Solo ride Saturday, so I thought I would take the opportunity to document one of the curious man-made features of Marsh Creek State Park. That would be the human-powered tram below the dam. The tram is slung from a 200' cable tensioned between two huge buried concrete anchors on either side of a creek that drains the dam discharge into the Brandywine. A stainless steel car is slung on the cable and sort of secured by a gated cage (it would be much more secure if the lock were actually locked).
After much discussion and an impromptu interview with a Park Ranger we have concluded that this is an example of a fun project funded on the backs of the PA state taxpayers. In other words pork. But it is pork in our backyard so it is good and we should consider how to leverage it to our advantage, right?
The car is big enough to perhaps fit two adults, or one adult and a healthy cooler of beer. We know this because we loaded one adult last year but stopped just short of sending him down the wire. We were reluctant because we couldn't fabricate a plausible excuse to use with the Park Ranger who we knew would turn up shortly (and who is already grinding an axe with the local mountain biking community).
But who knows, a future Chelsy's run might include a detour to the tram for a test ride. You would not want to miss that one. That's a plug for a possible Chelsy's run later this week (Wed, Thr, or Fri). If you are interested in participating in this possibly headline grabbing event, let me know any date constraints/preferences you may have and we'll dial in a date that works best for most.
Also this week might be "the" night ride of the '09 winter season with the possibility of substantial (for us) snowfall Tuesday and Wednesday. I am out of town through Tuesday so will probably get stiffed on this one, but if it happens I hope you guys can take advantage of it.
Chris
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