So even in checkerboard land it may be wise to carry a compass.?ÿ I do, but can't remember the last time I used it.
Left a rodman in the woods.
Same.?ÿ Sometimes I wonder whether he ever made it out.
Had a 5700 base set up on a ridge line east of the Cortez mine off NV 306 approx 75 miles from Elko.
Was my first project being "in charge" and was wary as we were a sure wild bunch of non land surveyors that were set free to roam and grab gravity grids.
The moment I was sitting down after a short dinner and shower to wash the coating of salt, dust and ATV exhaust, i realized the base was not on my hotel desk top. Nor the yellow suitcase its normally transported inside of. Nor the yellow top Optima that powers it.
2100ish. July. Sun still up and setting fast, I headed to the mine and begged the security people to let me retrieve the gear and was told its a violation of the safety policy to drive alone on the haul roads or anywhere without an escort.
2245. Finally someone was willing to drive in Tandem to the site but stopped and waited as they weren't allowed to drive OFFroad.?ÿ
2330 arrived to the base, green and amber lights writing their tales of satellites trajectories and the yellow suitcase sitting patiently open waiting to head home.
Finished the data QC for 10 people around 5 and we headed back out at 0630.
Never got to sleep. And that probably was what saved me.
One of our linemen brought us back a Leica data collector he'd picked up off the side of the highway looking seriously worse for wear. Could only surmise somebody left it on their bumper and jumped on the highway cruising along at 75 when it finally fell off and bounced down the pavement where it came to rest. Pulled the serial number off of it and contacted Leica who gave us the owner's information and I contacted them. You would think they'd have been happy to get their data collector back, or what was left of it. Far from it. Read me the riot act, the ungrateful nimrods. I can only guess that now the nimrod was going to have to explain the mystery of his disappearing data collector to his boss.
?ÿ
Another time I had a guy working for me who was always on his cell phone, yacking about this and about that. Our GPS system crapped out, internal radio and I asked if he could run it into the dealer about an hour away to get it repaired. He leaves yacking on his phone and drives off leaves both GPS cases sitting in the parking lot. I couldn't help myself and picked them up and brought them back inside and didn't say a word. An hour later I get a call. "I think I lost the cases". I feigned shock and dismay. "How? I watched you leave with them." I waited until the next day to tell him just to let him stew and hopefully change his ways. Didn't work.
One morning all the party chiefs were called to a meeting in the supervisor's office.
Evidently one crew left a backsight out and it happened to be on the supervisor's route home.
After some harsh words and warnings the supervisor asked, "Any questions?"
One party chief replied, "Did you check it for level and over the point before you picked it up?"
Laughing about leaving the rodman in the woods.?ÿ 45+ years ago a bush axe got left in the woods in metro Atlanta.?ÿ As far as I know it may still be there.?ÿ We were cutting a random traverse line when the fellow ahead of me SCREAMED and ran past me down the already cut line.?ÿ He had swung his axe,?ÿ ?ÿstuck the blade into the trunk of a tree, and the hook stuck right into a LARGE hornets nest.?ÿ He was stung several times before he could get away from them.?ÿ None of us were brave enough to try to retrieve it so we just cut a new line in another direction.?ÿ Small critters can make big men do funny things.
Andy
My smartphone is equipped with a compass.?ÿ Or, simply go to any of several options to see precisely where you are at the moment and look for landmarks to help get you oriented.?ÿ That came in very handy one day in an area where access via four-wheeler was very limited and generally involved leaning low to avoid tree limbs, thus arcing this way and that.?ÿ There was no sun to aid us.?ÿ Pulled out our smart phones, homed in tightly on where we were and headed off as best we could in the direction of our target location.?ÿ That was one of those times were one person points and says "Thata way is North" while the other person does the same but in a very different direction.
Small critters can make big men do funny things
I like profound but simple statements.?ÿ
N
I've always wished I had saved the Tumbleweeds comic strip from decades ago (and can't find on line) where someone is trying to find their way and is told "It looks kinda northy over that way."?ÿ My sister still refers to it when there is confusion about directions.
*sheepishly* Once
I think it was on a previous forum that I responded to a post about leaving tools on the job "It's too embarrassing to admit on a public forum what I reported to the police as stolen before I remembered where I'd left it."
'never attribute to malice that which can adequately be explained by stupidity'
Although not equipment related (I've got one of those stories, which I posted a couple of years ago), we sometimes get international colleagues staying here at various hotels around the place, and meet-and-greet them. The usual default MO at the hotels here is that they deny all knowledge of any booking of anyone. So, prepared with this knowledge, one time I sailed off to meet a guy at his hotel and asked reception to call his room. Zip, no one of that name exists. So I blast them, dodge security, and march over to the room, knock on the door. A family of five tourists answer. They must have put him in another room. So I leave with a parting curse at reception and go back to the office to retrieve my phone and the guy's contact details. Half way through the five minute drive to the office it dawned on me that I'd gone to the wrong hotel, so I turned around, went to the correct hotel, and there he was.
RE: Are you asleep yet?
Y'all parents/grandparents remember these fun times..... ?????ÿ
