My beloved riding area is all but gone

[NORTY]

Gotta admit, now that it's burned, the sight lines in turns are a lot more noticeable.

[Trials]

Now is the time to start replanting.

[Joseph Hanna]

Gotta admit, now that it's burned, the sight lines in turns are a lot more noticeable.

I was out yesterday. Where it’s true in that the sight lines are better I still struggled. I struggled because it’s a bit like riding a canyon you’ve never ridden before. Nothing looks familiar and things I mentally used as sight markers ain’t there no mores. That not to mention there’s sooo much goin’ on in terms of cleaning, clearing and re-building the road surfaces where gravel, dried mud, dust and debris. The bridge at the Rock Store/Old Place is still gone so it’s impossible to get up to Edwards Corner. Just an inconceivable disaster.

[Trials]

I was out yesterday. Where it’s true in that the sight lines are better I still struggled. I struggled because it’s a bit like riding a canyon you’ve never ridden before. Nothing looks familiar and things I mentally used as sight markers ain’t there no mores. That not to mention there’s sooo much goin’ on in terms of cleaning, clearing and re-building the road surfaces where gravel, dried mud, dust and debris....

Sounds exactly like what we call Winter.

[Joseph Hanna]

Now is the time to start replanting.

I think most are pretty focused on re-building right now. That and since we only get one or two days of light rain annually, re-planting is particularly difficult. It, much like the Station Fire up in Angeles Crest, is gonna be up to Mother Nature to re-plant. Plus the area is so large and so mountainous it’d be impossible to mount any organized re-planting. Estimates to return to pre-burn condition is 30 years which means I won’t be around to see the recovery.

I know many ranches in Malibu got their horses to safety but many, many didn’t. I read where the mountain lions that were being tracked by the National Forrestry Service all have died. There’s thousands (yesterday I heard up to 5 thousand) cats and dogs that are being rescued and fostered.

It still amazes me a tragedy of this magnitude is largely ignored by the media and the Malibu/Ventura Fire is but a speck compared to the Camp Fire up north.

[NORTY]

Los Angeles has had a bunch of fires this season. Some fairly large, too. Rain is forcast for Wednesday...

[Joseph Hanna]

Los Angeles has had a bunch of fires this season. Some fairly large, too. Rain is forcast for Wednesday...

Sure seemed like a new one every 3rd day or so. Nothing as intense as the Woolsey Fire last year though. It's been over a year and Mulholland is still closed in several places from Woolsey. I will say Malibu has recovered nicely in some areas while other areas still look war torn. Kanan Dume Canyon still looks like the surface of Mars. I rode through at sunrise a few weeks back and it was super odd looking with the morning sun lighting up those bald orange mountains.

Hopefully the Thanksgiving rain coming up will replenish and not cause slides. Fingers crossed