Okay, get out your tinfoil hats. This is odd.

yesterday, some friends went out on their boat. they choose to go to a little backwoods access that is sort of not public, if you know what I mean. Oh, mabe you don't. The road is blocked with a large steel gate, and no, I didn't even think to take a picture of that. Will try to get one later. the little road is sort of an extension of what would be SW 136 St. here in Miami, if it continued all the way to the Bay, which it doesn't. At least, not as a real road, paved and so forth. there is a baseball park there, called Chapman Field park, and also recently built next to that is Deering Estates, an expensive little development with golf course. Prices start around 2.5 million or so, I guess you get the general idea, right?

Anyway, they were walking down this road [see pictures on Album] and about ten minutes down the road they came across these barrels. four of them, two on the left side of the road, and two on the right. They stopped to look at them and noticed UN marked on them. Curious, huh?

As you will see by the photos, and I hope I did the album right, they are grey 55 gallon drums. I snapped the stencils on a couple, and also the stamped in the metal printing. It was hot, btw, so we may go back tomorrow for more.

Go to PhotoASA and log in:

Login name: barefootmailman

Access Code: barrels

[no caps, just as you see it]

We tried to walk all the way to the end of the hoses you see in one picture, but they were very long, and the mosquitoes were very thick the farther you went. We had no bug spray, so stopped after about 100 yds. Still couldn't see the end of the hoses.

We theorized that the barrels contained water for mixing the cement, and the 2x4 square frame was used to hold the cement until it set. Why someone is pouring cement squares out in the middle of nowhere in a mangrove swamp that is a protected area is unknown.

I hope we can manage to get to the end of the hoses and see what is actually being done there. gotta have some bug spray, ya know?

I plan to try and view an arial photo of the spot from that MS site, if I can find it. I forget what it is, something like terraview, or some such. sheeple mentioned it in the hud thread... terraserver? I don't know if I can take that type of picture and link it for you all, but I will see what I can do.

Whatcha tink? Unusual?

Any other ideas about what is being done? Access to the actual bay from this location is shallow, although I think they managed to do some minor dredging during the building of that development, as they were fined for damaging the mangroves and forced to replant some.

This particular road goes nowhere, really, just a dead end. We used to ride our bikes down it for exercise, and during the cleanup after Andrew, a lot of the tree/mulch debri was dumped at the end of the road. As you can see the road is somewhat lined by what we call Australian Pine, which is considered a bad plant and is outlawed. Also there are some Malaleucca trees starting to crowd in. Also an outlawed plant. both tend to kill the native growth and cause some havoc to residents and eco-systems.

I have to get ready for work momentarily, but will be back later. sure hope the album can be accessed by you folks. Never done one before, and 22 photos are too much to post here.

barrels

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

Answers

Seems ourpart of townisn't loaded at the Terraserver site. Oh well. I'll try the USGS site I guess.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

Try this link. The picture is old, but that's the spot. there are two 'paths' to the south, and the barrels were located by probably the first one. We aren't sure. Have to check again.

link

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

Hi Barefoot, I can get past the login page, but not into the photos.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

Once youget past the login page, you see one photo, click on that, and the album opens up.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

Take a crow bar and pry open the barrels to see what's in them. The "UN" could mean anything. There's a military surplus store here that sells 50 gal. drums like the ones pictured. BE CAREFUL! Barrels like those are often used by people cooking meth. If you smell a funny odor, high-tale it out of there. People who cook meth often find secluded places to do their manufacturing.

Also, somone could be building a pump house for a well??

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

"Once you get past the login page, you see one photo, click on that, and the album opens up." No, I STILL get an "Internal Server Error" message when I try to click on that one photo. OTOH, the link to the aerial works.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

I wouldn't touch it, Barefoot. If it IS an illegal op of some kind, the folks involved won't appreciate you nosing about. Shotgun accidents are common in those sorts of areas.

I think I would notify the local EPA and give them the markings on the barrels, see if they mean anything. They could designate an illegal substance. Even if water is in those barrels now, the water could be contaminated by an illegal substance. Then I think I would notify the local sheriff or whoever has jurisdiction. But I'd make sure a fed agency was notified first! Never know about those local sheriffs!

It could be perfectly innocent but, so often, if something "smells" funny, it probably is.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

OK, my home computer let me take a peak at the photos.

Report it to Florida DEP. Just say they are abandoned barrels of chemical waste.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

DO NOT OPEN THOSE BARRELS!!!!!

The first number 1Y1A2/Y1.2/100 is a rating for hazardous material storage under UN and/or DOT standards.

Still looking for more info.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

Geez...I actually used to know this stuff...

1Y1A2/Y1.2/100

"Y" stands for class of material the drum can hold. Y can carry type II and III materials (II=medium danger, III=minor danger).

1.2 probably has to do with the specific gravity of the material.

100 possibly the mass (?)

USA/R10B7/UIML

USA is the country of origin (either of manufacture or reconditioning).

R could mean "reconditoned".

10B7 could actually be "10 87", the date of reconditioning.

UIML or U1ML (?) who knows?

DOT regs (page 22)= http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/Pdfs/hmeta2.pdf

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Mailman....if it is a mystery, why not post it at Hot topics and ask if anyone "has a feel " or impression of what it might be! am going to try to go see the barrels right now. was on my way to bed, but want to see!

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Hey, Big K, I was expecting something like that, but nothing popped up for me.

Barefoot, did you try rocking the barrels to see if there was anything in it? Another possibility, based on where there were located along the roadway, is that they will be incorporated in a makeshift roadblock with chains.

Still, why someone would reuse barrels which had contained very hazardous substances for something like roadblocks or mixing cement, well it doesn't work for me. Assume they are toxic and report them immediately. Someone could end up dumping them to the side, and that would be a real shame.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

If it's meth, you don't want to go near it. In fact, since you simply don't know what's in there, you should just report it and stay away. If the fumes don't get you, the owner might.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Thanks for reminding me about hazardous contents. Believe me, I looked funny tapping the two on the tarp with a little stick. LOL

Those two by the cement bags were empty. I didn't get around to checking the other two because I was distracted by a car going by. A green Honda Accord. One guy in it, I'd say about college age.

This road is already blocked off back at the park by a large steel barricade. It is a dead end dirt-road that goes into an environmentally protected area of shoreline. We figured the guy in the Honda drove over the baseball diamond to get back there. I don't know who was more surprised, him or me! [He was on his way out when he went by me.]

I was thinking of sending some of the pictures to a TV station here and asking them to check it out. I can see that going to the .gov environment guys could be better, but...

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Barefoot,

Interesting story. I hope you're not leaving your own fingerprints all over those things. Because if the authorities get involved they might very well start trying to find evidence of who put them there, and if your fingerprints turn up you are then a prime suspect.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

I have no fingerprints. You have to have fingers to have fingerprints. LOL

My bro and I are going to ride our bikes down there today and see if we can get to the end of the hoses.

I'll take more pictures, including the gate at the entrance of the road.

Bro says it might have to do with the golf course for Deering Estates, which is just to the south in the 'sky picture' link above. In the picture it shows as a clearing, but that was in 1994. believe me, it has been built up since them as evidenced by the buildings in my picture of the park.

Back later.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Okay, I have more pictures, but PhotoASA won't let me upload right now.

The pipes are being planted in the ground, sticking up about 3 feet or so. Lot's of orange tape back in the swamp. It was really only wet on the ground around the one pipe we photo-ed. Found some 1 x 2's stuck in the ground with writing on them. Shot those too. Rather cryptic writing, lots of abbr.

Checked the barrels again. In the pile on the side of the road with one laying down, both were laying down today. More long PVC pipes laying there wrapped in plastic bags.

Interesting thing though. The two by the mound, we checked them, one was empty, the other wasn't. Also, a strong petrol smell, I thought it was like kerosene, was noticeable. the seal ring was loose on it.

While we were resting in the shade near the barrels, 3 trucks went by us, leaving the area. The first one stopped and offered to help us if we needed it. We didn't. We weren't sure who he was, so didn't ask what he was doing. Un-marked white Ford F-150. He had a wheelbarrow and a generator in the back of the pick-up truck. Along with other stuff.

The second truck, also a white pick up, flew by. the third was like a pick up but had the dumptruck backend on it. He had a water tank in it. similar to what the lawnspray guys use. This truck had WTC [in red] on the side, but he was too fast for us to read the small print.

We went towards the bay, towards where they came from. We saw that the barrels were at the first path on the south side, referring to the USGS survey photo. The second one to the south had orange markers around as well. We did not go back in that one.

As we went past the lake that is on the north side of the road, we found more and more orange markers, and yet never found where the trucks actually were, we just saw where they had been driving. It was very hot and still and humid there. It is Florida, ya know!

On the way back to the car, we ran into three kids out there riding their bikes. Also, when we reached the gate [which I forgot to photo] there were two guys with a canoe leaving. None of them knew what was going on either.

Best guess right now is that the development, Deering Estates or some other, is preparing to start building out there, which will of course screw up the whole area. I sure hope they are careful with the mangroves.

More later, and I hope I can get those new photos up soon!

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Okay, new pix up. Both sets, so you can pick either one. LOL new account. Frickin' computers!

PhotoASA

Login Name: barefoot_bozo Access Code: barrels

Just as they are. Or you can try this link.

PhotoASA

My bro also mentioned a car after the three trucks went by. I don't know where I was. Oh, he says it was when we went into the clearing at the beginning of the second trail. I forgetted. OK! OK! I was peeing! Hey! We were drinking beer! LOL

[No trash was left on site by us during the making of this excursion.]

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Barefoot, the writing on the orange posts looks like pretty standard geotechnical subsurface investigation type info. Just can't imagine why they recorded it on the stakes. The guys look to be testing what kind of load or foundation replacements will be required for whatever building they plan to put in that spot. Some of the other stakes may be marking building corners, etc. Sounds like there will be a fair amount of wetlands fill (a good recipe for insuring off-site flooding).

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Aha...mystery solved! Partially, at least.

Translation of marking stick:

0.5 feet=CR frag(ments), tan sand with org(anic matter)

0.5-2.0 feet= ?, fine sand with CR frag(ments), trace org(anic matter) and plastic (old garbage bags?)

2-3 feet= natural organic matter, regular

3-5.5 feet= tan clay with orange ?

5.5-6 feet= CR natural ?

*************************

It's a soil survey--at least partially. Barrels probably have fuel for tne coring equipment.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Yeah, makes sense to us. Also, we found that the land belongs to the park. so, if anything is built, it will be part of the park.

We will probably check it out further thru the county after the holiday.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Check out this link, to the property info area of the county web site. Dade The folio number is 03-5119-000-0010 and you can search it out by that. Shows it is worth almost 3 million, and is own by the parks dept. Hope the link works. http://gisims.co.miami-dade.fl.us/pa/mapclient/default.htm

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Ya gotta do the folio without the hyphens.

Here ya go:

0351190000010

Easier to copy paste, ya know.

I wonder if they are planning to add more facilities to the park...

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

There are a couple of parks in Missouri--Big Oak Tree and Mingo Swamp--that have interpretive boardwalks built through the portions of their swamps. Very nice, they are. Lets you see the swamp up close and personal without getting wet.

Big Oak Tree has a champion poison ivy vine overhanging the boardwalk--was 14 inches in diameter back in the early 80's.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

FYI

LOLOL

If you're interested, the folio number for OJ's house is

3050090001080

He is NOT in the vilage of Pinecrest! Local news keeps saying he is, but he isn't. He is west of Pinecrest, near a county park/high school. The school is called Killian Senior High.

FYI, ya know...

did I mention it shows his taxable property value from last year? And the sale price?

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

The vine was 14" in diameter? That's big!

I wonder who had the Calamine lotion stand...

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001