More “abstract painting” photographs of Paul’s Slide:

Photo by Brian Mack

From Big Sur Fire:

We’re very much looking forward to our Annual Muster and BBQ this Saturday, July 8th at the beautiful Pfeiffer State Park. Come show your support for our crews who work tirelessly to protect and serve the Big Sur community. This is more than just a fundraiser for Big Sur Fire, it’s a beloved tradition and one of the last of such events in Monterey County. This is a chance to check out our fire engines and rescue gear, meet our newest firefighter class and share some really great food and fun with our organization and community.

The event runs from noon to 3 PM. Tickets will be available for purchase at the event, $15 for adults and kids 12 and under eat free! We will have our logo merchandise for sale with special pricing on some items. Parking is free for Muster attendees, just be sure to obtain a parking pass from the entrance kiosk. We look forward to seeing you there!

All photos posted here are from our 2022 Muster and credited to the talented Brian Mack who we are pleased will be joining us again this year!

This was my very first blog post on July 5, 2008:

“I began this blog, after 2 weeks of inundating everyone’s mailbox with news, links, editorials, and photos of the massive Big Sur Fire of 2008. I decided a blog might be a better venue for us all to stay connected, share information, and remain informed. PLUS, I got totally frustrated when my email send function became so erratic. I can receive, but sending is completely hit and miss. I am hoping the email fairy visits me soon! 😉

I will also be posting some of my photographs, also, as and when I can.

Welcome! Once the fire is past, I will convert this to random musings, I suppose, or it will evolve into something else.”

And this is what I posted after I’d been blogging for 10 years:

“Ten years ago today, I got pissed off at the Sheriff of the time during the Basin Fire when he threatened to arrest anyone who came onto Highway One to go help their neighbors. So, I called the newspapers in LA and SF and started this blog. I had never blogged before. Ten years, and just shy of 4,000 posts. Thank you all for being a part of this journey and helping me grow by following and commenting and calling me out, when necessary. Today, I am going to celebrate by being silent, unless, of course, all hell breaks loose.”

Fifteen years…hard to believe. I think I will be silent today, too, unless, of course, all hell breaks loose. (6763 posts to date. Whew!)

Have a safe and sane one.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UPDATE #45

SOUTHERN CLOSURE OF HIGHWAY TO RETURN TO LIMEKILN

TUESDAY MORNING JULY 4 FOLLOWING SINKHOLE REPAIR

MONTEREY / SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTIES – The southern closure of Highway 1 will return to Limekiln State Park on Tuesday July 4, at 8 am.

This follows repairs to a sinkhole which appeared on July 2, one mile south of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road and which necessitated moving the closure five miles south to Pacific Valley.

Crews have repaired the sinkhole and addressed drainage issues at the site.

Travelers on Highway 1 will again be able to travel from Morro Bay north to Cambria, San Simeon, Ragged Point, Gorda, and on to Limekiln State Park. All coastal businesses are open.

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UPDATE #44

SINKHOLE ON HIGHWAY 1 MOVES SOUTHERN CLOSURE

SOUTHTO PACIFIC VALLEY

MONTEREY / SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTIES – The southern closure of Highway 1 was moved south today, from Limekiln State Park in Monterey County at Post Mile 21.2 to Pacific Valley at PM 16, due to a sinkhole which appeared on the center line of the roadway at PM 17.96.

The location of the sinkhole at PM 17.96 is one mile south of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road. The closure of Highway 1 at Pacific Valley provides adequate room for large vehicles and trucks to safely turn around.

Contracted crews are in route to the site to make assessments and begin repairs. Updates will be provided when the repairs are complete, and the southern closure can be moved north again to Limekiln.

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.

“Trees are sanctuaries. 

Whoever knows how to speak to them, 

whoever knows how to listen to them, 

can learn the truth.”

― Herman Hesse

In 1971, the Supervisor of the Willow Springs Station, and original road warrior, Rock Knocker’s boss, wrote an 11 page paper in which he describes how areas along Highway One, particularly slides, got their names. This one was originally call Big Slide. This is what Don Harlan wrote:

Big Slide – is where over 250,000 cubic yards dumped itself in 1952, or so. It closed the road for over a month and was more fun to watch than television could ever be! When the 4 D-8s quit at night you couldn’t tell whaat had been done. It kept on coming. No one ever figured out why it happened in a dry August or why it quit either. Residue from this slide, in later years, caused me to be unable to report for my first days work for the State. I couldn’t get through to Willow Springs. Papa Hudson let me get away with it and didn’t dock me!