From Dann:
"I drove down to Vaca Valley today to
try to take some ground level pictures. It was quite an adventure.
I was able to walk right in through an open gate. I had to traverse
my way through knee-high thick grass. It was like hay or something;
just wild grass. When I got to the track I had to climb up the banking
on the south end. I found myself on the track at turn 1.
Now I was expecting to walk all around the track taking lots of pictures
for you.
Well, things look a lot different from
ground level than they do from 1000 feet above. What was the track
surface has deteriorated into gravel. Over the past 30 years of neglect
weeds have taken over the place. The infield appeared to be the same
kind of grass I had to walk through to get to the track. But the
track itself is covered with thigh-high thistles! I could only walk
a few feet onto the track as my legs were getting scratched up badly.
I was wearing shorts. Also from ground level it was difficult to
trace the route of the track.
I got a new camera so the picture quality
is better but there just weren't good views. Although
it really doesn't look like it, this shot is looking down the track from
Turn 1 toward Turn 2. What I couldn't shoot at the far (north) end
of the track are stacks of tires. I was really disappointed at the
state of the track as it looks so good from above. I will try to
take another aerial shot with my new camera the next time I'm down that
way." |