Month: January 2012

Hard Closure of Highway One

Active Slide with debris covering both lanes on the road at Paul’s Slide/Pitkin’s Curve/Rain Rocks has closed Highway One indefinitely. Cal-Trans will have geologists look at the matter in the morning to give a better estimate about when it will be able to be cleared, but for now, no traffic will be able to get through in either direction, per Colin Jones of Cal-Trans.

Colin said it was at Rain Rocks, but he also said Pitkin’s Curve. CHP reports PM 22, which is Paul’s Slide, 1.5 miles south of Lucia. Cal-Trans website puts it at 1.8 miles south of Lucia, which is right at Rain Rocks, approximately. 😉 per Rock Knocker. Wherever it exactly is, it is north of Nasty-Fergy, so no getting through from the north, and the hard-closure on the south is at Limekiln Bridge, so travelers going north will have to go over N-F Rd.

NOTE: I have a report that there are rocks on the road at the Alder slide from last year that have made their way under the chicken wire drapery. Brace yourselves, as there is another 2-3 inches expected tonight into tomorrow, then an extended dry period starting Tuesday.

FROM NOAA AT 3 PM SUNDAY: “HAVE FOLLOWED RFC QPF FOR TONIGHT WHICH SHOWS SOME HEALTHY 6 HOUR RAINFALL TOTALS ROUGHLY BETWEEN 10 PM AND 4 AM. EXPECT UP TO 3 INCHES IN THE HILLS FROM SONOMA SOUTHWARD TO BIG SUR ….”

The light … shines

Yes, the rain continues, but for a change of pace, this photo I took at Post Ranch last month, because the light was just exquisite!

Impressive Rain totals

Here is what is expected:

Rain anticipated next 24-hours

And this is what we got the LAST 24-hours:

Impressive Rain totals

Can you believe those totals? 7.5 at Three Peaks, over 7 at Chalk Peak, and 5.5 in Big Sur proper?

Big Sur Multi-Agency Advisory Meeting

BSMAAC meeting tomorrow, January 20, 2012 at 10:00 am at the Big Sur Lodge Conference Center. On the agenda are two items related to the Brazil Ranch – performing arts center and parking.

Hang Em High Part 3

Hi everyone. Avis here with the last installment of my experience 172′ in the air, in a basket, above the Pitkin Curve bridge & rock shed job.

This time I will focus on the rock shed. An amazing feat of man and machine working to alter the flow of “Mother Nature”

Common in Europe for avalanche diversion from mountain roads, this is the very first Rock Shed ever built in the United States. I think when this job is done, it will be an historical icon for highway 1 that will rival the Bixby Bridge. The rock shed looks a lot like a tunnel. It has two sides, a roof and is open on both ends. As you will see through these pics,  it’s a massive amount of concrete designed to force the rocks that fall to land on the roof of the shed then down to the beach.

That rock face they are working in front of is called “Rain Rock”. It has literally rained down tons and tons of rocks over the years.  Many times closing the road for weeks at a time. Not to mention the thousands of flat tires it used to cause.

As you drive through the rock shed, on the ocean side of the road it will have arch shaped windows to enjoy the view from. I can’t wait to take some pics from inside looking out.

Building the forms for the columns
Inside the column before the concrete is poured
All the sides are on. Now it's time to pour the concrete
After the concrete is poured in the center they now build the top of the column
The base of the columns formed now it's time for....
Building the walls between the columns. These guys are literally hanging off the edge.
From the basket view you can see how it all comes together. Including the finished walls on the other side of the road.
Heres a view you don't get to see every day. I had them lower the basket to get a below the rock shed view.

Well that’s it for now. The job supervisor said very soon they will be putting up the archway window sides and the top to the rock shed. And I get to go up again when that happens. Yay!! Should be some cool shots with the bridge and rock shed done.

Thanks for the venue to post this Kate. And thank you to all of your readers for all their kind comments.

Kate told me to post the link to my online photo gallery. A work in progress.

www.latonephotography.com

Upcoming Weather Event

From NOAA, some much needed rain is on the way!
AS OF 9:10 AM PST SUNDAY…

BY WEDNESDAY THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN IS
EXPECTED TO BRING RAIN TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. RAIN ON WEDNESDAY
AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT WILL MOSTLY BE CONFINED TO THE NORTH BAY…BUT
RAIN WILL THEN SHIFT SOUTH ACROSS MUCH OF THE REST OF THE FORECAST
AREA ON THURSDAY AND THURSDAY EVENING. RAIN COULD BE HEAVY AT
TIMES IN THE NORTH BAY FROM LATE WEDNESDAY THROUGH
THURSDAY…ESPECIALLY IF THE GFS VERIFIES. THE ECMWF AND CANADIAN
MODELS KEEP MOST OF THE HEAVIEST RAIN WITH THIS FIRST IMPULSE TO
THE NORTH OF OUR AREA. BUT THE MODELS ARE IN BETTER AGREEMENT WITH
A SECOND IMPULSE DUE TO MOVE THROUGH LATER IN THE WEEK. THAT
SECOND IMPULSE IS PROJECTED TO GENERATE SOME RAIN ACROSS NEARLY
ALL OF OUR FORECAST AREA FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT…POSSIBLY HEAVY
AT TIMES…

Photos for a Saturday

Here are some photos I have taken lately that I have been wanting to upload – but y’all know how THAT has been going, right??

Friday the 13th, Zebras, and other stories

I didn’t want to write this morning, for fear I would jinx myself. Now that I am safely escounsed in my own home, I figure I’ll give it my best shot. It was actually a good day, no hi-jinxs came my way today.

First, Zebras were close to the road today, so I took advantage of it. This is for my friend Rose, who has a thing for Zebras. It think it is their cute little butts. But who knows? Maybe its the black and white of it all!

Zebras for Rose

(YAY! It inserted!) For those out of the area, when Hearst built his castle, he imported some exotic animals, among them, the zebra. Now the herd of a dozen or more are healthy and happy with lots of “home-like” land to roam.

Second, here are a couple of shots of the rock drapery on last year’s Alder Creek slide. You should see those rock climbers lay this stuff down. Such talented people Cal-Trans has working for it.

Bottom of Rock Drapery, Alder Creek 1/13/12

Top of Rock Drapery, Alder Creek 1/13/12

Wow! Two more photos uploaded AND inserted! This is my lucky day!

And lastly, I warned about accepting advertisements. Well, I added two links on specific prior posts a couple days ago, and today, I am adding a new link to the right under a new category for “Sponsors.” These are for people who pay me for providing a link to their site. You can ignore them, but it would probably help me if you could click on one, once in a while. Right now there is only one, but since it leads to a fire fighting course, I thought it was very worthwhile. The money I was paid for these three links is enough to cover the donation I made earlier this week to the BSVFB, so it all comes around in the end.

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH EVERYONE! And it looks like Kate is no longer “unplugged.” (Thanks, Neil for pointing that out.)

Highway One Update

From Cal-Trans, the following update:

HIGHWAY 1 CARMEL TO CAMBRIA PROJECT UPDATE

MONTEREY COUNTY:
• Roadwork installing rocknet drapery for rockfall continues with occasional closures and flagging nine miles north
of Ragged Point at Alder Creek (PM 7.5) where the slide took place last spring. Daytime work is scheduled to complete in February, weather permitting.

• The temporary signal about two miles south of Lucia at Pitkins Curve/Rain Rocks (PM 21.3-21.6) for the
bridge/rockshed project remains in operation 24/7. Although the bridge appears to be almost completed, roadwork still remains. The rockshed is about 50% complete. Separately, a long retaining wall is being installed about 50′ north of the bridge. This is a separate contract but is being constructed by the same contractor. Golden State Bridge. This project began in November and should be completed next April, weather permitting. All construction is expected to be completed in spring of 2013.

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY: There are no projects currently under construction along Hwy. 1 in San Luis Obispo County near the Monterey County Line.

Caltrans reminds motorists to move over and slow down when driving through Caltrans construction zones.
For more information on you can call the toll-free project hotline at (888) 836-0866 or visit http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/projects/pitkins/index.htm.

They included photos, but wouldn’t you know it? WordPress doesn’t want to insert them, naturally.

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE PHOTO FOR MY BLOG HEADER. To get to the blog (if you are at this particular post from a link) click on the top – bigsurkate – to get to the whole blog. Scroll down until you see the 10 photos, choose your favorite, then scroll up one post to the voting poll.

Sherry Tune departs

Last week, Sherry Tune started making personal phone calls to let individuals she had worked closely with know that she would be departing the LPNF Ranger District. This morning she had this message distributed for public information.

” I want to thank the Communities I’ve served for making my short tenure here on the Monterey Ranger District as the District Ranger very exciting, special and memorable. I am transitioning to a Forest Supervisor position on the Mendocino National Forest. This promotion for me is bittersweet. I love my work and enjoy the people I work with.”

Sherry told me she would be starting her new position on Valentine’s Day. She made a lot of friends here in Big Sur, and was always accessible to us. Blessings to you, Sherry, on your new adventure.