At the moment the Tassajara Fire ignited we were hundreds of miles away, relaxing in a hot spring at the eastern foot of the Warner Mountains. In front of us lay a small marsh, buzzing with dragonflies and birds. Beyond that, the vast deserts of the Great Basin. Behind us, the sun slowly sank beneath the rough spires of the Warner crest. Read the rest of this entry »
The Tassajara Fire from Afar
September 24, 2015
2 Comments | 
Fire, Santa Lucias | Tagged: Cachagua, Finch Creek, Tassajara Fire | 
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Posted by xasauan
Lightning Moving Ashore
August 6, 2015
(Image from Lightningmaps.org)
Lightning began a little before 8:00 this evening and is now striking across the Northern Santa Lucia Mountains from Big Sur to the edge of the Salinas Valley. Let’s hope there’s some rain falling with it.
11:00 pm Update: Reports of fire at the radio towers on Mt. Toro and at Willow Creek on the South Coast. Mt. Toro fire is probably out by now. Good chance that the Willow Creek fire will be quickly extinguished, as well. No telling what may still be smoldering out there. There’ve been plenty of backcountry lightning strikes this evening.
2 Comments | Big Sur, Fire, Santa Lucias | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Remnants of Hurricane Dolores Bring Lightning and Rain
July 19, 2015
Lightningmaps.org image depicting lightning strikes detected between 6:30 and 7:30 this morning. The storm reached our area around 4:30 am and was still producing some strikes, mainly offshore, at 9:00 am.
The remnants of Hurricane Dolores, which brought intense thunderstorms to Southern California yesterday, reached the Northern Santa Lucias, Carmel Valley, and the Monterey Peninsula early this morning. While heavy rain fell in some areas, it doesn’t appear to have lasted long enough to produce significant totals. No Monterey County rain gauge seems to have received much more than a couple tenths of an inch, and most received only hundredths of an inch. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Big Sur, Fire, Santa Lucias | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Bear Turns up in Pacific Grove
June 14, 2015
Another bear, or possibly the same bear that was spotted in Robinson Canyon a couple of weeks ago (the size appears to be similar), turned up in Pacific Grove today. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by xasauan
Peanut Fire Burning at Ft. Hunter-Liggett
June 11, 2015
Heat detections recorded around 2:00pm today
Presumably as a result of yesterday’s lightning, there is at least one fire, dubbed the Peanut Fire, now burning at Ft. Hunter Liggett. The fire is said to be in the Stony Valley area, along the Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd. That would correspond with the upper three heat detections shown above. No telling whether the lower detections are a separate fire or not. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by xasauan
Lightning Detected in Ventana Wilderness
June 10, 2015
LightningMaps.org map showing approximate location of lightning strike near the headwaters of the North Fork Big Sur River.
A thunderstorm is now moving over the Ventana Wilderness and, in addition to the strike depicted above, lightening strikes have been detected near Pinyon Peak, just downstream from Lost Valley and, most recently (3:00 pm), in the wild country between Zig Zag and Willow Creeks and near San Antonio Camp.
A far more vigorous storm has been working over the Southern Diablo Range near Coalinga and Ft. Hunter-Liggett has also reported downstrikes.
Let’s hope there’s some significant rain falling. It’s pretty dry out there.
June 11 2015 Update: No fires have yet appeared in the Ventana Wilderness as a result of yesterday’s lightning, but a fire, named the Peanut Fire, is now burning near the Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd. in Ft. Hunter-Liggett. As of noon today, it had burned 700 acres and there are rumors that it may burn as much as 3,000 acres before it’s through. No word on the situation with the NF road, but it is probably safe to assume it is closed through the fort.
Leave a Comment » | Big Sur, Diablo Range, Fire, Gabilans, Santa Lucias | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Bears on the Move
June 7, 2015
A couple of years ago we discussed the fact that May and June are the prime months for bear sightings on the Monterey Peninsula. This is because May and June are the months when male and female black bears wander beyond the usual limits of their territories in search of mates.
So it’s not a surprise that a black bear was spotted on lower Robinson Canyon Rd. in Carmel Valley earlier this week. Always good to know they’re out there.
See the San Clemente Rancho Facebook page for pics.
1 Comment | Santa Lucias | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Soberanes Loop Closed for Maintenance
April 7, 2015
Here’s something you don’t see every day. Actual State Parks employees at Garrapata State Park. They showed up this morning with a CCC crew, coned off a lot of the parking area and fenced off the access points for the Stone Ridge and Soberanes Canyon trails. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Big Sur, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Tagged: Ardea alba, Castilleja latifolia, Garrapata, Great Egret, Seaside Painted Cup, Soberanes | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
March Wildflowers: Garzas Creek & Vásquez Knob
March 7, 2015
The Carmel River’s last major tributary, Garzas Creek, flows through Garland Regional Park.
Here’s some of what’s currently blooming along the creek and on the trail to the top of Vásquez Knob… Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Carmel River, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Tagged: Antonio María Vásquez, Garland Regional, Tiburcio Vasquez, Trillium chloropetalum, Vásquez Knob | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Storm More Impressive in Town Than in the Hills
December 12, 2014
The Monterey Peninsula and the Carmel River mouth. Although the Carmel River is now flowing under Rosie’s Bridge, in the Village, no water has yet made it as far as the lagoon. Water reached the lagoon about 9:00 am this morning!
Before it even arrived, yesterday’s storm was being hailed as the storm of the decade, the century, or even of all time – both in terms of wind and rain. In the actual event, while wind gusts of up to 147 mph were recorded on the Sierra crest near Donner Pass, winds in coastal areas were much less severe than had been feared. The highest winds recorded in Big Sur and the Santa Lucia mountains were only a bit over 50 mph, which is nothing out of the ordinary for winter storms there. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Big Sur, Carmel River, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, Santa Lucias, Water | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Xasáuan Today 