Part III

Sept. 11 - We're going to take a couple of looks at the Collins Line today. We're up at 6:50 a.m. and on the road within half an hour. We must really be getting soft because we stop at a restaurant for breakfast. The boys enjoy my getting worked over by the waitress. The conversation goes something like this with four of us at the table:

Aidan: Coffee!
Larrin: Coffee!
Dennis: Coffee!
John: There'll be four coffees and a tea.
Waitress: Who wants the tea?
John: I do.
Waitress: Where's the "please"?
John: Please? (sheepishly)

After that, we were the most polite table in the place. Breakfast was good, and soon we were pulling off the road at our first stop. This portion of the line had been maintained for some time and was now along an access road on ranch property. One barbed wire fence later and we were on the road. We spent about four hours detecting, digging, scratching and poking without much success. Larrin and Aidan have been here many times, and the area has been worked a lot. It has yielded several nice threadless in the past.

At the conclusion of Part II (see April 1993 issue of CJ), 
Larrin came up with a CD 735 Chester along with some of the tapered nails.

The most promising find was a pole hole, heretofore undiscovered, and two square nails close by. This was Dennis' work and the discovery was a sure sign of an E.C.& M. This would not be unusual as they were used as changeouts on rebuilds on the Collins. Initial digging yielded no signs of an insulator. I dug a portion of the area without success. I moved on. Aidan hung around as Dennis began digging with determination. Aidan eventually moved on and about half an hour later, Dennis emerged thoroughly exhausted and empty handed. However, you almost had the feeling this was going to be Dennis' day.

Back at the camper, we fixed lunch and headed further down the road. I continue to be amazed at how this foursome can relate specific stories to individual pole-holes that they have dug. We turned right off the road to a pole hole Dennis dug in '80 or '81. He had found about one-third of a CD 735 Chester and had dug in vain for the rest. He'd been back at least once since but had had no luck in completing his treasure. We decided with five of us digging, we could make short work of the task.

This section of the "road" has been maintained, probably as a hunter's access road, so we were able to drive right up to the pole hole. We scribed an approximate circle about 40 feet in diameter around the pole hole and started scratching. We went down to solid dirt, in some cases 8-10 inches below the surface due to an accumulation of moss, decayed matter and pine cones. About 30 minutes into the dig, a distinctive "clink" rang through the air. Wayne and his magic three-tine rake hit the jackpot. It was the complete top of Dennis' Chester. We all stood by while Dennis fitted the two pieces together. Perfect! He now had two-thirds of his insulator. We dug furiously for another 45 minutes, but we couldn't unearth any additional pieces.

Nevertheless, Dennis was ecstatic with the find. Lest you think this was a mere matching and fitting of two pieces of glass, you should know that Dennis had carried "part one" on the dashboard of his motorhome since he found it, some eleven or twelve years ago, in the hope of finding the rest. It certainly had turned out to be Dennis' day. All pledged to return at a later date to find the remaining piece(s). 

We decided it was time to return to Cache Creek and reunite Aidan with Carol. We arrived to learn that a bear had been seen on the property next door and, in a separate incident, a bear had mangled the screen door and damaged the main door of one of Carol's friends. It had been a particularly dry summer, not well suited for bears preparing for hibernation, which had forced them into populated areas in search of food. Once again, we had reason to be thankful for no close bear encounters. Dinner at Aidan and Carol's, pie at the local restaurant compliments of Dennis in thanks for the digging help, a shower (the second of the trip for most of us) and we camped in Aidan and Carol's driveway for the night.

Sept. 12 - We're up at 7:00 a.m., breakfast, sort Aidan's stuff from the back of the camper and truck, disconnect the trailer, bid farewell to Aidan and Carol, and we're off down the road again. A couple more stops are possible, but we only make one. This short section of maybe twenty five spans has yielded evidence of an incredible variety of insulators. Of particular interest are colored Tillotsons and fluted cobalt Cal's. Unfortunately, most have come out in small pieces, so the reconstruction work is significant. The good news is that the bear sightings are down; the bad news is that we are in rattlesnake country. I step carefully. We don't run into any.

I'm introduced to the last new term of the trip -- speeders. For those of you who aren't regulars at walking the railroad lines, here's something to keep an eye out for. I'd call them the modern version of a handcar. According to my traveling companions, speeders may proceed and/or follow every train that comes along the tracks. They look like a VW bug on train wheels, and they serve a number of functions for the train lines, not the least of which is looking for insulator collectors who might be climbing poles along the railroad lines in search of additions to their collections. They're quick and they're quiet, so if you are a railroad line walker, "speeder" is a term you should' be familiar with.

I note with interest that Larrin and Wayne have planted a few teasers on the path -- a couple of hunks of insulator on two separate rocks a couple hundred feet apart. They figure if they're still there, no one has been working that section since they were there last. We start scratching around a few previously marked poles. The terrain is different here, and rain, when it comes, can wash across the road and uncover new finds. Scratching, even if we don't find anything, helps as the next rain will uncover another layer. 

Eagle-eye Wayne strikes first again with a shard from a green Tillotson. Down a pole or two, Larrin finds a few small pieces of what appear to be aqua TilIotsons. A few poles further and we find evidence of a cobalt CaI. Even I dig up a few "blue" pieces, tiny but unmistakable. Wayne, the man with the glue, is responsible for collecting all of the pieces. He tries to assemble the accumulated glass into insulators in his spare time between insulator trips. All pieces are handed to Wayne upon discovery and placed in a sealable plastic bag. 

Disaster! Wayne discovers a large hole in the bag and the largest piece, about one inch square has fallen out. No one has moved so we're sure we can find it. We scratch for 15 minutes to no avail -- further evidence that this digging business is tricky and tough. Oh well, we know we'll have something to look for the next time we stop. The caravan heads down the road. The digging is over.

Lunch, the border crossing (where they wonder about the trailer we hook to the A TV), and we're back to Mount Vernon to drop off Dennis and his motor home. He said he thought we aged the motor home ten years on this trip. He's probably right, but it sure helped on those first cold/wet days and saved us a bundle of driving. We all appreciated Dennis' camping skills and the fact that he had one of everything in the camper.

We had a chance to sit with Dennis' Carole for a while and got to share her excitement with the addition to the dashboard Chester. We also got to look at Dennis' marvelous "star" insulator and telephone collections -- both outstanding. We sorted our stuff out of the camper and headed for Wayne's. Unloading was an event in itself. Larrin and I were staying the night so there was no hurry. We ordered in pizza, showered again (so nice) and crashed.

Sept. 13 - Sunday morning was spent in clean-up (the truck, especially) and trying to get Wayne's place back in some semblance of order. I should mention we spent a good bit of time looking at Wayne's insulator collection which is coming along quite nicely. Most of the clean-up work done, it was time for me to head to the airport. One incredible event left. Wayne presented me with an aqua Chester from his work at the end of the Collins Line. I was thrilled. It's hard to rank my experiences over the last ten days, but this kindness was certainly among the best.

The Chester will retain a place of prominence in my collection. It's especially meaningful now that I have at least some sense and personal experience of what digging for insulators on the Collins means. Thanks again, Wayne. It's time to catch my flight. Carol (the Editor and the third Carol in the story) will be waiting for me at the other end. The trip was incredible, but, as usual, it'll be good to be home.