Impact of California rain on my local trail

[RebornRider]

You have probably seen news stories of California hillside homes slip-slidin' away. Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, my regular ride, finally reopened after being closed due to the endless rain. In addition to almost (but not quite) UK levels of mud along with big and little bits of tree all over the trail, there was this. If you ride near the edge and the ground gives way under your tires, it's a LONG way down!

 

[Tonybro]

You have probably seen news stories of California hillside homes slip-slidin' away. Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, my regular ride, finally reopened after being closed due to the endless rain. In addition to almost (but not quite) UK levels of mud along with big and little bits of tree all over the trail, there was this. If you ride near the edge and the ground gives way under your tires, it's a LONG way down!

View attachment 105017

I've seen some of the floods, not nice but that sort of erosion is fairly common in the predominantly wet UK. I can ride my local trails after rain and the only thing the same is the views! The ruts and rocks on the trails will all have changed!

 

[irie]

And in the chalk South Downs the ruts get deeper. And deeper. And ...

 

[Tonybro]

And in the chalk South Downs the ruts get deeper. And deeper. And ...

And the next thing you know is you're having to name a new Combe!

 

[JStrube]

My wife and I just wanted to get our new bikes out & the rains have killed that idea. Just a nice gravel road climb we usually do was totally washed out & partially under water.

We need the water, but not all at once!

 

[RebornRider]

Nice to see that the culvert did such a good job!

 

[RM.SGO]

Whoa - I was just out at Pleasanton Ridge yesterday. Missed this trail - which one is it?

 

[Mikerb]

My wife and I just wanted to get our new bikes out & the rains have killed that idea. Just a nice gravel road climb we usually do was totally washed out & partially under water. View attachment 105050

We need the water, but not all at once!

that looks rideable! A few trials moves needed though.

 

[irie]

My wife and I just wanted to get our new bikes out & the rains have killed that idea. Just a nice gravel road climb we usually do was totally washed out & partially under water. View attachment 105050

We need the water, but not all at once!

Ironic that you live somewhere called "Atwater"

 

[Swingset]

Santa Barbara area- completely blown out and will be for a while. Mostly pedaling around on the pavement and a few open space areas that are drying out.

 

[RebornRider]

Whoa - I was just out at Pleasanton Ridge yesterday. Missed this trail - which one is it?

Courdet trail, starting at Old Foothill Road. It's the most convenient route to the ridge from my house.

Did you ride along Sinbad creek? Many long stretches of deep mud and creek crossings that are not ebike friendly. I think I soaked my motor along with my feet. Deeper than expected!

 

[RM.SGO]

I started at Golden Eagle and took Bay Leaf down then kept heading north and came back south along the creek. Definitely a lot of water running. Had to carry the bike at one point

 

[JStrube]

Ironic that you live somewhere called "Atwater"

haha, yep... Named after a Wheat Farmer who gave a bit of land for a railroad station. Now, we grow mostly almonds & sweet potatoes. Total flatland. Have to drive to ride mountains.

 

[ALLeighton]

We have quite a bit of clean-up work on the Central Coast as well. These are pics from last weekend on Hi Mountain Road east of Arroyo Grande.

 

[JStrube]

Is that the road between Pozo & Lake Lopez? I rode that once when I was a student, in 1990 or so.

 

[Freeforester]

Milankovich cycles - no, not a new EMTB maker, but they’ll certainly be making a comeback in the coming decades; check it out!

(the last 5-10 minutes are fairly pertinent)

 

[ALLeighton]

Is that the road between Pozo & Lake Lopez? I rode that once when I was a student, in 1990 or so.

Yep. I forks with one road going to Pozo, one going to Garcia Ridge, and one going to the condor lookout at the top of Hi Mountain.

 

[folmonty]

Still holding out to see what's happened up on Mt. Diablo and the Oyster Point trail? Sycamore Creek is another one that had a nice home made bridge built over a huge washed out ravine but I'm guessing it may be impassable now? Need to do some recon soon as the days are looking pretty good now. If anyone knows I'd enjoy hearing any reports?

 

[endo_alley]

You need to build and repair trails such that they hold up well for the most part after rain events. Trails should never channel water. And should always shed surface water.

 

[CraigR]

Here is the full list of closures of east bay parks and trails due to the storm damage. Del Valle is my go to riding spot as I live a short 2 mile bike ride from the park.

Alerts and Closures

Before heading out to parks, please review notices below. Some trails, attraction venues, park areas may be temporarily closed -- due to weather or water/algae conditions, park enhancement projects, habitat restoration, repairs and maintenance.

www.ebparks.org

 

[Bacalao]

Before the rain this was ankle high dried up weeds.

 

[MountainBoy]

Milankovich cycles - no, not a new EMTB maker, but they’ll certainly be making a comeback in the coming decades; check it out!

(the last 5-10 minutes are fairly pertinent)

I'm saddened that people don't have better abilities to discriminate and are still falling for this anti-man-made climate change propaganda. It's true that every year the transition away from oil and gas is delayed, the oil and gas industry benefits by hundreds of billions of dollars. But it's not true that oil and gas geophysicists are the people who will bring you the straight scoop. And this guy worked directly for oil and gas companies his entire working life. I guess it's nice for him that he can believe he didn't spend a lifetime finding the very substance that created the flooding, storms and heat waves that were never this bad just 100 years ago.

That will help him go to his grave with a clear conscious and maintain the value of his oil and gas stock. But this is not how good science is done.

 

[RebornRider]

You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can't make him think.

Also. Denial is the strongest force in the known universe.

I have these (and other) slogans on tee shirts that I used to wear to work on Tee Shirt Fridays.

People who knew me realized they were thinly veiled digs at management. Management was clueless.

 

[Downhillr]

You have probably seen news stories of California hillside homes slip-slidin' away. Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, my regular ride, finally reopened after being closed due to the endless rain. In addition to almost (but not quite) UK levels of mud along with big and little bits of tree all over the trail, there was this. If you ride near the edge and the ground gives way under your tires, it's a LONG way down!

View attachment 105017

Live in East Bay hills but most of my riding is over in Santa Cruz mountains which took brunt of rains. State/county park trails still closed but sandier mountain soil like El Granada network, UCSC and Pacifica still rideable… just watch out in the steeps for big pines and eucalyptus down across trails!

 

[levity]

Spring preview, Chino Hills State Park

canyon should be nice

but the single track . . .

 

[endo_alley]

You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can't make him think.

Also. Denial is the strongest force in the known universe.

I have these (and other) slogans on tee shirts that I used to wear to work on Tee Shirt Fridays.

People who knew me realized they were thinly veiled digs at management. Management was clueless.

I don't believe a word of that!

 

[Freeforester]

Well, we don’t have that long to wait to find out either way, it may equally be the ‘consensus agenda machine’ and it’s minions who end up with frozen egg on their face too, but in the meantime maybe we could discuss the implications of Dr Habibullo Abdussamatov et al’s work on the reducing levels of sunspot activity, rather than the tired ad hominem attacks on the messenger who offends? Things change over time, even if the MSM and other sundry ‘agenda-shaping scriptwriters’ fail to observe this; however these changes are observed by diligent, brilliant scientists, such as Abdussamatov, et al, as mentioned here:

Dr Habibullo Abdussamatov: cooler than a penguin’s posterior!


'Tis with our judgments as our watches, none
Go just alike, yet each believes his own.
In poets as true genius is but rare,
True taste as seldom is the critic's share;
Both must alike from Heav'n derive their light,
These born to judge, as well as those to write.
Let such teach others who themselves excel,
And censure freely who have written well.
Authors are partial to their wit, 'tis true,
But are not critics to their judgment too?

Content, if hence th' unlearn'd their wants may view,
The learn'd reflect on what before they knew:
Careless of censure, nor too fond of fame,
Still pleas'd to praise, yet not afraid to blame,
Averse alike to flatter, or offend,
Not free from faults, nor yet too vain to mend…

 

[Freeforester]

I'm saddened that people don't have better abilities to discriminate and are still falling for this anti-man-made climate change propaganda. It's true that every year the transition away from oil and gas is delayed, the oil and gas industry benefits by hundreds of billions of dollars. But it's not true that oil and gas geophysicists are the people who will bring you the straight scoop. And this guy worked directly for oil and gas companies his entire working life. I guess it's nice for him that he can believe he didn't spend a lifetime finding the very substance that created the flooding, storms and heat waves that were never this bad just 100 years ago.

That will help him go to his grave with a clear conscious and maintain the value of his oil and gas stock. But this is not how good science is done.

Try explaining why the carbon dioxide is heating up the planet, in relation to the errors you see in this:

Forget the messenger, concentrate on debunking the efforts of those scientists doing the work, perhaps?
And some context to assist, between the ‘greenhouse’ properties of CO2 vs water:

 

[Swingset]

JFC.....

 

[RebornRider]

Wow, I step away from the thread I started for a few days and somebody gets seriously triggered. I'll just mention that science is theory supported by experiments that can be replicated. Prior to replicated, well designed and controlled experiments, it's just speculation. The thing I like to keep in mind is, what are the consequences if the speculation is wrong?

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

This stream is typically bone dry 6 to 8 months of the year. It is rarely more than a bike-length across during the few months of the year with significant rain. I decided in favor of my motor by walking the bike across last Sunday because I didn't know how deep it was.