Germar's Monthly Updater

February 2003: Hiking in San Diego's backyard I focused my leisure time in February 2003 mostly on the eastern parts of San Diego county. I went mountain biking in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, visited a gem mine east of McCain valley (together with the owners of the claim), and spent a weekend in Anza Borrego State Park where I hiked up to Jacumba Mountain and along abandoned railroad tracks. Below is a picture from our camp at "Dos Cabezas" with Jacumba Mountain in the background. The railroad tracks belong to the "San Diego and Arizona Eastern" railway, which was operating until the early 1980s before flash floods and land slides partially destroyed it. However, work is underway and the railway will reopen soon. The railroad was once called the "Impossible Railroad" and the following pictures document why: tunnels alternate with trestles, built out of wood. A nice history of the railroad can be found here and more pictures from the construction are here. Below is the trestle over Goat Canyon. It is one of the largest wooden trestles in the world. Here is the trestle from the opposite site: The railway got hit by disaster more than once. Here are some rusty witnesses: Before we went back to camp we had lunch on a old wagon. The suspension was still working and it was fun to rock it back and forth!

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