>the big question.

>

>WHAT IS A CATTLE GUARD!!!!

>

>Larry and The White Knight

>



    Larry:  Is this a question or a statement? :)



    Sorry, but I forgot that not everyone has been exposed to these 

freaks of road construction.  Cattle guards, probably only used out 

west (I never saw them when I lived in Indiana), are placed flush with 

the road surface.  They are bars of metal with an open space below.  

Each bar is about .5 inch wide and spaced about 1.0 inch from the next. 

 There about 10 bars to the guard or grate.  Open range cattle don't 

(aren't supposed to anyway) cross them. These devices are placed 

in-line with an existing fence that would cross the road.  In the 

example that I used, (Mt. Hamilton) I had to blow my horn (gotta luv 

those CRI Air Horns) to get some of the free-range cattle out of the 

way!



    P.S. I also forgot to mention in my write up that I came upon a 

Canadian couple with their tripod out in the road.  I pulled up and 

they pointed to a wild Bobcat that was sleeping, curled up, in the 

field across the road.  Amazing to see such an animal out in the wild 

so close.



    Eric Schwarzentraub

    '91 Silver Stone

    Modesto, CA