September 9th Condor Run

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Eric Johnson plotted an incredible drive for us to enjoy. We will start out in Westlake Village and cruise up through Ventura, Ojai, then through the Los Padres National Forest and the Sespe Condor Reserve Cerro Noroeste is a mountain located in Southern California's Kern County, a mile north of the Ventura County border. It is located a few miles southwest of the community of Pine Mountain Club, at an elevation of 8,280+ feet (2,524+ m). The mountain is located in the Los Padres National Forest. It is surrounded by the Chumash Wilderness to the south and west, though the peak itself is not actually within the wilderness (since it is approached by a paved, public-access roadway). The name Cerro Noroeste means 'northwest mountain'. It was formerly known as Mount Abel in honor of former Kern County supervisor Stanley Abel.[5] The summit can be reached by taking Cerro Noroeste Road, Forest Route 9N27. The road is closed every winter after the first or second snow. It usually is reopened in May though there can still be substantial snow from heavy winters. Located near the summit are Campo Alto campground[6] and a radio tower. Sespe Condor Sanctuary is a 53,000-acre (210 km2) wildlife refuge in the Los Padres National Forest. The United States Forest Service established the sanctuary in 1947 for the California condor, which is an endangered species and the largest living bird in North America.[1] For visitors, the sanctuary has a public-access corridor near Dough Flat.[2] On 14 January 1992, two captive-bred California condors and two Andean Condors were released into the Sespe Condor Sanctuary, overlooking the Sespe Creek, near Fillmore, California. This was done by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, the lead office for the California Condor Recovery Program. These captive bred condors thrived in the wild and have begun to reproduce freely.[3][dead link] Before the sanctuary was established, numerous condors were killed by power line collisions. In order to circumvent this mishap, the captive condors were treated with "mock power poles" through the power pole aversion program. These poles emitted mild shocks when landed upon. They quickly learned to avoid power poles, which has significantly reduced their mortality rate. Meeting place : 9:00 am Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, 968 S. Westlake Blvd, Westlake Village Lunch at J&B Grill and BBQ in Frazier Park  You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Dale.Volz]

Sounds like a wonderful cruise. I'm jealous. The Arizona club should plan a run though our beautiful condor country - perhaps as a fundraiser in support of the reintroduction program. Have a great time and give the condors a wave for me.

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The only thing missing from this run was Hemotox !! Although he did "call in" during the run, so I guess that counts for something. You must be registered for see images This is probably one of the best driving road I have ever been on. The scenery changes from beginning to end were awesome and the combination of elevation changes, canyon turns and flat out wide open country roads gave us a great variety on this 2 1/2 hour cruise. Pictures are up on my site www.kouchicentral.com Here are just a few: You must be registered for see images attach You must be registered for see images attach You must be registered for see images attach You must be registered for see images attach You must be registered for see images attach You must be registered for see images attach You must be registered for see images attach Joel was Ready to EAT !!!