tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69857878458306019372024-02-18T18:42:30.167-08:00Big Sur - The Scoop - Big Sur Now -Real Info for Residents & SupportersGet real information from sources on the ground regarding the fires and life in Big Sur NOW!bigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-30513368779107160552013-05-28T11:05:00.002-07:002013-05-28T11:05:30.325-07:00A TRUE BIG SUR STR STORY by Don Herington<div align="center">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">THIS IS NOT A HARDSHIP STORY..this is a TRUE BIG SUR STR STORY.</span></b></div>
<b><br /></b><div align="left">
<b>My name is Don Herington , I am 65. I
was born at Fort Ord. I am a 4th generation Coast. I started working
when i was 17 from Big Sur to Monterey, all over the Penisula as a
Gardener, Landscaper, Carpenter, Painter, Artist. and for 45 years it
was pretty much a hand to mouth existence.</b></div>
<img __objrefid="4" src="http://sitebuilder.vpweb.com/vp/util/image_preview.aspx?image_id=145871&type=LibraryImage&trypng=1&width=169&croptop=0&cropleft=0&cropbottom=0&cropright=0" style="clear: none; cursor: default; display: block; float: left; height: 135px; margin: 0px 1.5em 7px 0px; width: 169px;" /><br />
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>But this is not a Hardship
story for I was lucky. </b></span></div>
<b>I bought some land in Palo Colorado in the
60's back then it was called the "Guetto of the Coast." I have built
and designed about 15 very low foot-print homes for low income people
in this area. Some owners still live in them and some are long term
rentals and I know of 3 that are short term residential vacation rentals(STR). I made many friends this way.</b><br />
<br />
<b>On my
own land I did long term rental for 12 years. After the last renter
nearly burned the house down I let it sit vacant for 7 years. And then 4
years ago I was ushered into the 21st century when a 90 year old friend
and client gave me a "top of the line apple lap top computer". Friends
and neighbors encouraged me to start up Vacation Rentals since I had 2
vacant cabins. I received a lot of help and blessings. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Visitors love my place because it is so Non-Commercial. You have to hike up a steep hill to
get to it. For the first time in my life I am able to donate money to
the Fire Brigade and other causes as well as hire local people to help
me. I now have money to pay for fire and liability insurance and to
keep making improvements on my land and houses and pay my son to help
me. Ha! </b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Eco Tourism
has become a big hit around the world because it has helped a lot of <span style="font-size: small;">
indigenous cultures</span> hold onto their homeland by generating income.
Check out the win-win situation in the Pyrenees. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Big Sur is ripe for
Eco Tourism. It is a natural evolution and has no negative environmental
impact. There is no Development. The Homes are already here. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The people
living in them are long time residents, and as we all know the Tourists
are not going to go away. With all the big fancy vacant homes and gated
communities I feel like we are all that is left of the indigenous
people.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<img __objrefid="3" src="http://sitebuilder.vpweb.com/vp/util/image_preview.aspx?image_id=48472&type=LibraryImage&trypng=1&width=179&croptop=0&cropleft=0&cropbottom=0&cropright=0" style="clear: none; cursor: default; display: block; float: left; height: 131px; margin: 0px 1.5em 7px 0px; width: 179px;" /> <b>John Herrington was the first whitey to attempt a
homestead in Big Sur. He was married to a Costanoan. They applied for a
homestead. It was some where above Partington Ridge Their first home
they built was destroyed by wildfire. 10 years later their 2nd home was
destroyed by wildfire. </b><br />
<br />
<img __objrefid="8" src="http://sitebuilder.vpweb.com/vp/util/image_preview.aspx?image_id=41764&type=LibraryImage&trypng=1&width=76&croptop=0&cropleft=0&cropbottom=0&cropright=0" style="clear: none; cursor: default; display: block; float: right; height: 115px; margin: 0px 0px 7px 7px; width: 76px;" /><b>His wife was killed by a spooked horse when they
were trying to escape the fire. John gave up and moved to Hollister, re
-married and started a Hotel there. Perhaps if they were here today
they would laugh at the notion that Big Sur's character could be
destroyed or they might say that it was ruined when the Highway 1 went in.
Their 140 acres went back to the State and later became part of the
Ventana Wliderness. </b><br />
<br />
<b>Perhaps the only
downside of STR is, you may have to see a stranger on your road. I
have many great stories
about meeting strangers in Big Sur. Meeting strangers in Big Sur can be a
really really good thing. I would like to tell you my story.
I was down on the road when a young man in a VW van stops and says:
"Wow! this place is really cool. You wouldn't happen to know of any
places to rent." [Sound Familiar?}. I liked his vibe and I said: , "I
don't know of any off-hand but I am having a party this weekend and you
are welcome to come by and ask my neighbors." He did come to the
party and found a
place to rent way upon Long Ridge. Three years later he and his wife
bought
180 acres on Dragon Back ridge and he comes to me and tells me to pick
out any spot on his land that i would like to have. He gave me a piece
of his land! </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<img __objrefid="6" src="http://sitebuilder.vpweb.com/vp/util/image_preview.aspx?image_id=115560&type=LibraryImage&trypng=1&width=250&croptop=0&cropleft=0&cropbottom=0&cropright=0" style="clear: none; cursor: default; display: block; float: left; height: 168px; margin: 0px 1.5em 7px 0px; width: 250px;" /><b>
Ironically I picked out a knoll with beautiful oaks and Madrones that I
had walked many years ago and fantasized living there. I
built a round house with windows all around because of the phenomenal
views. I now have long term renter living there. We are all strangers
in Paradise whether for 2 days, 40 years, or a hundred years. </b><br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>
Banning STR's will only make the problem worse. People will do it
underground and the County does not have the resources for that scale
of enforcement. Also banning creates a sort of war mentality. of "US
Against Them!" If you are worried about STR's spreading like wildfire
then, the best solution is for everyone concerned to join minds and
come up with new ordinances and restrictions to be written within the
permitting process as did San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz and Pacific Grove, where by the way, it did not spread as people feared. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<img __objrefid="7" src="http://sitebuilder.vpweb.com/vp/util/image_preview.aspx?image_id=535816&type=LibraryImage&trypng=1&width=160&croptop=0&cropleft=0&cropbottom=0&cropright=0" style="clear: none; cursor: default; display: block; float: left; height: 175px; margin: 0px 1.5em 7px 0px; width: 160px;" /><b><span style="font-size: small;">This will aid the County
enforcers and narrow things down to which rentals are problems and which
are healthy for our community. Please be frank and clear about what you
would like to see written into an ordinance , For instance, I would
like to see only so many rentals
per neighborhood Please express whatever it is that concerns YOU! .
Please take time to give it a lot of thought because STR's can be a
great aid in </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;">holding the fabric of our community together. </span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>
Monterey County Supervisors are giving
us a chance to empower the people who actually live and work here
and love being here and sharing it with the rest of the world. To me!
THIS IS ENLIGHTENED GOVERNMENT AND I WANT TO THANK OUR ELECTED
OFFICIALS
FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE IN THIS MATTER. Trust is essential though. Laws
that are written must be very carefully crafted not just only for
Big Sur but for all of Monterey County, for she is beautiful from one
end to the other.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Don Herington</b>BigSur_Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472315120883588832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-70692079014806306052013-05-12T17:05:00.001-07:002013-05-12T22:14:14.024-07:00Big Sur Resident favors Short Term Residential Rental Legitimatization<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" title="Link: null">To Monterey County Officials, <br /> I have lived in Big Sur for over 40 years. I participated in
the formation of the Big Sur Land Use Plan during the 1980's, and I
would like to comment on the advent of short term rentals (STR). </a><br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
Principal
to the Coastal Act and subsequently, our LUP, is the experience of the
visitor to this Coast. I have always felt that the visitor experience
could be enhanced from the choices of staying in a resort or camping.
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Short term residential rentals has filled that need, and is doing so at
minimal impact to our resources. These experiences offer the visitor
unique perspectives as to manifold beauty of the coast, as well as
enlightening them to the elbow grease required to maintain a residence
on this wild and lonely coast.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I do not engage
in short term rentals at this point, but I am very much in favor of this
process continuing, and welcome my participating neighbors to continue
this activity. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I hope that you feel as I do, and I trust that you will find a way to facilitate the legitimacy of STR's. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thanks, and best wishes,</div>
<div>
Lloyd Jones</div>
BigSur_Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472315120883588832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-8663380747170651872013-05-08T09:48:00.002-07:002013-05-08T09:48:39.827-07:00VRBO is not a FOUR LETTERED WORD<div align="center">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>VRBO/STR MYTHs</b></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>VRBO is not a FOUR LETTERED WORD</b></span></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>1.
TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX:</b></span> <br />
Many people are under the false impression that VRBO's do not pay their
Transient Occupancy Tax. The fact is, a vast majority of VRBO's in
Montery County DO pay their TOT. Most others will gladly pay when
permitted and provided a simple way to register & pay online. TOT
paid to Monterey County by VRBO accommodations was well over 1 million
dollars last year. The County will receive much more when it provides a
reasonable process to comply, like other California cities have done.
Example cities would include Rancho Mirage, Coachella, Dana Point, and
Santa Cruz.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>2. PARTIERS NEED NOT APPLY:</b></span>
Our customers are mostly couples, families, or families traveling with
friends. We do not cater to the partying crowd. For the most part the
VRBO/STR owner community is a
responsible group that understands from the onset they are entering
private homes for their vacations. VRBO operators screen for potential
problems and have clauses in their contracts that not only dictate
responsible behavior, but allow for guests to be evicted if the noise
level, or other issues, cause a complaint.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>3.
Long Term Housing availability is not lessened by VRBO’s. </b></span><br />
Finding
“responsible” long term renters has always been fraught with potential
pit falls for the private home owner. Therefore, housing in small
communities has always been difficult to find. By making a decision to
bring guests onto their properties and into their homes for short terms,
private home owners are insuring they have control over how their
property is maintained and how their guests behave locally. Workforce
Housing is not the responsibility of the private home owner. When
Pacific Grove recognized the economic value to the community that VRBO's
provide in the way of jobs, improved curb appeal, and serving visitors,
the numbers of STR's did not dramatically increase for two reasons.
1. Running a vacation rental is a lot of hard work. 2. A STR owner
takes significant financial risk, due to
the uncertainty of occupancy. It’s just not a business that fits
everyone.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>4.
SHORT TERM VS LONG TERM RENTAL? </b></span> Whether you own and operate a short or long term rental you are still a Landlord. As such, there should be no
discrimination between those that rent their home out to two or more people for
less than 29 days and those that rent their home for 30 days and
more. They are both business’ that provide services, income, and jobs
for the community.<br />
VRBO's by definition, are located in and managed by the
private sector. They are managed locally by private owners who are
trying to make a living or defraying their home-ownership costs by offering a quality alternative for the
vacationing public. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>5.
VRBO's AREN'T MAKING A KILLING: </b></span><br />
There is an illusion that VRBO’s are in it for the incredible money
that is to be made. This simply isn’t so. The vast majority of VRBO’s
started because the economy went into the worst recession since the
Great Depression. Property values fell, IRA’s were destroyed and jobs
were lost. There simply wasn’t another way to make a living. The VRBO
business model is a demanding one that makes a mockery of an eight hour
day, and involves personal sacrifice on the part of home owners. Only
the very best survive by being gracious and responsible hosts. At an
average of 60% occupancy, VRBO’s barely break even. Many VRBO owners are
one and two bedroom homes owned by retired senior citizens trying to
make it on Social Security. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>6.
WONT INVESTORS TURN ALL OUR HOMES INTO VRBO"s?</b></span><br />Some think that investors are going to buy up all of our housing and
turn it into Vacation Rentals. Don’t ring the alarms just yet. Any
Realtor that tells you that you should buy a property because it will
pay for itself with vacation rentals is not painting a truthful
picture. If your goal is to defray some of your costs of home ownership
then it might be a good plan for some people, but the hard work and
lack of a guaranteed income make it an unsure enterprise and a poor
investment idea for most.<br />
<br />
<b>7. INCREASED ROAD TRAFFIC? WATER USE? </b>One concern shared by some in rural areas or gated communities is that
VRBO’s are going to increase traffic and water use over that of Long Term
Rentals. When you stop and think that a Long Term Rental usually
involves a couple with two cars and 100% occupancy, the truth emerges.
Occupancy for VRBO’s run at close to 60%-70% and guests arrive in one
car. There are, simply put, a lot of days when a VRBO sits empty.
Another myth surrounding VRBO’s is they increase shared liability on
private roads. Whether you offer a short or long term rental the
liability is the same. No insurance company will differentiate between
someone renting two days and someone renting 30 days.<br />
<br />
<b>8.
VRBO guests are: </b>Lastly, some would perpetuate the myth that the VRBO clientele is a
careless, reckless, inexperienced crowd, ill-suited for inclusion in our
communities. The fact is the VRBO clientele is you and I. There are
firemen, policemen, and professionals from every walk of life. Writers,
dancers, and veterans of war all deciding to experience the more
intimate, serene and up close accommodations that VRBO’s offer. They are
all from neighborhoods not so unlike your own, all with a sense of
wonder about something new, and all cut from the same fabric as you.<br />
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
Co-written by Christian Van Allen for BSBED (Big Sur Board of Economic Development) All rights reserved 2013BigSur_Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472315120883588832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-26424514354466925892013-05-07T21:12:00.000-07:002013-05-08T04:59:31.091-07:00Short Term Rentals and Long Term Rentals in Big Sur<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Short Term Rentals and Long Term Rentals in Big Sur.</b></span></span><br />
Posted by Scott Parker<br />
Although I know there have been short term rentals that have displaced 'long term rentals', I wonder what the actual number is. I doubt there are many. <br />
<br />
Many short term rentals don't even have cooking facilities or enough square footage to make a comfortable dwelling for any length of time. Someone, I believe, is actually trying to put a number on that issue. <br />
<br />
The other thing that makes me uncomfortable, is that I, as a landlord/short term rental person, should feel an obligation to rent to workers to improve business owners' efficiency or bottom line. I know it's selfish but my bottom line is more important to me than Nepenthe's, Post Ranch or Ventana's. <br />
<br />
Frankly, for my self and my property, I find that the visitor's tend to be more respectful and less impact on my place than renter's (I have rented to numerous people long term in the past). And when there are no visitors we relish having the place to ourselves without having to serve anyone. And finally, I don't like the 'work force housing' moniker. It sounds a little too Hitleresque for me. <br />
<br />
Why not just make an effort to provide just plain old housing for anyone seeking it. Housing is for people not just workers. I know the businesses need more housing for their workers but maybe just plain people who are artists, writers, people who work in town, or, how about someone who loves Big Sur and just wants to live here? I don't feel businesses or their proxies should be dictating the overall tenor of the community. The businesses are an important aspect of the community but Big Sur, to me at least, is not the sum of all the businesses as some might want to believe. I am not slamming the business community as I have had my own businesses. Just my 2 cents.BigSur_Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472315120883588832noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-83991363597554796252011-12-02T20:23:00.001-08:002011-12-02T20:24:31.513-08:00Sorry to see him leave us.So tragic to lose biologist, Mike Tyner due to a falling tree limb. He was such a gift to the Condors in the Ventana Wilderness and those he inspired. We'll all miss you.BigSur_Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472315120883588832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-51859106987998104452011-03-21T16:20:00.000-07:002011-03-21T16:24:59.094-07:00March 2011 Big Sur Road ClosuresCheck in for Big Sur Road Closures. According to Cal Trans they are trying to stop pedestrian traffic on the road so it's still Naciemento-F Road or 46.<br /><br />Stay tuned for more info.<br /><br />They are hoping to have the road open via ONE LANE by April 16th.BigSur_Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472315120883588832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-70720864451844082302010-03-09T21:01:00.000-08:002010-03-09T21:09:46.153-08:001st Annual Easter Pet Parade Sat 4/3 in Carmel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEDVPR3VrGZ1Av0fJSMNgrcoSVudSpbE02QSbHdxpZavIP8HiZ7P_wK9PCLS0nwDE1D5TXuNCvpeeDG_okJPYUoLRYBDz7h_dSzr0VhWrcwg9UWmPHx0Qo_q-ttrDCJGgk_T9YB4h32Av/s1600-h/3710EMPoster2nd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEDVPR3VrGZ1Av0fJSMNgrcoSVudSpbE02QSbHdxpZavIP8HiZ7P_wK9PCLS0nwDE1D5TXuNCvpeeDG_okJPYUoLRYBDz7h_dSzr0VhWrcwg9UWmPHx0Qo_q-ttrDCJGgk_T9YB4h32Av/s400/3710EMPoster2nd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446867768775961282" border="0" /></a><br />Join us at the 1st Annual EastMinster PetShow.com Pet Parade Sat 4/3 at the Sunset Center in Carmel, CA 9th and San Carlos. 12 noon to 4pm. Costume Contest, Doggie Easter Egg Hunt, Costume Contest, Awards Ceremony, Silent Auction, Pet Products and Booths, Mr and Mrs Easter Bunny, To Benefit: SPCA, AFRP, POMDR and ACGSRescue of Hollister.<br /><br />Blain Deaton and the Stingrays will provide live music (dog related theme songs),<br />Face Painting and so much more family fun. K9Sign Language Demo's too by Sean Senechal.<br /><br />Adoptable Pets will also be part of the parade which will begin at Sunset Center and walk down the sidewalks of San Carlos to Ocean and turn around and travel back to Sunset Center. Please do not bring retractable leashes for your pets.<br /><br />Sponsored by the EastMinster Animal Welfare Alliance and SocietyDog.com<br /><br />see www.EastMinsterPets.com<br />Listen to the radio show at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/EastMinsterPetShow<br /><br />Applications on line for Vendors/Booths. WE are looking for some food vendors. 831-238-6111BigSur_Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472315120883588832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-27803646111675201762008-09-19T19:47:00.000-07:002008-12-08T16:45:03.376-08:00If you ONLY READ ONE POST...THIS IS IT<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvDQbNhTc9Z5dOC_Aq2fVQBoRwH71raNZ1eLa1BqdsSWAJZfmv6RX_dYkw2_oiL3WGUCQb0yKP8dbIoQKeKqmENIcGIfxJFyfLfOOxocEbrJjVjTk36IlfoogmHRTUmDVKKJ-h8X8f_AE/s1600-h/zenfire-meyercartoon.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvDQbNhTc9Z5dOC_Aq2fVQBoRwH71raNZ1eLa1BqdsSWAJZfmv6RX_dYkw2_oiL3WGUCQb0yKP8dbIoQKeKqmENIcGIfxJFyfLfOOxocEbrJjVjTk36IlfoogmHRTUmDVKKJ-h8X8f_AE/s400/zenfire-meyercartoon.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228263976178159250" border="0" /></a><br /><span pt="" family="SANSSERIF" style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" lang="0" ><b>This website exists was to protect the interests of Big Sur Residents and Home Owners when it became apparent that only "certain homes and certain areas" were being protected from the fires and because those who stayed behind were treated to a police state by the County Sheriff. So the following article SAYS IT ALL!<br />Firemen wanted to help their hands were tied.<br /><br />It was quite evident that something smelled from the top guns in charge of resources for the fires. No one has answered the question as to WHY...was the fire allowed to come over into the Valley behind Big Sur Station like it did when there were old dozer lines? According to old times...when in the past there were fires....dozers worked 24/7 and not only daylight hours.<br /><br />The more "controversial postings" alleging mismanagement and lack of resources were "safe" to post here.<br />This article pretty much says it all! By the way...there are still more issues to address post-fire . So Start talking and posting!<br />==============================================><br />When flames are on the way, buy a $120,000 bulldozer</b></span><span back="#ffffff" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" pt="" family="SANSSERIF" lang="0" ><br /><br />By CHRIS COUNTS<br /><br /></span><span back="#ffffff" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:78%;" pt="" family="SANSSERIF" lang="0" ><b>Published: July 25, 2008</b></span><span back="#ffffff" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" pt="" family="SANSSERIF" lang="0" ><br /><br /><a href="http://www.pineconearchive.com/080725-4.htm" title="http://www.pineconearchive.com/080725-4.htm">http://www.pineconearchive.com/080725-4.htm</a><br /></span><span back="#ffffff" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:6;" pt="" family="SANSSERIF" lang="0" >H</span><span back="#ffffff" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" pt="" family="SANSSERIF" lang="0" > E'S BEEN in Big Sur longer than anybody, so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that Don McQueen wasn't about to let the Basin Complex Fire — or a sheriff's evacuation order — move him off his 70-acre property.<br /><br /><br />Besides being perhaps Big Sur's tallest resident at 6 feet 8 inches, the 79-year-old McQueen is also arguably its most experienced firefighter, having battled blazes since 1948. So when fire officials decided it was time for McQueen and his neighbors to leave Big Sur, he gave them an earful. Now, three weeks after he and his neighbors put up a desperate — and largely successful — fight to save their homes, McQueen still has a lot to say about the fire and the agencies in charge of managing it.<br /><br /><br />For starters, McQueen insisted the fire burned far more acreage than he believed was necessary.<br /><br /><br />"This fire was not a wildfire," insisted McQueen, who moved to Big Sur with his parents in 1939. "It started out as a wildfire and ended up being an uncontrolled burn monitored by the U.S. government."<br /><br /><br />While firefighting officials and ecologists generally agree wildfires play a necessary role in the life cycle of California's native vegetation, McQueen believes firefighting agencies should be fighting fires on their own terms, not Mother Nature's.<br /><br /><br />"I think they need to adopt the idea that it is a very bad idea to let a fire burn itself out in the summer," suggested McQueen, who along with his wife, Mieke, lives just east of Highway 1 near the Big Sur River Inn. "If you want to reduce fuel, do it in the winter."<br /><br /><br /><br />Sons, Caterpillar come to rescue<br /><br /><br />McQueen has always been a man of action. When he was just 11, he built a cottage at Deetjen's Big Sur Inn. So when the recent wildfire started moving in his direction, he didn't waste any time. Realizing he and his neighbors needed to widen and improve existing fire breaks and had little time to clear acres of vegetation, he ordered a D-4 Caterpillar bulldozer, which he considered a bargain at $120,000.<br /><br /><br />"I have $2.5 million of equipment in my shop," explained McQueen, who once owned Torre Engineering, which for decades was involved in nearly every aspect of home, business and road construction in Big Sur. "Compared to losing my equipment and my home, $120,000 is nothing."<br /><br /><br />Quinn Company — a Caterpillar dealer located in Southern California — not only entrusted McQueen and his wife with the bulldozer (the company required no money down), but hand-delivered it to him in just 18 hours.<br />Meanwhile, McQueen called England to tell his two sons — Jonathon and Wade — about his dilemma. Both quickly boarded flights for California.<br /><br /><br />"I had to sneak them in," said McQueen of his sons, who weren't allowed into the evacuation area. "Jonathon is a very good equipment operator. Ten minutes after he got here, he was driving the bulldozer three times faster than me."<br /><br /><br /><br />Residents, firefighters help each other<br /><br /><br />After the evacuation order was issued, a fire official came up to McQueen's house, presumably in an effort to convince him to leave.<br /><br /><br />"He said to me, 'I don't know what all you people's problem is,'" McQueen recounted. "'We're carefully allowing these homes to burn. You can build a new house at no cost with your insurance money.'"<br /><br /><br />"I couldn't believe a human being could say that," McQueen said.<br /><br /><br />Sometime during the fire, McQueen crossed Highway 1 to visit his business, Big Sur Campground and Cabins, which is located just across the pavement from the dirt road that leads to his home. His campground was filled with firefighters, and he was simply trying provide hot water so they could take showers. Unfortunately, a sheriff's deputy caught him straying from his property and scolded him. The deputy eventually let McQueen go, but the irony of the situation — that McQueen was being hassled for providing free services to firefighters — couldn't escape him.<br /><br /><br />"What I'd really like to emphasize is that a real tragedy happened when fire command and the sheriff decided that anyone staying here was under house arrest," McQueen said. "House arrest is what it is when you can't set foot on the highway. You're arrested on your own property."<br /><br /><br />As McQueen, his family and his neighbors fought the fire, hundreds of professional firefighters — strictly forbidden to assist locals — were stationed along Highway 1. While McQueen blasted fire officials for their leadership, he had nothing but kind words for the stranded firefighters.<br /><br /><br />"One guy told me he was ashamed," McQueen recalled. "He said, 'I was taught to put out fires, not let them burn.'"<br /><br /><br />Remarkably, when McQueen needed help maintaining his fire break, he received covert assistance from one of the grounded firefighters.<br /><br /><br />"One of the guys said, 'I can't sit here and watch what you're doing,'" McQueen remembered. "He went up there, parked his engine in a safe place, laid out over 4,000 feet of fire hose and started maintaining our fire breaks."<br /><br /><br /><br />'This place could have been saved'<br /><br /><br />While McQueen's home survived, a neighbor's home burned to the ground. Not just any house, the building was constructed by Hans Ewoldsen in the early 1940s. Ewoldsen married Esther Pfeiffer, the granddaughter of one of Big Sur's first homesteaders. Hans and Esther are now deceased, and their descendants live outside the area.<br /><br /><br />"I get tears in my eyes coming up here," said McQueen as he surveyed the charred remnants of a home he'd visited since childhood. "Hans and Esther took such great care of this place. They raised their children here and most of their food here."<br /><br /><br />Curiously, much of the terrain immediately surrounding the house was unaffected by the fire.<br />According to McQueen, the house survived previous fires because "Hans and Esther stayed here."<br /><br /><br />"I was with them fighting the fire in 1960 that burned this canyon," he recalled. "You can see by all the stuff that's green that this house could have been saved. It's so sad. So many things were lost.<br /><br />THANKYOU CHRIS COUNTS FOR WRITING THIS ARTICLE!!!<br />and there is more...Watch SuzNews here on You tube for a brilliant take on Big Surians and why we stay behind to protect home and hearth: Thankyou SUZ!! Past in the following URL. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smxolkjC5nA<br /><br /><br /><br /></span>BigSur_Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472315120883588832noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-58267394309658122252008-07-26T22:11:00.000-07:002008-07-26T22:12:35.634-07:00Jack English Returns to Big Sur-article & videohttp://www.mercurynews.com/video?bcpid=1620670567&bctid=1691247399bigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-14145511852691780922008-07-26T11:59:00.000-07:002008-12-08T16:45:03.534-08:00UPDATES on the Fire Front, Soft Rd Closures, Food Specials<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrN6-bjEpm58DKRS50nSkzFebROW9y35Ad2UPVkxFI41HuNzQiE3G5kByoJILIRRIBRY8vY8R7acyt7244CVFOmGmr0SYZaQ3EDJkbry64TnSo6nXphCDtmtAEY6U7JAhCHJS482vfvs/s1600-h/BurntForestCreek08w.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrN6-bjEpm58DKRS50nSkzFebROW9y35Ad2UPVkxFI41HuNzQiE3G5kByoJILIRRIBRY8vY8R7acyt7244CVFOmGmr0SYZaQ3EDJkbry64TnSo6nXphCDtmtAEY6U7JAhCHJS482vfvs/s200/BurntForestCreek08w.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221467836232968674" /></a><br /><br /><br />Sunday 7/26 While sitting at the Pebble Beach -Beach Club...it was evident that backfires and other fires were still happening in the Carmel Valley. Large smoke plumes noted. Fire has become and everyday occurence.<br /><br />Sat 7/25 State Parks to Reopen Camping in Big Sur July 25<br />Location: Big Sur<br /><br />Type of Notice: Official Notices<br /><br />State Parks to Reopen Camping in Big Sur<br /><br />BIG SUR - Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park will re-open for camping on July 25, 2008. The State Parks in Big Sur were closed recently as fire from the Basin Complex Fire moved through the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Andrew Molera State Park during different phases of the Basin Complex Fire. Refunds for campers who had reserved campsites in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park Campground had been authorized up until July 24, 2008. While there are still significant areas of these parks closed because of fire damage, the majority of the visitor serving facilities were untouched by the fires. Valley View Trail in Pfeiffer Big Sur on the east side of Highway One and the trails on the west side of Highway 1 will be open to the public as well as The Big Sur Lodge, the campground and the swimming holes within the campground.<br />Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park will re-open the small parking area and the Waterfall Trail from the parking area to the overlook. All other park facilities east of Highway 1 will remain closed. “Ninety percent of our visitation to this park is due to this trail and the beauty it provides with the view of the waterfall and the Pacific Ocean,” said Mat Fuzie, District Superintendent of California State Parks Monterey District. Park facilities west of Highway 1 in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park will be open.<br />Andrew Molera State Park has served as the fire camp and Incident Command for the Basin Complex Fire and is still serving in that capacity but to a much smaller extent. “We are opening Andrew Molera as the fire response teams leave and allow us to open the park back to the public. The Day Use Parking Area is open as well, as are some of the trails to the beach on the west side of the Big Sur River” stated Fuzie.<br />“These parks are important to the community and the people of California,” Fuzie said. “We feel the essence of these parks is intact and opening them to the public at this time with the measures we have taken is the best course of action given our mission to provide quality outdoor recreation opportunities for the People of California”.<br />The State Parks department has issued a temporary closure order for those areas of the parks that are unsafe or off limits due to the impacts of the fire. Failure to obey the closure order is a misdemeanor violation punishable by fine or jail time. “It is very important for people to pay attention to the closure order for their safety and the safety of others, “ Fuzie said. “The firefighters and our employees did a wonderful job protecting the resources, but make no mistake, fire did come through here and there is good reason for these closures.” The trails that are to remain closed were damaged beyond immediate repair with tree hazards and ground stability issues associated with the damage. We expect to open the closed areas as repairs can be made. “<br />Maps of the closure areas and the posted order will be given to every camper as they enter Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and will be posted throughout all of the parks in Big Sur.<br />For information contact State Parks Big Sur Sector office (831) 667-2315<br /><br />Contact Info<br />Big Sur Chamber of Commerce<br />Phone: 831.667.2100<br />Email: info@bigsurcalifornia.org<br /><br />Posted 7/24/2008 03:57 PM<br /><br /><br /><br />A week ago we noted: Tassajara is evacuated...only 5 people remain there. They are keeping the sprinklers on until the fire gets closer. Keep our neighbors in your thoughts and support them with your ACTIONS! <br /><br />In BIG SUR: Remember that we are all still on a "soft" closure in Big Sur. Since tourists cannot yet come back to Big Sur, many employees are still without work. <br /> <br />Redwood Grill at Fernwood: Specials till the road opens (maybe Monday???)<br /><br />To help locals celebrate local residents return to Big Sur, the Redwood Grill is serving Black Angus Burgers (or Buffalo, vegetarian or Turkey) for $7 - with fries. Also, Taquitos or Chicken Fingers for $3.95. Draft beer at the bar is $3.<br /><br />Esalen Update: Wednesday, July 9, 2008<br /><br />Word from the fire command this morning is that they are “done setting fires on Highway 1” as of today—meaning that even though fuel still remains in the canyons and along the road in our area (and spot fires still persist up the upper canyons and down toward Dolan Ridge), they are essentially pulling out from the southwest perimeter of the Basin Fire, leaving only a bare number here, in favor of a big push on the northern, more active end to try to keep the fire out of Carmel Valley.<br /><br />For us at Esalen this means the active danger level has ratcheted down considerably—and yet it’s not all over yet. Our tanks survived another night, with 20 professional crew members working there till around midnight, clearing even further below the tanks and waterline in the area of yesterday’s burn, improving the firebreak under the bridge, and putting out spots in the lower canyon. This is another switch in their strategy, as they have now given up hope of achieving a complete burn in Hot Springs Canyon and right along Highway 1 under these recurrent marine layer conditions. Instead, they are apparently prepared to call a partial victory and move to more urgent concerns to the north (and elsewhere in the state).<br />(excerpt taken from Gorden Wheelers Blog..visit it at www.esalen.org<br />=======================================================><br />BIG SUR NOW notes: Fire could happen again, so stay prepared. <br /><br />We are back on-line to keep you updated: Meanwhile the Coast Weekly has an article about the Curtis family that is worth reading. Note link will be provided under the Curtis family Debate link.<br /><br />We appreciate all of your posts here and private emails and will continue to give you much needed updates and information.<br /><br />Check back to this post today often as we will keep changing it. Meanwhile post your updates via comments on this post or under the other topics.<br /><br />And Please support the Sat Night Fundraiser:<br />For Anyone : Big Sur Gallery Fire Benefit Location: Big Sur Gallery (Carmel)<br />Big Sur Gallery:Fire Benefit Saturday, July 12, 2008 3:00 to 8:00, Auction at 5:00<br />Proceeds to To benefit the Big Sur Fire Relief Fund<br /><br />Auction of work donated by our local artists.<br />Food, wine, music, and art<br />All donations and proceeds from the auction<br />will be given to the Big Sur Fire Relief Fund, as will 10% of Gallery sales.<br /><br />visit www.bigsurgallery.net<br /><br />Contact Info: maxine keene Phone: 624 1172 Email: bigsurgallery@sbcglobal.netbigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-44485507506563411802008-07-19T10:27:00.000-07:002008-07-19T10:35:53.881-07:00At Esalen TodayI am at Esalen today. There are guests here from all over. Three different workshops. Gestalt Singing. A couples workshop and a massage workshop. It feels great to be back and there is a HUGE sign that says...Welcome Back Esalen Tribe. I just spoke to Gordon Wheeler who looked great and ready to take on anything else that might happen in the area. If you haven't read his fire blog on Esalen's site. It's still worth reading. <div><br /></div><div>Ruby the kitty, is still in charge and roaming about. A stellar blue jay was just caught drinking water out of the fountain. The sign in the lodge for breakfast read: Wake up Sleepyheads to another wonderful breakfast at Esalen.</div><div><br /></div><div> If there are any of you here who have read the blog and happen to be in Esalen today...come and get a hug from me and meet my Dutch friend Emil, who wrote a fantastic book on Somatologie. I will be helping translate from Dutch to English. Have Emil read your bone structure and what it says about you. <br /><div><br /></div><div>The garden's are gorgeous as usual but there seems to be just a slight subduedness, kind of a quietness here ...a tip tip tip toeing of the return. Guests are saying how dramatic it looks to see areas without the lush vegetation that was once there. Not everyone is back just yet...but soon...but soon....</div><div><br /></div><div>It's a bit foggy yet this morning, I have to go...Esalen is calling and I must find out if that massage class needs any volunteers. hmmmmm</div><div><br /></div><div>Keep writing and sharing your thoughts and needs on this site. Reach out and love someone today!</div></div>BigSur_Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472315120883588832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-70570729745829978372008-07-16T11:24:00.000-07:002008-12-08T16:45:03.665-08:00Do you have services to offer the community to help rebuild?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpiZhyphenhyphenugel2g56_Nl3nm1amHiY6n93OMv6YSOx_teNSt_K4oAIFpWks70xKXK74BQq-4hpLtfQwvCwVfxT5KgBSEiXer4aeAEVWh0398XFZItyzp68BAOLrr5DelDjWgCrI8edZlTvVA/s1600-h/FireSmokePlane08.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpiZhyphenhyphenugel2g56_Nl3nm1amHiY6n93OMv6YSOx_teNSt_K4oAIFpWks70xKXK74BQq-4hpLtfQwvCwVfxT5KgBSEiXer4aeAEVWh0398XFZItyzp68BAOLrr5DelDjWgCrI8edZlTvVA/s200/FireSmokePlane08.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223681033457277410" /></a><br />Hello all...Start posting here if you are available for work whether in fire clean-up, handyman work, hauling supplies to Big Sur, construction, or whatever.<br /><br />Have truck and am available for Hauling and helping with demolition at a reduced rate. Tile work too!<br /> David Nicholson yourbesthandyman@hotmail.com Have great references. 831-392-7909 <br /><br />If you have services or need someone to hire either send them to my email at Harpist4You@cs.com or post it as a comment on this blog.bigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-20101257961704750382008-07-14T12:54:00.000-07:002008-07-14T12:55:33.358-07:00Basin Complex East INFO and LINKSBasin Complex East Information Links<br />July 13, 2008 by tarawings<br /><br />Hello! I have been doing some researching to find good sources of information on the Basin Complex East. Thank you to people who have sent me links. If you have any other links to good information, please send them along! This is what I have found at this point:<br /><br />This is someone attending fire meetings and writing up summaries and giving first hand accounts of what it is like to be in Jamesburg right now. Definitely the most information about the East side of the fire that I have found so far.<br /><br />http://thefirelane.blogspot.com/<br /><br />A good standby:<br /><br />http://www.kusp.org/fire/sur.html<br /><br />This is the official County of Monterey site. It gives good, brief, official information.<br /><br />http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/PR_OES/default.asp<br /><br />This is a non-official, but more detailed site that gives timely information along with thermal maps:<br /><br />http://xasauantoday.wordpress.com/2008/06/23/big-surventana-wilderness-fire-news/<br /><br />This seems to be an official federal site. If you scroll down about 3/4 of the way on this one there is some good information.<br /><br />http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/fire/south/fwx/operations/osc-archive/sitreport.html<br /><br />This is where I get my weather reports from. Go to the page, then type in your city and state in the box on the upper left hand side (not the right hand box, this does something else), and you can then narrow down your area. Then it will show you a map that you can click on to make your location and elevation even more accurate. Takes a bit of guess work with the elevation, but it works.<br /><br />www.noaa.govbigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-10252008699107764942008-07-13T06:25:00.000-07:002008-12-08T16:45:03.836-08:00WELCOME BACK TO BIG SUR-UPCOMING EVENTS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9pMlNOcXz0Sim9NWswjL_bKjc2yzzknbDEWDlAIkjA1Z_O9hkv4FZ8tFrjUV61ZbFGQykRclxeDqN0CbzqxufKezezBAnn5BiPDRZV0z076gvCynVIDtnO9TtGUKzNTShy_r8n4Z2BM/s1600-h/calla.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9pMlNOcXz0Sim9NWswjL_bKjc2yzzknbDEWDlAIkjA1Z_O9hkv4FZ8tFrjUV61ZbFGQykRclxeDqN0CbzqxufKezezBAnn5BiPDRZV0z076gvCynVIDtnO9TtGUKzNTShy_r8n4Z2BM/s200/calla.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222489965289887586" /></a><br />Janet of the River Inn said that they are continuing to have Sunday Music as usual. Get out there an support BIG SUR! <br /><br />Sofanya is back in her newly reinvented Gallery. <br /><br />If you want information posted here...pls email us the text at harpist4you@cs.combigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-29092874551312639472008-07-12T12:02:00.000-07:002008-12-08T16:45:03.978-08:00With the next Fire or Disaster, What would you do differently?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImmlEq_s8Xy8AO11TC3yKA_eEEAxk3aZSNmOiE9fdV-PBWmXG-LWhbTkwHhyphenhyphenNCkNPrzBsd9MCjVX_chFa2BWXep83j1Gj8EbHsQLjkrLvAeu2X3g4eDjOtlG9Xf4YLosZFbzYd04Lh_s/s1600-h/101_1198.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImmlEq_s8Xy8AO11TC3yKA_eEEAxk3aZSNmOiE9fdV-PBWmXG-LWhbTkwHhyphenhyphenNCkNPrzBsd9MCjVX_chFa2BWXep83j1Gj8EbHsQLjkrLvAeu2X3g4eDjOtlG9Xf4YLosZFbzYd04Lh_s/s200/101_1198.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222207187390399282" /></a> The photo here was taken at Partington Ridge earlier this year by Susan Bradley. <br /><br />With the next disaster in Big Sur. What would you do differently?<br /><br /> * Would you evacuate so quickly? Would you hire help to defend your property? * Would we buy more bulldozers to create our own fire lines on our properties? * Will you buy and keep gel around to protect your home?<br /><br />* What items would you take with you next time that you didn't take this time?<br /><br />How are you going to prepare for the next disaster? Here's your opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas on this. Also, GO VOTE on our poll here to say whether you think you will stay to defend your property the next time around. <br /><br />Your votes really counted on the Supplying Supplies to those who did not evacuate. Kudos to all those who voted.<br /><br />Sam Farr was at the last Big Sur meeting and had this to share:<br /><br />Lessons: we can do a way better job of mapping, we need local people to stay in and work as emergency personnel in this situation. Let’s really take the lessons learned. Make a note now, while it’s still fresh, of the things you think we could better do to prepare ourselves in the future. We can be a model for how other communities do it. Let’s turn this into a learning lesson and asset for all of us.<br /><br />Also read the article written by Kenny in the Salinas Californian today. Thanks for having a backbone Kenny!<br /><br />LIST YOUR IDEAS by leaving a comment.bigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-13711290601919603222008-07-12T10:58:00.000-07:002008-12-08T16:45:04.073-08:00HELP for your Pets! from the SPCA on July 26<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7EA-PTneUvBlNo0teXxb6i_6kSYbIDkCjg9w3QzliCze-7agDERXh32HtUCXECtb2NbcL04V3ZqWfXuv7roW_YtI_RMaqAFUgLDS2iKnoii8sQRB4quY8KxzcgCcGD6UwotzoVRzmOg/s1600-h/BuddyTreasure.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7EA-PTneUvBlNo0teXxb6i_6kSYbIDkCjg9w3QzliCze-7agDERXh32HtUCXECtb2NbcL04V3ZqWfXuv7roW_YtI_RMaqAFUgLDS2iKnoii8sQRB4quY8KxzcgCcGD6UwotzoVRzmOg/s200/BuddyTreasure.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222189969841721394" /></a><br />The SPCA did an incredible job rescuing animals in Big Sur during the fires. I have to say that I was totally impressed when I saw the horse trailers and other vehicles parked outside Palo Colorado during the days that it looked like there would be a mandatory evacuation for that area. I personally have a friend whose Llama's were transported all the way to Watsonville for her. AMAZING!!! Thankyou for the great work. And now the SPCA asked us to post this special gift. My only pet is a frog right now...his name is Buddy Love and he is featured in this photo. Do you have any frog food?<br /><br />The SPCA for Monterey County will be at Fernwood Resort (near the Fernwood sign on Highway 1) on Sunday, July 13 and July 26th from 10 am to 2 pm to give away donated cat food and dog food to Big Sur area residents affected by the fire. The pet food will be distributed at no charge. Our thanks go to Fernwood Resort for allowing us space to distribute this food and to our wonderful donors who support The SPCA’s fire rescue and relief efforts.<br /><br />The SPCA for Monterey County is a nonprofit, independent, donor-supported humane society that has been serving the animals and people of Monterey County since 1905. We shelter homeless, neglected and abused pets and livestock, and provide humane education and countless other services to the community. We are the local agency you call to investigate animal cruelty, rescue and rehabilitate injured wildlife, and aid domestic animals in distress. <br /><br />Beth Brookhouser<br />Director of Community Outreach<br />The SPCA for Monterey County<br />P.O. Box 3058<br />Monterey, CA 93942<br />(831) 373-2631 or 422-4721 ext. 269<br />www.SPCAmc.orgbigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-71837362366849814832008-07-11T10:43:00.000-07:002008-12-08T16:45:04.187-08:00HWY 1 OPENS TO PUBLIC TODAY-- TASSAJARA SURVIVES THE FIRE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTPIa4KKDIjnKdRCmdllOgYy4tQJNf2Xo_fVG9ypUk1erFR3Z0GN5LNd7RfWYIh7r8Mgw6TIojkAWQe65vsXo7ZDel_9qCQAQJP_bJgx9qw0fbdUupl2qUtqU6pNsHEyrwzA1zB2f8UQ/s1600-h/100_0610.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTPIa4KKDIjnKdRCmdllOgYy4tQJNf2Xo_fVG9ypUk1erFR3Z0GN5LNd7RfWYIh7r8Mgw6TIojkAWQe65vsXo7ZDel_9qCQAQJP_bJgx9qw0fbdUupl2qUtqU6pNsHEyrwzA1zB2f8UQ/s200/100_0610.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221815649190821138" /></a><br />WOOHOO! Tassajara survived the fires!! This in from Stan Russell with the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Photo to the left was taken by Susan Bradley at Deetjens in Spring. Magical places like this and history and livelihoods were what we were all protecting.) <br /></span><br /><br />Highway 1 Opens tonight at 6:00PM to Coast Gallery from the north<br />July 11, 2008 by stanrussell<br /><br />Dan Priano, Vice President of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce just called me and told me that at 6:00PM tonight, Friday, July 11k, Highway 1 opens to Coast Gallery from the north. On Sunday at 8:00AM Highway 1 will be open clear through to San Simeon.<br /><br />Big Sur Valley, July 10, 11PM<br />July 10, 2008 by stanrussell<br /><br />The businesses in the ‘business district’ of Big Sur are approaching normal. The air quality is good and we’re seeing the possibility of the opening of Highway 1 in the very near future.<br /><br />As evidenced by the Los Padres National Forest evening report on the fire (8,907 acres burned in the last 12 hours) we still have a very active fire burning and at this rate we will clear 100,000 acres burned by sunrise on Friday. Earlier posts noted Tassajara survived the burn today and it looks like they’re going to be okay too.<br /><br />I drove into Pfeiffer State Park to see if the softball field was okay and I spoke with C.L. Price to see if we could get the softball league started on Monday. Looks like we’re going to have to wait until next week to get the league restarted. While I was at the park I took a photo of a plume of smoke rising over Mt. Manuel and later from a different angle you can see there is an active fire out behind Double Cones.<br /><br />To read the rest of his blog go to www.surfire2008.org ...he's got some incredible photos of Big Sur in the past few days.<br /><br />On to a full recovery and then some!bigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-1880483923301279072008-07-10T14:10:00.000-07:002008-07-10T15:07:56.179-07:00Need help to restore our home<h3 class="title">REAL HELP NEEDED for Clean up and Restoration for those affected by the Fires. Send your emails for support to Harpist4you@cs.com, we will post them for you. We know that it is often tough to ask for and even receive help. Just remember that those who give also receive and the relationships that we are all forging right now...are so meaningful. In times of disaster...the best comes out of us as well as the worst...LETS LET OUR BESTEST BEST SHINE!!! You can ALWAYS use the comment section to post your need or willingness to help.</h3>===========================================<br /><h3 class="title">for Anyone : need help to restore our home</h3> <div class="entry"> Location: Big Sur, Burns Creek<br /><p>Type of Work: Specific </p><p>We are so grateful that our small house, which my husband Perry built himself and defended for so many days. It survived the wildfires and even the back fires, moving right though our canyon (Burns Creek)and all around the cabin.<br />Now we are looking at what it takes to make it livable again for us and our 10 year old son, and it seems overwhelming. Retaining walls are down, the complete waterline needs to be replaced all the way to the tanks and to the source and the cabin needs to be washed outside and in after three flame repellant foam treatments. We are temporarily out of work at Esalen, and I am reaching out to my bigger community for help. We live close to the Esalen Insitute, about one hour south of Carmel. Would you volunteer a few hours to help? Work could be help with the waterline or (once we have water) with removing the repellant, cleaning garden furniture and appliances, which were left outside and is full of ash or helping with moving back in.<br />It would be such a support for our family not having to do everything alone.<br />Much love,<br />Johanna<br /><br />ps we also need to borrow a small generator that can be carried up a canyon-for a few days. <br />Contact Info:</p><p> </p></div> <div class="entry"> Johanna and Perry Holloman<br />Phone: 831-224-3864<br />Email: <a href="mailto:johannaholloman@hotmail.com">johannaholloman@hotmail.com</a><br /></div> <p class="meta"><span class="posted">Posted 7/10/2008 02:12 PM</span></p>BigSur_Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472315120883588832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-52899857559736913202008-07-09T14:18:00.001-07:002008-07-10T14:20:05.114-07:00NEWS FROM CONGRESSMAN SAM FARR<p><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;color:#0000ff;">NEWS FROM CONGRESSMAN SAM FARR</span></i></b> <br /><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;color:#0000ff;">17<sup>th</sup> Congressional District of California</span></i></b> <br /><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">July 9, 2008</span></b> <br /><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">CONTACT: Tom Mentzer, 202-225-2861, tom.mentzer@mail.house.gov</span></b> <br /><a href="http://farr.house.gov/" title="http://farr.house.gov/"><b><u><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;color:#0000ff;">http://farr.house.gov/</span></u></b></a> </p><br /> <p align="center"><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:180%;">HOUSE PASSES FARR RESOLUTION</span></b></p> <p align="center"><b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:180%;">HONORING FIREFIGHTERS</span></b></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) on Tuesday introduced a resolution honoring the sacrifice and hard work of the thousands of firefighters battling California wildfires. The resolution was brought before the full House of Representatives Wednesday afternoon and was passed unanimously.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">“You can’t help but have an incredible amount of pride for the ability to call to order firemen and women from all over the United States,” Rep. Farr said from the House floor. “These firefighters work nonstop. They’re on 12 hours, then off 12 hours, but they have to work every day. They don’t stop on weekends. They just keep going out of the camps and into the fire lines.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">The resolution was co-sponsored by 32 members of the California congressional delegation, including every Democrat. </span> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">“We’re only in the opening weeks of the fire season,” Rep. Farr said following the vote. “We will surely be calling on these brave men and women again this summer, and I for one am thankful for all of the hard work they do.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">A link to Congressman Farr’s floor speech on the resolution is currently linked from his home page, </span><a href="http://www.farr.house.gov/" title="http://www.farr.house.gov"><u><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;color:#0000ff;">http://www.farr.house.gov</span></u></a><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Text of the resolution is available here: </span><a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.RES.1322.IH" title="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.RES.1322.IH"><u><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;color:#0000ff;">http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.RES.1322.IH</span></u></a><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">:</span> </p>BigSur_Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472315120883588832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-31469387845689496242008-07-08T17:15:00.000-07:002008-12-08T16:45:04.482-08:00KQED Radio Interviews of Various Big Sur Folk<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxekUOtgRqJveO2-VSxsCCUHXaTQcMm8zQ6DMmvn-bcZWFtf1Od9dnrLSyxaTSBgbHioGUfO9HOwcPtM3PGB-xhETMtm12-TfiTrWRb2uFLe_fa2JQ8LkfzATRFcu6EyR3TF3NpaGmP8/s1600-h/DSCF5951.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxekUOtgRqJveO2-VSxsCCUHXaTQcMm8zQ6DMmvn-bcZWFtf1Od9dnrLSyxaTSBgbHioGUfO9HOwcPtM3PGB-xhETMtm12-TfiTrWRb2uFLe_fa2JQ8LkfzATRFcu6EyR3TF3NpaGmP8/s200/DSCF5951.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220822072844293042" /></a><br /><span class="basicBlack">Tue, Jul 8, 2008 -- 9:00 AM</span><br /><span class="basicBlack"><span class="subHd2">Big Sur Interviews.....</span></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td><a href="javascript:mediaPlayer('RD19','R807080900')" class="basic"><img src="http://www.kqed.org/images/icons/list-listen.gif" alt="Listen" align="left" border="0" /></a></td><td align="left"><span class="basicBlack"><a href="javascript:mediaPlayer('RD19','R807080900')" class="basic"> Listen (RealMedia stream)</a></span></td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top"><a href="http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/forum/2008/07/2008-07-08a-forum.mp3" class="basic"><img src="http://www.kqed.org/images/icons/list-listen.gif" alt="Listen" align="left" border="0" /></a></td><td align="left"><span class="basicBlack"><a href="http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/forum/2008/07/2008-07-08a-forum.mp3" class="basic"> Download (MP3)</a><br />(Windows: right-click and choose "Save Target As." Mac: hold Ctrl, click link, and choose "Save As.")<br /><br /></span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><span class="basicBlack">As wildfires continue to threaten Big Sur, we take a look at the rich history and culture of that coastal community. We also talk with residents about the impact the fire is having on their community. </span><br /><span class="basicBlack"><span class="subHd2">Host: </span>Michael Krasny</span><br /><span class="basicBlack"><span class="subHd2">Guests:</span></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="2%"><img src="http://www.kqed.org/images/list-bullet.gif" border="0" height="8" width="8" /></td><td><span class="basicBlack">Gordon Wheeler, president and CEO of The Esalen Institute, founded in 1962 as an alternative educational center</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="2%"><img src="http://www.kqed.org/images/list-bullet.gif" border="0" height="8" width="8" /></td><td><span class="basicBlack">Kirk Gafill, general manager of Nepenthe and head of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="2%"><img src="http://www.kqed.org/images/list-bullet.gif" border="0" height="8" width="8" /></td><td><span class="basicBlack">Magnus Toren, executive director of the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="2%"><img src="http://www.kqed.org/images/list-bullet.gif" border="0" height="8" width="8" /></td><td><span class="basicBlack">Paul VanGuerwin, battalion chief for Cal Fire</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="2%"><img src="http://www.kqed.org/images/list-bullet.gif" border="0" height="8" width="8" /></td><td><span class="basicBlack">Steven Harper, wilderness guide, naturalist and psychologist</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="2%"><img src="http://www.kqed.org/images/list-bullet.gif" border="0" height="8" width="8" /></td><td><span class="basicBlack">Sula Nichols, a Big Sur artist whose house burned in the wildfire</span></td></tr></tbody></table>BigSur_Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472315120883588832noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-71969189634113599502008-07-08T12:45:00.000-07:002008-12-08T16:45:04.597-08:00NEEDS....Post your need/or Wish to Donate/Volunteer Here: Updated Thurs. 2pm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44cAZfZujITOeTsWKvpEp-Oc0aoxiHbT5Qe2oTcK_Zkf6bC5U6L146G9yVeY8Vd8NuUrBszYLGF7L8bYIWHulQ4_It0ZqquqseKg52lxfZxwhSpUERI-uclUUUzRkh4FPyua4bZ-91vg/s1600-h/redharpCRop.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44cAZfZujITOeTsWKvpEp-Oc0aoxiHbT5Qe2oTcK_Zkf6bC5U6L146G9yVeY8Vd8NuUrBszYLGF7L8bYIWHulQ4_It0ZqquqseKg52lxfZxwhSpUERI-uclUUUzRkh4FPyua4bZ-91vg/s200/redharpCRop.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220820025379044610" /></a><br />NEEDS: <br />===================><br />We still are housing evacuees, mostly now from Esalen who can't get back in. We rented another home short term but need a donation of: <br />1. TWIN BEDS so that we can accomodate people. We need TWO (2) twin beds. Thanks to an anonymous donor we only now need two twin beds. <br /> I know beggars can't be choosers but please only donate stain free, rip free, pet hair and dander free mattresses and springs. Having Sheets and Blankets and newer pillows would also help. We will pick them up.<br /><br />2. We need a decent, not going to break down tommorrow WASHER AND DRYER for the new evacuee location. Again, We will pick them up. <===HOORAY! WE have a washer, but still need a dryer. <br /><br />3. The new evacuee house needs painting inside...we fondly call it the Partridge Family House...you will understand when you see the wallpaper!!!! The Comcast guy said they didn't know whether they liked zebra prints or red daisies...so they combined both! Anyone available to help paint? It also needs some clean up: with weedwacker and leaf blower outside.<==Leaf Cleanup has happenned. Thankyou. But that whacky wallpaper is still glaring at us. Things are starting to shape up. <br /><br />4. Gas Cards would also be helpful for those running around getting things done and picking up donations.<br /><br />5. A nice dining room table with chairs would be great also. We are currently using a large drum with a piece of glass on top. Yes, it's creative but only fits 4 people around it.<==We still need a dining room table and chairs.<br /><br />6. An Outdoor table with umbrella with chairs for the backyard. WE are using an ugly card table at present. <==We painted the ugly card table but could use some lounge chairs....being an evacuee is hard work and unsettling...and we can't all stay in the house at the same time. <br /><br />7. Garbage Cans for each bedroom and kitchen. Pots to boil water in or cook up grub would be great. Thanks to Susan B. we have two frying pans. <br /> <br /><br />8. A TV: We have a very small TV but it's so small (8 in x 5) that you almost can't see it. A Used larger TV would be great. <br /><br />NOTE we asked for and received: A Wireless Router: <==THANKS TO SYLVIA of Carmel Valley!<br /><br />9. LARGE CHAIR for LR: A nice large chair E-Z chair for the living room is needing it The person who donated it temporarily is able to get back into Big Sur today so they need it back. Thanks Jim, we all loved sitting in it! He also needs his vacumn cleaner back...so if anyone has a working one that would make us clean freaks happy.<br /><br />7. DONATE $: If you don't have the above items but wish to help by making a donation, you can do that using PAYPAL if you have a Paypal account. The Paypal acct that you would send the money to is: Harpist4you@cs.com Please note in the information box what you want your donation to be used for. Thankyou SO SO MUCH! <br />We can't do it without all of you.<br /> <br />E-mail: Harpist4you@cs.com or Call 1-831-899-Susan (7872)<br />=============================================================><br /> VOLUNTEERS WISHING TO HELP: <br />1. HEY SOUTH COASTERS!!! We have a qualified volunteer who is willing to pick up Mail in BS and Monterey as well as bring in other supplies. Her time is free, you pay for the gas..but it would be a great idea for all South Coasters who can't easily get to Monterey to have one person designated to bring you your mail and other supplies twice per week. You would need to arrange with Martin at the Post Office to give permission to give her the mail.<br />Call my daughter Ariana: at 720-480-7157 to coordinate.<br /><br /><br />2. Exp. Vol. Firefighter from MD, looking to help<br />Location: Anywhere<br /><br />Type of Work: Heavy Duty<br />I'm a military spouse on Ft. Ord, but am originally from MD and volunteered with my local VFD for over 6 years before moving out here. I have experience with wildland fires, structural fires and mechanical fires as well as all manner of rescue (certified Rescue Technician). My medical certs have lapsed, but I was certified up to EMT-IV.<br />I want to help! Either assisting civilians pick up and move or go home, assist in moving animals or even go to the fireline with an Indian Tank on my back.<br /><br />Contact Info: Stephanie <br />Phone: 831-920-7274<br />Email: haligangirl@yahoo.com<br />====================================><br />To post your wish to donate or your need...use the comment section. Thankyou!<br />====================================>bigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-47640216196689441162008-07-08T09:22:00.000-07:002008-12-08T16:45:04.728-08:00URGENT: South Coasters NEED OUR HELP NOW, TODAY!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59QCq7eGYEXQ0qSDGO2BxtjsaznOY1MPZnm8rU2iGzCI0-qZrkdAry0bgHYx6q1YKNk2aP8owFj62jLTVbz2iu981LPmUj34GjPrzFd9YLHZhyphenhyphenxh1dP4x6RPkqCw1Q5R4qt43Oi75SM0/s1600-h/DSCF6107.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59QCq7eGYEXQ0qSDGO2BxtjsaznOY1MPZnm8rU2iGzCI0-qZrkdAry0bgHYx6q1YKNk2aP8owFj62jLTVbz2iu981LPmUj34GjPrzFd9YLHZhyphenhyphenxh1dP4x6RPkqCw1Q5R4qt43Oi75SM0/s200/DSCF6107.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220826753212902594" /></a><br />While many of you are happily planning your re-entry back to your homes today in the Northern area of Big Sur...our SOUTH COASTERS are suffering. <br /><br />IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO CAN GET SUPPLIES TO BUCK CREEK AREA. HAVE THEM CALL ME. 831-238-6111 Susan Bradley RN (I also accept text messages.)<br /> <br />GREAT NEWS!!! we have needs handled for the Buck Creek Folks. Thank you to all who have contributed. We're a team, a giant web of support and we can't do it by ourselves.<br />==================================><br />WE HAVE SOMEONE WHO CAN GET THE GAS DOWN TO BUCKS CREEK. We have gas cans donated that are in Big Sur, NOW. THANKYOU DONATOR!!!<br /> posted at 11:27am.<br /> ---FOLLOWING UP: This need has been filled. HOORAY! All requests for support and who is helping will be kept confidential. The word is that even officials now understand the need and are willing to help and not hinder homeowners who choose to stay and defend their properties. Let's keep it that way. If anyone here's of any reports contrary to this. Please communicate that to us RIGHT AWAY.<br />=========================================================================><br />Thankyou to Z for his alerting us so that this post could be on our website.<br /><br /> I just spoke (7 am) with someone at Buck Creek..he's exhausted and very close to running out of gasoline to run his generator to have phones etc. These people south of JPB need help! Let's focus on that this morning...the fire is RIGHT THERE down there... THIS NEED HAS BEEN FILLED!!!<br />Post on Surfire this am:<br />Notice<br />For Anyone : Esalen -- Still Challenged by Fires<br /><br />As of 10:30 p.m. Monday, the fire in Hot Springs Canyon above Esalen is putting on a show. Over the next 2-3 days as the winds vacillate, the folks who stayed at Esalen to fight the fire may face some real challenges. Esalen is not entirely out of the woods yet. Please keep them in your hearts and minds, even as the mandatory evacuation is lifted for points north.<br /><br />And don't let the firefighters forget them either!<br /><br />UPDATE: Email from a friend at Esalen at 12:15am Tuesday...<br />"The slow burn in Hot Springs Canyon heated up just as the Esalen team was finishing coating the water tanks with fire retardant gel. The Canyon House had been gel'ed earlier. We then watched the fire burn through that area where the water system is located. This is the 23rd anniversary, maybe even to the very day, that the Rat Creek fire burned this same part of the Canyon. It's dark now so that it can't be determined yet what the damage is. The fire burned more intensely than anything I've seen so far, with redwoods going up in torches shooting flames and sparks hundreds of feet into the air. It's easy to see how all the dangerous outlying smaller fires get ignited by this shower of embers. The south wall of the canyon is continuing to burn towards the highway. There are smaller fires in the floor of the canyon. During the day they are marked by plumes of smoke, and in the night their flames can be seen. An Office of Emergency Services Strike Team from Santa Maria is on site. It's not a question of trying to 'fight' the fire. The strategy is to let it burn as there isn't really a practical alternative in this rugged country. In the dark no less. The important thing is to prevent its crossing the highway. It looks like the main event is ...taking place right now. Looks like it could be a long night."<br /><br />Posted by Z to Big Sur - The Scoop - Big Sur Now -Real Info for Residents & Supporters at July 8, 2008 7:15 AMbigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-19194231071157396182008-07-07T20:30:00.000-07:002008-12-08T16:45:05.039-08:00HWY 1 STILL ONLY OPEN for Residents<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzAAOoLHMrw50G4lXniSMmdCvXKULgxOqK_XYBBPeH_t1vZuRrUiHx3Omfh5j1vkKUzgxgYnN6c5e1ubvUUtPOun8624dQRoeWKMEigwwsqp6a856nqq1xAnFeKphPB6fEph4it7e-yQ/s1600-h/DSCF6341.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzAAOoLHMrw50G4lXniSMmdCvXKULgxOqK_XYBBPeH_t1vZuRrUiHx3Omfh5j1vkKUzgxgYnN6c5e1ubvUUtPOun8624dQRoeWKMEigwwsqp6a856nqq1xAnFeKphPB6fEph4it7e-yQ/s200/DSCF6341.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220821223789902786" /></a><br />Woohoo!!!<br /> At Monday Nights Meeting, it was announced that HIGHWAY ONE will reopen for RESIDENTS and EMPLOYEES ONLY from Palo Colorado Canyon to Julia Pfeiffer Burns. On Wed, the mandatory closure was changed to soft closure down to Esalen. <br /> Don't forget our South Coast Friends and those at Esalen! <br /> Susan Bradley RN<br /><br />Update: Thursday: Long time resident Laurie states: I went back home but ended up returning to PB stay with my best friend as it's just not that great to be back in that environment. I made sure when I left for the mandatory evacuation that I took some clothes and plans for some updates that cost me 10k~! <br /><br />OUR NOTES FROM BIG SUR NOW: We don't think people should be in such a big hurry to bring back their things. Remember that this is the beginning of fire season. Take your time making decisions and remember that you can be evacuated again.<br /> <br />Update: Wed--residents state...they feel the effects of the smoke in their lungs and need to take a break from the area still.<br /><br />Update 5:43 pm Tuesday: Very SMOKY in Palo Colorado Canyon today. Take a break from the smoke. Some people say that it's making them sneeze. I took Claritin for it and that took care of that.<br /><br />Drive Slowly in Big Sur. We heard reports of Sheriff's running licence plates in Sur. <br /><br />Passes for those who live/work on the East Side of HWY 1 will be available starting Wed at the MAF.<br /><br />COMMUNITY MEETING IS AT THE MAF tonight. CPOA checks will be distributed there ahead of time. The Red Cross Shelter was disbanded last Wed night and support services from many agencies will be at the GRANGE HALL in Big Sur.bigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-84779291011264159842008-07-07T18:40:00.000-07:002008-07-07T18:42:29.734-07:00THE DEBATE on the CURTIS FAMILY Protecting their homeOkay OKAY everybody....out of 78 posts to date at the L.A. times...only 4 were anti-Curtis backfiring.<br /><br />Here's the first ten....Add your own thoughts in the comment section of this particular blog.<br /><br />1. This incident should be used as a building block to create a program to teach citizens how to defend their property from fire, since firefighters and their resources are not sufficient to help everyone. Enabling people to help themselves is the best strategy, given the inadequate resources in remote locations. Also, what jury of one's peers would convict these guys? That, against the likely prospect of losing it all, was worth the gamble.<br />Submitted by: brenda<br />2:54 PM PDT, July 7, 2008<br />2. Mr. Curtis, ask for a jury trial. There is no way a jury in Monterey County will convict a person of defending what is theirs. Maybe you can write down instructions for others who may need to defend their property from wildfires?<br />Submitted by: Marianne<br />2:47 PM PDT, July 7, 2008<br />3. way to go guys! have never felt safer renting from anyone. the Curtis' know their land, and they proved it. i'm glad those 2 weeks of brush clearing payed off. i needed the rest. can't wait to go home!<br />Submitted by: denim<br />2:41 PM PDT, July 7, 2008<br />4. People would be singing a completely different tune if the fire they started had gotten out of control and burned someone else's property down or even killed someone. It is only property. They didn't do it to save a life. The law is the law and when you break it you must face the consequences.<br />Submitted by: JW<br />2:39 PM PDT, July 7, 2008<br />5. if you are blessed to call it home you would do everything in your power to protect it. Relying on the already strained forest service, who can't even pronounce the names of our ridges, peaks and valleys was and is not an option if you have any intention of preserving your land. Ross shouldn't be vilified or seen as a martyr, all people should care about now is that the curtis family succeeded. If the case even goes to trial, he will take the rap for everyone, or there will be an "I am Spartacus" type circus. Any punishment may or may not be just, but the alternative to obey the evacuation and not fight would have been even more devastating.<br />Submitted by: Lee<br />2:13 PM PDT, July 7, 2008<br />6. in response to ben's comment, all the failure of communication, lack of local knowledge on the part of fire crews and law enforcement, fear mongering (threatening to arrest residents and asking for access to dental records!) and general government ineptitude aside, referring to the curtis' property on apple pie ridge as a "compound" is not loaded language because that IS what it IS. It is MANY homes spread across expansive ridge views with a gorgeous avocado and citrus orchard, grape vines, gardens, a swimming pool and dozens of tenants that are a vital part of the big sur community. If you have ever been there, you know, and<br />Submitted by: Lee<br />2:13 PM PDT, July 7, 2008<br />7. I applaud Mr. Curtis for his heroic acts of bravery. He did the right. Now, could everyone have done this? No. Of course not. Yet, he knew exactly what he was doing, and so I commend him. I would do it, too. Then again, I am a Cal Fire firefighter for 12 seasons.<br />Submitted by: Support for Mr. Curtis' Back fire<br />2:11 PM PDT, July 7, 2008<br />8. If you knew exactly what to do in this type of situation, what would you have done to protect your property when you knew the firefighters weren't coming?<br />Submitted by: Betty<br />1:49 PM PDT, July 7, 2008<br />9. I live in fire country in the NW and I commend these guys. Anyone who thinks it should be left to government "professionals" doesn't have much knowledge of what has happened to wildland firefighting over the last thirty years. We had an incompetent federal fireboss get a group of firefighters killed over east of here and no one was out arresting him. Instead the Forest Service covered up every way they could and they still are.<br />Submitted by: Karen<br />1:44 PM PDT, July 7, 2008<br />10. Hopefully this case will go the way of the people in Sacramento who were punished for letting their lawn die in a drought.... Government which can't do what it is supposed to do, should not be meddling in the lives of those who do what they have to do. Are govt employees the only ones alllowed to use their god-given brains????<br />Submitted by: penna<br />1:34 PM PDT, July 7, 2008bigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6985787845830601937.post-7597504772525617482008-07-07T14:37:00.000-07:002008-07-08T17:42:02.538-07:00Power is Back On -down to Nepenthe 5:40pm TuesdayPower is on down to Nepenthe 5:40pm Tuesdaybigsur_davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13201534828038941888noreply@blogger.com4