slippahs wrote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> ... cop said work of Pele ... </font>
Ah, bad slippahs, upsetting Pele. I'm glad you fared better than her lovers though who are said to be trapped in odd shaped pieces of molten rock.
TA wrote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Every time we go, we take cars on this road, and aren't given any special permission by the rental car companies.</font>
If you read your contract, I think you'll find that they all state astronomers connected with an institution doing bona fide work at the observatories are permitted to take the rental vehicles to the summit. There are way too many astronomers coming and going for them to exclude this lucrative market. Generally I believe you have to show your credentials. Fascinating article in Outside perhaps a couple of years ago about the tremendous wait to get a slot at an observatory to collect your data; and if the weather stinks (which it usually doesn't) you just have to back to the multi-year wait to get up there again.
And yes, I've seen rangers out stopping people from continuing up in 2WDs during the day and in any type of vehicle after dark.
Yes, the rental agencies exclude places such as Saddle Road from the contract to make it perfectly clear it is YOU who will be footing the bill if their car breaks down there. Astronomers who present their credentials are covered.
[This message has been edited by letiole (edited 10-17-2003).]