Out Of Step

P00328K-1 — Watch your step . . . while there is one to watch!

This is . . . odd. It is like something of the Winchester House. It seems that these steps in the picture above should go down to a lower deck, but there is no indication that there had ever been such a deck down there. The steps are well maintained and swept mostly clean of forest debris, so whatever happened to whatever should be down there must have happened recently.

Actually, these steps are for what is above rather than what is not below. The picture below shows that there is a deck associated with these steps, but that it is a considerable distance away, and that the only way to get there is by the cable that extends to it from the upper right corner of the picture, over Zayante Creek. The deck is rather sloped to facilitate arrival.

The cable that extends in the same direction from the middle of the top of the picture is somehow associated with the collective infrastructure, but I do not know how or why. Heck, I do not know how or why anyone would put such a deck so far away while there is plenty of space right here for a luxuriously spacious deck! Apparently, this whole setup is part of a short ‘zip line’ tour.

I don’t get it. It must be fun. It looks terrifying to me. I think that if I were to try something like this, I would rather be terrified someplace with more appropriate scenery, like between the skyscrapers of downtown San Jose! Now that would be RAD . . . and terrifying! In this particular location, I would not want to speed past all this interesting flora without slowing down or stopping to appreciate it.

The lower right quadrant of the lower picture shows young alders. Above and beyond, to the upper right, there are young redwoods with some Douglas firs mixed in. Just to the left of them, at the upper center, is an exemplary bigleaf maple. Most of the vegetation to the left is bay laurels, with some tanoaks, and perhaps madrones mixed in. The undergrowth the lower left is filberts.

I am certainly in no hurry to try this ‘zip line’ tour, and if I do, I seriously doubt that I will be noticing the surrounding flora; not just because of the speed, but because of the terror!

P00328K-2 — Oh, . . . so that is where these steps lead to!

14 thoughts on “Out Of Step”

I had a good chuckle at the lower picture. I think zip lining would be like sledding–impossible not to scream.

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tonytomeo says:

March 29, 2020 at 9:36 am

These zip lines are much lower than those in the Redwood Canopy Tour. I don’t get it; but many do. I used to work with arborists who work high in trees. Many who observe it comment that it looks like fun.

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When I was 90 kilo’s and very fit, just maybe I’d have done it. Wonder if the cool people alight on the lower step and carry on up the flight?

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tonytomeo says:

March 29, 2020 at 9:47 am

I suspect that they depart from the steps, and land on the sloped deck at the far end. Steps could make for a rougher landing. I do not watch, even though I sometimes work around it.

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1. nigel64 says:
  
  March 30, 2020 at 1:48 am
  
  Just don’t work underneath it!
  
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2. tonytomeo says:
  
  March 30, 2020 at 11:16 am
  
  I have worked under the Canopy Tour, which is much higher through the redwoods just up the road. The area below is just redwood forest without landscaping, but it is sometimes necessary to help with clearing vegetation away from the trails. It is a bit disconcerting to suddenly hear people screaming in terror from high above while I am so calmly working out in the otherwise pristine redwood forest.
  
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