Been a busy week for me with surgery to remove a large mass from Missy. For those of you not on FB who haven’t seen some of the journey, here is a photo. We are home now, the drain is out, and we are all recovering. She is doing great, and I am catching up on some sleep.
Before we went down to SLO and Arroyo Grande to spend the week, we took a drive through the newly opened Paul’s Slide (on 6/24) and snapped a couple photos for you. They are still working on it, but it is open.
For Immediate Release
June 28, 2024
Media Contact: Andrew Madsen
(805) 895-0841
andrew.madsen@usda.gov
Twitter: @LosPadresNF
Los Padres National Forest implements fire restrictions
SOLVANG, Calif.— In response to the increasing potential for wildland fire starts, Los Padres National Forest officials announced that fire restrictions will be implemented throughout the Forest effective June 29. These restrictions will affect the use of campfires, stoves, smoking materials, and internal combustion engines, and will remain in effect until January 31, 2025.
Effective June 29, the following restrictions will be in effect:
For a list of Developed Recreation Sites and Campfire Use Sites in Los Padres National Forest, or further information regarding Fire-Safe Camping, visit www.fs.usda.gov/lpnfor contact the U.S. Forest Service district office nearest you.
Bill Bates was the unofficial artist of Carmel, and often did cartoons on topical and political events. This was drawn in response by legislation introduced in the US Senate by Sens Alan Cranston and Pete Wilson, both of Califonria, to make Big Sur a National Park. There was a long and protracted battle between locals residents and business owners and the federal government. Alan Perlmutter, of River Inn, for example, made several trips to Washington DC to testify in front of the Senate. This was published in 1980. I got here at the end of this battle and sat around Jim Joseph’s famously huge dining room table for a couple o strategy sessions.
There is an excellent video that Two Feather Productions shot in 2020 that demonstrates well the need to visit this fragile area responsibly. It is a beautifully shot video with data collection on the South Coast. Don’t think I can embed it as I can with a you tube video, but I know I can post a link. I urge you to watch it.
This was supposed to post this morning, but it did not. Not sure why as I was quite busy. But now, here it is.
Photo by Fran Heller
If you are interested in this issue, it will be coming up this Tuesday. The Board of Supervisors Meeting will be issuing its decision to deny Caltrans appeal on the Garrapata Bridge Rail Replacement. The committee is in hope that the whole Big Sur community will CHIME IN ….
File # RES 24-120
Agenda # 9.
PLN220090 CALTRANS/GARRAPATA Bridge Railing
Send your comments to: Cob@countyofmonterey.gov
Here is one letter that has been sent:
Hello again, Monterey County Folk…is the continued conversation related to the Garrapata bridge railings still slated for June 25?
Is there a staff report generated yet, and if so, can I/we get a copy?
Has there been any additional communication from CalTrans? In the last working meeting, they were supposed to upload the additional ‘studies’ of different options we had requested to see, I cannot find that information as I look around their web pages. I was also told they would be uploading the ‘traffic study’ they have referenced dozens of times as they resist any suggestion to change speed limits in the area, presumably a day’s work in November 2019, and haven’t seen that either. I’ll ping them with a reminder and will copy Colleen for record-keeping purposes.
Are we, as a committee, done with our work, meaning our activity will be relayed to the Board via the staff report, or would you want us to present anything at the upcoming hearing?
My time away has solidified an opinion to recommend denial of the appeal, because:
CalTrans had one goal, and from their perspective they achieved their goal…developing a railing that complies with safety standards while also trying to relate to the existing bridge design by agreeing to closely match color and texture and refine the edges of small openings punched into a compliant crash-tested railing.
The problem is there are actually 2 goals, one related to safety/code compliance, and another, equally important, to achieve a design solution that doesn’t forever dilute and destroy the iconic and world-renowned architectural majesty of the existing bridge design. The Board has a different standard from Caltrans, to assure both goals are achieved, because the Board is the steward of the Big Sur Coast Highway Preservation Area, and success of this project will only be achieved if the traveling experience along Highway One is protected with the same skill and dedication expended to protect the safety of the travel. That’s why the Planning Commission denied the application, the work to date was not bad, it was insufficient. Creating a website that claims to explain what folks used to experience is not an acceptable mitigation to what visitors around the globe come to Big Sur to experience.
By way of example…here’s a bridge I recently walked past in Luzern Switzerland with concrete detailing that exhibits a refinement lacking in the CalTrans approach so far…I know if they keep working to find a way, they can improve their design solution, but they simply believe they’ve done enough, are unwilling to do more, and they’ve put their pencils down, saying ‘time’s up’:
They’ve settled on ‘good enough’, architecturally, when, in fact, it’s not good enough…and their significant/robust bureaucratic process has yet to achieve the necessary 2nd goal. “Good enough” may work on Highway 101 near Betabel Road, but not on the bridges of Big Sur.
UPDATE: DOGS HAVE BEEN FOUND! THEY WERE ON WALK ABOUT ON THE RIDGE ABOVE THEIR HOME.
From the Washington Post:
Summer is arriving a bit earlier than usual this year, and not just because a major heat wave is baking the eastern United States and Canada this week. Thursday’s summer solstice — the longest day and shortest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere — is the earliest in 228 years, since 1796, when George Washington was president. The 2024 summer solstice arrives June 20 at 4:51 p.m. Eastern time, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. A day later, on June 21, the full moon will rise at 9:08 p.m. Eastern. The “strawberry moon” is the lowest full moon of the year, staying close to the horizon as the sun soars to its highest point in the sky.
For an interesting look back to the Basin Fire and the Summer Solstice of 2008 (on the usual date of 6/21), you need look no further than a long blog post I did in 2022 with photos from several different people, here
https://bigsurkate.blog/2022/06/21/summer-solstice-and-the-basin-fire/
| Date: | Wednesday, June 19, 2024 |
| District: | 05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties |
| Contact: | Kevin Drabinski or Jim Shivers |
| Phone: | (805) 549-3138 or (805) 549-3237 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UPDATE #8
HIGHWAY 1 AT PAUL’S SLIDE TO REOPEN SUNDAY, JUNE 23
MONTEREY COUNTY – Owing to favorable site conditions and recent construction progress, Caltrans will reopen Highway 1 at Paul’s Slide on Sunday, June 23. The completion of major construction activities will open direct access to the community of Lucia, the Camaldoli Hermitage, and residents living within the newly reopened 4.3 miles of highway.
Direct access on Highway 1 through Paul’s Slide has not been possible since a major slide on January 14, 2023, displaced an estimated 500,000 cubic yards of material across the roadway.
“The challenge at Paul’s Slide has always been to repair Highway 1 while movement continues within the slide location,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “The completion of repairs and the reopening of a 4.3-mile section of this scenic byway will begin to restore some normalcy for business owners and residents in the area. We thank the local community for their patience and support. We also want to express appreciation for the persistence, ingenuity, and resolve demonstrated by Caltrans personnel and contracted crews throughout this process.”
With the reopening of Paul’s Slide, a 6.8-mile segment of Highway 1 will continue to remain closed due to ongoing repairs at Regent’s Slide at Post Mile (PM) 27.8. Caltrans estimates it will complete repairs at Regent’s Slide in late fall, which will open Highway 1 to direct travel along the entire run of the Big Sur coast between Cambria and Carmel.
With the reopening of Paul’s Slide, the southern turnaround point on Highway 1, currently in place at Limekiln State Park at PM 21, will move north to PM 25.3, just south of the Vicente Creek Bridge. The turnaround location offers travelers both a clear line of sight on approach and ample space for large vehicles to maneuver in and turn around.
The northern turnaround point on Highway 1 will remain at Lime Creek at PM 32.1, just south of the Esalen Institute and will remain there until Caltrans completes repairs at Regent’s Slide.
After the reopening at Paul’s Slide, crews will be on site over the next several weeks to remove additional slide material, complete drainage installation, and implement erosion control measures. Travelers will encounter intermittent traffic control with only minimal delays during this work.
The contractor for repairs at Paul’s Slide is Papich Construction of Arroyo Grande. The total cost of this project is approximately $60 million.
Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.
From LPF PIO: “The fire is 20 acres and 15 percent contained. The forward rate of spread was stopped and it’s a matter of getting line cut before we can up the containment percentage. We have two Los Padres Hotshot crews now assigned to the fire.”
