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For those of you heading to the mounds for spotting you may notice something a little different. Sometime during the past week there was a fire, not sure how it was caused or why. Most of the brush beyond the mounds has been burned away and now is open and accessible for spotting. Some of us were out spotting this afternoon and took advantage of the new views.
Can you say NO MORE TREES....
Wow, the trees are gone?
Who's the arsonist that I have to make a statue of?! ;)
As long as the views FROM the mounds is improved, I will be very happy. Not sure I like being closer but under the flight path ...
Nice work, Manny! :tongue:
The trees are still there, but you can go beyond the trees now. Its all open.
The actual mounds still have an obtructed view, but you can now walk about 400ft east of the mounds.
There was a large brush fire there Monday afternoon around 1:20PM. It took about 90 minutes to extinguish. It burned away a large area of thick brush leaving approximately 100-150 yards of burned flat ground open.
The easiest way to access the area is to walk down to the end of the mound and follow the burnt area in.
Just be careful if you stray from the blackened area you can easily sink into the marsh. Sinking up to your knees is easy.
Also if you go out into the burned out area you may want to wear old shoes as the ash is going to pretty much ruin whatever you are wearing. Also if you tape your pants legs closed this will prevent the ash from going up your pants and you winding up with black sooty socks and legs.
During the fire they were on the 31's not the 22's.
I wonder if this had anything to do with my Rockaway Turnpike was randomly and mysteriously closed in that area early this morning, causing traffic chaos.
Rockaway Turnpike was closed to some watermain break from what we've heard. When I was heading for Bayswater this morning there was a ton of traffic all being diverted to Brookville Blvd if you were heading west.
My mom was stuck on Peninsula for 30 minutes before someone told her to turn around because Rockaway was closed near the runways. A watermain break would make sense, I guess.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zee71
Yep it was, there was still some standing water visable when I drove to Hobe and back.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zee71
You are not even near the flight path, from the soccer field it seems the flight path is closer than it is. Once we walked out the flight path was still a ways.Quote:
As long as the views FROM the mounds is improved, I will be very happy. Not sure I like being closer but under the flight path ...
I think Mark did it not Manny... :) actually I wouldn't be surprised if they both did it.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Cary
Well, it sounded better than it seems to be (for me anyway) ... I want to be up on the mounds itself with no trees... so I guess it is business as usual. I wouldn't even mind the trees but the stupid little bushes that get all over your shot near the path! ugh...Quote:
Originally Posted by NIKV69
I plea the 5th Amendment to the constitution! :cool::tongue::rolleyes:
4 days later? Nah.Quote:
Originally Posted by yankees368
LOL, a bronze statue of a spotterQuote:
Originally Posted by Phil D.
so if i'm reading this correctly, the trees remain but you can get out to the marshy area no problem. If the trees were to magically disappear overnight would it just be considered collateral damage?
*wheels are spinning*
Keep in mind that is a federally protected area. Cutting down those trees would land you in federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison.
And Eric....no pics of the new mounds?! Come on man!
Its not really that marshy. Where the fire was is flat and mostly dry, just a lot of ash.
Enjoy it while you can, guys. Once it warms up, I suspect it will all grow back.
Hey we will at least get the summer out of it once that light gets ideal. It doesn't look like the fire was severe enough to destroy the roots but hey for now it's EPIC!Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil D.
Not to be an alarmist but I'd be careful over there. Was this fire an accident or deliberately set? You might just get a little more attention from the boys in blue because of that. Just saying.
I don't see anything growing back for some time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil D.
manny and I were over there early this afternoon, he will have some video up later today.
No closeups of the Budweiser 40s? Come on!
I only really noticed a couple of cans of Coors Lite and some light trash but that was about it. We only ventured to the rim of the burned out area. It smells like crapolis in there with the mix of stagnant water and burned ash etc. ugh... but the views are worth it. It is almost like shooting SXM from the bar :tongue:
yup, just like SXM, minus the beach, bar, topless woman, etc.... we do get a few more planes though. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by gonzalu
What is that? I didn't smell anything when I was there.Quote:
It smells like crapolis
actually it kinda smells like rotten eggs and ash, I try not to concentrate on the smell, and just focus on the planes then its not too bad.Quote:
Originally Posted by NIKV69
Your olfactory must be damaged because there is a serious smell in the air down there. But like Eric said, you soon forget about it when you get to shoot and pan smoothly across the frame without breaks!Quote:
Originally Posted by NIKV69
What are you guys Bloodhounds? I worry more if it's a rainy spring the mosquitoes will be terrible but it is a gift to be able to shoot there.Quote:
Originally Posted by gonzalu