Guest Announcement: Hausmann Quartet at SDSU Smith Recital Hall: April 8th, 2014.

'SDSU Artists in Residence Hausmann Quartet present Converge - Comedy & Dialogue: A dynamic interactive concert combining chamber music, comedy, and scholarly thought.

(San Diego, CA) – The Hausmann Quartet presents Converge, an inspiring and collaborative chamber concert series celebrating the intersection of music, art, literature and scholarly thought, on Tues., April 8 at 7:00 p.m. in Smith Recital Hall on the SDSU Campus. Converge is open to the public and is free of charge.

April’s Converge theme, Comedy and Dialogue, explores the engaging, communicative, playful and sometimes humorous qualities of musical dialogue in chamber music, and its parallels with improvisational acting. String quartet repertoire from Haydn, Bach and Kurtag, set against a comedic backdrop provided by special guests from SDSU’s School of Theatre, Television and Film and the improve comedy group lota Eta Pi, will encourage an evening of fun and surprises.



"As musicians we spend many of the most meaningful moments of our lives on stage, yet it can be easy to forget how much we have in common with the actors, comedians and artists who inhabit these same spaces” explains Alex Greenbaum, Hausmann Quartet cellist. “We are all stage performers, and we relish this opportunity to collaborate with our University colleagues from the world of comedy and drama."

Converge is presented by the acclaimed Hausmann Quartet, Isaac Allen, Guillaume Pirard, Angela Choong and Alex Greenbaum, Artists in Residence at San Diego State University.

More information, a map and downloadable directions and parking options can be found on the SDSU School of Music and Dance website at musicdance.sdsu.edu.

Guest Posting: What The Construction of Jamul Casino Could Mean to Local Cycling

I average around 200 miles per week on my bicycle, riding in and out of the city of San Diego. Many of those miles are spent on Otay Lakes Rd, Honey Springs Rd, Lyons Valley Rd and bits of SR 94 in Jamul because they are often the shortest and least hilly way for me to take to go visit Black Jack the perpetually hungry donkey, the adorable Beacon Hill llamas, all sorts of cool mountain birds and flowers and a particularly adventurous and friendly pack of house dogs along Mother Grundy TT. 

The mostly shoulderless Otay Lakes Rd at lower lake.

These roads are mostly sleepy (the busiest of them all, SR 94, is still pretty sleepy compared to anything closer to the coast), but they are all quite unforgiving when anything happens. The more traffic on them, the more chance of things happening, however, and since there aren't many (and in some parts of Jamul, 'any') alternative routes to get to and through the area, when something like a crash or a fire or a stuck giant super semi-truck happens, it really causes problem both for the local residents who are just trying to get home from work (or work from home) and for passing-through traffic like me. 

SR94 east of Jamul Butte.

With the current (and apparently not-very-legal) construction of a casino off SR94 in Jamul that would increase traffic through it and the nearby feeder roads, I have been eying this project with alarm. So many previously cycling-friendly rural roads have been rendered nearly unridable post-construction of a casino (Pala Rd into Pala Mission, Valley Center Rd between N Lake Wohlford Rd and Hwy 76, Wildcat Canyon/Borona Rd, Dehesa Rd in Sycuan area). I wondered what can cyclists like me do about such a project... and so I decided to ask Kim Hamilton, a Deerhorn Valley resident and the editor of the Antlers, the area's newsletter, for a guest blog post on the subject. Here is her response:

  ......................................................................................................  

JOIN WITH JAMUL & SAVE HWY 94 AND OTAY LAKES ROAD

A Chance For Cyclists And Drivers To Work Together

(...What A Concept!)

 

If you have ridden Otay Lakes Road or Rural 94 (Campo Rd) during the last couple of weeks, no doubt you have encountered large numbers of heavy-duty trucks plying the narrow roads. Double yellow lines are no deterrent to wide swings on tight (even blind) curves. In straight sections they push the 55 mph limit in a rush to dump off their tons of rock, dirt, and debris. And we’ve been told to expect this for the next 18 months.

Map of affected area.

The trucks are hauling excavated material from the Jamul Indian Reservation on Hwy 94 and Melody Rd (the Jamul terminus of Proctor Valley Rd). The tribe and their backers have launched a desperate attempt to construct a mega-sized Jamul Hollywood Casino on a tiny 4-acre parcel of disputed land. 

The problems for this big-city construction on this rural site are huge. Most serious for cyclists and drivers are the impacts on two-lane highway 94 (Campo Road) and rural feeder routes like Otay Lakes Rd. 

In a stark turnaround from normal protocol, Caltrans required no road safety improvements before it granted access to Hwy 94 for hundreds of daily trucks along two of the most popular and heavily used cycling routes in South and East County—part of the Great Western Loop that the Campagnolo Gran Fondo, the Olympic Training Center, and hundreds of cyclists use regularly.

One of the casino construction trucks was recently photographed having difficulties staying on the right side of the road on SR94 near Steele Canyon Rd. (Photo: James McElree)

Some history: Over the past two decades, four big-money corporations* bankrolled efforts to build a Jamul casino — to no avail. Tribal members collect monthly payments, but the legal, environmental, and safety issues are huge. The first three backers withdrew, losing millions in the process. The tribe itself is now more than $60 million in debt. A year ago Penn National Gaming came in with some (conditional) financing—and an in-your-face attitude. This is Penn’s first experience in California and they hope the Jamul’s proximity to San Diego might boost depreciating stock prices. So far Caltrans has made sure it hasn’t cost them much: a couple of flaggers and some caution signs. They approved the tribe’s Traffic Management Plan that included not one reference to cycling or cyclists. [*Lakes Entertainment, Station Casinos, Harrah’s Casinos, and Penn National Gaming]

So here lies an opportunity for drivers and cyclists to find some common ground—a chance to prove cyclists and rural drivers can co-exist and share the rural byways. The payoff could be in preserving access and improving safety for us all, and bolstering understanding that roads are for everyone. After all, they are shared public assets.

This Hollywood-themed Casino is no done-deal by a long stretch. San Diego County is suing Caltrans over their approval to allow hauling trucks such unrestricted access to Hwy 94, Otay Lakes Rd, and other feeders. The Jamul Action Committee (JAC) is filing a separate suit, and expects support from the Rural Fire District—with its concerns about increased crashes and a slowed response time to wildfire and medical emergencies. In fact the land itself, JAC argues, was never taken into “trust”— a vital pre-requisite for gambling, and upheld by recent Supreme and lower court decisions. That suit is due to be heard in federal court beginning March 28^th.

I encourage the cycling community to stay informed and lend their voice and actions to this fight.  Rural roads are already the most dangerous in California, and Hwy 94 stands at the top of the list for fatalities and crashes. As the lawsuits wind their ways through the court system, it will take some organized action to keep the public informed. A mega project like this has no business being built without the space and infrastructure to keep roads safe. Period.

Here’s how the cycling community can help:

1) Register for email updates at: http://jacjamul.com. They won’t share your info with anyone else. 

2) Contact your county and state reps and share a cyclist’s perspective about Hwy 94 and Otay Lakes Roads would be impacted by casino traffic.

3) Consider joining together with rural drivers, pedestrians, and others to demonstrate the implications of thousands of trucks, cars, and buses added to Hwy 94.

4) Check out JAC’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/JamuliansAgainstTheCasinoJac

 

This needs to be a shared fight with a positive outcome for all travelers, riders, and drivers.

 

Thank you for this opportunity to reach out.

Hiking Mission Trails: South Fortuna Mountain & Suycott Wash

The end of 2013 brought a particularly cool friend into town, and, lucky me, Dr T had recovered from her cold and had an afternoon free to visit! With the weather being accommodatingly clear and warm out we decided that we both could use a little exercise and headed east to explore Mission Trails Regional Park for a few hours.

Descending Visitor Center Loop trail to San Diego River.

I should confess that though I have cycled through Mission Trails Park many times I had only ever hiked it once, many many moons ago when I still cane-dependent, and so am not terribly familiar with the park's many trails. To be safe, we stopped in at park headquarter to pick up a trail map and ran into a really helpful park docent who pulled out the map, a pencil, and then proceeded to describe in detail his favorite 'little romp' for us to follow. Our less-fat-than-average look sort of worked against us as our enthusiastic guide plotted our way UP South Fortuna Mtn and traversing it to the Fortuna Saddle before heading back down through Suycott Wash. All my mountainous century bike rides of the past year have made mountains seem less formidable for me of late, but the talk of steep terrains and 300+ rock steps that are much better scaling up than descending down was a bit unsettling. Neither of us are known for shying away from any adventure (especially when there's an audience looking on), however, so off we went to find the Visitor Center Loop trail head at Mission Gorge Rd and Jackson Dr before proceeding down the wide dirt road to the San Diego River.

Cottony arroyo willow seeds padding up the rocks along the San Diego River.

Dr T fording the midgetly San Diego River

We were a bit too instructed on how to cross the river the least wet way possible, I'm afraid, and ended up crossing it at the wrong spot because the right place looked very much, to our untrained eyes, like the the place our guide had told us to avoid! Some moderate amount of bushwacking ensued before we popped out on the trail again, serendipitously right at a sign warning hikers not to stray off the marked path!

Up the San Diego River Crossing Trail toward the tower.

From then on we managed to stay on the, er, straight (ahem!) and narrow path, so to speak for the rest of the hike. The gravelly trail led us steeply up toward the landmark white tower before we picked up the S Fortuna Trail east down to the wash.

Starting down S Fortuna Trail from the crossroad.

One of the things I had learnt from my many long distance cycling expeditions is to note pavement condition on the opposite side of the road when on an out-and-back route... So the steepness of our descent into Suycott Wash concerned me a bit as we'd have to climb back up it toward the end of our hike. I had not chosen my footwear very wisely and my well worn soles weren't gripping the trail very well.

Down S Fortuna Trail into Suycott Wash.

We soon reached the bottom, though, and found the promised two picnic tables hiding in the shades. Starting up the gentle lower slope of S Fortuna Mountain I was busy finding a good spot to place my cane when Dr T let out a gasp. It was a fat little roadrunner running across the path just a few yards ahead! That quite perked up both Dr T and me. No matter how the hike turned out, at least we had spotted a wildlife up close. I was still relishing that thought a few minutes later when Dr T let out another yelp... I looked up just in time to see a coyote running up the trail ahead of us and disappearing behind some boulders! First a roadrunner then a coyote... Real life is just like cartoon sometimes!

The lower steps on S Fortuna Mtn. The dog and his parents were on their way down.

The steep steps up S Fortuna Mtn.

By the time we got to the lower steps up S Fortuna Mtn I was getting quite warm and very grateful for my insulated cycling water bottle... and for the cane! Since I took up cycling almost two years ago my balance and stamina have improved a lot, but I'd still soon deteriorate to a drunkard's walk if I try to go more than a mile on my feet without using a stick. Now as the hike was turning into a climb, I don't think I'd have made it all the way up the mountain without my third leg (and Dr T's endless patience!). The upper part of the steps was really steep and eroded. I really wouldn't have liked to descend down the same path!

There's a coyote in the foto, believe it or not. I just managed to catch his ears behind the boulders and bush.

As we cleared the steps and neared the crest of the climb Dr T let out another yelp. By this time I had learnt to associate her yelps with photographing opportunity, so I got the camera out just in time to catch a little bit of our second coyote of the hike... disappearing behind a set of boulder and surrounding bushes!

Fortuna Saddle. N Fortuna Mtn in background.

The view from the top of S Fortuna Mtn was pretty good (though I think it was better at the top of the steps than at the summit itself). We might have lingered there a bit longer, but didn't want to risk not making it back to the car by 5pm, when the gates would be locked, so we started down to Fortuna Saddle...

The trail down to Suycott Wash.

And then down what turned out to be the most hazardous bit of the day's hike, the steep and very slippery descend into Suycott Wash. Really, folks, don't do this thing without having on a good pair of hiking shoes. It's so eroded and bare and steep that I had a hard time zigzagging down without turning into a human tumbleweed! Once down to Rock Garden Trail (formerly known as Suycott Trail) we sped along nicely and was back at the San Diego River in time to catch the local flora in some really splendid light.

Western sycamores catching the evening light with their autumn gold leaves.

We even had 30 minutes or so to spent browsing around the park's visitor center museum. It's quite a cool space!

Mission Trails Park HQ museum

Bobcat and roadrunner.

Coyote. I couldn't get a good shot of a live one, but here at least is a stuffed version.

Our nice park docent was still around and came over for good (and mostly educational) chats. I particularly liked the collection of stuffed local wildlife on the second floor... seeing as their live version are so good at disappearing in the presence of my camera! One of the 'stuffed animals' is a fake, though. If you're ever in town, drop in at Mission Trails Park HQ and see if you can tell which!

Links:
- Mission Trails Regional Park
- Mission Trails Park trail map
- Dr T's Opera Rambling Outlet

October catch up: catty neighbors, scenic cycling, Lisa Batiashvili

Casey (the black cat) and Theo still ambush me by my front door every morning. I swear I don't feed them (their owner does a good job of that himself, Casey is now so rounded she looks like a black furry basketball with big yellow eyes at night!), but I do find it hard to walk/bike off without first giving them a good petting session. Casey is good about letting me leave... after having dished out some returned petting of her own, that is (she likes to lick... and you know how cat tongues are!).

Theo is a more curious character... She is longer and more slender, and almost surreally elastic! You bend down to tickle her ears and the next thing you know she is completely wrapped around both of your ankles! I don't know how she keeps her sense of direction being nimbly twisted around like that, but she's coordinate enough to give you a good whack with her paw if you try to disentangle and sneak off...

The relatively new feline addition to the neighborhood is Ally the alley cat. Apparently she was a house kitten until a few months ago when her owner moved away to a new pad that doesn't allow cat, so he left a bag of dry cat food with a neighbor and just 'released her to the wild'. Ally isn't more than a year and a bit old, I think... A really street smart calico. It seems everybody feeds her, but she remains as thin as a stick (probably has worms). She usually turns up at the alley carport outside my window late in the afternoon and meows to see if I'm around and have a tin of cat food handy.

Nowadays she has also memorized the sound of my bike! I'd turn into the ally on my way home, and the next thing I know she'd jump out from one of the bushes and then walk all the way home with me to get her supper! Even my 'I don't like cats' 92 yrs old neighbor finds Ally amusing.

Anyhow, I've been riding around town a lot, of course. A lot of people like to pit 'commuter cyclists' against 'recreational cyclists'... Well, I do both! Luckily enough my part-time job is just 45 minutes ride away (well, 55 min on return trip due to hill climbs). And when I'm not working, there is still nothing quite like a good ride into the traffic-free San Diego countryside to sweat off the stress while enjoying fantastic change of scenery!

I'm not telling you where my favorite cycling hang outs are... I'm liking them remote! ;o)

Can you believe the last two photos are just 30 minutes ride apart??? San Diego is a blessed corner of the earth!
Now, if only we can lure one Vesselina Kasarova or Lisa Batiashvili into town for a concert or two, life would really be perfect in America's Finest City!

Spring blooms San Diego: Carlsbad Flower Fields

Even with our mild climate it is hard to not notice that spring is well settled in San Diego. Flowers groomed and wild are blooming and I am taking prophylaxis anti-histamine every morning in the hope of keeping my nose firmly attached to my face until summer arrives to clear the air of all the flying pollens. The best and worst place to be this time of year, of course, is among the acres of cultivated Ranunculus blooming at the famous Flower Fields in Carlsbad.



The fields are open to the public now until May 12th, though there is a $11 entry fee (add $5 if you want to ride in the tractor wagons). It's a little pricey, I know, but if you hadn't gone in there before it is quite worth it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Carpool if you can. There is a moderately big parking lot, but the place is so popular that you might have to circle around a bit. There is also a mall just a stone's throw away with restaurants and shops. I went by bicycle, of course, and must sadly report that they haven't got good bike facilities there. There are a few poles around you can lock the bike to, though.

National Park Week (20-28 Apr 2013) Starts Tomorrow!

If it has been a while since you visited the national park close to you, dust up the sunscreen and the camera and find time to go next week. April 20-28 is National Park Week 2013, and you can get to all the national park near (or even far from) you for FREE!

www.nps.gov

Here in San Diego, the closest park around is, of course, Cabrillo National Monument. It is a gem of a park with spectacular view of San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, excellent museums and gift shop, observation decks, hiking trail, awesome tide pools, the light houses, etc, etc, and it's less than 20 minutes drive from Downtown (and, for cyclist me, a good little warm up ride before tackling the beautiful tide pools hill).

Old Pt Loma Light House

Cabrillo Monument with Coronado Island & Downtown San Diego in background.

Looking west down tide pools hill to the Pacific Ocean

Looking NE toward La Playa, Shelter Island.

Cabrillo is so close to town you can bike there in less than an hour!

New Pt Loma Light House. Coronado Islands (Mexico) in background.

The real thing is much more mesmerizing than the photos, of course, and, for one week starting tomorrow you can get in for free. Aren't we spoiled rotten in paradise or what???

Guest post: Palomar Mountain State Park volunteer & donation call

VOLUNTEER LOOKOUTS URGENTLY NEEDED FOR PALOMAR'S BOUCHER FIRE TOWER UPDATE ON MATCHING FUNDS FOR PALOMAR

ROOM WITH A VIEW: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR BOUCHER FIRE TOWER Did you know that Palomar Mountain State Park has a historic working fire lookout tower --- high atop Boucher Summit --- one of the few remaining in southern California? Ever dreamed of "sitting on top of the world" in a fire tower, enjoying a commanding view --- from the surrounding mountains all the way to the ocean --- while watching over our precious woodlands for forest fires? Volunteers are urgently needed to staff Boucher Tower during this coming fire season. Each volunteer would only need to commit one day per month to this valuable service.  Training sessions for new volunteers will be on April 6 and 13.   Anyone interested can contact Curt Waite at elcariso@yahoo.com. Curt is chairman of the San Diego - Riverside Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA), the non-profit organization that oversees the tower's operation and spearheaded its restoration. The current tower was built in 1948 (the original version was built in 1921) and was operated as a California Department of Forestry fire detection point until the mid-eighties when it was taken out of service.  Over the years it fell into disrepair until there was danger of it needing to be torn down.  An agreement was signed in November of 2011 between Cal Fire and California State Parks transferring ownership of the structure to the park.   Boucher Hill lookout has now been restored to its original 1948 condition through the efforts of Cal Fire, State Parks and the Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA).  The FFLA has restored the interior cab (top floor) of the lookout, and will be putting the lookout back into service as a working fire detection center this fire season in partnership with Palomar Mountain State Park and the Cleveland National Forest.  (FFLA also operates High Point lookout on the east side of Palomar.) For details about volunteering as a lookout, please contact Curt Waite at elcariso@yahoo.com

UPDATE ON MATCHING FUNDS FOR PALOMAR This month we submitted a proposal to Sacramento to receive matching funds for Palomar Mountain State Park. The matching funds are to come out of a portion of the money discovered in the Department of Parks and Recreation's coffers last summer, and their intended use must meet certain criteria. Because we have a pre-existing donor agreement with State Parks to keep Palomar open, our application will entail an amendment to our original agreement. We will notify you when we have finalized our revised agreement with State Parks. This will also allow us to establish a target for our 2013 Fund Drive, which we have postponed pending the results of this matching fund opportunity. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Rick Barclay at 951-265-6385 or email Rick directly at rickbarclay92592@yahoo.com.

Thank you! Sincerely, Friends of Palomar Mountain State Park

Snapshots from the Road: Lake Henshaw & Montezuma Valley Rd (S22)

Lake Henshaw from Hwy 76

My impulse got the better of me. Got up at 3:30am yesterday to a head cold, but had already announced my intention to go on a cycling trip to Borrego Springs to a few friends, so staying in bed was out of the question. It was 7am when I got off the bus at Harrah's Casino in Rincon and started shivering my way east over the mountain. Made it down to Borrego at noon and hurried right back up since I hadn't done this ride before and didn't know how long it was going to take to get back to Valley Center (the bus ride from there back home would take 3 hrs... and it already took me 5 hrs on the outward leg!).

Montezuma Valley Rd (the 'Glass Elevator') descending into Borrego Springs

Went as hard as I could up Montezuma Grade, which was a rather bad move since the last 1 1/2 miles of that thing was the steepest pitch at 8%, and dead into 15 mph headwind. Luckily all but 1 1/2 miles of the rest of the way back was downhill and I made it back to Valley Center a bit past 4pm. Now my legs and back are dead... but I've got lots of great photos and memories for it. Will have to write this up properly in a few days.

Where is Smorg? (2)

I know, I know, there are many lakes around the city. But which lake features a local version of a Potemkin village on its south shore?

San Diego Views Quiz #2

So, for those familiar with San Diego. Do you recognize these places?

A. This is on a bench... where?

B.

C. You've gotta know this one!

D. The tower.... not the kangaroo!

E. You also have got to know this one!

F. He is north of the city limit...

G. A popular spot especially during winter months.

H. These guys hang out by a famous house.

I. You can see landing planes from here.

J. Which popular tourists attraction have this in its HQ?

K. This monument is a bit obscure, I'm afraid. It's in the city.

L. A freebie for those who click on it for bigger pic...

M. I've got to learn to photoshop. This is too easy!

N. The view here is spectacular at sunset!

O. It costs you $5 to visit here.