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A Tour of the Irvine Company North Ranch Donation

By Chris Vargas

      Pete Vidmar and I were invited by Trish Smith and Debra Clark to take a tour of the new Irvine Company North Ranch donation.  We readily agreed and a date was set for the tour.

      We met at the Nature Conservancy Headquarters off Irvine Boulevard in Tustin early on a Friday morning.  Debra Clark lead Peter and me on this tour.  Trish Smith left ahead of us on a tour with Orange County Parks Officials Kevin Thomas, Vicki Wilson and others.

      We were soon off, entering the North Ranch through Irvine Park.  Our first stop was an area behind the Irvine Lake Dam that was a storage area for coal mined on the ranch.  Along with mining, this area was also used to graze cattle.

      We continued our tour following the main dirt road that cuts through the area.  This road is extremely steep and loose in sections, with very little protection from the sun.  Debra explained how they have a designated stopping point for those visiting who are who are not as experienced in hiking or biking.  They turn them around to prevent them from continuing further and biting off more than they can chew.  Debra stated they plan on adding more trails once a complete study is done of the area.

      We saw several interesting sights, including a wind speed station.  Some of the fastest Santa Ana winds are clocked here due to the way Fremont Canyon serves as a release valve for high pressure inland.

      We also visited an old low-grade coal mining location that was used mostly for the new railroad that came to this area early in its history.  The mining seemed to be done in an open pit style.

      We viewed the area that was recently burned earlier this year.  Since this area is home to a large grove of the rare Tecate Cypress tree, this fire burned many. However, the Tecate Cypress needs fire to germinate its seeds, not unlike other plant and trees species.  Debra said that part of the requirement of the tour was to smell the leaves of the Cypress, which Pete and I gladly did.

      We drove down into Fremont Canyon and as we came up the other side, we spotted a few deer, including a doe, which scrambled up and out of our way.  We paused to not frighten them and to give them time to return to the brush and hide.

      At a certain rocky point, Pete had us take a picture of him doing a handstand.  This is a tradition with Peter; he's done handstands all over the world.  We got to talking about how lucky we were to live in the United States.  Pete, a Gold Medal Olympic Gymnast, shared some of his experiences in Communist countries.

      He shared the fear the citizens had when speaking with them, afraid they would be reported.  They asked for books, a very brave thing to do in a country that heavily censored what the public read.  He met a mechanic, in what I believe was Romania, who loves Ford Mustangs, but did not own a car.  The only people who owned cars were government officials.  It really struck us how lucky we are to live in the United States with all the freedoms we have.

      We ended the tour climbing out of Fremont and were blessed with a beautiful view of Irvine Lake.  It was a great tour and we are very thankful to the Trish Smith and Debra Clark for inviting us on it.

      We also thank the Irvine Company who has donated roughly half their land to the public, about 50,000 acres.  It is our hope that this precious gift will be managed not only to protect it, but also to allow the public access to it.  From the looks of it they are well on their way.     

Tribute to Jim Rose

By John Greenly 

      Inspiration comes in many different forms throughout life.  It comes from family, friends, colleagues, and in some instances from people that we have never met or ridden with.  Many of us enjoy and have little time to give back to an activity that we often take for granted. 

      The positive impact from someone who gives, supports, and dedicates a portion of their life to such a cause continues even after they have gone.  The impact goes beyond helping to build trails, foster good relations with the local rangers, leading by example for family and friends alike.  It continues to those who see or benefit from the action of these unsung heroes (if you will).

      This realization hit me today as I went for a memorial ride for Jim.  A man I have never met but felt compelled to give back to someone that has done so much for a sport that I have been involved with almost my entire life.

      I sat in the parking lot of El Moro looking at my wounds from my Sunday ride and wondered what difference I would have on this world when I am gone.  I did my usual pre-ride ritual and took off to the top of "No Dogs."  On the ride up I intently listed to birds chirping, the serenity of the ocean breeze and the rising sun.

      When I arrived at the top, I looked out and gazed at the vast nothingness and tranquility of being so removed from traffic, my own demons, and enjoyed the effect from so many peoples hard dedicated work for the trails and access rights of bikers.  There was silence. 

      I sat at the top of the hill looking out over the ocean with silence thinking of all the positive aspects from each person that has ever volunteered to help do trail work, race support, trail patrol, and more.  Today, I was thinking of one person that stood out and was a leader in that quest, that vision.  Jim Rose.

      As I thought of all these wonderful things that people do for one another (often times for the rights of people they do not know) I thought to myself what a beautiful way to be remembered.  As a person that gave of himself, for others and a sport/way of life that will continue on in memory of each that has given of themselves.

      My warmest wishes to your family.  Godspeed Jim.

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