Regulatory Agencies, the City and County of San Diego had determined that Tunnel 5 in Del Mar Mesa Preserve, the 4th east/west trail south of the pond, would be closed permanently. Due to recent illegal activity it was decided to CLOSE TUNNEL 5 IMMEDIATELY!



-Rick Thompson, Trail Manager



Gina Washington

Senior Park Ranger

City of San Diego, Open Space Division

858.538.8066 (PH)

858.536.8334 (FAX)

_________________
NappyT - "i maybe fat, but you're ugly. and i can diet"
Follow me on Twitter
Visit my Blog

Thanks Zippy, I reworded your text and posted.

_________________
strava:instagram:activejunky

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LPCPCAC/
If you want the rangers to hear how we feel, also post here!

Perhaps everyone already knows about the article in the Reader, if not:

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2008/dec/10/city-light-2/

_________________
strava:instagram:activejunky

Thanks for posting this. Looks like they totally misquoted mikuteit. And what is up with this bullcrap:


"Real estate broker Bunnie Clews, whose son Christian owns Clews Horse Ranch, gives me an equestrian’s point of view. Both mother and son are members of the Peñasquitos Canyon committee — and ardent horseback riders. “I was totally unprepared,” she says, “for the number of trails that are down in Deer Canyon when I first walked it in August of this year. I saw probably 50 cyclists that day. And I know that some horses have been down there because I saw evidence.

“But horses and cyclists cannot use the same trails very successfully,” continues Clews, “because the bikes are so fast and they’re quiet. They come zipping up on you, and a horse just blows up. Depending on the horse and rider, that can have disastrous results. Some of the horses recover and some don’t. They’re frightened and they take off. They’re prey animals and they have a fight-or-flight mentality, mainly flight.

“So the two groups cannot use the trails together. If they make the Deer Canyon tunnels part of the trail system, they need to research them and allow bikes on some and horses on the others. I will tell you that I have never ridden down in the tunnels of Deer Canyon on a horse. As it is right now, the tunnels are really low. I’m pretty short and so is my horse. And I would be bent over, not that that doesn’t happen on trails, but most of the ones in Deer Canyon are really not used by horses. I saw one pile of old poop. And it was old. I do agree that horses shouldn’t have to be confined to roadways. There’s nothing pleasant about riding down a big fat fire road."

The author got some quotes a little wrong, and a few are out of context, to be sure. For example, I noted that there might be 50 head of horse left ON THE DMM, as opposed to Carmel Valley (where there are certainly more and up to 140 on Clews' ranch alone when done).

Some examples with Bunny Clews', note the spelling, section are that only Bunny is on the CAC (not Christian), and she noted truthfully that equestrians weren't using those trails. Something you may not know is that she used to ownthe bottom half of Tunnel 5 and told us she never rode up in Deer Cyn because of..well, her own reasons. Anyway, that land was part of the swap to get the land where the new Clews ranch is now...

Now, there's no way she saw 50 bikes on her walkthrough (with Mike Maio and me, among others and I counted 16), and that sounds a lot like a script published by Marvin Gerst. But who can disagree: riding down a fat, dusty fire road isn't much fun? Note also she doesn't see a big schism between equestrians and bikers, and she cited the (pre-bulldozed) Del Mar Mesa as an example. Bunny's good people, actually.

Nice work getting something in the Reader. Have you tried the UT?

_________________
strava:instagram:activejunky

Thanks for the clarification and your ongoing hard work, Ebasil. Although you say Ms. Bunny doesn't see a schism between bikers and horseriders, the article makes it seem like she believes shared, multi-trail use will never work.

I honestly don't think shared trail use will ever work either, unless the "trail" is more like a fire road. Someone will always be pissed off. The bikers pissed off at the horses holding them up in the skinnies and deposits of horse shit everywhere...the horses pissed at the bikers for traveling 30mph and somehow cutting through the air like a fine Japanese blade leaving no trace of sound as they do so.

Regardless, I'd still like to punch the face of the idiot who chopped the trees. The closure of the trail would have happened eventually anyway. This just screams idiocy on so many levels. Maybe it's time to hunt some witches. We can put them on display for everyone.

Believe me when I say I understand and empathize with sladnas, and also that I wish we had such a multitude of trails that we could actually have horse-only and bike-only trails --and have it be reasonable.

However, I think we're users of a diminishing resource. I don't think we have the luxury to have horse-free or bike-free trails just because we'd like it. I think we have to get along together and I think we do a pretty great job of it on trails where there's equal access and the limiting factor is the common sense and courtesy of the people on them. Sure, there are idiots of all flavors, but you get the idea.

Now pardon me, but I have to go hug a bunny, burn some patchouli and play my "kum bay yah" anthology.

Lets say one would want to clean up some of the trash at the bottom of deer canyon. Would there be any official hoops one would need to jump through in order to do so. I don't want to end up destroying the habitat of the endangered 'Las Penasquitos Dumpster Rat' or anything.

Riding down there during the day kinda grosses me out a bit.

_________________
never stop....

My own opinion is to leave it there for now. Most of it serves as indisputable evidence as to the origin of this trail network to counter all these people who claim to have a long history with the place, yet seem to know very little about how these trails really got here.

I routinely pick up stray Clif Shot packages and those dang helium balloon bouquets that settle in on our open space. Probably two or three of those in the last couple months. "Happy 50th! Ooops...there it goes, oh well."

However, if you know someone with a crane or reeeal big tow truck that could get those abandoned vehicles out of the creekbed...

I agree^^^^pick up any mtb litter and leave the stuff from previous users in a nice pile.

_________________
strava:instagram:activejunky

I think a clean up of the trash would be great, just make sure we document the effort and publicize it as much as we can that the MTB community cleaned up the trash. Show how much was picked up and before/after shots to the press. even if nothing comes out of it, is it so bad to clean up trash?

BREAKING NEWS.....

I just got word from a friend who was at LPQ this morning and the fire road by the Eucalyptus has been closed off with dead fall and the whole area is under a closure from the city of SD!!!