tower

The wind whipped past us, surprisingly fast and consistent on the way up to the tower It was cool enough that long sleeves became necessary in a short time. The winds grabbing fingers took Jeff’s hat right off his head once and tried a second time but Jan was ready. The clouds above were close and kept getting torn into little pieces; they rushed past just overhead.

The Coyote peak radio tower, our destination, is at the top of a steep walk from the park parking lot. It’s a relatively straight shot, only one switchback and a twist around the top of the hill. The bend back happens as we transit the gate and pass under the power line. The tower rises three sided and so many triangles; it is dotted with dozens of reflector dishes and studded with so many stubby cellular spikes. The tower complex is not only the tower, but a couple of buildings and it’s got a large tank too, bigger than either of them, maybe 5000 gallons. The building’s HVAC systems hum audibly above the wind and nearby trees rush and murmur in the streaming air. The tower itself is silent.

On the return trip, the passing cloud shreds finally dissipated, and with them the wind dropped to calm.

jg

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