Don and Jeff find a grow site 2-27-2014

[aircooled]

DN and I headed out to Bridal Veil to show a Multnomah County sheriff where cars were being dumped off Palmer Mill Rd. After our meeting, we did a short exploratory hike and, as with any hike with Don, we found stuff!

We headed first to a clear spot in the woods and quickly found a not-so-faint user trail. The trail led to a ridge where we found an old campsite. Small pots and a Miracle grow bag, a cheap car camping tent (collapsed), a gas stove, dishes, and multiple cans and bottles littered the site. Somebody spent some time here. There were a few old blankets as well.











Nice view of Bridal Veil Creek




Parts of cars on the slope below Palmer Mill




Wanna start something? (says the battery)


We also found a spot with some 18 tires scattered about. No way to get them all in on shot. I called this place "Tire Kingdom" which is the name of a chain.

[Sean Thomas]

Nice cover up pretending to "find" all these grow sites Just kidding but DN is really good at finding old cars and grow ops in the middle of the woods


Also, what did the sheriff say about all the old cars?

[Don Nelsen]

Nice cover up pretending to "find" all these grow sites Just kidding but DN is really good at finding old cars and grow ops in the middle of the woods


Also, what did the sheriff say about all the old cars?

Thanks for the compliment, Sean!

The sheriff was a realty nice guy and very responsive concerning our concerns about the cars in the creek and down the slope. However, once on-site, he took one quick look down that slope and said it was not going to happen. Way too far, way too steep and lots of ways to snag the cars as they were pulled up. He said he could involve the SAR folks, so there is a little hope.

We brought measuring equipment so as to determine exact distances to the several vehicles but the weather wasn't the best, the sheriff was not about to go down the hill, so we will do that at a later date.

Personally, I do not see what the problem is. I could easily take a cable down to any of the cars, attach it and get this project going. The sheriff said this is what the tow guy would do and that they are not likely going to want to do that on such a steep slope. Tow guys must be a bunch of wienies, IMO.

So, there you have it. Stalled for now, but we will keep at it.

Don

[Sean Thomas]

Thanks DN! Maybe I missed this in another thread but are all those cars stolen and that's a favorite dump site?

[forestkeeper]

After watching all those episodes of Ax Men, loggers running and scrambling downhill, attaching cables and yokes around logs on steep slopes, I too don't see what the problem would be. I would be kinda interested in trashing out those spots, but that is such a job, especially if there are hazardous materials such as needles(syringes) and chemicals mixed in. It's been a couple of years since I volunteered with Clackamas County Dump Stoppers, since I now volunteer wholly for the USFS. Maybe after the weather clears up, I'll take a look see, maybe get Lurch to take a team in there. (Maybe you could PM him Don with any necessary info, if you want to.)

[aircooled]

With a length of rope and I mean plenty of it, we could certainly pull of a bunch of old tires and some smaller pieces of car and truck.

[Don Nelsen]

After watching all those episodes of Ax Men, loggers running and scrambling downhill, attaching cables and yokes around logs on steep slopes, I too don't see what the problem would be. I would be kinda interested in trashing out those spots, but that is such a job, especially if there are hazardous materials such as needles(syringes) and chemicals mixed in. It's been a couple of years since I volunteered with Clackamas County Dump Stoppers, since I now volunteer wholly for the USFS. Maybe after the weather clears up, I'll take a look see, maybe get Lurch to take a team in there. (Maybe you could PM him Don with any necessary info, if you want to.)

Hmmm... I hadn't given any thought to hazardous materials such as syringes!! Yikes! I wonder how long in the weather it takes to neutralize such things. I don't mind getting jabbed (I'm a veritable pincushion for salmonberry and devils club but I would mind catching something dire.

I'll give Lurch a shout and see what he thinks. Those SAR folks have no fear when it comes to treks like this.

Don

[Don Nelsen]

Thanks DN! Maybe I missed this in another thread but are all those cars stolen and that's a favorite dump site?

The sheriff deputy said only one was currently listed as stolen - of the five we have plates for. Another was signed over to State Farm so probably insurance had paid off on that one.

Definitely a favorite dump site but not nearly as bad as I've seen in other places. There's a spot in Maui where there are dozens of cars off a four or five hundred foot cliff!

-Don

[forester]

If those were giant old growth firs, they'd have been yanked out of there within hours.

[Splintercat]

Exactly, Forester!

Don & Jeff, thanks for working on this! Very cool, indeed. One thing that might really help the grow sites around the Gorge and Mount Hood is the emergence of legalized marijuana in the State of Washington. It's going to be a LOT easier to simply buy it from a registered grower than to track down an illegal seller in Oregon... hopefully...

Tom