We use our point & shoot camera to take a fuzzy video of an October 10, 2009 bike ride from Carmel to Morro Bay, add some irritating copyright-free music, and post it on the Internet:
Bicycle Ride: Carmel to Morro Bay
October 15, 2009
2 Comments | 
Big Sur, Cycling, Santa Lucias | 
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Posted by xasauan
Carmel Lagoon Breached in Annual “Emergency” Ritual
October 14, 2009
The Carmel River Lagoon drains into the ocean through the newly bulldozed cut
Every year when the Carmel River begins to flow it backs up behind the sandbar at the beach and threatens to flood homes built on the floor of the lagoon. And every year the County shows up with bulldozers and breaches the sandbar to protect the homes. The breaching empties the lagoon, saves the homes, and washes out to sea juvenile steelhead not yet prepared to survive in salt water. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Carmel River, Coastal Development/Erosion, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Rivers Rise as Deluge gets Rainy Season Underway
October 14, 2009Well, the remnants of Typhoon Melor proved to be every bit as wet as advertised. As it so often does, Mining Ridge (above Big Creek) took the prize with a whopping 21.34 inches of rain. Accumulations of over 10 inches were common at higher elevations in the Santa Lucia’s and, while we haven’t heard of any serious debris flow problems, the rivers and creeks went from trickle to torrent in only a few hours. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Big Sur, Carmel River, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, Santa Lucias, Water | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Time to Throw a Tarp over the Woodpile
October 12, 2009And weight it down with a few extra rocks, while you’re at it. Not only are they still calling for heavy rain tonight and tomorrow, they’re also calling for wind up to 60mph on the coast, stronger at higher elevations. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Big Sur, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, Santa Lucias | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Stormy Tuesday?
October 11, 2009
The calm before the storm?
Following last year’s fires, Big Sur sweated through the rainy season knowing that a single heavy rain could unleash destructive debris flows. And, amazingly, although the total rainfall for the year was close to normal, the rain spread itself out so evenly throughout the season that, with a few minor exceptions, all trouble was avoided. Can anyone remember another year, other than major drought years, when Big Sur didn’t get even one serious rain? Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Big Sur, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, Santa Lucias | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
State Parks to Stay Open
September 25, 2009
China Cove, Pt. Lobos
It’s been obvious from the start that closing parks would cost the state more money than it would save. As this fact became increasingly difficult to ignore during the past few weeks, and as the announcement of the closure list was repeatedly delayed, it became more and more obvious that the Governor’s Office was going to back away from the park closure plans. And today, sure enough, the Governor has announced that all state parks will stay open. The new plan is to save money mainly by reducing the amount of time that parks are open and by reducing maintenance.
We’re glad they won’t be trying to kick us off the beach, but with the difficulty State Parks is already having keeping their property adequately maintained this doesn’t seem like much of a victory.
The Not-So-Great Monterey Beach Cross Debate
September 23, 2009As the Topix forums for commenting on local news stories are populated almost entirely by trolls focused on antagonizing and insulting one another, it wasn’t surprising that the sawing down, by persons unknown, of the 20 foot tall cross that’s been standing on public property on the Monterey Beach for the past 40 years resulted in an outpouring of vitriol, on several different Topix threads, aimed at “Liberals,” the ACLU, Obama, etc. Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Coastal Development/Erosion, Politics | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Carmel Beach Sandcastle Contest
September 13, 2009
Just to prove that the Carmel Beach isn’t only for shivering tourists and sex-crazed teenagers, the City of Carmel and the Monterey Bay Chapter of the American Institute of Architects put on a yearly sandcastle contest. Today was the 48th edition of the contest, which is only announced a day or two ahead of time to keep the crowds manageable and the participants local and “amateur.” Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Coastal Development/Erosion | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Forest Service Retracts Ridiculous Dope Grower Profile
September 11, 2009We’ve all heard, and some of us have seen for ourselves, that Mexican immigrants are playing a larger role than ever before in the business of large-scale marijuana growing in the National Forests. We’ve also heard, although without any particular evidence to back it up, that these growers are associated with Mexican drug cartels. Read the rest of this entry »
Fire Storm: Thermal Satellite Maps Track the Growth of Southern California’s Station Fire
August 31, 2009
The Station Fire ignited about 3:30pm on Wednesday, August 26, at approximately the spot indicated along the side of the Angeles Crest Highway in the Angeles National Forest. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Fire, Flood & Apocalypse | Tagged: angeles fire, Mt. Lukens, Mt. Wilson, station fire, station fire ignition point, station fire map, where station fire began | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Xasáuan Today 