Monterey Bay: Garbage Dump

July 10, 2013

Otterrake

The Monterey Bay Sanctuary: Not exactly pristine

One of the great things about living next to the ocean is that it makes it easy to get rid of sewage, trash and pretty much anything else you don’t want. And while the East Coast tradition of simply hauling municipal garbage out to sea on a barge and pushing it overboard never caught on here (something to do with the prevailing onshore wind, no doubt), Moss Landing’s Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (better known as MBARI) now tells us that Monterey Bay is nevertheless awash with trash.

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Leave a Comment » | Coastal Development/Erosion, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by xasauan

Bear Season

June 13, 2013

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May and June are bear season on the Monterey Peninsula. And I’m not just talking about the Seaside Police Department’s early morning bear shoot last week. May and June are the months when black bears seem most prone to wandering out of the Santa Lucia mountains and into the streets of town.

For instance … Read the rest of this entry »

1 Comment | History, Santa Lucias | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by xasauan

Wildflower of the Week: Santa Lucia Sticky Monkey-Flower

May 8, 2013

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Santa Lucia sticky monkey-flower (Mimulus aurantiacus var. grandiflorus) blooming at The Indians last weekend.

It’s been a hot, dry spring so far, and most of the wildflowers are already disappearing. That just makes the Santa Lucia sticky monkey-flower, which doesn’t mind the heat, stand out even more than usual; and makes it a natural choice for our Wildflower of the Week.

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Leave a Comment » | Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan

Wildflower of the Week: Indian Warrior

March 29, 2013

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Indian Warrior (Pedicularis densiflora)

We’ve been seeing some good displays of Indian Warrior lately, so we’ve decided to make them our Wildflower of the Week. A former member of the Figwort Family (the Scrophularaceae), Indian Warrior, together with other local favorites like Paintbrush and Owls Clover, is now considered to belong to the Broomrape Family (the Orobanchaceae). Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments | Gabilans, Plants, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan

Wildflower of the Week: Star Lily

March 8, 2013

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Star Lily (Zigadenus Toxicoscordion fremontii), AKA Fremont’s Death Camus or Star Zigadene, at Garland Regional Park

It’s been a strange season so far, with heavy rain in the fall, followed by the driest January/February on record. But one flower that seems to be thriving in these odd conditions is the star lily – now abundantly blooming pretty much anywhere you look in Monterey County. Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments | Big Sur, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by xasauan

East of Eden

February 25, 2013

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Morning light Read the rest of this entry »

1 Comment | Cycling, Diablo Range | Permalink
Posted by xasauan

Time to Rebuild the Tandem?

January 31, 2013

All this sunny weather has got us thinking …

tandbass

Bass Lake Double Century Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment » | Cycling | Permalink
Posted by xasauan

Mushroom Season on the Monterey Peninsula

December 19, 2012

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Porcini (Boletus edulis) emerging from the rain-sodden forest floor. Read the rest of this entry »

3 Comments | Fungus, Living Wage, On Foot | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by xasauan

Mining Ridge: Rainiest Spot in Central California

December 3, 2012

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Clearing storm: Summit of Cone Peak; just south of Mining Ridge

Storms generally weaken as they move south, dropping more rain north of the Golden Gate and in the Santa Cruz Mountains than in Monterey County. But Big Sur’s Coast Ridge is an exception. Rising directly from the ocean to over 5,000 feet at Cone Peak, the Coast Ridge forms a high wall, lifting clouds and wringing an incredible amount of moisture out of passing storms. Read the rest of this entry »

4 Comments | Big Sur, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, Santa Lucias | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by xasauan

Highway One Closed “Due to Flooding” South of Big Sur

December 2, 2012

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The March, 2011 Rocky Creek slide still under repair

At 9:30 tonight Caltrans shut Highway One down from “4 miles south of Big Sur” (apparently between Deetjen’s and the Coast Gallery) all the way to Ragged Point in San Luis Obispo County “due to flooding.” That’s about 50 miles of highway closed and there is “no estimated time to reopen.” We don’t know where the “flood” is, or if this is just shorthand for lots of rocks and slides, but this is probably a good night to stay off the roads in the areas hardest hit by today’s storm.

10:45pm Update: Big Sur Kate is reporting that the cause of the closure is a slide at Rain Rocks (between Lucia and Limekiln Creek).

8:00am December 3 Update: The Highway appears to have been reopened.

1 Comment | Big Sur, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, Santa Lucias | Permalink
Posted by xasauan

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