balto charlie

I saw a similar video and realized it was doable. Your video is much better,very cool.

We have had many floods in my area in the last 5 years and I have found construction crews are very cool to cyclists. I think I was only denied once, usually walk my bike through the construction. The time I was denied was totally understandable. They were working with some very bizarre pieces of equipment, injecting some epoxy/cement under a collapse roadway on a steep slope. I just wanted to watch

fourfa

https://twitter.com/CaltransD5/statu...659960837?s=20

"Great news: #Hwy1 at Rat Creek south of #BigSur will OPEN to thru traffic by Friday, April 30, two months ahead of schedule due to favorable weather & soil conditions. Thanks for your patience & cooperation, kudos to our crews/contractor for a safe, speedy rebuild.
@BigSurCC"

staehpj1 

Wow I am Impressed. I didn't expect it to open this year when I saw the original pictures of the slide.

kevmcd

Big Sur is on my list and I know I would regret it if I didn't make it happen now.

I plan to Amtrak down to Salinas in the next 2 weeks and be at Rat Creek on the 30th (or a day or 2 before with hopes of inadvertently crossing through the construction zone after work hours)

Any recommendations on a website that lists bicycle campsites along the way? How long are the stretches with no grocery stores? I only do about a third as many miles per day as I did 40 years ago.

raybo

I wrote a guide to riding from SF to LA that might be of interest to you. There are stores in Carmel, Pfeiffer-Big Sur, and Cambria. There are small and expensive shops at Lucia and Gorda. There are a smattering of restaurants, as well. There are several campgrounds but you will need to check if they are open and, if so, under what conditions.

pdlamb

Ditto! I wonder what the difference was between this one and the slide a few years back -- how'd the engineers decide this was OK to fill with riprap, and the previous slide needed a bridge? How much did the "we can get it open by this summer with fill" datum weight that decision?

timdow

So far, the CA State Parks website still states that "...group campsites remain closed." This seems to be a blanket message that applies to all CA state parks, but I know for fact that Leo Carillo hiker/biker is open. The only way I can think of to determine if a particular hiker/biker site is open is to call the parks.

skookum

Good video of the reconstruction

kevmcd

I don't have any experience with hiker/biker sites in California. Will they turn me away if they are full?

raybo

The last slide took out an existing bridge.

raybo

The idea is that no hiker or biker is ever turned away from a hiker-biker site. But, at Kirk Creek Campground (near Lucia on the Big Sur coast), the hiker-biker site has a limited number of spots. People without reservations park their cars on the highway and walk in and claim sites there. This is obvious by the gear they have carried down from their cars. I got the last spot. I wanted to ask the campground host what would happen if the hiker-biker area was full, but I couldn't find him/her before I left.

kevmcd

I talked to a High School friend of mine today who lives in Carmel. She said the construction site is under 24 hour guard and no tourists or locals are getting to the other side.

I still think I will try to go before the 30th but just do an out and back trip of the northern section.

staehpj1 

It was a few years ago, but there was a ranger there at Kirk Creek who was in my estimation actively and openly hostile toward cyclists. The folks who knew him by reputation referred to him as "Ranger Rick". I assume that these 10 years later he is long gone.

Note: Upon checking my notes it isn't clear if he actually was a ranger or was a camp host who overstepped his authority and presented himself as a ranger.

Joe Bikerider

According to the TV news (KTVU) this morning the road will open this Friday at noon. That would be the 23rd. Enjoy!

kevmcd

Thanks for the update on the road opening.

I haven't been able to get anyone at the California State Parks to answer the phone. Has anyone heard if the hiker/biker campsites are open?

kevmcd

Last week I rode from Carmel to San Luis Obispo on the PCH. Plenty of ongoing construction but Rat Creek was complete. The construction made bicycling more pleasant. There wasn't much traffic to begin with but the construction grouped the cars in batches so I usually had a chance to pull over when the train of cars approached from behind and then I had a nice quiet period with the road to myself.

I camped 3 nights in hiker/biker sites and in all cases I was the only one there. All the campsites seem to be open.