O U T DOO R J O U R NAL
Summer 2016 summer 2016
RETRO, RUGGED, RECLUSIVE Camp peeps use their rides to get away
NATIONAL PARKS Celebrate 100 wild years
GIRL GONE WILDLAND
FireямБghter leads copter crew
It takes Mike
12 SECONDS to pick out the perfect camp spot.
It takes him
JUST ONE
to recognize someone having a stroke.
How do you spend
YOUR SECONDS?
When it comes to recognizing stroke symptoms and saving a life, every second matters. Know the signs. Act F-A-S-T (Face, Arm, Speech, Time).
Learn the warning signs and how to take action at cottagehealth.org/strokecare. Summer 2016
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Summer 2016
1
Saddle up for
!
(adventure, romance, escape)
Santa Barbara area trail and beach rides 805.331.5961 • lospadresoutfitters.com
Franklin Trail Fundraiser
Garden Party
Trail Race
Join us for a happy hour funraising event
AT FRANKLIN TRAIL • CARPINTERIA • CALIFORNIA
Friday, August 12th, 5-7pm
RACE • CHEER • WALK • VOLUNTEER
The Garden Market 3811 Santa Claus Lane, Carpinteria, California
Beer, Wine, Hors d'oeuvres, Prizes, and Music
Help Us Get to the Top
Sunday, September 11, 2016 7:30am Start • Arrive Early Carpinteria High School Parking Lot
4 & 10 Mile Trail Races
Learn more about the event online at sbtrails.org/events/
Complete info and registration online at islandviewtrail.run
Fundraiser for Phase III of the Franklin Trail
Fundraiser for Phase III of the Franklin Trail
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
Trails Council
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j o u rn a l . c o m
6/10/16 9:32 AM
$10 off/person code: treadwild
Wine & Beer Tours
Carbon Neutral HUMMER 805-617-0330 wildvalleytours.COM
MEMBERSHIPS AS LOW AS
$25/MONTH 805-617-3425 PADDLESPORTSCA.COM Summer 2016
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GET LOST!
Letting go completely, if even for 10 minutes, is an increasingly difficult task to accomplish. Trust us, everything will be OK. Park the car and start climbing into the hills or take a spontaneous cool plunge into the Pacific. The goal is to shut off those nagging worries, that radio frequency of troubles that can spin into disruptive brain noise. Pushing mute on the counterproductive cacophony is as easy as listening to the wind or grabbing a handful of warm sagebrush and inhaling its savory scent. We’re all about throwing curveballs into routines and finding new ways to explore and awaken the senses. There’s nothing more important. Let’s make a goal this summer to try something new and really get into it. Try rock climbing. Push your limits and scare the shit out of yourself. We want to see cars abandoned on the side of the road like a scene from a post apocalyptic zombie movie. Where are the drivers? They’re not the undead. They said, “Let’s pull over and see if we can hike that hill.” Once they got there, another crest looked within striking distance. Guess what? It was a helluva day after all. (Caution: make sure to put the car in park and to close the doors after hopping out.) In our Summer 2016 edition, White Ledge caught up with many thrill seekers. They like throwing caution to the wind; they find themselves by getting lost. These folks had the gumption to make a lifestyle out of their vehicles that double as bedrooms and others took up paragliding because they wanted to be birds and beat a fear of heights. They’re all your neighbors on the California Central Coast and are an inspiring lot.
YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!
PETER DUGRÉ AND LEA BOYD, Directors, White Ledge 4
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45 Chris Grantham of Fly Above All teaches newbies. Amy Shaw
FEATURES
ISSUE 2 SUMMER 2016 2 7 RET RO, RUGGED, RECLUSI VE
4 0 GI RL GONE W IL DL AND F I REF I GH T ER
3 4 ODE T O OUR N A T I ON A L P A RK S
4 5 WI N GI N G IT
Three campers support their owners’ yearnings to find new places and spaces. These rides—two VWs and a capped 4x4—represent pride, joy and a license to explore unattainable outside the lifestyle.
The National Parks Service celebrates its centennial this year. We marvel at Mother Nature’s majesty by surveying five of our nearby faves. These awe-inspiring gems never stop revealing themselves.
Turn up the heat as Helitack Superintendent Lyndsay Alarcon stares down Los Padres National Forest wildfires and uses mama bear instincts to keep her crew safe and sound.
Strapping in and taking off makes the landlocked free as birds. The growing sport of paragliding requires a leap of faith and could just be your next hair-raising obsession.
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Contributors
Joshua Curry
40
Paul Kelly
34
Chuck Graham
SECTIONS 6 EVENTS:
Races, group outings and lessons
8 NEWS:
20
ON THE COVER: Mikey and Alma Billgren cruise down Bates Road in Carpinteria in their 1970 VW Westfalia. Photo by Joshua Curry
1 5 T OP 1 0 :
Pairing your favorite trails and ales
Oilspill fallout, SLO Land Preserve adds huge acquisition, Born to Run coverage
2 0 BY T H E N UMBERS:
10 W EEKEND PLAY:
2 4 WI LD T H I N GS:
Standup Paddling makes the journey as rewarding as the destination
Greg Bettencourt, trailblazer
Bald eagles make candid cameos
M ICH E L M IL L E R When she isn’t spying on wildlife or tending to a business she runs with her son, Michel Miller, who jour nals about critter cam birding in this edition’s “Wild Things,” can be found leveling her World of Warcraft priest: an endeavor that receives far too much of her attention. A Souther n Califor nia native, she has been writing about arts and entertainment and other subjects for 16 years. She is currently studying folk medicine and writing a book titled “Punk and in Love: A Memoir about Men, Music and Hair in the '80s.”
LARRY SHAW AND J A A L A T H IB A U L T Larry Shaw and Jaala Thibault, who wrote about paragliding for this edition, are both outdoor sports enthusiasts who love a good adventure. Larry has spent time roaming around the world, taking photos of everything from the temples in Angkor Wat to Russian tank ruins in Afghanistan. He loves to paraglide, run, hike and rock climb. Jaala has also roamed the world, writing about places as far-afield as the Federated States of Micronesia, China and Palestine. She participates in trail running, orienteering, GORUCK events, and anything else that lasts more than 12 hours. Summer 2016
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events
MORRO MANIA! HIKES 7:30 a.m. at Islay Hill, Santa Lucia Sierra Club Chapter ’s one-day ascent of the five publicly accessible morros from San Luis Obispo to Morro Bay. www. sierraclub.org/santa-lucia/calendar
FULL MOON SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION PADDLE 7:30 p.m., Paddle Sports Center, 117 B Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, $10 members/$25 non-members, (203) 3391433, www.paddlesportsca.com/
TABANO HOLLOW OPEN SPACE BIRD WALK, SANTA BARBARA AUDUBON SOCIETY 8:30 - 10:30 a.m., 5195 Matorral Way, Santa Barbara, www. santabarbaraaudubon.org
ECOLOGY WALK OF THE ELFIN FOREST 2 p.m., Morro Bay Santa Lucia Sierra Club Chapter, www.sierraclub.org/ santa-lucia/calendar
ATASCADERO CREEK BIRD WALK, SANTA BARBARA AUDUBON SOCIETY 8:30 - 10:30 a.m., 950-984 S. Patterson Ave., Goleta, santabarbaraaudubon.org
KARDBOARD KAYAK RACE TEAM CHALLENGE noon, West Beach near Sea Landing, Santa Barbara, $30 SBMM members, $40 non-members, www.sbmm.org/. Teams construct functioning kayaks out of cardboard to race against others.
SONIC SEA SCREENING 7 p.m., Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, 113 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, $10 members/$20 non-members, www. sbmm.org/. A documentary by JeanMichele Couseau and Lauren Cuervo about the impact of industrial and military noise on whales and other marine life. 6
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“MONTROSE SETTLEMENTS RESTORATION PROGRAM: HELPING TO RESTORE THE CHANNEL ISLANDS� BY ANNIE LITTLE, “From Shore to Sea� lecture series 7 p.m., Channel Islands National Park, Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center, 1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura Harbor, free
FULL MOON PADDLE 7 p.m., Paddle Sports Center, 117 B Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, $10 members/$25 non-members, (203) 3391433, paddlesportsca.com
FARREN ROAD BIRD WALK, SANTA BARBARA AUDUBON SOCIETY 8:30 - 10:30 a.m., 8354-8498 Calle Real, Goleta, santabarbaraaudubon.org
STATE SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIPS, Southern California Outrigger Racing Association, Santa Barbara, www.kanaia. com/home
“SEARCHING FOR THE EARLIEST PEOPLES OF SANTAROSAE� BY TODD BRAJE, “From Shore to Sea� lecture series 7 p.m., Channel Islands National Park, Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center, 1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura Harbor, free
DIRECTORS Lea Boyd Peter DugrĂŠ PRODUCTION MAESTRA Kristyn Whittenton SALES Dan Terry dan@whiteledgejournal.com (805) 684-4428 CONTRIBUTORS Bryan Conant Joshua Curry Matt Dayka Glenn Dubock Maxwell Frank Chuck Graham Paul Kelly Michel Miller Will Russ Larry Shaw Jaala Thibault SUPPORTING STAFF Robin Karlsson Andres NuĂąo Amy Marie Orozco PRODUCTION SUPPORT Rockwell Printing WHITE LEDGE Summer 2016 Vol. 1, Issue 2 PUBLISHERS Michael VanStry & Gary Dobbins RMG Ventures, LLC Carpinteria, CA
FRANKLIN TRAIL FUNDRAISER GARDEN PARTY 5-7 p.m., The Garden Market, 3811 Santa Claus Lane, Carpinteria, www.sbtrails. org
White Ledge Outdoor Journal assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in any form without the express written permission of the publisher. Š2016 RMG Ventures, LLC
Distributed Quarterly in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties
FULL MOON PADDLE 7 p.m., Paddle Sports Center, 117 B Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, $10 members/$25 non-members, (203) 3391433, paddlesportsca.com
PIER TO PEAK RACE 6:30 a.m., State Street and Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara. A half marathon that climbs from Stearns Wharf to La Cumbre Peak.
WhiteLedgeOutdoor @WhiteLedgeJournal
To have your events included in our listings email Lea at Lea@WhiteLedgeJournal.com
j o u rn a l . c o m
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MOUNTAIN AIR SPORTS Skiing, Snowboarding, Hiking, Kayak Lifestyle Clothing, Footwear, Car Racks
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SANTA BARBARA 14 State Street 962-0049 Mon - Sat 10 - 6 Sun 10 - 5
Photo courtesy of Salomon
Plenty of NEW on-site PARKING
14 State Street | 962-0049 | Monday - Sunday 10 - 6
MOUNTAINAIRSPORTS.COM Summer 2016
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News SLO Land COnServanCy SeCureS eagLe ranCh
It took 10 years but finally happened. The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County finalized the largest conservation easement gift in its 32year history this spring in the 3,000acre Eagle Ranch in Atascadero. Owners Eagle Ranch, LLC., donated the easement to the land conservancy in perpetuity. “We didn’t have to raise and grant funds or ask for any contributions,” said Lauren Meers of the conservancy. “The landowners donated it outright. It’s been in the family a long time, and they wanted to see it protected for the future.” Eagle Ranch is an agricultural easement, leaving the land open for its current use as a cattle ranch and allowing for orchards and row crops on small portions of the property. Sheds and barns that are needed to support the property can also be constructed under the contract. The property is also home to Eagle Peak, a corridor for wildlife moving through Los Padres National Forest, a waterfall and tributary streams that lead to Atascadero Creek and ultimately the Salinas River.
San MigueL iSLand reOpenS tO the pubLiC
The Department of Defense has declared San Miguel Island clear of bombs and safe for reopening. Since April 2014, the farthest west of the Channel Islands National Park islands had been closed because it was a bombing range during World War II. The Defense Department thought it was high time to inspect it for remnant explosives. The park reopened on May 17 after an Explosive Safety Risk Assessment conducted by the Navy determined it was safe for visitors. San Miguel is a 55-mile, 4- or 5-hour voyage from Ventura Harbor and home to the Painted Cave and a caliche forest—sand casts of ancient tree trunks and roots. Elephant seals arrive in the spring and summer to molt on San Miguel Island beaches. Prior to its closure, 1,000 visitors and campers visited annually.
pLainS aLLaMeriCan indiCted
At the one-year anniversary of the Refugio Beach pipeline rupture and 140,000-gallon oil spill, Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley and State Attorney General Kamala
Harris made a biting announcement that the Plains All-American would be held criminally responsible for the consequences of its rusty pipeline. The prosecutors announced that a California grand jury indicted the company and one of its employees on 46 criminal counts, including four felonies. The most serious accusation is knowingly discharging a pollutant into state waters. For its part, Plains stated in a release that nothing criminal went down and that it was confident the unprecedented criminal charges would be cleared in the courtroom. Dudley took issue with the company not being fully cooperative with the investigation. Harris, who is running for U.S. Senate, said at a press conference, “This case should serve as a stark reminder that any company that is operating in our state and transporting crude oil and doing it in a way that is irresponsible and in violation of the law will be held accountable.” Of the 46 counts, 10 were related to the actual spill or reporting of the spill and 36 involved harm to wildlife. Nine dolphins, 36 sea lions and 87 birds in the area died as a result of the oil spill. Of the 140,000 gallons spilled, 20,000 reached the ocean. In its press release, Plains stated that it had spent $150 million toward the response effort.
Leatherman - Product Review Skeletool RX
Other than the Swiss Army, no other name is more synonymous with multi-tools than Leatherman. One of the newest additions to the Leatherman family is the Skeletool RX. As the orange, Cerakote finish and the RX surname allude to, this tool is designed with first responders in mind. Chances are, if you’re reading this magazine, you often put yourself in situations where you may need to be a first responder yourself, professional or not. The Skeletool RX comes equipped with eight life-saving tools. The foundations of this multi-tool are Leatherman’s signature pliers/wire cutter combination and 2.6” serrated blade, both 420 stainless steel. The other tools equipped on the Skeletool RX function through an interchangeable bit system, headlined by the tungsten carbide glass breaker. This “skeleton” crew of tools provides the wielder with the most necessary tools from the Leatherman quiver, but what’s most useful to adventurers and first responders alike are the cast of features that make this multi-tool durable, accessible and convenient. Features like the belt-clip, thin profile, compact construction, one-handed operable design, corrosion resistant materials and premium stainless steel make the Skeletool RX easy to pack on your person and even easier to access in an emergency. If that wasn’t enough, the carabiner also doubles as a bottle opener to help you wind down after a hike, or save someone’s life. It’s $90 at REI. 8
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PH OT OS BY PE T E R DU GR É
BORN TO RUN RUNDOWN
As wild and whacky and wonderful as ever, the 2016 Born To Run ultramarathon swept through Santa Ynez Valley in May and had everything from the ultra-serious to the ultracostumed ultra-runners out for the experience. Race organizer Luis Escobar contributed his flair to the event by dressing winners in luchador gear as an award(?) and keeping the fun loving/ run loving crowd in the easy-going spirit of the race.
BORN TO RUN WINNERS 10 mile
Sharon Moreno celebrates her victory in the Born to Run 10-miler.
Men Ruari Moynihan (56:51) Women Sharon Moreno (1:11:02)
ABOVE, Kris Brown sheepishly leaps from the winner’s podium after finishing second in the beer shotgunning contest but tied for first in the 30-miler. LEFT, A photo finish turned into a shotgun finish in the men’s 30-miler at Born to Run. Brian Gillis, left, outgunned running buddy, Kris Brown, of That’s Fine Track Club out of Oakland.
30 mile Men Brian Gillis/Kris Brown (3:19:46) Women Clair Mellein (3:47:14) 60 mile
BELOW, Ruari Moynihan leaps from the stage in traditional luchador garb after winning the men’s 10 miler.
Men Miguel Lara (8:13:06) Women Monica Devreese (10:50:14) 100 mile Men Jose Paredes (19:01:13) Women Melissa Danehey (22:49:11) 200 mile Men Diego Diaz (43:33:09) Scott Thompson (57:50:01) Women Jennifer Dicus (76:40:37)
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM
@WhiteLedgeJournal
Luis Escobar crowns Claire Mellein champion of the women's 30-miler. Summer 2016
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Weekend Play Austin Haggerty and Lea Boyd arrive at Ventura Harbor, finally.
A three-hour tour Story By Lea B oyd PhotoS By GLenn duBock The wind iTself wasn’T The enemy. it pushed at our backs and howled in our ears like a boot camp instructor whose good intentions lay behind her cruel words. it was the ocean’s reaction to the wind that made me and my sUP feel like we’d been inserted into the climactic storm on this week’s episode of “The deadliest Catch.” a staircase of white-capping waves behind my right shoulder relentlessly threatened to come crashing upon me, and where the hell is Ventura Pier? like most of my famously foolhardy plans, this one germinated around 4:30 a.m. in the safe comfort of my bed. Brilliant, i thought, i can sUP from home (Carpinteria) to Ventura harbor, stay the night in one of the hotels, and paddle a bit farther down the coast the next morning. it’ll be adventure-lite and comfort-heavy, the sUP version of glamping. and like most of the plans i hatch in my sleepless pre-dawn, some parts happened, some did not and most looked quite different than what i’d imagined. 10
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Haggerty digs deep. Dugré
first, the wind arrived in saturday’s forecast. i scrapped that day, and pared down the weekend adventure to sunday. The plan was to launch at Rincon, paddle through the morning and spend the afternoon and evening with well-earned wining and dining at Ventura harbor Village. By that time, i’d gone through an extensive list of paddling pals who’d furrowed their brows at my invitation, saying things like, “That seems really far,” and politely declining my offer due to busy schedules full of imperatives, like closet reorganizing. enter austin haggerty. haggerty and his girlfriend, maegan Boyce, own epic sUP, a company that leads sUP tours and lessons along the Central Coast. haggerty’s a waterman who knows what he’s doing when it comes to wind, currents, the idiosyncrasies of our coastline and sUPing, but more importantly, two days before the trip he was willing to go. sunday morning delivered a bluebird sky without a lick of wind. Our launch from Rincon cove heralded the exact day
I’d conjured up many 4:30 a.m.’s ago. My board shorts stayed dry as we stroked over glass and waved to our small departure party on the beach. After clearing the beach, Haggerty let me in on a little secret: I was paddling all wrong. So I spent the first couple miles improving my technique. I learned to push forward with my right arm and shoulder to fuel paddle thrusts on the left side of the board, and vice versa. Dolphins poked along with us for a while. Strikingly more massive from a board-length away than my usual beach view, the graceful animals tolerated our interest like celebrities ogled in line at Montecito Starbucks. We beached the boards a couple times to eat and rest. Haggerty asked me if I’d brought some snacks. Oh yah, I brought two string cheeses and two granola bars, I said, pleased with my preparation and ready to hand over his portion. He had something to share too, he said, and proceeded to pull out a cooler bag jammed with Greek dolmas, hummus, carrots, trail mix, smoked trout, sardines and cookies. The string cheese stayed in my bag. By Faria Point, the clock had struck noon and the wind had kicked up. In my board shorts and neoprene top, wet from a sloppy, choppy post-snack launch, crucial
body parts assumed numbness. I pulled into the beach at Emma Wood on frozen feet, the kind that fail to grip a wind whipped board. Enter my dad. I shivered on the sand until he arrived to hand over my fullsuit and take my dry bag. Back on the board and warm, I became an unstoppable force. To clarify, I decided I would get to the harbor one paddle stroke at a time and hopefully Haggerty would be willing to spend a lot of time waiting for our duo’s weakest link. He was. We swept around the point at Overhead, setting aside thoughts of the grueling conditions, kite boarders sailed between us in hot pursuit of their rainbow wind catchers. They shed peace signs and nods while careening around our plodding vessels. And then I realized I should see the pier. Nothing. If it had burned down in the night, at least there would be smoldering pilings, right? My eyes combed the shoreline. Dear God, could that be it way, way, way over there? I wasn’t going to make it. My shoulders ached and the wind swell would soon succeed in its cutthroat efforts to knock me off the board. “There’s the pier,” Haggerty hollered. I looked where he pointed, way, way, way closer than the speck on the horizon I’d convinced myself of. Tucked far into
the curve of the coastline up ahead, the pier inched into my view like a caterpillar on stilts. From there it was just a matter of a couple miles, or about 14,000 paddles, to the harbor. We pulled in and immediately someone hit the wind’s off switch. These calm sunny environs sheltered kayakers dawdling along the rock jetties, pelicans swooping lazily, and boaters clambering around their docked vessels looping ropes and lowering sails. Hey, relaxedly recreating Sunday people, we just paddled 15 miles from Carpinteria! Cold beverages and hot food suddenly rocketed to the top of our to-do list. Our support crew met us at Andria’s Seafood Restaurant and Market, where the heaping mounds of fish and chips chased by icy beer did the trick. Calories still needed replenishing, though, and Thrifty ice cream from Coastal Cone tasted like a childhood throwback after a grown-up sized adventure. Now, a few days later, it’s almost hard to remember the frosty and ferocious bits of the eight-hour paddle. The dolphin dance, yes. The zipping kite boards and so-good harbor calm, yes. But the tough stuff has receded just enough for me to start plotting the next cockamamie stunt before the sun rises. | The Mussel Shoals crowd watches Haggerty and Boyd pass under the pier.
Summer 2016
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Weekend Play White Ledge recommends these SUP er variations
Adventure scAle 1 to 5
1. Brand new to the sport of stand up? Get your feet wet by taking a lesson with Epic SUP, www. epicsupsb.com. Instructors/owners Austin Haggerty and Meagan Boyce will supply boards, paddles, safety gear and know how. 2. Looking for high-fun, lowrisk paddling? In Ventura Harbor Village, kayaks and stand up paddle boards can be rented from Ventura Boat Rentals, www. venturaboatrentals.com. Harbor paddling offers fascinating sightseeing material: sailboats, yachts and massive fishing boats are docked throughout, and wildlife like sea birds and pinnipeds abound.
Smooth sailing in Ventura Harbor
3. Ready to make a full day of it (without suffering mega soreness tomorrow)? Launch your SUP from Ventura Pier and paddle 2.5 miles into the mouth of the Ventura Harbor to grab breakfast or lunch and take in the public art and activities throughout the village. Depending on wind conditions, this can be a relatively easy return paddle. Alternatively, a car can be parked in the harbor as a shuttle.
4. Want wild and woolly with someone making sure it’s never too wild or too woolly? Sign up for one of Epic SUP’s downwind tours. These come in all shapes and sizes; you can find one just right for you. The pair behind Epic is also planning to introduce SUP overnights in the near future.
Coastal Cone Boyd
Boyd
5. Feel like having your own “three-hour tour” turned eighthour physical challenge? Go to back to page 10 and read Weekend Play. | 12
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Haggerty, left, and the support crew at Andria's.
Boyd
Summer 2016
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Brew by the beach…
N E W E X PA N D E D TA P R O O M !
TA P R O O M O P E N : Monday-Thursday 12-9pm Friday 12-10pm Saturday 11am-10pm Sunday 11am-9pm PRIVATE PARTY ROOM AVAILABLE FOR EVENTS
5049 6th Street - Carpinteria • islandbrewingcompany.com • 805-745-8272
bkg t print White does no Outline
COME BE PART OF OUR STORY. . . M.Special Brewing Co.
6860 Cortona Drive Suite C Goleta, CA 93117
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Tap Room Hours Sun – Sat: 11:30am – Close mspecialbrewco.com
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Top 10
Post-hike
watering holes 2. Cerro San Luis -
SLO Brewery
You know the feeling. You're sauntering down the last mile of trail and the dregs of the water bottle you hauled with you are missing the mark. You've worked hard and are feeling like you've earned the guilty pleasure of putting back a beer or two. In this Top 10, White Ledge has planned so far ahead we're pairing trails and ales. Check the trail off your list first, and then find the conveniently located breweries and pubs to replenish following the triumphant trot to the peaks. We won't hold it against you if you're motivated as much by the beer as the outdoorsy excursion.
1. Gaviota Peak -
M-Special Brewery
Gaviota Peak has to rank as one of the grandest 2,500-foot-high lookouts on earth. Eyeballs beware of the richness afforded by this sweeping scene sprawled out along the Gaviota Coast. It’s a steep climb from Gaviota State Park off Highway 101 up either Trespass Trail or Gaviota Peak Trail (climb one, loop down the other). Our opinion: Head up fire-road Gaviota and descend single-track Trespass to maximize views on the downward trot. M-Special Brewing Company is the hot spot to cool off after the ascent to Gaviota Peak. Head south on Highway 101 to Storke Road in Goleta. The brewery is in the industrial zone at the corner of Hollister and Storke and is accessed from Hollister.
Drink up: Among M-Special’s pantheon of posthike pick-me-uppers is the American Lager. It’s a sparkling thirst quencher best enjoyed on the patio on a summer afternoon. If your mood is calling for more of a sledgehammer than a rubber mallet, opt for the Lazy Eye Special Double IPA.
Hike Cerro San Luis, aka Madonna Mountain, for a breezy out and back loop on a volcanic outcropping (one of the Nine Sisters). The 4 ½ miler is easily accessible to downtown SLO (Marsh Street and Highway 101 trailhead) and is one of those strolls (1,100 feet of elevation gain) that soaks serenity into your skin. SLO Brew has been on hiatus, but we pardoned its progress expecting the new and improved tap room and pub will be up and running this summer on Higuera Street and offering the same quality product it has been known for since 1988.
Drink up: After a summer hike, there’s no match for the Cali-Weisse, SLO Brew’s spin on a Hefeweizen. The Cali-Weisse being a hoppier and less banana/clove variety still leaves room for a lemon wedge if you want it. The SLO Brew team has been salivating for its reopening and says dirt bag hikers will have the red carpet rolled out for them for beers and pub fare. Lizard's Mouth
Boyd
Summer 2016
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Top 10 3 . Lizard ’ s Mouth Cold Spring Tavern
OK. Maybe Lizard’s Mouth isn’t a hike, but who’s ever had a bad time there? Boulders and unbeatable views of Goleta make these quick hikes and scrambles rank high on the fun scale. No two trips to Lizard’s Mouth are the same, because the big outcroppings keep begging your creativity and daring you to get more vertical. Cold Spring Tavern is a rustic outpost
Figueroa Mountain, one of the most diverse play areas in the region. This year ’s spring bloom was phenomenal and had parades of looky-loos heading up the very accessible Figueroa Mountain Road. Davy Brown Campground is up Happy Canyon Road from Highway 154. Figueroa Mountain Brewery is of course right up the outdoors crowd’s alley. The original taproom in Buellton is the most accessible from its namesake mountain and it just has the air of being “the original,” the place where original lovers of the beer can say, “I was here when Figueroa Mountain Brewery was but a twinkle in its founders’ eyes."
Peak on a clear day, over rolling Ojai Valley and out to the tantalizing Channel Islands, the grandest and most varied of the grand. Ojai Beverage Company is the place to elbow up for dozens of the best craftbeer pours from California and beyond. You’ve earned it after spending the day climbing to Ojai’s highest peak. This place has choice eats for further caloric recharge and a full fine liquor and wine selection to take home.
Drink up: With 50 beers on tap, you’ll have to do some research to discover the one for you.
6. Franklin Trail -
Figeroa Mountain
Island Brewing Company
throwback to its 1865 origins and looks like it has stayed true to its stagecoach-stop genesis. A weekend trip to Cold Spring (following your pleasure trip in Lizard’s Mouth) is a memory maker off Stagecoach Road. Eat the chili and tri tip, drink the local craft brews and take in the lineup of bands and singer songwriters. There’s hardly a more complete Saturday afternoon sojourn than the trip to Cold Spring.
4. Figueroa Mountain - Figueroa Mountain Brewery
The Davy Brown trail from Davy Brown Campground can be a haul. Leave early; return late afternoon. The payoff is a stunner of a 360-degree view from 16
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Drink up:
We recommended hiking Davy Brown Trail from the campground, and Figueroa Mountain happens to pour its Davy Brown Ale. This is one of those smooth sipping brown ales that nails it on balance between malty and delicate hoppy bite.
The newest addition to Santa Barbara’s front-country trails is Franklin Trail, Carpinteria’s only direct access to the Santa Ynez Mountains. It climbs from avocado orchards to multiple ridgelines at a current distance of 5 ½ miles from the trailhead near Carpinteria High School to the end of permissibly passed trail. Franklin is still growing and will eventually reach the crest before dropping down into the backcountry for some serious ocean to over-the-mountain backpacking. Island Brewing Company is visible from Franklin Trail. Carpinteria has as many breweries as traffic lights (three); the most seasoned (15-years-young) is Island Brewing Company, which knocks it out of the park with its views and brews. Put your elbow on the fence and act smugly as the Pacific Surfliner passengers envy your brew. Island Brewing Company
5. Nordhoff Peak - – Ojai Beverage Company
Pratt Trail to Nordhoff Peak can be a big day of hiking. Take Signal Road to its highest stretches from downtown Ojai to find the trailhead. Start early because that sunshine blazes this exposed and rugged 11-plus mile out and back. White Ledge considers the view from Nordhoff
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Franklin Trail
Drink up: The Avocado Honey Ale lands high on the list of liquid perfection scoring points for both setting (Carpinteria is avocado central) and satiation (it packs a smooth, crisp punch). If you’re looking for something a little thicker, try the King Tide, a wellbalanced Imperial IPA.
dropped into the Sespe Wilderness from a different planet: Piedra Blanca. We’re not sure why it takes on the singular— translated to white rock—but there are many, many outcroppings that rise in a profile of a pirate’s dental molds. Take a bite out of as many and as steep and as high of rocks as you wish. It’s a thrill a minute at Piedra Blanca with the right kind of attitude. Deer Lodge is a place everyone needs to check off their list, simply because it’ll blow your mind. Part biker bar, part deliciousness and perfect roadhouse tavern, this place will either leave you wanting to be part of it or relishing in its woodsy and wild environment. It’s on Highway 33, the only artery into and out of Rose Valley Recreation Area.
brewery that pours new experimental ales with each switchback on life’s path.
Drink up: The beers rotate as regularly as the earth at Bang the Drum, but of the current pours, the King Mate is top-notch quenching material.
10. Cold Spring
Trail - Telegraph Brewing Company
You’ve got to keep going to Montecito Peak on the hike out of the foothills from Cold Spring Trail head. It’s hard, and it’s hot. That’s why we recommend a cold beer after this hike. Cold Spring Trail is one of the most rewarding climbs in
Piedra Blanca trail
7. Santa Paula
Canyon - Topa Topa Brewery
Hiking from Thomas Aquinas College on Highway 150 between Ojai and Santa Paula delivers waterfalls and watering holes worth a day of play. The Santa Paula Canyon hike is a popular spot and short jaunt up from Ventura for a quick rustic reward. Topa Topa Brewing Company derives its name from its nearest mountains and waxes poetically about peaks in its beer titles. What’s not to love? Head into Ventura on Highway 126 from Santa Paula and over to Thompson Road to find Topa Topa, an industrialchic taproom that recently celebrated its 1-year birthday.
Drink
up: The Weekend Session IPA offers some oxymoronic qualities: lightness, crispness and fullness. That’s a balancing act appropriate for the hiking afterparty.
8. Piedra Blanca -
Deer Lodge
Up Highway 33 into Rose Valley Recreation Area there’s a place that got
9. Bishop Peak Bang the Drum Brewery
The tallest of Nine Sisters, she’s also the most alluring. Bishop Peak stands over San Luis Obispo like a sentinel, ever watchful of the inhabitants below and beckoning them to climb her. The trailhead at the top of Highland Drive reveals a single-track 3.5-mile loop to reach the 1,500-foot summit. In case, you missed the tallest sister reference, Bishop is the tallest of nine volcanic plugs laid out from San Luis Obispo to Morro Bay. Bang the Drum Brewery is all about the vibe, a spirited atmosphere welcome to your hiker ’s high. You can bang this drum that drum or your own drum at the
the Santa Barbara frontcountry and on a gloomy summer day can place you above the marine layer for an afternoon in the heavens. Telegraph Brewing Company has been on the scene since 2006, before the craft brew environment became so rich in Santa Barbara. Its dedication to handcrafted perfection leaves you feeling like the brewer put in some extra TLC just for you.
Drink up:
Our top choice for a beer after heading down Cold Spring is, what else, the Los Padres Saison. The Belgian dry-hopped and unfiltered Saison quenches thirst and possesses a complex body appropriate for your contemplative and meditative post-hike Indian Creek mind frame. | Summer 2016
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1,000 words Matt Dayka Selby Ranch barn, Carrizo Plain National Monument
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Summer 2016
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Greg
s t ory by L e a boy d Ph ot os by Pa uL KeLLy
Bettencourt By the numbers profile 20
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Bettencourt and a crew of Pismo Preserve volunteers make trail.
If GreG Bettencourt were a Better swImmer, 100-plus mIles of mountaIn BIkInG traIls In slo county mIGht not exIst. the cayucos resident and co-founder of central coast concerned mountain Bikers (c3mB) played tennis before he pedaled a mountain bike, and like most of Greg’s pursuits, he played tennis hard. when his knees started to suffer for it, he tried to become a swimmer, “but I’m a sinker,” he chuckles. mountain biking, meanwhile, went mainstream in the early 1980s. Greg hopped on a bike and hasn’t been off one since. at that point, in his mid-30s, his knobby tires hungered for the hardcore. he did backcountry rides in Big sur and the figueroa mountain area. he started early and rode all day, on terrain that required carrying the bike about a quarter of the time. c3mB evolved alongside the sport of mountain biking. In the beginning, the organization counted just Greg and a few other guys in search of more dirt. now c3mB mobilizes hundreds of volunteers for trail building and maintenance Summer 2016
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Proudest accomplishment of Greg’s: C3MB’s reputation and credibility. When new trails are built in San Luis Obispo County, C3MB is a key contributor to the process. “We are at every table. We’ve gotten to that point by playing by the rules and being patient,” says Greg.
5-10
Years Greg says it takes for trail projects to shift from concept to opening. “Everything takes five to 10 years. But as long as you know that, you just keep working and you continuously have new projects opening.”
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Trails Greg has helped design and construct. These include trails in Montana de Oro State Park, the City of SLO and SLO county land.
70 and has participated in the design and construction of every new trail in SLO County for the last 20 years. “Mountain bikers have always been considered the renegade outsiders—the people you have to share the trail with,” Greg says. C3MB leadership decided early on that tough guy posturing would only lead to fights and keep mountain bikers away from the spaces that really matter when it comes to gaining trail—the conference tables. Greg leaned on advice 22
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from Chris King, a Santa Barbaran with loads of mountain bike cred, who became something of a mentor to Greg on his path less traveled. Instead of thumbing its collective nose at the establishment, C3MB started speaking its language, becoming an ambassador in the foreign land of boardrooms and bureaucrats. “The easiest way to deal with something you don’t know how to deal with is to say no,” Greg says. While learning to navigate the
Years: Greg’s age. He still rides but has toned down the intensity. “I’m friggin’
70 years old,” he says. “Mountain biking looks different when you’re 70 years old.”
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Miles of trail that C3MB maintains. If you’ve ridden a trail in SLO County, you can probably thank C3MB for the experience.
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650 + Hours in the field Greg has volunteered on the 11 miles of Pismo Preserve trails set to open later this year. This time estimate includes none of the hours spent thinking, planning and mapping the extensive new trail system.
3,0004,000
boardrooms, Greg and his fellow C3MBers were also educating cyclists on the trails. “We’ve created a culture of sharing trails,” he says, and this self-policing has endeared them to land managers as much as C3MB’s trail building. The most recent feather in C3MB’s— and Greg’s—cap is the Pismo Preserve. SLO County Land Conservancy bought the 900-acre property overlooking the Pacific for the purpose of building trail systems. C3MB recruited and managed volunteers. Five days a week, between January 4 and April 7, 20 to 30 volunteers rolled up their sleeves and built trail, 11 miles of it.
Greg worked behind the scenes designing trail, on the property aligning trail and side by side with the volunteers constructing trail. Scott Couture, field crew leader for the Land Trust, says that Greg’s approach is methodical and fiercely driven by the end goal. “He sees the public benefit, and he says ‘We’ve got to make that happen.’” Now that Greg’s retired from teaching and counseling high schoolers, the 70-year-old mountain biker has even more elbow grease to spare. The Pismo Preserve should open late this year— once a parking lot is constructed—and we’ll all be waiting to see what Greg’s wheels will spin next. |
Dollars C3MB annually spends on bike bells, which Greg says has made a big difference in trail sharing goodwill. “It’s a big deal. The message it sends to other trail users is that whoever has a bell cares about others.” Pismo Preserve
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Wild Things
By Michel Miller As A bAckyArd birder, i’m eAsily Amused. every common sparrow, crow or finch that finds its way to my tiny patch of nature becomes a source of great wonder and imagination. in spring, when life is exploding from all corners of my yard, the birds, many of them young, are especially active and unconcerned with my clumsy, binocularwielding. They hop from stone to leaf, in search of food that i can’t see, speaking a language i don’t understand. Fixated on each tiny movement, i make mental notes regarding their behavior, and occasionally i blurt out some facsimile of a chirp, attempting to prove my benevolence and win their favor. 24
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The Secrets of the Nest
Alas, they pay me no attention. if i’m exceptionally lucky, i’ll find a nest. Of all the pleasures derived from my outdoor voyeurism (my raccoon stakeouts are the stuff of legend) none compare to the secrets of the nest. When my Facebook feed was overrun in early march with posts about two bald eagle chicks that had hatched on santa cruz island, my binoculars took a backseat to my laptop where i could get up close and personal with the sauces canyon bald eagle family at virtually any time of day or night via web cam. Thanks to the National Park service, wildlife cams are nothing new, but in the swirling riptide of political memes, selfies and disaster porn, it’s easy to forget these virtual gems that are strewn like sea glass on the internet’s shore. Within the realm of animal cams, there
are plenty of eagle nests to observe, but the channel islands being close to home and once bereft of these majestic birds of prey gives it a particular poignancy. bald eagles were once abundant on the channel islands as well as on the adjacent mainland, but rampant hunting followed by unregulated use of the pesticide ddT before it was outlawed, nearly laid the species to waste by the mid 20 th century. When conservationists attempted to repopulate the eagles on catalina island, their efforts sadly failed due to residual ddT in nearby waters — fish are a staple of the eagle’s diet. efforts on the other islands proved fruitful, however, and today there are six active nests on the islands. in 2007, the bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list. it remains one of the greatest achievements in wildlife conservation.
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ield V i r t u a l eF Not s
- : P ee p p ee p ba bi es ! M a rc h 2 1 2la8te to the party, I sit trans-
A d m itt e d ly b o rn c hi c ks f th e se ne w o ht sig e th fix e d b y nt e r o f th e fr o m th e c e ut o k e e p a ki ng a s th e y r is ne a r b re d o rb s m e te ns in o o sw ne st . Th e a ho us e ho ld ire nt e y m p o in t a s c a n ha rd ly ff m o ns te rs flu y ra g e un iso n. Th e re c t. Th e y in g he a d s b b o b ir e . W ith ke e p th y e a t m o re t, a nd th e o f th is t c sle e p a lo e e ve ry a sp ng ki a m y g o o ur liv te c hn o lo , b y d a y tw le ib ss o p e e xp e rie nc g b ut th e w in g no th in o sh is TV y, in g ro o m sh o w a ll d a ny o n re a lit y nd a 0 Sa uc e s C a -4 a d (A M o m a nd d re ve ry d a y. tu rn s sh e lte ke ta ) c tiv e ly g in nd e A -4 8, re sp e sp , un g d in g th e ir yo e th r o in g a nd fe e ne o e th e r a s g to e tim ve ry lit tle nt in g th e lw a ys o ut hu a st o lm a ro th e r is he re un d e nt s e ve ry w re Pa l. a e in ne xt m is e xp lo d g ts ’ g ro w th le g a e r e Th st a nd . r. Th e y ne ve s no w o nd e it’ nd a o e ht er of p o ve rn ig e th e nu m b tic no I ! d g tin st o p e a a nt ly a ro un a se s sig ni fic re c in r g fo in w g p le vi e a re d o in ha t p e o p le w is is Th no o n. lu nc h.
- p ri l 5 : M a rc h 2 9 A w ha t ’s fo r di n n er C a rr io n , it ’s rious case of resting bitch face.
se from M om ’s go t a ly em ergi ng e in crea si ng ar to lls es ba lv zz Th e fu ng th em se ho le , ex po si st d ne an h p us hi at th e th ei r pl are at ta ch ed ey Th e . th ts en of ri m et er th e el em ot he r. Th e pe ch ea n er io at ov er ig tr ip pi ng ored . N o re fr th e ki lls are st re ec hi ng sc lly ne st is w he re ua in bi es are co nt ba e on . Th y. ar ne ce ss in an ti ci pa ti be ak s op en ee w r of ei th , ks fo r fo od e th e ch un ge nt ly pl ac ad s, D th d ou an M om e ea gl et s’ m fo w l— in th f, or of s sh fi ke fl es h— ng . D ad ta cl os ed fo r lo ay st y r el ve iv ne ss w hi ch M om ob se t m ore fo od . ge to s ly os m ab pres um m ou th fu l of gr ab bi ng a , st or ne r e th he ot ti di es in g it to an ea an d m ov re ct io n. di y from on e ar an in fe w in ch es a ks ic st he r, sh if ti ng e to re lie ve y fo r he r m at ad re s ll, e’ ca sh W he n st . A nd by ck to th e ne ba m g, hi in lls nd sh e ca in fo r a la H e sw oo ps . am ’s re It sc . n es I m ea off sh e go “w ords ” an d ge an ey ch th ex if th ey t I w on de r ra ng em en t, bu a ba la nc ed ar ol d da ys . pi ne fo r th e
Natio nal Park Servi ce eagle cam www. ustrea m.tv/ chann el/sav ces - cam
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so - 12 : T he y gr ow u p 6 l A p ri y? fa s t , do n ’t t he m and see the chicks
th e ca ou t, I sw it ch on ey w ob bl e ab st . G A SP ! Th ne e th n’ t ca in I e al on e ed ge . ly cl os e to th us lo ri d pe da g or ge tt in ti l m om lo ok aw ay un to f el ! fe ys sa m al lo w ke ep th em te le pa th ic al ly ill w d I an s. y rn re tu rm al , he al th th at th is is no h. ) La te r I re ad ? N ot so m uc (M y re ac ti on . fe sa en y tl ev , ec pe rf o fa r aw ay are ne ve r to ad D d em an th M om s ca n’ t se e lic op te r m om an if hu m an he le ss cl in gy th Ea gl et s se em . m g ca in e lp th on be gu n he d th ey ha ve an e, e er ar w n th ey ts of ca rr io w ha te ve r bi to es in lv ill se st th em re nt s are ou gh th ei r pa av ai la bl e, th w in d se nd s m e da ys th e th e ga m e. So th os e da ys , ay in g an d on st th e ne st sw ai n is fo re ca e vi gi la nt . R to l ia th e pa re nt s ar w m at er s brou gh t ne p an d M om ha e’ s so on to Sh ep ar at io n. th e ne st in pr of th in gs .
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Retro, Rugged, Reclusive
A salute to the simple camper culture BY PE T E R DUGRÉ The story of three campers and their owners shares a common thread. Sometimes you gotta get away. The campers, two VWs and one custom off-roading truck, are as much about individuality as they are about utility and enabling a lifestyle. Naturally, White Ledge admires the self-contained and self-sustained attitude (with a little help from a compact camper) that these vehicles and vagabonds represent. 1970 VW Westfalia
Joshua Curry
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Billy Manzik in his EuroVan in SLO. Manzik photos by Matt Dayka
Music man lives in a van
Billy Manzik lives where he is. Or where his 1995 EuroVan is. The one-manband traveling musician considers his lifestyle far removed from a hamsterwheel existence. Although he counts as a success his personal extraction from the rat race, he’s not going to preach about it. “I don’t want to be one of those guys who’s fake spiritual. I think inevitably with this lifestyle I have become more spiritual. I don’t think I’m worried about the stuff a lot of people are,” Manzik says. You get the feeling he’s used to explaining himself. One spring day, he’s driving north to Novato for a gig and says tersely over the phone, “I’m a professional musician, and I live in my van.” For a while his weekly roaming to shows took him between San Diego and Mount Shasta. “I don’t want to be 28
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a slacker. I work fulltime and live with very little. I don’t really mingle with the masses anymore,” he says, a Canadian accent waving its flag. Manzik’s van lifestyle isn’t a hobby or statement. He left his home of northern Calgary, Canada, about six years ago and has made a traveling musician life for himself, which necessitated the van. He was an electrician in Canada but wanted to make music. Originally his dream pointed him to Austin, Texas, but he veered west where he had a connection in California and hasn’t stopped moving since. Road encounters along the way have made ripe raconteur material. There’s the woman Manzik met on the beach in Malibu. She was smoking a joint in the morning. He was commuting from Hollywood, where he records music sometimes. She recommended he park in the hills of Malibu, near Bob Dylan’s place, where nobody, she assured, would bother him or be bothered by him. She
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had parked there when she and her husband were in a rough patch. Now it’s his spot when in the area. “I find all these spots all over California. I can practice guitar and there’s nobody around,” he says. The trees hang above, or sometimes the streetlights at the edge of suburbia, a couple of oil stains in the road. Manzik has played shows at posh Montecito residences, the types of places with guest houses the size of regular houses. Offered such a crash pad for the night, he opted for the EuroVan. “I’ve got the bed dialed in,” he says. “The thing is, I’m on a mission. I’m playing music. I’m making people dance. I’m making them forget about their problems for a while. That’s why it’s worth it, what I’m doing.”
Backcountry big rig
Paul Belmont needed a rugged ride to reach destinations inaccessible to casual campers. He found a FWC Hawk camper shell to top his Ford F250, knowing the sturdy shell would be durable enough to make it over the mountain and an extra 5 miles to guarantee ambient noises included nothing but a whispering wind and the crackle of fire. “Camping isn’t next to an RV with a generator running. Camping is off-road in the backcountry; you want to get away from people,” he says. A mountain biker, Belmont had taken his truck, pre-upgraded Hawk shell, to Zion for a 10-day adventure during which he slept under the standard truck cap in a sleeping bag. It was the trip of of lifetime, but to replicate it repeatedly, he’d need to upgrade to a camper shell. “I realized I needed a little more,” Belmont says. He started with a Skamper before landing the used 1990 FWC Hawk. “The aluminum frame makes it robust structurally,” says Belmont, a structural engineer by trade, so he’s not bluffing with the “robust structurally” statement. Belmont put more than TLC into the Hawk. The Santa Barbara resident gave the project precious baby love and documented every move at his blog (23 page scrolls of it) www.expeditionportal. com/forum/threads/80314-SLO-s-FWCHawk-Refurb-Build. The ride came from an original owner who had used
Carissa and Paul Belmont use their 4x4 and FWC Hawk as a launch pad for backcountry mountain bike adventures. Belmont photos by Joshua Curry
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it to its fullest for 20 years. “I got rid of everything but the heater,” he says. The 33-year-old tinkerer and professional maker of structures rewired the entire operation, installed a solar panel for the refrigerator and a fuse panel for the lights. Add in the new cabinetry and linoleum flooring, and he’s got some blood, sweat and beers into this ride. Most importantly, the camper survives all terrains. It’s been on a number of mountain bike trips to Zion. It has survived the Eastern Sierras, Mammoth, Bishop and Lone Pine. The height of its enjoyment came at 9,600 feet in altitude at Leavitt Lake. Then there came the honeymoon. Paul married Carissa (sorry Hawk) and they spent three weeks cruising the coast up to Bend, Ore. Big Sur got some love on the way along with numerous other stops. Belmont’s mission to build a camper shell that stays intact on journeys to places few people rest their heads and awaken to dewy and distant landscapes is a destination he has reached, thanks to the Hawk.
Mikey and Alma Billgren in their 1970 VW Westfalia. Billgren photos by Joshua Curry
Oldie acquisition
Mikey Billgren’s acquisition of his 1970 Volkswagen Westfalia is a story of true love. A VW van was his high school sweetheart. “I couldn’t get over getting rid of it,” he says of the lost VW he had driven when he was 16. A decade plus after his first, a new one came into his life. “A buddy in Ojai needed money for his wedding, so he sold it to me,” Billgren says. The VW transfer became the honeymoon vehicle for Billgren, who married Alma Vences, and together they lurched into the sunset in the dark moss green van on a honeymoon to camp spots all around San Diego. The van is also a labor of love that requires constant nurturing. When White Ledge contacted Billgren, it needed a clutch. Nine bolts and a Saturday did the trick. “It’s a breeze,” Billgren says. “It only takes a couple of jack stands and some parts.” The keeper of a 46-year-old vehicle learns that parts are crucial. On this oldie, which Billgren used as a daily driver for years, the mileage is uncertain because the speedometer and odometer didn’t work for about six years. Speeding wasn’t an issue. “It takes forever to get 30
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anywhere,” Billgren says. He estimates 0-to-60 mph in about 5 minutes—if you reach 60. Despite the stereotypical downside to classic camper vans—mainly they’re snails that routinely visit the shoulder in a sputter—Billgren remains firm in his ability to overlook any shortcomings. “It’s a perfect daytripper,” he says. “We take it down Highway 1 (from Carpinteria), grab a couple of boards, the dogs.” It’s either the beach or the hills, and wherever the van is, an instant living room and chill spot awaits. Attach the bikes to the back of the VW and have the cooler inside. Place the beers on ice and climb the trail (in this case it’s
Romero Canyon). Once you bomb down the mountain, the van will be there, the beers will be cold, ready to maximize the mountain vibe. Billgren, a Carpinterian, has also cruised it to points as far as Tahoe. “I piled in my snowboards. We made it back,” he says. One epic breakdown Billgren recalls also revolved around nuptials. Cruising to a surfer-friend’s wedding, down a long hill near Jalama, he gassed but the green machine wasn’t firing. Nothing. So he pulled over. Billgren discovered that he had to replace the points on the distributor at the roadside. He had the tools and parts on board to have her up and running again in no time. |
Highway 1 in Ventura County. Summer 2016
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1,000 words Maxwell Frank West Camino Cielo, Santa Barbara
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Summer 2016
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ode to our
NatioNal Parks s t ory A N d Ph oto s by ch uck g r AhAm Island Scrub Jay
A tribute to AmericA’s NAtioNAl PArk service—All 84 millioN Acres of it—must begiN At the begiNNiNg, with its PresideNtiAl forefAthers ulysses s. grANt, theodore roosevelt ANd woodrow wilsoN. each of these men acted on something unheard of at the time, protecting lands to ensure generations upon generations could access their natural wonders. in 1872, grant signed yellowstone into law as the first national park. During roosevelt’s presidency (1901 – 1909) he created five new parks, plus a bevy of national monuments, refuges and national forests. finally, wilson signed the act creating the National Park Service. At the time there were 35 national parks and monuments. one hundred years after the formation of the NPS on August 25, 1916, I wonder what those former presidents would have to say today now that there are currently 59 national parks. Perhaps they would like to see more. I would. twenty-seven states have national parks, and California has the most with nine. It only makes sense being the Golden State is the most diversified state in the union. so to celebrate the centennial of the NPs we’ve chosen a handful of national parks to commemorate those iconic landscapes, the wildlife that thrives within, and their potential for epic escapes. 34
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Channel Islands
Known also as “the Galapagos Islands of the north,” five islands comprise the windswept, volcanic archipelago. Santa Barbara, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel islands are equally unique with flora and fauna found nowhere else on earth. Established as a national park on March 5, 1980, half of the park is underwater. Island Packers (www. islandpackers.com) transports visitors to this remote national park. Best time to visit is year-round.
North Bluff trail
From Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz, hike west first to Cavern Point then Potato Harbor. It’s 5 miles roundtrip to Potato Harbor. From there a nameless trail heads south toward Montanon Ridge, passing Coche Point and Chinese Harbor. Once on the ridge, breathtaking views of Anacapa Island and the Santa Monica Mountains dominate the seascape.
Wildlife
Endemic Island foxes abound on Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel
islands. The island scrub jay is found only on Santa Cruz Island and is one of the rarest birds in the world. The island spotted skunk is found but rarely seen on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands. Bald eagles have reestablished historic territories across the entire chain. The islands are important breeding and nesting habitat for seabirds, and the largest seal and sea lion rookery in North America is at Point Bennett on San Miguel Island.
did you kNoW?
The oldest human remains in North America were discovered on Santa Rosa Island by Dr. Phil Orr in 1959. A complete skeleton of a pygmy mammoth was also discovered on Santa Rosa in 1994. www.nps.gov/chis.
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Craig Fernandez and friends in Potato Harbor, Santa Cruz Island.
Graham on Social Trail, Santa Cruz Island
Pygmy Mammoth skull, Santa Cruz Island Summer 2016
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Yosemite We couldn’t devote pages to California’s national parks without this breathtaking granite icon in the Western Sierra. Once the NPS was created in 1916, Yosemite was immediately added to the mix.
El Capitan HikE
Only the best, most skilled big wall climbers scale the daunting granite face of El Cap, but you can also make the long hike to the top. Its summit of 7,569 feet offers ridiculous views of the Yosemite Valley floor and another granite icon, Half Dome. Sometimes you can hear the voices of climbers ascending some of El Cap’s sheer routes. The trailhead is at the Tamarack Flat Campground, and the hike is 16.8 miles round trip. Best time to go is summer.
Trail to El Capitan trails, especially its higher elevations, surely come in contact with another Sierra resident, the yellow-bellied marmot. Both big and small are crafty critters possessing voracious appetites that keep granite lovers on their toes.
did you knoW?
Along with its array of sweeping meadows, dense woodlands and dry, scrubby chaparral, Yosemite holds over 225,000 acres of old-growth forest. www. nps.gov/yose. Black bear
WildlifE
Black bears and Yosemite are synonymous with one another. However, hikers, climbers and backpackers who explore Yosemite’s many backcountry 36
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Zabriskie Point
Death Valley This rock hound wonderland of desolate mountains, colorful badlands, glaring salt pans, broad alluvial fans and majestic sand dunes was designated with national park status on Oct. 31, 1984, with the creation of the Desert Protection Act. It’s the largest national park in the lower 48 states. Badwater is the lowest point in the U.S., and the second lowest point in the Western Hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level. It’s the hottest and driest place in North America, even reaching 134 degrees in July 1913. It was the highest temp ever recorded on the face of the Earth. Best time to visit is fall through spring.
Mesquite Flat sand dunes trail
There aren’t many maintained trails in Death Valley, and this walk across the Mesquite Sand Dunes is no different. It’s a 2-mile walk to the tallest dune. It’s best to hike in the early morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the mid-day sun. The colors of the dunes at this time are magnificent.
WildliFe
Fauna that has adapted to the arid landscape is some of the most impressive. The Mojave rattlesnake is rare in Death Valley, and if seen, it’s in the southern region of the park. Death Valley’s largest creature is the nimble desert bighorn sheep. It’s typically seen in the higher elevations blending in to the desert landscape. Death Valley is a birder ’s paradise. Hundreds of species have been documented with fall and
spring migrations being the best time to post up a spotting scope.
did you knoW?
It was discovered that the salt and gravel beds of the Devil’s Golf Course, located along Badwater Road, extend to a depth of more than 1,000 feet. Studies suggest that in certain places the depth ranges up to 9,000 feet. It’s been noted that only the devil could play golf on its extremely rough surface. www.nps.gov/deva. Mesquite Sand Dunes
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Collared lizard
Joshua Tree Named after the tall, gangly stands of Joshua trees amongst the giant clusters of majestic granite boulders, the mysterious high desert landscape was deemed a national park on Oct. 31, 1994. A favorite retreat for hikers and rock climbers, Joshua Tree is mystical and otherworldly. Best time to visit is fall through spring.
49 Palms Oasis Trail
This moderate 3-mile round-trip trail leads to some hardy groves of California Fan Palms, a gathering spot for desert wildlife. Beyond the first grove of palms lie more palms. From here you’re scrambling off-trail over granite boulders.
Wildlife
Go where the water is. Hang out in an oasis, sit and watch and the desert fauna will emerge. Begin in the morning as the sun begins to warm the boulders. Look for desert tortoise, chuckwalla, collared lizards and black-throated sparrows. Keep an eye out for desert bighorn sheep descending the canyon for a morning drink.
did yOu knOW?
Desert Tortoise
Joshua trees get all the attention in the park and deservedly so, but the other trees hidden in the canyons are equally impressive. The only palm native to California is the California fan palm. It grows naturally in several oases within Joshua Tree. In these rare areas where water occurs year-round, desert wildlife abounds. www.nps.gov/jotr. Park's namesake
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Pinnacles America’s newest national park was signed into law in January 2013. Remnants of an extinct volcano, Pinnacles lies along California’s Pacific Coast Ranges. Its unique craggy and clustered rock formations jut majestically in the eastern Salinas Valley luring hikers, rock climbers and nature lovers alike. Best time to go is fall through spring.
HigH Peaks to Bear gulcH looP trail
Oak woodland
North America’s largest flying landbird. Once in the High Peaks, look for them perched on the Pinnacles or soaring in warm afternoon thermal updrafts. However, there are at least 160 bird species documented in the park. Pinnacles boasts one of the densest populations of prairie falcon in North America.
did you knoW?
The talus caves of Pinnacles are a nice diversion to the High Peaks. Bear Gulch and Balconies Caves may be closed periodically due to storms and flooding but also because of active colonies of Townsend’s big-eared bats. www.nps. gov/pinn. |
View from High Peak Trail
This round-trip 6.7-mile loop is a beautiful hike (and also a terrific trail run) through the park’s namesake of Pinnacles. The route begins in shaded meadows and creekbeds and climbs to the highest points in the park. Trails are well maintained, and the elevation gain is 1,425 feet.
Wildlife
Pinnacles is arguably the best venue to see endangered California condors, Summer 2016
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Girl gone wildland
firefighte Story By L e a Boyd • ph ot oS B y JoS h ua Curry
It’s tough to choose an angle for a lyndsay alarcon story. It could be about a woman kicking ass in a traditionally male profession. It could be about a single mom balancing home and career. It could be about a wildland firefighter rocketing up through the ranks to helitack superintendent by age 30. But any of those directions would be a disservice to alarcon, a multi-faceted human being who simply cannot be stripped down to one angle or 1,000 words. White Ledge rolled up the mountain to frazier Park this spring to meet alarcon in her element. the 13-year veteran forest service firefighter is based at the chuchupate station, which sits on the edge of los Padres national forest near the intersection of Ventura, los angeles and Kern counties. Pines populate the craggy peaks, and clusters of a-frame homes speak of snowy winters. alarcon greets us warmly in a uniform
8 Ba sin Fir e, Big Su r, 200 40
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that needs its belt to stay on her petite frame. the freshly pressed green pants and tan shirt coupled with her piercing hazel eyes and hollywood cheekbones make her look more like an actress playing the role than an actual wildland firefighter. But as soon as we start talking, it’s quite apparent this woman is the real deal. alarcon is the only female helitack supervisor in a u.s. forest service region made up of 18 national forests and 17 helitack crews. she supervises 15 employees, using what her crew members call her “mama bear” instincts to keep everyone safe while providing support of all types to the fire they’ve been called out to fight. “We’re really versatile. that’s what helitack is known for,” she says. the chuchupate crew might be constructing fire lines, dropping water, shuttling hot shot troops to the fire line, delivering food and water to crews on the ground or conducting controlled burn-outs through aerial ignition. their helicopter, a Bell 205, is a civilian model of a huey contracted by the forest service. the bird arrives at chuchupate in June and departs for her other contracts, such as heli-skiing or geological surveys, in november. during that summer season, alarcon and her crew are at the mercy of the fires. “If the call comes through, we’re gone, and we work whatever the fire needs, and that can be up to 16 hour days,” she says. the Basin fire of 2008 torched Big
sur ’s Ventana Wilderness, burning 162,818 acres in June and July. alarcon spent 52 days battling the blaze in cycles of 14 days on, two off. It stands out in her memory now, dozens of fires later, not only for its size and intensity but for what was at stake every day: lives, homes and spectacular natural resources. “and we closed down that fire,” she says. the firefighting bug bit alarcon in high school. she grew up in oxnard, completing the fire explorer program, becoming an eMt after graduation, and then going through the oxnard fire academy. Wildland firefighting didn’t enter her view until some buddies from the academy suggested she give it a shot. she did. “I took this job, and I’d been a varsity athlete and I had just gotten out of the fire academy, but my first hike just put me into the ground. I had no idea realistically what job I had just taken. I thought I did. I had all this education in fire, and I really didn’t understand the workload, the commitment, even what uphill means,” she says. “Just pick the tallest, steepest peak and imagine getting to the top, and that’s what we do, and we do it with anywhere from 35 to 55 pounds on our backs.” Back then, female forest service firefighters were few and far between. alarcon recalls just two others in her 50plus person district. But that has changed significantly, she says, pointing to her crew from last summer, which included three other women. adjusting gear to function best for women and tailoring training to different
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ter
Lyndsay Alarcon, Chuchupate Station Helitack Superintendent Summer 2016
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Chuchupate Helitack crew in Kernville, Calif.
Backpack at the ready
High protein fuel for fighting fire
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physiques are all part of adapting to a job traditionally held by men, but Alarcon says the career presents plenty of challenges that don’t discriminate by gender. “I had a water polo coach in high school that used to say, ‘I don’t coach girls water polo, I coach water polo players.’ I relate this to wildland fire. There is no difference in the job that needs to be done when supporting wildland fire suppression,” she says. Resilience, Alarcon has discovered, is key. Falling down is just part of the process. “It is not until you make it through that situation that you can take a breath, wipe the mud off your face and reflect on what you are truly capable of,” she says. “The women that I have seen who have been successful get to that moment and acknowledge that they did it. They start the new day, new shift, new challenge more confident and stronger than the previous day. They build and grow.” Balance plays an important role in Alarcon’s success personally and professionally. The divorced mother of a
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Texas fire siege of 2011 Summer 2016
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Alarcon and the Glassy Mountain Helitack fight a Kentucky fire.
Mill Fire, west of Mount Shasta, 2012
2013 Silver Fire near Banning, Calif.
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6-year-old boy juggles family and career, recognizing that each must compromise for the other at times. When it comes to parenting priorities, however, she has adjusted her career path accordingly. Her son was born in 2009, and she chose to leave the Chuchupate Station to develop other skillsets like GIS
while working in the office at the Ojai Casitas Station. She brought her son to work and breastfed him for eight months before returning to fire. Now, as helitack superintendent, Alarcon’s schedule shifts dramatically on and off fire season. During the winter and spring, she chaperones her son’s field trips, volunteers in his class and takes him to baseball practice. When fire season ignites, she relies on a support network to ensure he is cared for while she’s whisked away on a fire for days or weeks on end. “When people ask me how I do it, I say, I don’t know. Ask me tomorrow how I did it today,” she says. And there’s an important point where her two jobs overlap. “I believe that women by nature are caring, nurturing, resilient and have the unique capability of creating life,” says Alarcon. “That is the kind of strength you cannot see tucked in my fire pack or view in my personal appearance. I use these instincts to take care of my people physically, mentally and while off duty in supporting their families.” |
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winging It Paragliding on the Central Coast and Beyond
By Larry Sh aw with JaaL a th iBauLt Jagged mountain peaks rise above the green valley floor, and everything slowly comes to life as the orange sun inches above the horizon. distracted by the beauty of the new zealand landscape, i struggle to return to the task at hand: flying. the lines to the grounded paragliding wing transition from slack to taut with the cycles of wind. the wing flutters, eager to fly, as it fills with air. everything feels right—time to focus and commit. i guide the wing over my head, take a few steps and watch the ground beneath me slowly move away. why haven’t i done this sooner? that first high flight is etched in my memory—the day a new world of sky exploration opened up to me. now i find myself here on the central coast continuing the adventure i started on the opposite side of the globe. fortunately, some of the best flying
Beginners work on "kitting," controlling the wing on the ground before launch. Summer 2016
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"On these days, the challenge lies in reading the air; it flows like water down a river, but you cannot see the movement directly."
Learning to fly at Elings Park in Santa Barbara You got it, man. Elings Park
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conditions for beginner paragliders exist in my own big backyard. Soaring like a single-winged bird might intimidate the landlocked, but the sport is more accessible than it seems. Chris Grantham from the Santa Barbarabased Fly Above All Paragliding School discusses what a beginner can expect as he/she decides to take flight. “New students are introduced to the equipment and start ground handling, or bringing the wing above their head and controlling it, prior to launching. This fundamental skill is practiced on flat ground and simulates a normal flight launch,” he says. When ground handling is mastered, Grantham guides students into their first short flight low on the training hill. Once comfortable with low flights, they slowly move higher until they can routinely launch and land from the top of Elings Park in Santa Barbara. The average student will take seven to 12 days to receive a U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA) “P2 rating,” which allows them to fly on their
own at level two-rated paragliding spots. In addition to practicing how to physically fly, new pilots must learn the rules of the air—FAA airspace restrictions, weather patterns, emergency landing procedures and how to safely correct in-flight issues with the wing. Paragliders never stop learning. Every flight is a lesson; intermediate and advanced pilots learn how to carve through the air, soar in winds that are forced upwards near ridges and cliffs, and learn how to rise like raptors in thermals. “I started paragliding in 2001 and since then I have been to multiple countries … but there isn’t one day that is my favorite; there are many, all in different ways,” Grantham says. “You may be rising in thermals to 14,000 feet near Pine Mountain one day, and soaring seaside cliffs the next, carving wingover turns or linking ridge lines for a crosscountry flight. I’ve had so many amazing days with good friends.” Becoming an advanced to expert level pilot opens up an even broader spectrum
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of possibilities in the sport. Some pilots consecutively ride multiple thermals and fly cross-country for hundreds of miles if the weather is right. On these days, the challenge lies in reading the air; it flows like water down a river, but you cannot see the movement directly. There’s an art to seeing the invisible rising thermals and taking a free ride up Mother Nature’s escalator to the top floor. Other advanced pilots gravitate towards the emerging sport vol-biv, short for vol bivouac, or “flight camping” in French. Basically you pack all of your camping gear and fly during the day when the weather allows you to stay in the air, and land to set up camp when you can no longer fly. In the morning you pack up, hike to a suitable launch site and repeat the process until arriving at your destination. There is now a more physical and competitive component to the sport of paragliding as well. An event called the Red Bull X-Alps has competitors start off on foot in Vienna, Austria, with a paraglider and harness on their back and run up the closest mountain, launch and fly as far as the weather and their skill will allow. Upon landing, competitors pack their wings and begin hiking and running to either the next checkpoint or another launch site until they reach Monaco, over 1,000 kilometers from the start. Generally, people gravitate to paragliding not for the competition but for the challenge of learning the sport, the exhilaration it brings and the way it fosters a unique connection to nature. Grantham laughs and says, “I’m actually afraid of heights. Maybe it’s not a fear of heights but a fear of falling. This fear doesn’t apply to paragliding for me because I’m in control of my wing, and I don’t rely on anyone else. I’m strapped in and I’m in complete control. Think about being in an airplane, you don’t look out the window and say, ‘Oh, I’m high, that’s scary.’ It’s the same for paragliding.” Costs for lessons and equipment vary among outfits, so it’s best to contact your local instructor for all of the options. Grantham says, “Lessons to get your P2 rating, which allows you to fly on your own, are approximately $1,500. Most new pilots will want to purchase their own equipment which can average $5,000 for a new wing and harness.” Most of us dream of flying. Why wait? |
Ridge soaring in Santa Barbara
Student fliers test the wind
Summer 2016
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over and out Will Russ Mike O'Connor climbs T Crack, Gibraltar Rock, Santa Barbara
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