W5RJD Summit on the Air (SOTA) Activations

I know a repeater control operator with gear on Loma Prieta, so he drove us up for this one.  The road is narrow and 4WD is recommended but probably not required.  Need high clearance for sure.  The real issue with this summit is there's a locked gate with a no trespassing sign just below the activation zone.  You could hike into the AZ if you go around this gate, but it's at your own risk.  There are cameras everywhere, but there's also a lot of buildings and equipment so many people have access to the site. If you are with someone that has a key to the gate it's a drive up.  If you have to hike around the gate you'll have to hoof the last 1/2 mile or so and risk getting in trouble. That's the main reason this summit has so few activations.  There's also a private road sign several miles from the gate, but except for getting shot by pot growers I don't think there's much to worry about there. We just set up our end fed by the building our friend was...

W6/CC-002 (Mount Pinos) W6/SC-001 (Cerro Noroeste) W6/SC-002 (San Emigdio Mountain)

 

  I was on a business trip to Oregon and decided to stay the weekend.  There was a summit about an hour away from the hotel.  It was the highest point in Oregon at a little over 4,000 feet, although small by California standards. This was a cold and windy day, and it was lightly snowing, so I didn't really take any photos.  I took the above photo off Google images, because you could not see the mountain through the clouds at all. This is a drive up except the last mile, which is an easy hike with about 350 feet of elevation gain to the summit proper.  I got to the parking lot about 7AM, but it was too dark and windy to start the hike.  I feel asleep in the car until about 8:30, then waited another half hour or so for the wind to die down a little.  I got out of the car to check out the use fee, which was $5, and all the payment envelopes were wet so the slot to put them in was blocked.  After I spent a couple of minutes trying to stuff the payment...