10 am – Adam Slawter took these in Big Sur Valley just now:

9:45 – From Cal Trans just now: “SigAlert: a 45-mile section of #Hwy1 south of #BigSur is CLOSED from Deetjen’s Inn to Ragged Pt due to down trees, wires so use Hwys 68, 46 & Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd as detour. Get our #QuickMap app for latest road conditions statewide.”

8:30 am – Insane is the best way to describe the winds & rains last night. 91 mph plus on the Big Sur Coast per Dann Cianca of KION weather. He didn’t get much sleep as many of us also. Widespread Power Outages in SLO Co., MoCo, and Santa Cruz Co. The CHP website this am was reporting too many hazards and problems to even recount here. What about rains down by the slides, you ask? This is as of 8 am. I will add to this report as needed today.

Today’s Date: February 1, 2019 at 2 PM

District:          05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito and Santa

Cruz Counties

Contact:          Susana Z Cruz (bilingual) or Colin Jones

Phone:            (805) 549-3138 or 549-3189

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                                                         UPDATE

**TRAFFIC ADVISORY**

CALTRANS ANNOUNCES TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF HWY. 1 AT MUD CREEK/PAUL’S SLIDE

MONTEREY COUNTY — Caltrans has received confirmation from National Weather Service (NOAA) data that a significant storm will reach the areas of Mud Creek (PM 8.9) and Paul’s Slide (PM 21.6) on State Route 1 in the Big Sur area this evening. The Highway 1 closure, for traveler safety, will include the areas of Mud Creek and Paul’s Slide, closing today, Friday, Feb. 1 at 5 pm until further notice. SEE ATTACHED CLOSURE MAP.

The closure initiation process will begin at 3 PM with Electronic Message Signs activated and both sets of gates (Mud Creek and Paul’s Slide) closed by 5 pm today.  Storm activity is currently forecast through Monday, Feb. 4.

Businesses along the Big Sur Coast on Hwy. 1 remain open and are accessible via Hwy’s. 101, 68, and 46.

Caltrans’ Geotech, Maintenance and Construction units are on call and prepared to inspect/clean up when the storm ends during the daylight hours and it is safe to be onsite again—we currently anticipate this to be Monday, Feb. 4th.  Caltrans’ goal is to open the roadway as quickly and safely as possible and our staff remains on-call 24/7.

The gates on either side of Mud Creek and Paul’s Slide will be key locked. These gates will not be manned when the highway is closed and there will be no access to anyone, including Emergency Services or Caltrans employees until a proper assessment can be made and any necessary cleanup has been completed.

NOTE: Both Mud Creek and Paul’s Slide will close today. An update will be provided by mid-day Monday, Feb. 4th or sooner.  The boundaries of this closure are subject to change based on storm activity.

Today’s Date: February 1, 2019 at 10:15 am

District:            05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito and Santa

Cruz Counties

Contact:          Susana Z Cruz (bilingual) or Colin Jones

Phone:            (805) 549-3138 or 549-3189

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

**TRAFFIC ADVISORY**

CALTRANS ANNOUNCES TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF HWY. 1 AT MUD CREEK/PAUL’S SLIDE AT 5 PM TODAY

MONTEREY COUNTY — Caltrans has received confirmation from National Weather Service (NOAA) data that a significant storm will reach the areas of Mud Creek (PM 8.9) and Paul’s Slide (PM 21.6) on State Route 1 in the Big Sur area this evening. CHP has requested the southern closure limits to be at Ragged Point (SLO PM 72.87) and the northern limits just south of Deetjen’s/Fuller’s (MON PM 42). The Highway 1 closure, for traveler safety, will include the areas of Mud Creek and Paul’s Slide, closing today, Friday, Feb. 1 at 5 pm until further notice. SEE ATTACHED CLOSURE MAP.

The closure initiation process will begin at 3 PM with Electronic Message Signs activated and both sets of gates (Mud Creek and Paul’s Slide) closed by 5 pm today.  Storm activity is currently forecast through Monday, Feb. 4th.

Businesses along the Big Sur Coast on Hwy. 1 remain open and are accessible via Hwys. 101, 68 and 46.

Caltrans’ Geotech, Maintenance and Construction units are on call and prepared to inspect/clean up when the storm ends during the daylight hours and it is safe to be onsite again—we currently anticipate this to be Monday, Feb. 4th.  Caltrans’ goal is to open the roadway as quickly and safely as possible and our staff remains on-call 24/7.

The gates on either side of Mud Creek and Paul’s Slide will be key locked. These gates will not be manned when the highway is closed and there will be no access to anyone, including Emergency Services or Caltrans employees until a proper assessment can be made and any necessary cleanup has been completed.

NOTE: Both Mud Creek and Paul’s Slide will close today. CHP has requested the closure limits be Ragged Pt. and just south of Deetjens, until further notice. An update will be provided mid-day Monday, Feb. 4th or sooner.

Now for the weather: this one late tonight and tomorrow morning will pack a punch. Snow is expected to drop down to 2,000 feet by Monday am…photos if I can.

Here are some predictions by Dann Cianca: “A strong Pacific Storm will arrive late Friday and hammer us overnight with heavy rain and gusty winds. I think the biggest impact will be the wind with damage likely. With gusts of over 60mph possible, trees will fall, power lines will come…”

Today’s Date: January 30, 2019

District:            05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito and Santa

Cruz Counties

Contact:          Susana Z Cruz (bilingual) or Colin Jones

Phone:            (805) 549-3138 or 549-3189

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

**48-HOUR TRAFFIC ADVISORY**

POTENTIAL TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF HIGHWAY 1 AT MUD CREEK/PAUL’S SLIDE

MONTEREY COUNTY — Caltrans has received notification from National Weather Service (NOAA) data that there is a significant storm arriving in approximately 48-hours for the areas of Mud Creek (PM 8.9) and Paul’s Slide (PM 21.6) on State Route 1 in the Big Sur area.

This advisory is for travelers to be ready in the event the roadway needs to be closed due to a predicted significant storm and allow time for them to prepare for the closure including stocking up on necessary supplies and making plans.

NOTE: At the 24-hour mark, an updated traffic advisory will be sent, either confirming the full closure or providing additional information. These advisories apply only to the Mud Creek and Paul’s Slide areas with each closure being treated separately.

It is predicted that the Santa Lucia Mountains might get 3-6” of rain between Thursday and Monday. I have also read that much of February is to be rainy. Here we go again.

This article was in Condé Nast. What I like about it is that it lists the problem in each area covered, speaks to what that area is doing to tackle the problem, and also what visitors can do to minimize their impact and maximize their benefits to the community they visit. What I don’t like about this article is that it is rather shallow and superficial. Why I offer it is that I hope it can get us coming up with solutions that work for us – for here – for our home.

”Tourism can provide an incredible economic boost, sure, but it can also be harmful to the environment and put pressure on local populations. This isn’t new news: All you’ve got to do is pick up your phone and scroll through the headlines to see the ways in which overtourism, or the negative effects of too many tourists visiting somewhere at once, is playing out around the globe. Few places—whether they be cities, historical sites, national parks, or entire countries—are immune.

Not all hope is lost, though. Certain destinations have addressed the problem head on, and put into place laws that preserve the rights of locals while still accommodating thousands of annual visitors. Others have gotten creative with redirecting those very visitors, or simply added restrictions meant to curtail the number (and type) of travelers. With this in mind, here’s how several destinations around the world have proposed—or put into place—measures restricting tourists.”

To read the article, go here: www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-06-19/barcelona-bhutan-places-that-limit-tourist-