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| By Marcel Duchamp - NPR arthistory.about.com |
Over
the years I've learned some things I really don't need to know. High
on that list I count my knowledge of Marcel Duchamp's putative work
of art pictured here. Unless you have been enlightened, you might
need to be forgiven for thinking this object is a plumbing fixture
commonly found in men's restrooms. Well, it is, or so I have been informed,
a revolutionary work of art from 1917. If you find this idea mystifying or
perplexing, you can dig in further and become an enlightened one. I
refer to this “work of art” only to ensure that what I am about
to assert is nowhere near the fringe of the realm of art.
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| Limited Edition $99.95 |
I
have often looked at an orienteering map and found in it an elegance
I did not expect in an object so functional. I'll leave it to you to
choose whether a map can be a work of art. I'm kind of up in the air
on that subject, but not so much in the case of a urinal. Having
employed OCAD, our mapping software, to process LiDAR data to produce
the Castle Rock Map, I can't claim much artistic input for myself as
its author. Still, I believe it is pleasing to the eye in a way that
attracts me to the art I hang on my walls at home. I haven't quite
reached the point where I'm inclined to frame it, but that doesn't
seem too far-fetched.
Earlier
this year when LiDAR data became available from a FEMA project to map
the Payette River Basin, an enormous area, I began searching within
its limits for good mapping projects. Among several other
possibilities the Castle Rock Road area looked good. I had driven
past the area many times, mostly on my way to backpacking in
Yellowstone. It looked interesting from Highway 20, but I never
ventured beyond the main thorofare. When I mentioned it to Sergey he
said he had also pegged Castle Rock Road as potentially interesting
to the club. With the magic of some new and powerful mapping software employed to process the LiDAR data we quickly had what appeared to be a map suitable for a meet. What truly amazed me was how little time I spent on site mapping and field checking. My time on site before setting controls amounted to 2 hours in early June and 5 hours in late June. Most of the development was done at my desk. And, even that was far from the long hours drafting maps just a few years ago.
Whether we remember the course or the map, I'm confident that images like this one will remain vivid long after other memories have faded.
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| Photo courtesy of Christy Morris |
I
have to admit I was somewhat apprehensive about how the map turned
out. I will defer to three critiques from our eminent critics.
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| Photo by Kirsten Severud |
Ole:
The
Castle Rock area is one of the most interesting areas of Idaho that I
have visited (I didn't even know it existed until today).
There is no lack of features in this area, and it seemed like the map
captured it all. There were so many features to guide you along, you
hardly needed a compass.
Jerry
Thanks
for a great course on a perfect day for orienteering. It would be
nice to do the area again.
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| Photo by Kirsten Severud |
Christy
joined CTOC in December, and along with her father, Scott, has
participated in almost every meet this year. Christy:
This
was by far our favorite course I terms of location and scenery. Of
course it helps that we also shaved some time off our previous
"race".
A cliff from an apparently abandoned mining venture was a notable and unexpected feature. A small gap not visible in the photo remained from the incomplete closure of the tunnel.
Thirteen people participated in the meet bringing our total 2020 participation well over 200. Participation this year far exceed any year in the last five, and it's just the middle of July. Notably, John Harbuck came all the way from Sandpoint to compete in our two-day event. Like John, several of us went on to the Dutch Lake Meet north of Stanley.
Thanks to Zach and his mother, Jennifer, for picking up half of the controls on a hot July afternoon. Zach Clayton will host our next meet at Pine Creek south of Idaho City. Meet information is posted at https://www.meetup.com/City-of-Trees-Orienteering-Club/events/ . We look forward to seeing you there.
John Murray
Meet Director
