The Great Highway / Dispatch II from the shrinking Front Line

Took a drive down to Sloat Parking lot at the end of the Great Highway right where they detour traffic to avoid the eroding roadway. I wanted to get a first hand update on what is taking place. A good couple weeks ago I saw large earth moving machinery in the area and they were starting to dump rocks over the side to try and slow Mother Nature. After parking I walked down to where most of the work was being done.

My last post I mentioned that this would be a very interesting situation to watch as all the "players/stakeholders" have their own agendas and perspectives on how this roadway should be fixed - or not fixed for that matter.

Let me introduce the "players/stakeholders":

CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO

Obviously the City does not want to loose any major infrastructure and I'm not talking about the Great Highway! Just across the street, literally 100ft, lies one of the City's largest waste treatment facilities that was built back in the 90's. They cannot afford to shut down this plant. When it was built, evidently a lot of people questioned the desired location due to the cose proximity to the ocean. Oooppps.

SURFRIDER FOUNDATION / ENVIRONMENTALISTS

Have a close watch on this project and obviously oppose anything that would be done to the coastline that would hinder access or destroy what many consider one of the best waves at the beach. They'd prefer less rock dumping and try more sand treatments - actually dumping major amounts of sand off shore to quell the erosion. The City wanted 950ft length of rip-rap dumped and evidently agreed (through pressure of the Surfrider Foundation) to only dump 400-500ft.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

The area in question is within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Interesting perspective from what I hear... they basically are somewhat indifferent to the loss of the parking area and or roadway. If there are manmade elements that are being reclaimed by Mother Nature (especially parking lots) they might favor letting her take it.

RESIDENTS OF THE SUNSET DISTRICT

Hard to say where people stand on this, I have not talked with enough people around the hood. I for one find that it cuts down the crowds at this end of the beach which one could look at in a favorable manner. I can also see that it is making traffic through the area pretty darn difficult so it may be making some residents commute difficult. I will say that I do like my toilet flushing and that when flushed it does not go right out into the water I swim in.

May still be too early to call what is the best solution and it may be too late as they are starting to drop rocks over the side. Somewhat of a "perfect storm" situation - literally!

The Great Highway / Dispatch from the shrinking Front Line

It is BIG news around these parts. A portion of The Great Highway has been shut down. Not just a lane - all Southbound lanes have been blocked off to vehicular traffic (northbound lanes are open) due to storm and erosion damage. For those that are unfamiliar, The Great Highway runs the length of and parallels Ocean Beach, which is located on the far western edge of the San Francisco Peninsula. So with all the hub-bub going on I decided to take a walk down and take a gander for myself. What not a better mission to bring my trustful companion and fellow adventurer - my daughter. And as it turned out, we were blessed with a beautiful day!

As we made our way down (we walked and took the stroller) an immediate observation was the extraordinary amount of flotsum along the length of the beach. Logs, branches, trash, telephone pole parts, foam, sections of docks, old x-mas trees and lots of exposed random rocks. Not too much of a surprise since we have recently gone through some good stormy wet weather cycles. But still more than I have seen in a long time.

A second observation was the amount of sand eroded off the beach. Many of the dunes that have been built up over the years are taking a real hammering. Yesterday I ran into Carol Schultz, "Queen of the Beach" in Golden Gate Park. One of her comments to me was, "Jeez DAK, I have never seen so much sand missing off the beach". I concur.

Sure enough, there is some serious havoc that Mother Nature is unleashing at the southern end of The Great Highway. The Sloat Parking Lot's (1st Parking Lot) egress point is completely been compromised due to high surf. And the the 2nd Parking Lot is also in bad shape due to some serious hydrodynamic activity.

While I'd love the opportunity to delve into the very interesting battle that will soon unfold regarding how to resolve this problem and the various stakeholders involved, I need to cut this short and catch some shut-eye.

So tomorrow, THE WHAT, THE WHO, THE WHERE, and THE WHY of this battle between Mother Nature, a City, a National Park System, Environmentalists and the residents of the Outer Sunset.

I almost forgot my 3rd observation. No Sloat Parking Lot means less crowded surf. My daughter and I watched some seriously good surf come through with only a handful of guys on it. Typically there would be twice the amount of people out in the water.

Have you been down there yet? Tell us your observations and your ideas of how to handle The Great Highway erosion issue of 2010!

True Wilderness VS. Metropolis

It is really easy to get boxed into the urban fabric of the City. Sometimes it is important for us City dwellers to obtain a vantage point that takes us outside the confines of our concrete environment. There have been several vantage points I have been recently poking around to get some shots of the BIG surf showing up this Winter Season - like the shots above and below.

What I appreciate most about this vantage point is how it clearly illustrates the close proximity of true wilderness to the Sunset District's western edge. It is easy to forget that whales, dolphins, great white sharks, orcas, seals and a whole multitude of marine life not listed, ply the waters just off shore. What really separates us from the wilderness is just a Great Highway, sections of dunes, a concrete seawall, a large sandy beach and for most, cold water.

Think about it.

We live in a very unique and special place.

Jessica Dunne, an artist with an eye for San Francisco's Sunset District

"Sloat at Sunset", Jessica Dunne

I recently stumbled upon a book highlighting the artistic work of Jessica Dunne. I found the book at Mullosk Surf Shop (they do not list it in the books section, it is at the shop though). What I was most struck about Jessica's work was her obvious close connection to our fine neighborhood the Sunset. I have yet to see any artist capture the feeling of our neighborhood quite as well as she has. The landscape/streetscape, the color, the dampness, the lighting, iconic Sunset subject matter, it is all there and impressively done.

Much of her work that interests me centers around The Great Highway, specific homes in the hood and beachscapes that often include the beautiful waves that wash up on our beach. I've also stumbled upon a book that focuses on her paintings of a local surfboard shaper. While I appreciate this collection it does not capture my attention as much as her Sunset-centric work. She has quite a bit of San Francisco-centric paintings as well - obviously a bi-product of just a portion of her education at San Francisco State.

If you'd like to see more of her work, check out her website:

http://www.jessicadunne.com/

Are you familair with Jessica Dunne? Have you met her? Do you own any of her artwork? If so I'd love to hear first hand information on this talented artist.

"Feinstein's Legacy", Jessica Dunne

"Mercury Vapor", Jessica Dunne

Ocean Beach (1), Surfer (0)

I've always joked with my buddies about having to be picked up by the Coast Guard out past Seal Rock and having the TV crews waiting for you on the beach!

Well even when the surf is small you gotta watch the currents. As someone commented on the article, I can't believe this guy actually talked to the TV cameras.

My rule: when the current is ripping north at a good pace, I start heading in at VF's just in case. Never had a problem so far. Know your limits.

The video is worth watching - cringe value. At least it wasn't a bodyboarder, F'in surfers!

Read about it and watch it here! Courtesy of SFgate.com and Channel 4 News.

The pic above was taken last year on a well overhead day, probably three times bigger than the day this guy got swept out.