Month: February 2014

Road Conditions, Slides, and Sundry Sunday Musings

10:00 pm – from CHP website:

Details 00440 9:20 PM Trfc Collision-No Inj 3700 MM1 SR1 1/2 JNO JULIA PF BURNS STATE PARK Monterey

Detail Information
9:50 PM 3 [8] 1039 27-S6 AT OFC WITH CAL TRANS INFO
9:42 PM 2 [6] VEH RHS PER RP
9:26 PM 1 [2] 1125 LARGE BOULDERS 1/2 MI JNO JULIA PFEIFFER BURNS TATE PARK AROUND THE CORNER // 2 VEH TC – RP LEFT VEH’S HERE
Unit Information
9:32 PM 3 Unit Assigned
9:32 PM 2 Unit Enroute
9:33 PM 1 Unit Cleared

8:49 pm – wow! .67″ of rain per hour is the rate. It’s gone down to .39″

3:30 pm – I have no clue what this means, and no details noted. I do know we only have a Willow Springs CT, no Willow Glen! I do know that this is ONE of the places electronic signs are put when there are slides or other road conditions, but that’s all I know that might be applicable.

Details 00242 2:40 PM Request CalTrans Notify Willow Glen BIG SUR WILLOW GLEN C/T

10:00 am – NOAA discussion for today:

THIS ONE WILL ARRIVE THIS AFTERNOON AND FINALLY PUSH HEAVIER RAIN SOUTH THROUGH THE REST OF
OUR FORECAST AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MODELS AGREE THAT THE MOST INTENSE RAIN RATES ARE BEHIND US AND THAT ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TODAY AND TONIGHT WILL MOSTLY BE MODERATE IN
INTENSITY. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TOTALS THROUGH THIS EVENING ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 0.25 TO 0.75 IN AT LOWER ELEVATIONS AND FROM 1.0 TO 2.0 INCHES IN THE HILLS…AND PERHAPS LOCALLY UP TO 3INCHES ALONG SOUTHWEST-FACING COASTAL SLOPES.

SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF FROM NW TO SE TONIGHT. A FEW SHOWERS MAY LINGER OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF OUR AREA INTO MONDAY MORNING. BUT FOR THE MOST PART MONDAY WILL BE A DRY DAY UNDER PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES WITH MILD TEMPERATURES. IN FACT…DRY AND MILD WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR MOST OF OUR FORECAST AREA FROM MONDAY RIGHT ON THROUGH TO THE END OF THE WEEK.

Good day to make a 15-bean soup with left-over turkey. Putting off making a fire as cooking all day, and the housekeeping I plan on for today, too – forget the floor with 5 dogs tracking in mud all day, but other things need doing.

7:30 am – (oh my, my dogs let me sleep in!) Checking in with the CHP website, it appears the two slides from last night are cleared, and Cal-Trans is working at another – “Old Faithful” let loose. Interesting, since it is draped. Here is what it says:

Detail Information
7:45 AM 4 [10] A27-014 JNO MM 41 LRG BOULDERS PARTIAL 1125 IN NB LANE / CALTRANS ATTEMPTING TO MOVE THEM BUT NO SHOULDER IN AREA
6:29 AM 3 [7] 1039 ROGER BARNES – THEY WERE TURNED ON LAST NIGHT AND ALL OF THEM BELOW PLUS SOME ADDITIONAL ONES TURNED ON
6:25 AM 2 [5] RESIDENT HAS PUSHED MOST OO RDWAY / STILL PARTIAL 1125
6:16 AM 1 [1] ,,,, LRG ROCK SLIDE 1125 NB LANE COMPLETELY AND SB LANE PARTIALLY

Okay, water is boiling for coffee, so enjoy your day, stay safe and DRIVE SLOWLY!

Slide on Highway 1 near JP Burns SP in Big Sur

A locals perspective -Jon Knight drove from Big Creek to Partington Cove and saw no significant slides – rocks, yes. Slides, no. But there is now a second slide near Limekiln. This is what the CHP website says:

[31] 2ND SLIDE / SR1 AT LIMEKILN / VEHES CAN PASS OVER THE RUBBLE / FLARES OUT / ONE WAY TRAFFIC CONTROL
9:06 PM 12 [30] ORIG SLIDE SR1/JSO JULIA PFEIFFER BURNS / NB LANE IMPASSABLE / SB LANE OKAY / FLARES PUT OUT
9:05 PM 11 [29] B27-062 1039 ROGER BARNES / TURNED ON PORTABLE CMS SIGNS SB 1 JSO RIO RD/NB 1 AT WILLOW SPRINGS/ AND NB 1 AT HEARST CASTLE TO WARN OF ROCKSLIDES AHEAD
8:38 PM 10 [27] B27-062 DETERIMED LIMELKIN SLIDE MORE IMPORTANT / VEHS CAN SLOWLY PASS OVER RUBBLE / WILL DO ONE WAY TRAFFIC CONTROL
8:22 PM 9 [25] NB LANE COMPLETELY BLOCKED / SB LANE OPEN
7:50 PM 8 [21] [Notification] [CHP]-BRUCE OHAGEN CAL TRANS L/L ADVS THIS IS AT MM 36 WILL NOT RESP DUE TO SAFETY BUT CAN RESP TOMORROW AT 0600 HRS
7:01 PM 7 [19] S1 CTC CT REQ BARICADES FOR SLIDE, L1 NOTIFIED, S1 AVAIL BY CELL FOR UPDATES, NEEDS TO KNOW IF FULL RDWY OR 1 LANE ONLY
Note that there is no MM noted, yet, so this slide could be anywhere within 5 miles of JP Burns, especially if reported by tourists.

Details 00349 6:24 PM Mud/Dirt/Rock Cabrillo Hwy SR 1 AT JULIA PFEIFFER BURNS STATE PARK Monterey

Detail Information
6:50 PM 6 [17] THEY MAY BE ABLE TO RESPOND IF CLOSE ENUF
6:49 PM 5 [16] 1039 RAY ORTEGA / WHEN UNIT GOES 97 ADVS WHAT MM
6:48 PM 4 [15] 1039 SLO CHP W/INFO
6:42 PM 3 [11] 27-S1 SINCE CT WILL NOT RESPOND, ASK FOR ETA IN THE MORNING FOR WHEN THEY WILL RESPOND
6:41 PM 2 [10] 27-S1 ATIVATE CMS SIGNS FOR SR1 CLOSED OR DELAYED DUE TO MUDSLIDES NB AND SB
6:26 PM 1 [3] MAJORITY IN NB LN
Unit Information
6:35 PM 2 Unit Assigned
6:35 PM 1 Unit Enroute

Boulder in Road, Highway One, Big Sur

UPDATE – Correction, incident near Coast Gallery, mm 40. Here is the CHP update:

Detail Information
1:29 PM 5 [20] A27-014 SO DPTY W/UNIT WHILE HE WAITS FOR 1185 FOR HIS PATROL VEH [Shared]
1:25 PM 4 [19] A27-014 97 W/SO MM 40 SO BO VEH AND SML ROCK SLIDE / NEAR TC W/PATROL VEH // REQ CALTRANS [Shared]
1:04 PM 3 [17] 1039 BRUCE W/DOT WILL SEND PLOW OUT [Shared]
12:56 PM 2 [13] [Appended, 13:02:10] [4] 2FT BOULDER IN THE #1 LANE
12:54 PM 1 [1] 1125 NB LN , RP WAS ABLE TO GET AROUND ON SB SIDE

There is a big boulder in the road near the Deli. As those who live here know, this might just be the first of many. This is in the area burned in the Pfeiffer Fire in December. Fortunately we are not getting pounded like Marin – 6″ in 12 hours, and parts of Sonoma are approaching 12″ of rain. Still, be aware, pay attention, and SLOW DOWN!

1:04 PM 3 [17] 1039 BRUCE W/DOT WILL SEND PLOW OUT [Shared]
12:56 PM 2 [13] [Appended, 13:02:10] [4] 2FT BOULDER IN THE #1 LANE
12:54 PM 1 [1] 1125 NB LN , RP WAS ABLE TO GET AROUND ON SB SIDE

Sycamore Canyon closed again

7:00 pm update- earlier from CHP

Detail Information
4:03 PM 7 [13] 1039 MTRY COM W/UPDATES
4:01 PM 6 [12] SOFT CLOSURE IN PLACE , FOREST SVS MADE NOTIFICATIONS, RES ALLOWED THROUGH UNITL A SLIDE OCCURS, AND EMERGENCY VEH ARE ALLOWED
3:59 PM 5 [11] AMR LL INQ IF THIS WILL BE CLOSED FOR EMERG VEHS ALSO
3:42 PM 4 [9] 1039 MTRY COM LINE 8
3:42 PM 3 [8] RFWY IS OPEN NOW, FOREST SVS WILL CLOSE IT AT THE END OF THE NIGHT, 1 AT SYCAMORE AND IT WILL BE CLOSE TO ALL VEHS INCLUDING RESIDENTS , AND RDWY IS CLEAR NOW NO SLIDES
12:36 PM 2 [4] NO VEHS ALLOWED
12:36 PM 1 [1] WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL MON
Unit Information
3:43 PM 3 Unit Assigned
3:43 PM 2 Unit Enroute
3:43 PM 1 Unit At Scene

12:35 pm – See post below re yesterday’s closure and photos. Today, the CHP website is indicating it will be closed until Monday. WildCAD-LPNF is not yet showing anything, and as has been explained, the USFS is responsible for the maintenance of this road. I have no further information at this time, so any calls should probably be directed to the USFS in King City until further notice.

FOTO Friday, 12

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Okay, I admit, I didn’t take this. Either Debbie or Rose did on our trip to Hawaii a few years ago. It is one of the few portraits of myself I like!

Fire Season vs. Rainy Season

Twice a year, the links on this blog change. (See links to the right.) Normally, we switch from fire season to rainy season links in November. This fire season went on WAY LONGER than expected, and thus we are just now changing back to the weather links we usually have up for this time of year. If you have a favorite weather link not listed, share it with us.

BTW, at 10 am I have .06″ of rain, and like virtually everyone in California, I am enjoying every one-hundredth of an inch!

This is the predicted rainfall through Saturday night, starting this afternoon in the North Bay and reaching us by tonight.see that little purple spot on the bottom, before the county line? That’s approximately where I am -indicating 2″.

20140207-133539.jpg

Road Conditions.

11:55 am – CHP reporting flooding at Deetjen’s Bridge and rock slides near Big Creek.

11:45 am – Sycamore Canyon Road is closed due to debris flow. Blaze Engineering is there clearing it as I type.

20140206-132434.jpg
Photo by Butch Kronlund

20140206-154622.jpg
Dave Martin of Blaze Engineering returning after clearing the debris flow. Estimate is 100 yards of debris.

The Wonderful sound of wet!

11:45 am – 1.24″. 1/2 hour ago the maimum rain rate per hour was 1.5″. My cute weather station keep flashing back between that and “It’s raining cats ‘n dogs.” A computer with a sense of humor!

10:00 am – .70″ YAY! Wow, the AT&T Pro Am at Pebble Beach suspended play and brought in the players due to the weather!

I woke at 4:00 am to .08″ of rain, and now, at 7:30 am it is up to .28″. Even the dogs didn’t want to stay out very long, and one refused to go out at all! Let us hope this continues, although NOAA is expecting the rain to taper off by noon or earlier. As all us Californians know, any little bit is greatly applauded.

Storms

20140205-220408.jpg

At 9:30 this evening there were reports of rain in Santa Cruz, and accidents at the Summit of 17. If true, it is arriving early, but a very welcome guest that we’d like to stick around!

All systems go!

Got a phone call last night, and the phone rang! Let it go to voicemail and I got that right away. FB, twitter, email, and browsers all working well. I spent the day gathering up pre-cut firewood from my property and filling up both my inside and outside boxes. I was going to take a photo of my boxes to post here, but my friend, Rose, sent me one she took at sunrise this morning on the Petaluma River, and decided y’all would enjoy that more, even if it isn’t Big Sur.

20140205-134208.jpg