“Personality One” by Don Harlan, part 4
Tag: Big Sur
Storm #1, 3/31/14
9:30 pm – rain picked up considerably. It’s from that lower storm on radar shot tweeted by NWS. Currently .83″
Another two hours, i.e. 6:15 pm, and my rain gauge informs me that I have gotten .72″ for the storm, thus far. Currently 36 degrees and the snow forecast symbol is showing! Be interesting to see if that is accurate!
With 5 dogs going out to pee several times a day, in the rain, that’s 20 muddy paws each time, one can only imagine what my hardwood floor looks like. I’m going to build them their own mud room with mud-colored painted plywood floors. All sealed nice and proper.
Wow, the sun is trying to peek through, and we might just get a glimpse for sunset.
Two hours later, my gauge says it is raining cats ‘n dogs. 2.47″/hour in lay terms. In two hours we actually received .63″ – I had to go out in it to get one of my dogs to come in. He was hiding underneath the deck. Silly dog. Didn’t want to come out into the rain.
2:15 – the barometer is dropping rapidly, the rain has begun, and the temp, which started at 42 at dawn, and got up to a whopping 43, is now dropping, and with the wind chill is at 37. I started my fire also at dawn, and thus, have kept it into the 70’s inside. Looking forward to hunkering down in front of the fire for the rest of the afternoon with a nice, brainless mystery. Enjoy, Nd keep us posted about what is going on in your neck of the Central Coast.
This was last night’s radar.
Earth Day
Rain, 3/29/14
Final rain total for storm – .73″ – not bad. Hopefully, even more from the next storm.
9:00 pm – .36″ thus far for the storm; a dismal 3.99″ for March, and 13.24 for the season. Horrible totals. The only good news is that the barometer is slowly falling, so maybe we can expect more tonight, AND, there are 2 more storms on tap for this upcoming week.
7:00 pm – up to 1/4″ from the last two hours, let’s hope it continues! But save some for Cambria, which needs it for more than I do!
5:00 pm – I have been watching FB reports from friends from the Peninsula on down through the Big Sur Valley area to the Hermitage reporting on rain start times. I kept wondering when it would get to me. It usually only takes 1-2 hours after hitting Monterey, depending on how fast moving it is. Tonight, it got to my mountain just at 5 pm, or almost 4 hours after Big Sur saw her first drops. Slow moving storm, clearly. It is just a light rain at this point, but all is wet, and I fed the cats on the wood box under the eves so they and their food could stay dry. I’ll keep an eye on the road and other conditions. If you hear thunder, add a comment with time and place, if you can.
BTW, the last storm I received .78″ of rain, nice. A lot more than most, even my neighbors on Alms Ridge, who only saw .5″. Let’s hope we get a similar amount from this one.
The “Personality One” by Don Harlan, or How Elephant’s Trunk Got its Name – Introduction
Don Harlan is the original road warrior. He worked Highway One for many, many years. He was the Supervisor at Willow Springs when Rock Knocker first came to work there in 1980. Don was part of the Lucia Loge Harlan’s and grew up and was schooled down here. He had many road stories, dating back to the 30s, when he watched the north and southern portions connect.
In 1971 he wrote an article which is passed on to the Supervisors (foremen in Don’s time) who work this section of the Highway. Greg DeAlba, the current supervisor shared this with me, and I think it would make an interesting serial for this blog. In it, Don describes the various trouble spots and how they came to be named. There is nothing PC about this piece, but it is a delight to read, both for the historical value and for Don’s writing style. He was one of a kind. Long after he retired, he showed up to Rock Knocker’s and my wedding in his hard hat. He never left home without it.
On Mondays, absent an emergency fire, flood, or road closure, I will be offering a segment of this piece, as it is 11 pages, single spaced. I am taking photographs of each portion, rather than re-typing it so that it is entirely true to the man Don was – and I can’t mess it up! Look for part 1 next Monday.
USFS – LPNF Volunteer Opportunity
NEWS RELEASE
Los Padres National Forest
For Immediate Release
Contact: Andrew Madsen (805) 961-5759
Twitter: @LosPadresNF
Volunteers Wanted for Los Padres Preservation Project
GOLETA, CA, March 5, 2014….Los Padres National Forest officials today announced the Monterey Ranger District is seeking volunteers to work in an exciting archaeology program. Applications are being accepted for “Partners in Preservation” site stewards. The deadline for submitting your application is March 17.
To qualify as a “Partners in Preservation” volunteer, applicants are required to complete a 2-day training workshop. The next workshop will be held Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6. Training will take place April 5 at the Monterey Ranger District office in King City, followed by training in the field April 6.
This training is sponsored by the Ventana Wilderness Alliance and will be led by the Society for California Archaeology through its California Archaeological Site Stewardship Program with the assistance of Los Padres National Forest staff.
Additional volunteer opportunities on the Monterey Ranger District are available on an individual basis.
For additional information on the “Partners in Preservation” program or for other archaeology volunteer opportunities, contact North Zone Archaeologist Bob Strickland by phone at (831) 385-5434, extension 20771, or by email at rnstrickland@fs.fed.us.
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What is ahead in the Weather World
Nothing like last week’s weather challenges, but two more rain events are predicted.
DISCUSSION…AS OF 09:03 AM PST WEDNESDAY…PATCHY FOG REMAINS PRESENT ALONG COASTAL LOCATIONS FROM HALF MOON BAY DOWN TO THE MONTEREY BAY AREA INLAND TO SALINAS. WHILE THE FOG HAS BEEN DENSE AT TIMES THIS MORNING…DO EXPECT FOG TO BEGIN TO DISSIPATE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING. HIGH CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO STREAM OVER THE REGION AHEAD OF THE NEXT, STRONGER STORM SYSTEM EXPECTED TO BRING RAIN AND A THUNDERSTORM OR TWO INTO THE REGION BEGINNING THIS AFTERNOON. [Ed. note – tonight for Big Sur] HAVE UPDATED THE FORECAST TO FINE TUNE THE TIMING OF PRECIPITATION AND RAINFALL AMOUNTS. DESPITE PWAT VALUES ANALYZED IN THE 1.10″ TO 1.25″ RANGE ACROSS THE REGION…UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT CONTINUES TO BE LIMITED. THE BEST CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION WILL BE AS THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY PUSHES THROUGH THE NORTH BAY THIS AFTERNOON AND THEN FURTHER SOUTH LATER TONIGHT. HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE NORTH BAY CAN EXPECT AROUND
0.50″ TO 0.75″ WITH THIS SYSTEM…ISOLATED AMOUNTS TO NEAR 1″ ARE STILL POSSIBLE. FURTHER SOUTH…COASTAL HILLS/MOUNTAINS MAY PICK UP 0.25″ TO 0.50″ OF RAINFALL WITH VALLEY LOCATIONS RECEIVING GENERALLY LESS THAN 0.10″.
DRY AND WARMER WEATHER RETURNS FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BACK INTO OUR AREA. 850 MB LEVELS WILL SEE NICE WARMING AND AT THE SURFACE HIGHS WILL JUMP BACK INTO THE 60S AND 70S FOR ALMOST ALL SPOTS.
ANOTHER ROUND OF RAIN IS SLATED FOR LATE SATURDAY THROUGH LATE SUNDAY AS A STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES THE BC COAST WITH AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT STRETCHING DOWN THE COAST. WARM AIR ADVECTION RAIN WILL BEGIN LATE SATURDAY FOR THE FAR NORTH BAY AND SPREAD TO THE SOUTH ON SUNDAY. ALTHOUGH THE EVENT WILL BE SHORT, RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD BE DECENT OUT OF THIS WITH A NICE AR WITH PW AMOUNTS AGAIN OVER 1.25″ STRETCHING ALL OF THE WAY WEST OF HAWAII POINTING DIRECTLY AT THE COAST. COULD EASILY PICK UP MORE THAN 1″ FOR THE NORTH BAY OUT OF THIS WITH 1/4″-1/3″ AROUND SF BAY. AMOUNTS WILL GREATLY DIMINISH TO THE SOUTH WITH MONTEREY AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES ONLY LOOKING AT VERY LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS.
FOR NEXT WEEK…AFTER THE EVENT ENDING ON SUNDAY, ALL SIGNS POINT TO DRY WEATHER FOR MOST OF THE WORK WEEK WITH A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE IN CONTROL IN THE PACIFIC. HIGHS WILL JUMP BACK TO ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS.
As for me, I’m off to pick up fresh fruits and veggies, get a couple gallons of gas for my back-up generator, and get some propane. Pretty well stocked, otherwise. Enjoy the weather break.
Storm Report, 3/2/14
5:30 pm – going to be a gorgeous sunset, as we just got some sun up here. Unfortunately, my camera is in the car.
3:00 pm – 1.45″ every 1/2″ is music, gratefully welcomed. I do have to admit that the dogs and I are getting a tad stir crazy, though. Four solid days without a break of any duration.
Noon – slow and steady she goes. 1.26″ in the last 12 hours.
7:00 am – its raining.
Okay, looks like a pretty steady, gentler rain than we have had thus far. Despite that, gauges still made it to .48″ since midnight. Dogs have been out, all in but one, fire going, time for coffee!
Storm Report, 3/1/14
10:00 pm – a total of exactly one inch since midnight, bringing the yearly total to 10.25″. Not nearly enough. It is amazingly quiet and peaceful for the first time in days. Bsk signing off.
From NWS, Monterey:
Sycamore Canyon Rd, by Herald Photographer David Royal
.DISCUSSION…AS OF 08:54 AM PST SATURDAY…THE VIGOROUS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PARKED OFF THE MONTEREY COAST WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE REGION THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. KMUX RADAR IMAGERY CONTINUES TO SHOW BANDS OF PRECIP SPINNING AROUND THE LOW FROM SOUTH TO NORTH. THE BULK OF THE PRECIP THIS MORNING WILL BE MAINLY SOUTH OF THE GOLDEN GATE WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL OVER THE SANTA CRUZ MTS AND BIG SUR COAST/SANTA LUCIA MTS. THERE ARE ALSO A FEW EMBEDDED HEAVY SHOWERS THAT ARE DROPPING A QUICK 0.25-0.5 INCHES OF RAIN IN ABOUT 45-60 MINUTES. A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES WERE ALSO OBSERVED OFF THE BIG SUR COAST OVER THE LAST FEW HOURS AS WELL.
(At 10 am, I am up to .79″ and there is a break or a lull in the rain, but not the wind.)
8:00 am – Rain continues to rage, with a current total of .64″ Winds also still raging. Roof singing to me. Tried to let the dogs out, but Missy took one look outside, turned around, found a corner, and peed on the floor. Dakota hasn’t been outside since the lightning yesterday afternoon! She had her own accident during the night. She wouldn’t come out from under the bed for HOURS after the thunder and going outside is simply beyond her capabilities when it is raining this hard. At least the other three were brave, well-trained puppies. Just gotta work on those two girls.
5:00 am – the wind woke me up. At 4;52 am, the wind gusts hit 58 mph. Not quite as impressive as yesterday am, but still pretty healthy. A few minutes ago, the gauge said it was raining cats and dogs. (I really must look up the origin of that saying and get back to you on it.) My gauge is currently reading .27″ since midnight. The CHP website is not showing any road closures at this time. As with yesterday, I will continue to monitor conditions and bring you all the latest, so you don’t have to. One stop weather shopping. 😉
Flash Flood Watch now thru Saturday Morning for Big Sur
SANTA LUCIA MOUNTAINS AND LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST- SOUTHERN MONTEREY BAY AND BIG SUR COAST-
139 PM PST FRI FEB 28 2014
..FLASH FLOOD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING…
THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR
* A PORTION OF CALIFORNIA…INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS… SANTA LUCIA MOUNTAINS AND LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST AND SOUTHERN MONTEREY BAY AND BIG SUR COAST.
* THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING
* 24 HOUR RAINFALL TOTALS SO FAR AT SITES IN THE SANTA LUCIA MOUNTAINS HAVE REACHED SEVERAL INCHES, WITH MANY LOCATIONS NOW EXCEEDING 3 INCHES. CONTINUED RAINFALL OF SEVERAL ADDITIONAL INCHES IS EXPECTED THROUGH TODAY AND INTO THE FIRST HALF OF SATURDAY. TOTAL RAINFALL AND RAINFALL RATES MAY BE HIGH ENOUGH TO ENGENDER FLASH FLOODING IN SMALL CREEKS AND DEBRIS FLOWS IN SATURATED…STEEPER TERRAIN.
* OF PARTICULAR CONCERN IS THE PFEIFFER FIRE BURN SCAR AND SYCAMORE CANYON AND OTHER LOCAL DRAINAGES WITHIN THE BURN SCAR PERIMETER. EXCESSIVE RAINFALL MAY HAVE A HIGHER LIKELIHOOD OF PRODUCING DEBRIS FLOWS AND SLIDES IN THIS AREA. EXTRA CAUTION AND PREPAREDNESS IS RECOMMENDED.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING AND OR LOCALIZED DEBRIS FLOWS AND SLOPE INSTABILITY. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.
