Scenic Drive Closures

Click image to enlarge.

Scenic Sunday will continue this week and for the weeks to come in spite of construction that will shut down the Richmond and Louisville entrances from Alabama. Here's what the press release from El Paso Water says:

"Starting Monday, August 14, El Paso Water will close Scenic Drive from Wheeling Avenue to Alabama to all traffic for several weeks to complete the next phase of the Kentucky Dam stormwater improvement project.

"Additionally, small portions of neighboring streets will be restricted to local traffic during construction:

• Streets between Scenic Drive and Alabama
• Streets between Wheeling Avenue and Altura Avenue

"Drivers will still be able to enter and exit Scenic Drive by detouring around the closure on Alabama Street and turning west onto Wheeling Avenue."

Spread the word.

"The $3.9 million project will help reduce flooding in Central El Paso. The project will increase the capacity of nearby ponds and add piping that keeps water off the streets by directing stormwater into the dam. Additionally, the project will improve service in the area by replacing water and wastewater lines."

To the A

On Sunday, August 26, at 7 a.m., we are hiking to the top of the mountain with the big letter “A” on it. The starting point is where Memphis Avenue dead ends into the mountain at a dam and the intersection of Memphis, Kentucky and Mayfield Terrace on the southeastern side of the Franklins in the neighborhood just north of Scenic Drive and Richmond Avenue. (Map) Our plan is just to hike to the top of this red bluff granite formation on which sits the largest known graffiti in El Paso. I will be documenting the environmental damage caused by maintaining the A which, by the way, stands for my old high school, Austin. This is a moderate hike as it is all uphill. The trail to the A is good but we will be off trail and climbing just a bit to get to the top. The view is great so bring a camera. Do wear a hat and sunscreen and bring plenty of water. Again, this is an hour and a half or so out and back hike – great for your early morning stair steps.  Beginning hikers can do this. We won’t rush. This is not a race. Just a chance to climb a very familiar peak and enjoy the scenery. Bring plenty of water. Wear sunscreen and a hat.

On Sunday morning there is another event that many of you may prefer over a climb to “A” peak:  Rosario Walton is leading a backwards then forwards walk over Scenic Drive beginning at 6:30 a.m. The meeting place will be the west side at Scenic and Robinson. (Map) You read that correctly: backwards! Walking backwards is something of a rage in Japan and parts of Europe. There are physical benefits and mental as well. Here’s a testimonial video.  Get details of Rosario’s event here.

Remember that Scenic Drive is closed every Sunday morning from 6 to 11 a.m.  It’s a 4.1 mile hike from one side to the other. This walk takes in a dazzling panorama of El Paso and Juarez and a display of 500 million year old fossils! It’s a good recreational walk and can be done in an hour and a half.

Next Thursday, August 30 at 7 a.m. we will return to McKelligon Canyon and hike to the Electra Crash Site. Meet at end of McKelligon Canyon Road at the start of the Ron Coleman trail. (Map is to Ranger Station, 1331 McKelligon Canyon Rd., almost at the end of the Road.) We are in the Franklin Mountain State Park so use your park pass or pay a $5 per person fee at the iron ranger at the beginning of the Ron Coleman Trail. We will do a simple hike up a very lovely arroyo to a spot just above the crash site and then return. This is a moderate hike and should take no more than one and a half hours.  Do bring plenty of water (liter and a half at least), wear a hat and sunscreen. Wear good hiking shoes or boots. There is no trail. Be careful driving in and out of the canyon at this time in the morning. Herds of Ft. Bliss soldiers walk, march, do whatever they do up and down the canyon road.

The plane has been identified as a Lockheed C-40A (aka Lockheed Electra Junior) probably from the US Army Air Corp pictured above. The plane was built from the 1930s to 1941 although there are still some crafts in use today.

Our hike from the Kenyon Joyce Trailhead yesterday turned into something very fun. Not only did we have horticultural experts John White and Brent Pearson on board, we also were joined by hiking legend, Karl Putnam. Karl played the Pied Piper and took us into the canyon where lies the “corkscrew of death” – a steep drop along the canyon floor that requires some thought and careful maneuvering. Karl carefully coached each one of us down the drop. Afterwards he led us to an out pocket high above in the canyon wall.  You can view a few photos of our adventure.

There are so many great, organized hikes now. Just check out El Paso Hiking Group, Guadalupe Mountains National Park Meetup Group,  Las Cruces & El Paso Adventurists, Celebration of Our Mountains and Peak Fitness Challenge – just to begin with.

Finally, Sergeant Major Judy recommends using two pairs of hiking footwear at a time. Rotate them after each hike so that you never use the same pair consecutively.  (I recommend that you change socks after each hike too.)

Excelsior!

Scenic Drive Tagged and Trashed

Click on image to enlarge. Then weep.

Photo by Vallarie Enriquez, Vantage Point Visual Studios, Inc.

Last Sunday morning people attending the Celebration of Our Mountains' "A Walk through Time" on Scenic Drive as well as the regular Scenic Sunday crowd were shocked to find the amount and size of tagging on the strata above Scenic Point and Murchison Park. Along with the tagging were piles of garbage (not just trash) above and below Murchison Park. (Pictures)

Along with pictures, I emailed officials on Monday:

When El Pasoans, their guests, visitors and tourists go to Scenic Drive (a spot that we have pointed to with pride so often in the past), they will now find the once beautiful rock stratas above Murchison Park/Scenic Point heavily tagged. Some of the tagging is obscene. If they take a short hike up and to the other side of the strata ridge, they will find more. What greets people now is what you see in these pictures. (I have higher res photos as well.) If anyone peeks over the side of the walls above and surrounding Murchison Park, they will see piles of not just trash but garbage.

This issue is not just a District One or District Two issue. It is an issue for all El Pasoans. The length of Scenic is strewn with beer cans and condoms. I took the above pictures today after General Services had cleaned the areas near the trash cans. I can tell you though that, yesterday when we had our Celebration event, the evidence of the weekend partying was all about.

I suggest that, if the EPPD is so stretched out that they cannot stop the drunkenness that results in chunks of the Scenic Drive walls from being gouged out on a regular almost weekly basis now by intoxicated drivers and they cannot stop the littering and tagging and make a real effort to do so, perhaps they can be assisted by the County Sheriff. If both cannot put a stop to it, perhaps the Commander of Ft. Bliss should be asked for his help by deputizing some of his troops. If we really crackdown over a month or two of weekends, much of this will finally be stopped. As it is now, the tagging, the garbage, the consumption of alcohol and the misbehavior is done with impunity and with the result of a Scenic Drive becoming a place of shame for all El Pasoans and not a place of beauty.

If it isn’t stopped, then we should all be ashamed to take anyone visiting our homes and our City on a tour of Scenic Drive.

I hope to get a response. Believe me – I will pursue this until the problem is permanently corrected.

Jim H. Tolbert

Representative Byrd responded as did Representative Ann Lilly's office which followed-up by working with General Services and other departments in the City. General Services is in the process of developing a volunteer page for groups to help clean-up Scenic. One wonders what has happened with Walgreen's which has seemingly disappeared from Scenic although they have a sign posted about their efforts to keep it clean. As much of the tagging was done on privately owned land (if you can believe that our mountains have private owners - much of the southern area is so owned), Environmental Services became involved as the issue became a matter of code compliance.

Clean-up began almost immediately. Sadly, clean-up cannot be the final solution.

Unfortunately the one person who has failed to respond to my email and is also missing in action is the Chief of the El Paso Police Department, Gregory Allen. I'm glad that volunteers will help clean-up the Drive and I'm grateful to all El Paso taxpayers for funding anti-graffiti efforts. However, shouldn't those who tag and trash bear the responsibility and shouldn't they be held accountable? The only department in the City who can significantly change the behavior of those whose mayhem mars our mountains is the Police Department. They should be out in force weekend after weekend, handing out tickets, stopping the public drinking that is increasingly leading to punctured walls along the Drive, making arrests, bringing to justice those who need to change their behavior and who need to be required by courts to clean-up their filth. No response yet from Chief Allen. Zilch. Zero. Nada.

Just in Time for the Windy Season

Because City of El Paso General Services retrofitted trash bins on Scenic Drive . . .

. . . there will be less trash to clean-up on Scenic Drive. (Picture of Rep. Susie Byrd participating in a recent Scenic Drive clean-up.)

Thanks to the City of El Paso General Services trash along Scenic Drive is already decreasing.

There has already been plenty of evidence that El Paso is entering its windy Spring months. One of the terrible consequences of El Paso's high winds is the amount of trash blown out of the trash bins along Scenic Drive - until now.

Previously the bins had no lids; the plastic liners were not secured and plastic bags full of loose trash were at the mercy of winds that would push from below the bins. No longer. The General Services Director of El Paso went to work recently and had his crews retrofit the bins.

"We've secured the can lids on Scenic Drive," Director Stuart Ed reported. "There is an internal latch on the side of the cans and an external latch on the opposite side. We've also added internal plastic liners to prevent the wind from blowing the garbage up and then out."

Now that General Services manages "problems" such as this one in our City Parks, improvements - not excuses - are being made.

For making our environment much better: Thank you, Mr. Ed! (The "E" is long actually as in "he".)

Internal plastic liners and secure lids keep the trash in especially during high winds.

Scenic Sundays Move to 7 AM

Representative Beto O'Rourke strolling with family at the recent Scenic Sunday "Walk through Time" event

Beginning this Sunday, October 4, Scenic Sundays will run from 7 a.m. until Noon. The new time will be in effect until next spring.

Scenic Sunday is a year-round program sponsored by District 2 of the City of El Paso and the Newman Park Neighborhood Association. Scenic Drive is closed to all vehicular traffic from Richmond to Rim/Robinson during the posted hours. El Paso Police Department officers are on hand to block the road to vehicles and provide security for all participants.

District 2 Representative Susie Byrd says: "Now that the weather is cooler, it's a a great opportunity to get outside, get some exercise and enjoy the views of El Paso."

Most Sunday mornings Byrd is found walking along Scenic Drive.