11:30 pm – Comment below if you have additional information not already posted here or in the comment section. Thank you and good night, all.
10:00 pm – people ARE trapped, as Stacy mentions in the comments below, people came back to Lucia, due to a rock slide near Big Creek. At least they are feeling trapped, because there is still N-F Rd. however, I can understand unfamiliar travelers not wanting to venture up THAT road in the dark. Could be slides there as well. The Big Creek rock slide is not being reported on the CHP website, however. CHP told Stan Russell that they cannot get to the area “because the shoulders were washed out.” Cal-Trans hopes to get this cleared tomorrow. Thanks Stacy for the explanation!
Okay, ladies and gentlemen, bigsurkate will be going off-line at some point tonight, so if you have anything to report, please post in the comments below, as Stacy and Suzi did, and share information with each other. Make sure to read the comments, if you are at this blog after about midnight tonight (I will be turning into a pumpkin about then) to see if there is anything recently reported, make sure to read the comments. I’ll be back in the morning, collecting and distilling information for those of you who are following this Highway One liquification.
9:00 pm – CHP has again listed this slide on their website. It also indicates that about 20 people are trapped in the area, and are calling for an update. The “trapped” is hard to understand, as there are no reported slides on Nasty-Fergesson, that I am aware of, and CHP doesn’t list any other slides to the north. But, there it is.
5:30 pm – it’s official, the road will remain closed overnight, and possibly through Sunday. I will update throughout the weekend to keep you all informed. More photos of the slide, courtesy of Rock Knocker will be posted tomorrow!
4:00 pm – the Villa Slide is no longer on the CHP website, but the road is still closed between Ragged Point and Gorda. More photos tomorrow. I just spoke to the Rock Knocker, retired Cal-Trans, who just now got through Villa Slide and he says CT is working it, they have one lane open, but are only letting cars go through every now and then. What that translates to is that the slide is still very active, and CT has to wait for breaks in the sliding to let people through for safety reasons.
Also, on the storm front, the storm predicted for this evening into Saturday looks to be staying off the coast, so if we do get any rain out of it, it should be light. The next storm due in Sunday thru Monday also looks light, as does the one mid-week. The next larger storm will be later in the week.
1:00 pm – Road update – per the CHP website, it would appear to still be closed.
BOTH LANES CLOSED BY A ROCK AND MUDSLIDE SOUTH OF GORDA AT MM 7, (that puts it near Villa Creek, north of Gorda Mtn.) ACROSS BOTH LANES. HIGHWAY ONE CLOSED AT WILLOW SPRINGS STATION AND AT RAGGED POINT. HOPING TO HAVE ONE LANE OPEN BY NOON, AND BOTH LANES BY TONIGHT.
And just in case anyone thinks they might be able to get through — think again. Here it is this morning: Photo by Danny Millsap, Maintenance Supervisor, Willow Springs Station.
That is the fog line on the SOUTH bound lane peeking through.
One can see Villa Creek to the north in the background here.
And here is our wonderful Cal-Trans crews workin’ it! You go, guys and gal!
Editor’s Note: There was a slide here earlier this winter. This slide happened last night, about 11 pm, according to the CHP. Another source places the slide event before 10 pm.
Also, on the storm front for tonight, NOAA posts this: “THE MODELS BRING THE UPPER SOUTH ALONG 130 WEST BEFORE SWINGING IT INLAND ON SATURDAY SOUTH OF PT CONCEPTION. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE 12Z NAM12 DEVELOPS A DEFORMATION ZONE WITH 2 INCHES OF RAIN…ONLY ALONG THE SANTA LUCIAS…AND THAT`S IT.”
The Santa Lucia’s, that’s us here in Big Sur, so we will all be watching this one closely.
My report from last night’s event is postponed due to slide activity and storm watch. Hopefully, by Sunday which is supposed to be a clear day!