New Idria

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Some new pix in this one,
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New Idria 2008
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Marc, my nephew and I drove to Paicines (elev 200ft) on HWY25 (Airline
Highway) just south of Hollister on Sunday morning 04 May 08 and
started riding at 8:20 heading south. As we rode on this "airline
straight" road, we saw the old road winding along contour lines to
various ranches. An amazing number of well kept vineyards lined the
road. The new alignment ended after about seven miles where the road
crosses the San Benito River, the river we would see again later, and
began climbing about 300ft to Bear Valley in the San Andreas Rift
Zone.

Bear Valley continues west to the Pinnacles State Park on HWY146
leaving us to make another small climb to Rabbit Valley. Both of
these valleys are broad and flat with occasional shallow dry lakes.
In the middle of Rabbit Valley I noticed stretch marks in the smooth
new asphalt road, something I recalled from my first ride to New Idria
years ago. These are series of parallel cracks crossing at about 15°
to the road centerline, with visible shearing between cracks. Sunday
was a classic motorcycle day with some highway racers going way above
the speed limit, 55mph on two lane roads in California. After the
fast guys about 100 Harley riders came by in an endless stream some of
whom I think we saw going the other way on our return to Paicines.

Although we intended to turn onto Old Hernandez Road after the
Pinnacles Park junction, we stayed on HWY25 partly because the road
sign was missing and partly because I was interested in HWY25 that I
recall riding many years ago. We continued to the JCT with HWY109,
Coalinga road, and climbed to cross Buck Ridge at (2116ft), descending
to the San Benito River in the Lorenzo Vasquez Canyon (1767ft) from
which Coalinga Rd. climbs gradually at first and then makes several
hairpin turns climbing steeply to a summit at 2907ft. before
descending to Hernandez Reservoir, on the San Benito River. From here
it's a flat one mile run to a concrete paved ford to the entrance of
rocky Clear Creek Road.

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=12&Z=10&X=867&Y=5032&W=3

Here we discovered why we hadn't seen any of the usual pickup trucks
loaded with dirt motos. It seems the Clear Creek Facility was
permanently closed to all on 01 May 08 because after about thirty
years of use it was designated as dangerously contaminated with
asbestos. We were turned back by a BLM agent and San Benito County
Sheriff at the concrete ford. We had no alternative but to head back,
so we took Old Hernandez Rd. and found the return route to be two
miles longer than the way we came... but with far less climbing.

We can always say we planned it that way so we could see both routes.
Just the same, I got a few good photos of snakes, flowers, and an
earthquake fissure on HWY25 and some birds. Among birds we saw
bullocks orioles, black headed grosbeaks, meadowlarks and many western
kingbirds. I'm glad that I have Bill Bushnell's pictures and ride
report to fill in the Clear Creek and New Idria part that we didn't
see this time.

On the return, after Old Hernandez Road we were back on HWY25 and on a
short hill right after the junction traffic was blocked by all sorts
of emergency vehicles, flagmen and a helicopter waiting to take two
injured motorcyclists, whose bike lay near the road, to a clinic.
After waiting a bit we backtracked a short distance where we could
climb a gate into an adjoining pasture and hike over the hill past the
blockage. After that we had an empty road for a few miles.

The whole ride was 96 miles and 7100ft climbing.

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=16&Z=10&X=53&Y=315&W=3
http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=12&Z=10&X=873&Y=5032&W=3
http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=12&Z=10&X=882&Y=5035&W=3

Bushnell ride report pictures:

http://tinyurl.com/4umos4
http://tinyurl.com/3hwv94
http://tinyurl.com/5kdsnf <-- new

The news:

http://tinyurl.com/578u8m
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14777479
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Jobst Brandt