pa_fourtyseven.htm

2/23/2010

My Freind from Church Jr & I had been talking about making this Trip up to TallowBox-Look-Out now for about 7 or 8 Months. Weather mostly was the Reason we didnt get it done till Now. From the Church All you have to do is Drive South on 238 Turn left on I dont remember what road that goes by the river. Come to Cantrall Buckly Park. Go over the one lane Bridge and follow the Black-Top Road about 8 Miles or so. In this First picture is where the Black-Top ends. We are now where the Road levels out and is dirt the rest of the way. Here I'am looking back down the Road we just came up.
With The Car stoped at the End of the Black-Top. Jr and I got out of the Car to walk around a bit. We are now a few 1000 feet higher now in Elevation. The Town of Ruch and The Church Campus are now completely out of our Veiw. They are now Hidden behind the Mt behind the Car Now. It is Noticeably Colder now and dark threatening clouds are over head. But we are going to give it a Try. The Dirt Road will go another 5 or 6 Miles or so to the Look-Out
In this Last Picture taken while the Car is still sitting there at the end of the Black-Top I Remebered a Trip I took up here in The Chevelle in 1989. I took a Picture of The Chevy sitting in the Exact same place in 89. The Hood was open because The Engine got a Little Hot comming up the long Hill back then. Click here to see that Picture from 1989.
In These Next 3 Pictures. We have began the 5 or 6 Mile Trip up the Dirt Road. Along that Road You find 3 Good Vantage Points where you can stop and get a good look at the Top of the Mountain. It's True my Eyesight is beginning to fail as I get older. But it was very Clear to Me in the first Vantage point and the Next 2 as well. that something had happend to the Look-Out-that used to be on Top of the Mountain.? Its simply Not there anymore.? What happend? I had No Idea.? I was Shocked. Jr kept saying to me." Are you sure there was a Look-Out-Tower up there before." YES there was. It must have been torn down for whatever Reason. Later on in the day Once I was Home I would Research this on the Web and Learn exactly what Happend to the Look-Out I once knew.
This last Picture is the Closest Vantage Point we would get before we would come to the Saddle between the Mt's.. Jr and I would stop there and make a Video for You-Tube. There would be one more Vantage Point a little farther ahead. for now. Lets go back to 1989 and have a look at those Vantage Points We just saw in the last 3 Pictures. Also I have added a few Pictures of the Look-Out taken back then. Click Here to see those.
Now we are at The Saddle. The Veiw of the Look-out is now Blocked. Jr & I stoped here to get some Pictures and shoot a Video about the Trip. It was Cold and a Storm was Brewing on the Mountain in the Only Picture I took at this Point. I dont know why I only took the one Picture there at the Saddle area. The Picture taken here is Grayback Mountain. I have had two Failed Attemps to climb to the top of this Mountain in my Younger Years. And in the next Picture we have continued on past the saddle a little ways and are now at the last Vantage Point to view the Top of Tallowbox. The Rest of the Drive will NOT offer anymore Views of the Mountain untill you get right to it.
We have driven on for awhile and now have began the last Mile & Half of the trip to the top. The Road gets very very Steep here. I Remember it in the 90's as being very Rugged at this Point. But I see now they have fixed the Road up a lot. wonderfull. The Road flattens out and becomes level for a short while. And in these next Pictures we are stoped agine looking at the Original Road/Path way that will take you directly to the Top of the Mountain. That was made Probably before modern road-bulding equipment was invented. Mabe in the old "Horse Drawn covered wagon days." You Know. When JR was a KId. NO. I have been on the Trail/Road on a Motorcycle. It is so steep at points it is allmost Impassible. Now we have about another Half mile to go and then we are at the Turn off road that will take you the rest of the 1000 feet or so to the Top of the Mountain.
Now We have arrived allmost to the Top of the Mt. At this Point the Road Continues on down the Mountain. It has now became Star-Gulch-Rd and will Take You all the way back down The Hill to Star-Ranger-Station.. Here Where my Car is parked is the Turn off Road to the left of my Car that will take you the Remaining 1000 Feet or More to the Top of The Mountain and to where The Look-Out used to be. For some Stupid reason at this Point it the Trip. I Neglected to take any Picutres of the Road going from this Point up the Hill. I have one of the Gate and a few comming back down the Road to the Car. Sorry. I just Neglected to take any Pictures of some of the Areas I wanted to. Including the Top of the Hill at the closest Point Jr & I would reach tawards the Top. I dont know what I was thinking. I do have a few Pictures from 1989 of this place where my Car is Parked now. And the Place I would park The Chevelle at that time. And the Signs. Sorry. I just dont have any New Pictures to offer of those Places. (untill I make another tip back up there.) Click Here to see those Pictures from 1989.
Here is looking down the Star-Gulch-Rd now. It was not a well Maintained road the last time I was on it 20 Plus Years ago. That is Dutchmans Peek Ahead. I will have to wait untill the Snow Melts before taking a Trip there.
In these Next 3 Pictures Jr & I had began the Walk up the Look-Out-Road. There is a Gate just around the First corner. I didnt check to see if it was locked. Jr & I decided we would not have enought time to Hike to the Top and get back to The Church in time for Jr's 10:00 a.m. Meeting. So we decided to take a short cut up through the Brush to just get a look at the Top. Agine. Sorry. I didnt get any pictures of the Top. I did make a YouTube Video here and down below & those will show what I didnt get Pictures of. You can find The Videos Here. These Pictures are looking to The South in California. In the last Picture it is easy to see we are standing on the Bald side of The Mt. Just a few Hundred feet below the Top.
In these next 3 Pictures we have started comming back down the hill from the View Point we had climbed to. We had to go throught some really thick Brush and forrest. Jr is somewhere ahead of me there. Barly see Him. And then we were back down to the Road where the Gate is The Car is down the hill a 100 feet or so.
These are the last two Pictures taken before we started driving back down the Hill. We are walking from the Gate back down to the Car.
In this Picture we have driven about a Half Mile down the road when I Noticed A Nice View of Ruch down below. The Church Propertie is visible in this Picture. But Hard to see. Medford is Beyond the Mountains. Roxy-Ann is Visible. As well As Mt McLoughlin way in the Back. Most of McLoughlin is covered in Clouds.
The Last 3 Pictures I took on this Trip was all the way down where the Black-Top road starts. That is Dutchmans Peek all covered in Snow. A wonderfull place to go Hiking later on this Summer.
go to 2/25/2010