I don’t know about where you are, but it has been mighty cold up here all day. Have been inside, running the heater to stay warm. BUT my internet seems to be cooperating at the moment, so will upload a few of the photos I took on Wednesday of the incredible wildflower displays.
I also have photographs of owl’s clover, lupine, vetch, indian paintbrush, and others. It is hard to keep up with all the wildflowers in bloom right now!
Month: May 2010
Whale Rally
Don’t forget the Whale Rally, this Sunday the 23rd at 10 am at the Monterey Bay Park, near the kayaks and volleyball courts.
Simultaneous rallies are being held statewide on various beaches, so check the Western Alliance for Nature link for a location near you and for additional information.
I have had a devil of a time with my internet the last few days, despite all indications that it is working properly, and thus the dearth of posts recently. I hope to upload some more Big Sur wildflower photos tomorrow, but that will depend on the internet goddess.
May 19, 2010
No news for today. I’ll be out and about the Big Sur environs with my camera and meeting with friends . Looks to be a gorgeous day for it shaping up! Have a glorious one.
Oh, I have been meaning to mention the construction going on just north of Willow Creek. It is not showing up on any of the CT announcements, but it is significant, involving closing one lane, with alternate flagging. Wait times are not bad, however.
Pitkin’s Curve Project
Per Cal-Trans, “This area is part of an historically active landslide. Repairs were required in 1998 after the El Nino storms of that year. In February 2000, a more massive slipout below the road resulted in complete closure of the roadway. Due to the magnitude of the slipout, previous strategies for reconstructing the roadway were no longer feasible. In order to found the road on a stable base, realignment into the hillside was required; the roadway remain closed for three months while the detour was constructed. This alignment continues in place as a temporary solution until feasibility of a long-term strategy is fully evaluated.”
Here are some Cal-Trans photos of the slip-out of 2000:
This shows the artists rendering of the eventual bridge over Pitkin’s Curve and the Rock Shed at Rain Rocks. Quite a project, but one those of us on the South Coast are glad to finally see, despite the interim inconvenience.
Here is the link to the flyer Cal-Trans put out four years ago about the project: Pitkin’s Curve/Rain Rocks flyer
All Cal-Trans photos used with permission provided by Steve Price! Thanks, Steve!!
Don’t forget to check out the May 2010 photos of the project here. You will see the construction of the 50 ft x 50 ft anchor for the south side of the bridge.
Storm Watch, 5/17/10
9:30 am – the rain did start before I could get this post up on the internet, which has been acting up, lately. NOAA forecasters were spot on with this one. They predicted the rain would start between 9 and 10 am.
And this interesting comment about up-coming weather from NOAA:
“ECMWF SHOWS A 548 DM LOW AT 500 MB OVER SF BAY LATE SATURDAY ALONG WITH 700 MB TEMPS AS COOL AS -10C. IF THIS VERIFIES… SNOW LEVELS WOULD DROP TO UNDER 4000 FEET GOING INTO THE LAST FULL WEEK OF MAY.”
I’ve had snow as late as the middle of May, which is why I hold off planting tomatoes until then, but the last week? Never. Of course, I am below 4000 ft. and this is still a ways out, but will be interesting to watch.
9 am – The rain hasn’t really started here, but – Here it comes:
Weather Watch for Monday, 5/17/10
I have been sitting above the fog, watching the clouds stream in all day today, enjoying the sunshine and warmth, aware of the upcoming storm system. The day is almost done, so it was time to check NOAA’s forecast discussion. This is what the professionals say about tomorrow’s outlook.
“CURRENT FORECAST HAS LIGHT RAIN BEGINNING AROUND SUNRISE WITH PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES. THE RAIN BAND WILL MOVE IN PARALLEL TO THE COASTLINE THEREFORE ALL AREAS OF THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL COAST WILL SEE THE ONSET OF THE RAIN AROUND THE SAME TIME. RAIN WILL THEN SPREAD INLAND FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE REGION. THE GFS AND NAM SOLUTIONS REMAIN WETTER THEN THE ECMWF ESPECIALLY OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA. HAVE TRENDED THE FORECAST WETTER OVER THIS AREA AS THERE APPEARS TO BE SUFFICIENT MOISTURE OVER THE PACIFIC TO JUSTIFY THIS SOLUTION. THEREFORE RAIN IS ANTICIPATED ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION ON MONDAY WITH ACCUMULATIONS ANYWHERE FROM A QUARTER TO A HALF AN INCH WITH HIGHER ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED IN THE HILLS. MODELS CONTINUE TO MOVE THIS SYSTEM TO THE EAST RELATIVELY FAST WITH RAIN TRANSITIONING TO SHOWERS BY MONDAY NIGHT. SHOWERS SHOULD COME TO AN END BY TUESDAY MORNING.”
My life is a tad complicated right now, due to Gideon’s heartworm treatment, work that got postponed so I could vacation, systems that keep going out, or which are in need of considerable attention — all of which is making keeping up with Big Sur events a bit of a challenge. For example, I wanted to post a few links to the wonderful photos I have found of the big, big, BIG Sur Fashion show at the HML on Thursday, and the 2010 film festival schedule also at HML, and the Whale Rally on May 23rd, but the time has just not been there for me.
Missing Condor – good news
Because it might be missed in the comment section of my blog on the History Spotlight on the Condors, and because it is such a happy occurrence, I decided to reproduce Joe’s comment in its entirety here. Good job, Joe!
Thanks for posting the news about our missing condor, #204. I have good news to report on his status…he was finally captured down in southern California at Hopper Mountain Wildlife Refuge (near Fillmore, CA)in mid April.
He disappeared from Big Sur in early April shortly after we noticed a major decline in his health. I immediatley alerted Big Sur residents that live in the vicinity of his nesting territory to keep on the lookout for a sick condor. We attempted to capture him near one of his night-time roost spots, but he was still strong enough to elude us and then he went completely off the radar. A volunteer took me up in his airplane to track 204’s radio signal, but nothing…we flew all the way down to SLO and back up the coast.
A few days later we recieived a call from our partners in So Cal (US Fish and Wildlife Service, who I had alerted as well) that 204 had arrived at their condor release site. The last time 204 flew to that site was 4 years ago, which caught me by surprise, but I always knew it was a possibility. He was so lethargic in Big Sur I didn’t think he had the strength to make the 250 mile flight, but he did it…really amazing. He was captured the following day and is now recovering at Los Angeles Zoo.
It appears he sustained two injuries to his wings, which he may have been inflicted during an attack by a Golden Eagle. One of his injuries was a puncture wound that went completely through his wing, most likely from the talon of an eagle. The injuries made him more vulnerable to the flock and likely caused him to be singled out. If your a dominant male that is injured, you become a target for lower ranking males. I witnessed this firsthand and believe this directly led to his poor health and emaciation…the less dominant birds wouldn’t let him feed. He continues to do well at the Zoo and we plan to re-release him later this month.
A big Thanks to the community for keeping an eye out for Big Sur’s wildlife, they really need us to be their protectors. Great spotlight story on the condor…check out our monthly field notes for updates on the Big Sur condor flock. fieldnotes
Cheers, Joe Burnett- Ventana Wildlife Society
Lost Dogs
UPDATE: The below was written on May 15, 2010, but today, June 1st, the owner reported the return of her lost dogs. I am always a sucker for a happy ending!! Way to go, Universe!
Today, I’m going to be a community bulletin board, in case someone can help. Anyone who has been following my blog for any length of time knows I have a sign in my office that says: “The more I get to know some people – the more I like dogs.” I don’t just like them, I think they are furry angels sent to guard and play with us and teach us how to really love.
BTW, for those following the Gideon saga, he had tolerated his first heart worm shot quite well, and is coming back into himself – which is a mixed blessing when trying to keep him quiet. He gets lots of pills, but I’ve found that Ricotta cheese works really well!
Please help us find these lost dogs. We are not sure where they ended up, but they could be in LA area. Please pass the word along to anyone you know who might have information about the people, the car, or the dogs.
We are getting the word out in LA about these dogs: The two Rat Terriers were picked up at Point 16 (near Lucia). The people who picked up the dogs, are presumed to be conscionable. They inquired with Avis at Lucia and with a Ranger at the Ranger Station on the South Coast of Big Sur.
Unfortunately no contact information was exchanged. There was mention of taking the two terriers to an animal shelter in San Luis Obispo but that has not manifested as of yet. We know that they were driving a Green or grey/silver Land Rover and were headed to LA?
One friend of the owner has been calling animal shelters in the LA area, another friend made the posters and is distributing them, another is keep Facebook up-to-date.
If you have any information, please call the above number, or email me at kwnovoa@mac.com Thank you.
June Photo Contest
Until I get permission from Cal-Trans to post the photos I want of Pitkins (it is in process), I thought I’d issue a reminder that the Summer contest for the bigsurkate header photograph is approaching.
The “theme” is again quite broad – “Summer.” The photograph must have been taken in Big Sur, from Mal Paso Creek to San Carpoforo. Summer can mean many things, including tourists, traffic jams, fire, lazy afternoons, jammed up tourist venues, and, of course, coastal fog. Only landscape format (horizontal) will be accepted, and remember, the final, winning photograph will be cropped to fit the header space provided, so keep that in mind when shooting, or submitting your photograph.
Photos can be submitted to kwnovoa@mac.com in jpg format from now until June 10th. No photographs will be accepted after midnight, PDT on June 10th. The winning photograph will be posted to the header on or about June 21st, the summer solstice.
The panel of judges will narrow the field down to approximately 10-12 photographs, and then readers will have a chance to vote for their favorite, as last time. Have fun, and let’s see what you got!
There is a small city at Pitkin’s Curve
All the following photographs were taken by Rock Knocker on May 11, 2010. He promised me he would go every month or so, with his hard hat and vest, and take more so we can all follow this amazing engineering feat, which started construction November 30, 2009, and is predicted to take four years.
Few of us could ever hope to get shots like this, and even fewer would ever get permission to do so. Thanks, Rock Knocker!
And it looks like this:
It even has its own Motel 6:
Not that I’d want to stay there, even with the view!
Here is the new city from a longer perspective:
My internet has gone wonkers on me this evening, and I have quite a few more photographs to post. I will have to add them tomorrow, as I have reached my patience limit tonight.
The two work platforms (and no, it is not the start of the bridge construction, that will be a while coming) are depicted here:
Here is the south work platform:
Here is the north work platform. Note the people for perspective. That is a 150 TON crane sitting on the platform!
This post is a “work in progress.” I will be uploading more photos as the internet goddess allows.
This “box” is 50 feet by 50 feet. Inside you see a remotely operated excavator. It has the drill on, and the plan is to drill a number of 5 ft. square holes, to an unknown depth, which will then provide support columns to anchor the south end of the bridge. This 50×50 foot box will then be filed completely with 5 ft. of cement.
This is the head honcho on this project. Rock Knocker told me his name … but I failed to write it down.
Tomorrow, I will post some Cal-Trans photos of the slip out in 2000 which lead to this project. I am also searching for the rendering of the project, which I have seen, and participated in (along with the rock shed at Rain Rocks) as part of the Aesthetic and Design Committee.