On the east side of El Capitan reservoir, directly below Anderson Truck trail lies the old pathway of the Cuyamaca Flume. It traveled from the head waters of Conejos Creek and carried water all the way into La Mesa from the 1880 to the 1930s. Parts of the path are still there with lots of remnants to discover along the way. Total trip from the Anderson Truck Trail parking was just under 12 miles.

We took Anderson down to the point where it begins the uphill slog and took the lake detour. It was in surprisingly good shape and we had a nice downhill run all the way to the lake.



From there we followed the service road along the east shore. Getting to the actually flume took a little work. It was mildly overgrown and very wet from the drizzle. Lots of hike a bike moments.





"Its rideable.."



As we progressed north and east, the reminents began to show up. The wood had been scavenged long ago or burned in cedar fire but parts of the metal flume were still visible is spots.





One section of the trail actually put you in the flume for about 50 yards. Don't screw up. Razor sharp, rusted edges are ready to greet you.



As we rode closer to the headwaters, the terrain became much more interesting to ride. Lots of flume exposure to keep you on your toes.





The last section before the diversion dam was the most fun/difficult/dangerous begging to be ridden. Concrete skinnies, only 24 inches wide mounted into the steep rock faces. Some were not hard, others had nasty drops at the start or end.







The light rains were not enough to get the river flowing so the diversion dam spill way was dry. I have seen picks where there is water and it can really get flowing.





Couldn't have asked for a better day, cool and damp. Total ride was 3 hours for the 12 mile ride. Of course I stopped a lot for pictures and we had to clear a lot of dead fall. The ride back was a lot faster BUT if you hate the climb out of Anderson Truck Trail after bombing the hill, add another mile for the climb from the lake just for good measure. Most of the trail is overgrown in brush so dress appropriately if you go.

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The world does not revolve around you but your actions impact us all!

Nice ATR Bankerboy.

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You never know what tomorrow will bring so go ride your EBike today or walk your pooch
Fear the Yeti
"Go ride your bike today, don't let the old man in.."

Mike

OK, I am stumped...

ATR? Trail Report I got, but what is the "A" for?

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The world does not revolve around you but your actions impact us all!

Adventurous

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You never know what tomorrow will bring so go ride your EBike today or walk your pooch
Fear the Yeti
"Go ride your bike today, don't let the old man in.."

Mike

Cool TR, always wondered what was going on over there.

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"We'll ride it until they pave it."

-Big Clyde

How many ticks?
When I did this around 17 years ago, I was horrified when I looked down at the legion of ticks crawling up my legs.

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Scum on a Bike

Not a one on either of us.

It was a lot of bush whacking and I was expecting at least a few. Maybe the hot, dry summer did a number on them, at least temporarily. I am sure with the damp weather coming, the little monsters will be out in droves.

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The world does not revolve around you but your actions impact us all!

The dry season is likely to be the cause of the tick-less adventure. Back when I did it, the lake was near-full.

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Scum on a Bike

We rode out there about 3years ago. A lotta poison oak and hike a bike but no ticks. Really glad I had some leg protection. I'd forgotten about that ride, thanks.

Great TR! I love the occasional exploratory ride and hike-a-bike, and throwing in local history makes it even better. Thanks.

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Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

HA! Got a case of the itchies today. I have uber sensitive skin so if I was cut or hit just right by just about any plant, I am feeling it. There was no PO out there so I am happy about that. Couple days and I will be fine.

There is a ton of historical pictures and write ups if you are ever interested in the flume. It was all politics, power, and money. All the big players in San Diego history were involved at some point:

Jennings
Murray
Spreckles
even Horton to some extent.

It reads like a who's who of San Diego lineage.

http://www.lakesidehistory.org/Flume/flume.htm

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=c ... maca+flume

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The world does not revolve around you but your actions impact us all!

Fascinating stuff, Matt! Thanks for the write-up and the links. I don't have time right now to read the articles you've linked to, but look forward to a good read later tonight.

I do recall reading, a year or two ago, about the damming of the SD River to create El Capitan reservoir to provide reliable drinking water for the City of San Diego. At the time there was a thriving Kumeyaay village (or maybe two?) located down in the valley that would be flooded by the lake. The city offered them new lands as reparation for displacing them from their homeland (although staying put was NOT an option). There were two separate groups or bands of Indians living there, and they each took up the city's offer and moved to higher ground. One was the Barona band who moved north into the hills up towards Ramona, and the other was the Viejas band who settled in the valley just east of Viejas Mountain. Today, we have casinos, hotels and outlet malls to thank for that...

Personally, I'm very happy for the way things worked out for the Kumeyaay in the long run.

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Scum on a Bike