Illegal Police Check Points and Nate Harrison Grade

So I had the idea to drive up Nate Harrison Grade Rd. yesterday. My photography teacher says she goes up every month or so and likes the ride and opportunities for photography. I always like to have a co-driver on new roads so I have a reason to drive slower and if something were to happen, there's a supply of food for me (cause no one is gonna eat me, they can, but there ain't much to eat there.) So I pick up my co-driver and head out. On the way out we drive by a Police checkpoint, and then about half mile down the road, I see him.

Meet Brian, he says hes from far away, that "they" drop him off from Pluto. Or at least that's what he tells the cops.



He was warning drivers of the "illegal" police checkpoint that was ahead and to detour. Even though he was attempting to disrupt their check point, the police assigned two motorcycle units to watch him and the traffic. They said it was for his and the drivers "safety"



This is what he was warning people about. Cops were out in force that day. Spread out around the check point, motorcycle cops were watching both sides of the road, ready to jump on an offending driver.




Now I don't want to get into how I agree with him, because I still see it from the "law abiding citizens" view because they are checking to see if everyone has a license and registration. And judging from the amount of car already on tow trucks, and tow trucks on hand, they were expecting to tow a lot of people. In this photo, you can see the car got impounded because the drive had no license. You can also see the other trucks in the background waiting for their next victim. Over the 30 or so minutes I was shooting photos there were probably a dozen or so tow trucks there, either coming or going.



One last thing. If you are shooting police and you think you can get that quick shot thats a little sketchy, listen to the little voice in your head and don't. I didn't listen to it, stepped out between and behind the motorcycle units to get them both in the frame, and before I could even snap off a frame, the cop was on me. He was extremely cool about it compared to all the other police and photographer stories I've been hearing about. Just told me that they were there to ensure the safety of "Brian" and everyone else, including me, so stay on the sidewalk.



Another little funny photo op was this tow truck driver that forgot to relase the parking brake on a pathfinder and drove from what I'm guessing as the check point to where the Motorcycle units were, which was about a half mile. I heard it before I saw it, but when I looked up from my viewfinder, one cop had started his bike and made a move for the tow truck, but the driver realized what he was doing and pulled over.




After all that, we didn't have enough time to go to Nate Harrison, so we saved it for today. The road is pretty fun. Good range of surfaces from paved road to loose sand in some parts. The only gripe I have with the road is that on the paved parts, the pot holes are horrendous, and the ruts are just as bad (although, I have been told that they grade it on a regular basis, so this can just be a rare thing after rain and before the grading.)