Big Basin via the Back Door (11/7/93)

In d.com
(Bill Bushnell) writes:

snip

It appears that
the trail from Chalk Mountain to Cascade Ranch may soon be opening up.
If I were alone, I might explore this interesting route to the coast.

The Krebs map doesn't show a connection between Chalk Mountain and
Cascade Ranch. Is this a hiking trail only, or does it not exist at all?

What's the deal with the gap in Whitehouse Canyon Road? Is this one of
those roads that the residents have expropriated for their exclusive
use, like Bear Gulch?

Steven Scharf writes:

It appears that the trail from Chalk Mountain to Cascade Ranch may
soon be opening up. If I were alone, I might explore this
interesting route to the coast.

It's been done by riders with whom I have ridden Whitehous Canyon.

The Krebs map doesn't show a connection between Chalk Mountain and
Cascade Ranch. Is this a hiking trail only, or does it not exist at
all?

What's the deal with the gap in Whitehouse Canyon Road? Is this one
of those roads that the residents have expropriated for their
exclusive use, like Bear Gulch?

It isn't settled. I have ridden through there several times, both up
and down and gotten a mild lecture once. In contrast, I haven't heard
a word form anyone or even cars passing me on Last Chance Road.

Jobst Brandt

wrote:
Steven Scharf writes:

It appears that the trail from Chalk Mountain to Cascade Ranch may
soon be opening up. If I were alone, I might explore this
interesting route to the coast.

It's been done by riders with whom I have ridden Whitehous Canyon.

The Krebs map doesn't show a connection between Chalk Mountain and
Cascade Ranch. Is this a hiking trail only, or does it not exist at
all?

What's the deal with the gap in Whitehouse Canyon Road? Is this one
of those roads that the residents have expropriated for their
exclusive use, like Bear Gulch?

It isn't settled. I have ridden through there several times, both up
and down and gotten a mild lecture once. In contrast, I haven't heard
a word form anyone or even cars passing me on Last Chance Road.

Thanks Jobst. The map at
"http://www.virtualparks.org/parks/cascade-qtvr-map.html" shows
Whitehouse as going all the way through, no gaps.

Where does Last Chance Road end (toward the SW). The Krebs map shows it
ending just at a rectangle of private land within Big Basin.

How do these conflicts about road ownership go unsettled for so long?
There's one disputed road in the south bay that the owners defend with guns.

SMS wrote:
wrote:
Steven Scharf writes:

It appears that the trail from Chalk Mountain to Cascade Ranch may
soon be opening up. If I were alone, I might explore this
interesting route to the coast.

It's been done by riders with whom I have ridden Whitehous Canyon.

The Krebs map doesn't show a connection between Chalk Mountain and
Cascade Ranch. Is this a hiking trail only, or does it not exist at
all?

What's the deal with the gap in Whitehouse Canyon Road? Is this one
of those roads that the residents have expropriated for their
exclusive use, like Bear Gulch?

It isn't settled. I have ridden through there several times, both up
and down and gotten a mild lecture once. In contrast, I haven't heard
a word form anyone or even cars passing me on Last Chance Road.

Thanks Jobst. The map at
"http://www.virtualparks.org/parks/cascade-qtvr-map.html" shows
Whitehouse as going all the way through, no gaps.

Where does Last Chance Road end (toward the SW). The Krebs map shows it
ending just at a rectangle of private land within Big Basin.

How do these conflicts about road ownership go unsettled for so long?
There's one disputed road in the south bay that the owners defend with guns.

Land owners or land users? The road and area you mention is near where
there have been gun battles between those involved in illicit
agriculture and law enforcement.

- rick

Steven Scharf writes:

It appears that the trail from Chalk Mountain to Cascade Ranch
may soon be opening up. If I were alone, I might explore this
interesting route to the coast.

It's been done by riders with whom I have ridden Whitehouse Canyon.

The Krebs map doesn't show a connection between Chalk Mountain and
Cascade Ranch. Is this a hiking trail only, or does it not exist
at all?

What's the deal with the gap in Whitehouse Canyon Road? Is this
one of those roads that the residents have expropriated for their
exclusive use, like Bear Gulch?

It isn't settled. I have ridden through there several times, both
up and down and gotten a mild lecture once. In contrast, I haven't
heard a word form anyone or even cars passing me on Last Chance
Road.

Thanks Jobst. The map at

http://www.virtualparks.org/parks/cascade-qtvr-map.html

shows Whitehouse as going all the way through, no gaps.

Where does Last Chance Road end (toward the SW). The Krebs map
shows it ending just at a rectangle of private land within Big
Basin.

Last Chance road is private but then what does that mean. Many people
use it and the most rabid of them seem to have left. It was always
the squatter types who gave the most gruff years ago, those who had
the least to say about who uses the road.

How do these conflicts about road ownership go unsettled for so
long? There's one disputed road in the south bay that the owners
defend with guns.

That would be Loma Chiquita that recently hit the news because they
injured one of their own who was motorcycling where he should be, on
the road.

Summit road from Loma Prieta Ave to Mt. Madonna had such a cloud over
it until a delivery truck that had business out there was turned back.
He took it to court and since then none of those gates are closed even
though the rude keep out signs are still in place. They are county
roads and buying a second hand grader for some road work does not make
them private. That's what those folks discovered.

I'm not happy about the MROSD gates on Loma Alma road along the ridge
between Mt. Umunhum and Mt. Loma Prieta, but bicyclists can pass
undisturbed. Last time I got some jive from Mr. McQueen Jr. at
Mt. Umunhum, I let him know that my taxes built this road for the US
Air Force and that my taxes pay for MROSD (Mid Peninsula Open Space
District) that owns the land and that his claim to the road is so much
hot air. His father had painted huge white billboards on the road
with stenciled red text that the road was private. This BS is
gradually fading these days.

The reason MROSD has the gates closed is that the Air Force buildings
are still standing and create a fire hazard and a liability hazard,
they being not fenced off and open to vandalism. MROSD employs a
guard who lives there and keeps people out. We have ridden past the
base and past MR. McQueeen's antenna farm on Mt. Thayer, to descend
Soda Springs Road. This requires a short ride through a plot of
private property that was somehow also allowed to put gates across the
road.

Jobst Brandt

wrote:

That would be Loma Chiquita that recently hit the news because they
injured one of their own who was motorcycling where he should be, on
the road.

I see that the three people that were charged with this crime have plead
not-guilty.

Summit road from Loma Prieta Ave to Mt. Madonna had such a cloud over
it until a delivery truck that had business out there was turned back.
He took it to court and since then none of those gates are closed even
though the rude keep out signs are still in place. They are county
roads and buying a second hand grader for some road work does not make
them private. That's what those folks discovered.

What I don't understand is why the sheriff doesn't lay down the law on
these people that seem to believe that they can gate up a county road
and try to keep people out.

I'm not happy about the MROSD gates on Loma Alma road along the ridge
between Mt. Umunhum and Mt. Loma Prieta, but bicyclists can pass
undisturbed. Last time I got some jive from Mr. McQueen Jr. at
Mt. Umunhum, I let him know that my taxes built this road for the US
Air Force and that my taxes pay for MROSD (Mid Peninsula Open Space
District) that owns the land and that his claim to the road is so much
hot air.

I would have not launched into something like that. Ignoring them is
usually sufficient.

Bear Gulch is another infuriating situation, especially the section west
of 35. As I understand it, the eastern section, between Skyline and 84
was "abandoned" by the county, but the western section was simply gated
off by the wealthy landowners that have ranches there.

Steven Scharf writes:

That would be Loma Chiquita that recently hit the news because they
injured one of their own who was motorcycling where he should be,
on the road.

I see that the three people that were charged with this crime have
plead not-guilty.

Summit road from Loma Prieta Ave to Mt. Madonna had such a cloud
over it until a delivery truck that had business out there was
turned back. He took it to court and since then none of those
gates are closed even though the rude keep out signs are still in
place. They are county roads and buying a second hand grader for
some road work does not make them private. That's what those folks
discovered.

What I don't understand is why the sheriff doesn't lay down the law
on these people that seem to believe that they can gate up a county
road and try to keep people out.

In these days of "we hate taxes", funds for road maintenance, police,
and a slew of other things that we formerly had are scarce. If no one
contests it in court, the sheriff is glad to not send a patrol up into
these hills and the road crews are spared the work. When I first rode
up there we met sheriff patrols now and then and the roads got graded
every spring... and people didn't live up there either.

I'm not happy about the MROSD gates on Loma Alma road along the
ridge between Mt. Umunhum and Mt. Loma Prieta, but bicyclists can
pass undisturbed. Last time I got some jive from Mr. McQueen
Jr. at Mt. Umunhum, I let him know that my taxes built this road
for the US Air Force and that my taxes pay for MROSD (Mid Peninsula
Open Space District) that owns the land and that his claim to the
road is so much hot air.

I would have not launched into something like that. Ignoring them
is usually sufficient.

The alternative is to turn around and "go back the way you came", the
routine that these folks give you. With a self appointed road crew my
friend had to do exactly that, I being out of reach up the road for
these guys to physically block my passage but he had to turn back.

Rick Estrada, the owner of the junk collection and house trailer at
the JCT of Loma Alma and Mt. Umunhum road at one time lived there,
right on the road. He confronted us with his hand on his holstered
side arm. That was one with which we didn't argue and went back the
way we came, except that we turned down Cathermola Road to Austrian
Creek and on to Aldercroft.

Bear Gulch is another infuriating situation, especially the section
west of 35. As I understand it, the eastern section, between
Skyline and 84 was "abandoned" by the county, but the western
section was simply gated off by the wealthy landowners that have
ranches there.

The eastern part was "il" legally turned into a private road in
Woodside, while the part west of HWY35, just past Neil Young's
driveway had an "End County Road" sign that we ignored. I haven't
been there in years. His property includes the Star Hill Ranch and
the land between.

Jobst Brandt