Re: Alpine Tunnel Palisades before being damaged by an avalanche

Tenderpaw Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry if its old news and already posted.
> I did a search before posting and didn't
> see it.  Did another one just now and
> still didn't.   Oh well.


Not to worry, Dave -

I didn't see it either - although with eyes almost as geezerly as JBWX, Haich O'Mannder or Roger Wigwam I do have an excuse!  Anyway, to round out the coverage for those not fortunate to have yet been to the Alpine Tunnel here are a few photos of the area from September, 2008.

The worst part of the road was the cutoff just shy of Sherrod Loop; my AWD Escape (NOT 4WD) got some funny looks from Jeepers . . .
The road in the Palisades area wasn't any worse than those into Sublette or The Whiplash, but note the 'goat path' across the ridge in the background!:


IIRC, the Palisades proper is the cliff above the rock wall shown here, with the old stage road angling down below the DSP&P roadbed: *


Another view of The Palisades:


. . . and a close-up of the no-longer-quite-accurate interpretive sign:


*  Technically, 'The Palisades' is NOT the rock wall built to support the DSP&P roadbed, it is the gigantic natural rock wall, similar to Half Dome in Yosemite, that towers above the roadbed.  It was so named many years before the railroad was constructed, well before the wagon road that can be seen in the second photo above was established over Alpine Pass.  Even Historians and sign-painters occasionally make mistakes . . .

- Roosso

p.s.  Here's an overview of the excellent display just west of the (collapsed) tunnel entrance, which includes the remains of the engine house (at left):


Not long after I took the above photo, it started to snow . . .



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2021 07:15PM by Russo Loco.