I just received a telephone call from a reputable source telling me that 101 is closed north of Dean Creek. Any information would be helpful.
Addendum: Kym has confirmed with the CHP
Second addendum:
Thanks to Kym
ROUTE 101 CLOSED NORTH OF GARBERVILLE DUE TO MUDSLIDE
Eureka – Caltrans has announced that Route 101 in Southern Humboldt County
is closed due to a large mudslide approximately one mile north of Dean
Creek. Caltrans crews are currently onsite and assessing the situation.
No estimated time of opening is currently available. Caltrans will issue
another update by 2:00 PM today.
Motorists are advised to use an alternate route. For the most current road
information on all State highways, please call 1-800-427-7623
(1-800-GAS-ROAD) or visit www.dot.ca.gov.
Also, KMUD has photos, as does Kym through the link above (including an aerial photo provided by Mark Lovelace).
Third addendum: Thanks to Matthew Owen for forwarding to me some of the photographs which have been posted on other blogs. This one from the CHP says it all. Click on it to enlarge.
Fourth addendum: Hank Sims has maps and analysis of the alternate routes. Thanks to Sohum Awareness for the link.
Fifth addendum: The latest information I’m getting of one-way traffic on 101 is Monday morning.
Sixth addendum: Kym reports that they’ve punched through an emergency road.
Sohum Parlance II 
23 comments
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March 30, 2011 at 9:29 am
dave
Here you go Kirk,
http://www.davesblogcentral.com/
March 30, 2011 at 9:32 am
Ed Denson
From Caltrans site
US 101
[IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
NO TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS ARE REPORTED FOR THIS AREA.
[IN THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AREA]
NO TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS ARE REPORTED FOR THIS AREA.
[IN THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
IS CLOSED 4.7 MI NORTH OF GARBERVILLE (HUMBOLDT CO) – DUE TO A MUDSLIDE –
MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE
10:32 Wed am.
March 30, 2011 at 9:46 am
Eric Kirk
Oh, THAT Dave. Thanks.
March 30, 2011 at 9:48 am
Eric Kirk
I’m hearing that it could be closed for as long as a week, but I don’t think the information there yet. There are of course two alternative routes, neither of which is really attractive in the winter.
March 30, 2011 at 10:17 am
Heraldo
CHP now says it will be closed for a minimum of two weeks.
March 30, 2011 at 10:21 am
Ed Denson
The situation really makes me wish they had gotten the railroad back into operation. I could just stroll down to the station and hop a train to my medical treatment today. Now I’ll have to take an alternate route, and I hope no one else knows about the one I am picking.
March 30, 2011 at 10:38 am
Fred
Ed wrote, The situation really makes me wish they had gotten the railroad back into operation..
The railroad was subject to as many, or more, landslides and other obstructions than the freeway, from what I understand.
March 30, 2011 at 11:12 am
Eric Kirk
There are rumors of Dyerville Loop road being closed, but in the past I’ve heard such rumors about Belle Springs Road which were not true which I believe were spread by locals who understandably didn’t want the increased traffic.
March 30, 2011 at 12:12 pm
Anonymous
anyone that’s on facebook, check out facebook link to SoHum Awareness. Estelle Fennell has been posting current info on that 101 slide. I had no idea that there even was a slide and i checked out SoHum Awareness and found out just in time before I got on the road to head north for my classes. (wish these classes were on line)
March 30, 2011 at 1:40 pm
Kym Kemp
Eric, the Dyerville Loop is opened to one way controlled traffic now. But they had to plow it open this morning. Thanks County!
March 30, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Plain Jane
Lost Coast Outpost has a great slide show from Cal Trans. It truly is massive and looks like it’s been there for years with all the greenery.
March 30, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Eric Kirk
No Pepsi for Eureka! I saw the truck in the Raye’s parking lot. Earlier the truck driver was dumping off some extra Pepsi supplies for Garberville, then heading south.
March 30, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Eric Kirk
Just returned from the Post Office and the mail is going out – to Petaluma – presumably then up 5 and over 199. I guess anything sent from Nohum, or Miranda, has to take the same route in reverse.
March 30, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Anonymous
don’t any of you people go to kmud for information? they have great photos on their website, and have been broadcasting information all day about this incident.
March 30, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Eric Kirk
I’m hearing from a solid source that the estimate of time to clear at least some vehicle passage is two to three days. Certainly good news if true.
March 30, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Bolithio
Man! That is crazy! There have been lots of big slides in the woods this year. In fact after that last rain I know of two other earthflows that kicked off in big ways. All that melange around redway-garberville is moving – just add water!
March 30, 2011 at 6:17 pm
ED Denson
Took the Alderpoint Rd to Bridgeville, 36 to 101 today to get medical treatment. It took about 2 hours to get to my Eureka destination, but I drove faster than was good for the car. The road is a mess. There are several 1 way stretches and a great many gravel areas, some large potholes, some subsidences, and at least one point where the NB lane goes over a slide that never got cleaned up. Nothing larger than a pickup truck should attempt this road, I think. One major problem: there is almost nowhere to pass and if you get behind a slow pickup full of firewood with a driver unaware of you, you can go very slow for a very long time.
March 30, 2011 at 10:17 pm
Eric Kirk
Matt Owen forwarded this from someone with the County.
Report from July East (CalTrans) – They are looking at 2-3 days to open to one way controlled traffic if all goes well.
The slide is 600 feet wide and extends 1,500 feet above the road and is still moving.
Traffic on Dyerville Loop road is a mess. ‘We have closed the Garberville end and may in fact have to shut this road down.
March 30, 2011 at 10:56 pm
Anonymous
Welcome to life in the country!
March 31, 2011 at 6:42 am
anon
Is there 101 netlink service out there.
It would be great to have a webcam set up.
we could monitor in real time.
Cyber tech is like everything—the more we get, the more we want.
March 31, 2011 at 7:40 am
Dave Kirby
I drove home from Garberville to Miranda at 3:15 yesterday via Ettersburg,Honeydew and Bull Creek. 1 hour to Honeydew, 2 hours to 101 at Founders Grove. Total time to Miranda 2 hrs. 20 min. Contrary to some reports there was not a lot of traffic and no delays. The road from Ettersburg to Honeydew is in its usual wet season condition…shitty but passable. Potholes aplenty and several places where the road had started to drop out. Still snow on the side of road at Panther Gap. The worst stretch of potholes turns out to be that real narrow section thru the Rockefeller Forest just before you reach 101. I was driving a Camry and scraped bottom a few times but nothing serious. Only saw one big rig on the road a Conway freighter.
March 31, 2011 at 9:52 am
Eric Kirk
Kym reports that they’ve punched through an emergency road.
April 1, 2011 at 8:24 am
skippy
Today’s Times-Standard article is in, Caltrans: ‘Cautiously optimistic’ U.S. Highway 101 will open to one-way traffic Sunday by Thadeus Greenson and Donna Tam
and another article about Dave’s son, Nathan, ‘Seeing and hearing the landslide up close; a forgotten clipboard may have saved a life’ by Thadeus Greenson
Thadeus writes,
“Plainly, Nathan Stancliff has never liked the route. Though he’s driven his Delreka Distributing truck from Eureka to Garberville once a week for several months to deliver to Southern Humboldt grocery stores, he’s always done so a bit nervously. “I’ve told everyone that I don’t like this route because I feel there’s going to be a landslide,” Stancliff said Thursday..”
That was one lucky clipboard and a good day considering, Nathan. Glad you’re OK.
You can read more of this story in Thadeus’ piece here or at Dave Stancliff’s ‘As It Stands’ website on the left sidebar under North Coast blogs.