Getting to Sandhill

We have a slower-loading Map 1 pdf, and another that loads quicker, Map 2 pdf. Either is adequate for driving to Sandhill.

We have a map 3, of the 40-acre parcel itself, showing good parking spots, and vegetation. This one comes up quickly. Click on your “Back” button, after printing. Map 3 jpg <- Click on this, for map 3.


Sandhill is connected to County Road S by a dirt road that gets some county support but is also privately maintained by the neighbors. They call it the “driveway.”
Here are driving and parking instructions, once you get to the head of the “driveway”: (Click on a small photo to get a big one.)
You turn off the paved road,

drive1 drive2 drive3

at the fire-number signs saying “E6895 to E6903.

If you are coming to a QCF event which has been publicized, we will have signs QCF sign on County Road S, at the “driveway” where you turn off the paved road. There will be signs from then on, marking your turns.

Parking at Sandhill, and driving on the tracks within it.

By Richard Fuller, who has learned some lessons the hard way. ☺

Once you turn off the pavement onto the “driveway,” shared by three families, you enter a ‘seriously rural’ world where driving may require judgment and skill in estimating the road’s condition and your vehicle’s capacity to handle a variety of possible situations. Snow and mud are the big variables. If it’s muddy, you will get a good indication of upcoming conditions before the bottom of the first incline. In the central photograph above, it just beyond where the gravel disappears behind the trees. If this test patch looks impassable to you, back up the “driveway” and park near the head of the drive where it is fairly wide, or just off the road in a place where people arriving can still see the “QCF” signs. If you cross the test patch finding it gooey but passable, and you have a two-wheel drive vehicle with low clearance, you’ll probably want to park along the side of the “driveways.” (These privately-plowed dirt roads are shown as light dashed lines on map 3, running north along the west side all the way to the top & also wandering down to the southeast corner). The safest parking spots are the four marked “P 1″ on map 3. In these places you can get your car completely off the road without putting your wheels into any soft areas. If these spots are unavailable, you can park anywhere along the drives where you can pull over enough for through-traffic to get by. The “driveways” see only a few cars and tractors per day, at low speeds.
The “opening on your left through the pine trees ” mentioned in map 2 is the “old tractor road” shown as a heavy dashed line on map 3. If driving through the “test patch” of road left you feeling confident and your vehicle has a moderate amount of clearance, you can probably make the sharp turn through the trees and drive on the grassy tractor track up to the P2 parking area. Pull off the track, maybe on the uphill side, just enough to leave the track open for other vehicles.

Parking in the P3 area is nice if you have a lot to carry up the hill into the woods but once the track leaves the old tractor road near P2 it gets a lot rougher. Good clearance is important and so is 4-wheel drive in all but dry seasons.
When the earth is snow-covered, if you want to leave the “driveways,” chains are a necessity. However, the frozen drives themselves get snow-plowed, and are easier to navigate than when they are muddy.
Alas, cars with good fuel economy are less likely to do well in some of these off-road conditions. Park, make the hike, and feel virtuous about your contribution to air quality. We usually have a cart or a wheelbarrow, so if you have a lot to lug, consider carrying only a light load while you find the main party. Then you can use the cart to haul your paraphernalia. The first couple of walks “in” are a valuable transition from the freeway pace to one more in harmony with footsteps on the land. Many people feel “late” when they get out of the car. Please don’t. Instead, you are
“here, at Sandhill.”

Open yourself to the spirit in the place. In addition to the wonderful trees and other vegetation, there may be eagles, sandhill cranes, wild turkeys, deer.
Enjoy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <pre> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>