North of Paul’s Slide, up by Big Creek is another problem area. Between the two is an island of the Hermitage and Lucia and Morning Glory and a few others where they are completely trapped. In between the two are a number of so far smaller landslides that can’t be cleared until one or the other areas can be cleared. Photos by Brendon Shave, one of the people trapped between the slide at Cow Cliff and the slip out at Paul’s Slide. Oh, and Son … those look like a MC skid marks on the last photo. Yours?
I love the understatement of the “Rough Road” pic!
It was hard to read the words Kiss the road goodbye, but but there’s no denying from the photos it is not good. Not good at all. So sorry for those trapped inbetween two major slides. CalTrans might get some of it cleared, but not all before rain starts again Thursday.
It is hard to deny the reality. They will be able to clear Cow Cliff, I suspect, but Paul’s Slide is much more serious.
bigsurkate
kate, any idea how many people (residents) are stranded between the north and south borders of these slides and road closures? i think you’re in the mix there right? and we are talking months? or? do you folks have other means to get about other than hwy 1?
No other way out for those caught in the middle, but I do think Cal Trans will be able to clear at least one lane of the Cow Cliffs slide during the break in the weather. As to how many people are there? There are those who live at Lucia, and those at the Hermitage, and then there is the Morning Glory Ranch area, which has about a dozen, and then probably 1/2 dozen at Big Creek, so probably 50 or so, maybe. I’ve never really counted, and at Lucia, the population often changes, but less in winter anyway.
bigsurkate
The Beauty and the fury of Big Sur. These are major slides! The drought is over. This is why they eventually dug a tunnel at Devils Slide in San Mateo. Not going to happen here. Big Sur and the Na Pali Cliffs in Kauai are the most beautiful and rugged places on earth. It takes a special type of individual to live here.
thanks, kate, and hope you are able to get out for a break , and then get back in. phew, what a mess, eh?
I look at all these steep elevated slopes and go, man, there is so much data inside those masses that USGS- Science could be accessing and using for the good of all who use this area; (forecasting highway access during these stormy times) for residential, business, and emergency staff; I struggle to keep from being emotional about it.. Argh. It just seems to me that this area hasn’t grown up much since, this roadway was constructed.
Kate, KION/CW TV now stating a major slide in CV on Tassajara Rd, stating it may take over a day for emergency vehicles to reach and many many more to evaluate the area & remove all its debris..
Scott , at one time , I noted that the B S Coast mountain range had only just skidded up from the bottom of the ocean one million years ago , and in comparison the Hawaiian Islands were pushed up 25 million years ago .
Unfortunately for the Camaldolese and neighboring properties, the particular composition of the Franciscan Formation accretionary complex (highly varied across California) which comprises the stretch of coast from north of Lucia to about Limekilns, is geomorphologically active/highly unstable. This is exacerbated when the clays and grouts which fill in the areas between areas of harder rock become saturated, heavier, less cohesive, and then give way (this fine material is what gives the coastal waters in that area the unique gray blue color).