America’s most scenic concentration camp?
CalTrans is reporting this morning that a slide has closed Highway One 2.5 miles south of Lucia (which would put it at one of the usual Limekiln trouble spots – and north of the Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd.). That means anyone between Bixby and Lucia isn’t going to be driving to town until a lane is cleared either north or south. They think they may get the new slide cleared by 1:00 this afternoon, but the weather doesn’t look too encouraging. And if the authorities remain serious about preventing anyone from even walking out past the Rocky Creek slide, it looks like Big Sur has just become America’s most scenic concentration camp. Oh well … it’s a much better day for sitting in front of the fire than for traveling around, anyway.
See this great post from the new Sarhentaruc Journal, for an expanded discussion of the Rocky Creek slide.
Update: Big Sur Kate says 1:00pm road opening definitely will not happen (no surprise), and road probably will not be opened all day.
March 25, 10:20am Update: CalTrans says they are working on Limekiln slide, but have no estimate of when road may open.
March 27, 10:30pm Update: Cal-Trans has been letting people drive through the Limekiln slide zone from time to time and was scheduled to open the road to the south without restrictions at 6:00 this evening. Then new trouble closed the highway 2 miles south of Gorda. This means that the Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd. (which has slide problems of its own, but is still open) will be Big Sur’s only road link to the outside world until the Gorda slide is cleared.
Steep, narrow and twisting – the Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd. is not a good substitute for Highway One. In fact, it’s a road that suits bicycles a lot better than cars. Hopefully, people will drive it cautiously and “arrive alive.”
Xasáuan Today 
Flash flood warning for the Big Sur river. It is currently well over 9 ft, and flood stage is 10 ft. It will undoubtedly reach that tonite. Big Sur is officially an island due to the two slides, and I wish I were there!