I start a new job next week so I decided to finally drive the 1 down from Santa Cruz. Got to stop at pfeiffer beach and swim without the crowd. Something I noticed was that the sand sparkles gold when you’re in the water.

I went camping at Kirk creek that night and I went to a store close by. The man behind the counter asked “where are you going?” “nowhere” I replied “that’s amazing” he said

Hi, I’m visiting the bay area this Thanksgiving week. I was thinking of bikepacking from Carmel to Pfeiffer state park, setup camp and bike unloaded to Lucia and back as a day ride (then ride back to Carmel)

But it seems like November could have some closures due to mud slides? Wondering if I should still keep my plan or pivot to somewhere else?

How sketchy is riding on hwy 1 this time of the year?

Visiting from the east coast, will bring my Trek Domane with me on 35mm gravel tires!

I am a former staff member/resident who wishes to remain anonymous. I just want to relay this letter to anyone who might be interested in what occurred here because it is not as simple as “closing for the winter”. People who have lived here decades and know how to run the property were unceremoniously let go with no warning, and the monks who expected to live here until death are being relocated, seemingly permanently, with no input into the unilateral decision. To sum it up, staff were left homeless and without pay or assistance for nearly a month, with the Plaskett fire being used as an excuse (despite only being in a warning zone), then the decision to close was made WHILE we were in limbo, then we were all fired. This was all done in the most callous, in-compassionate way possible which is not what you would expect of a Catholic institution.

“Dear Oblates friends, guests, donors, neighbors, and members of the wider Camaldolese and Catholic community,

I would like to take this opportunity to give you my perspective as a residential staff member on the recent events at NCH surrounding the evacuation and subsequent winter closure. I have been employed here, and have lived on the property, for many years and hold great affection for the monastery— which is why the fallout from the fire evacuation and subsequent mass-layoff was so disappointing. It is clear to me from my interactions with the monks here that they don’t have a clear picture of what has transpired at the hermitage since they have been gone. So, when referring to NCH or its leadership, I mean the prior, his secretary, the managerial staff  and not the larger monastic community or office staff.

I would like to start by saying the recently fired staff were some of the most reliable and dedicated I have seen in my 10 years here. They were always ready to do whatever was asked of them and genuinely enthusiastic about providing a well-functioning, harmonious environment for the monks and guests. The employees affected by this closure were the people who cooked meals, cleaned rooms, welcomed guests, maintained buildings and infrastructure, cared for the grounds, and helped make possible the place that generations of visitors have cherished as a spiritual retreat. It gives me no pleasure to say this, but the way the staff have been treated during this period is truly shocking. I have no personal interest in the legality of this, but am more concerned about how the NCH leadership’s treatment of staff doesn’t conform with Christian values and basic decency; Catholic social doctrine as it relates to employees of the church is not about simply meeting the legal bare minimum, but includes moral responsibility and concern for human dignity. The stories I am sharing are not the grievances of disgruntled, problematic workers looking for drama, it is just what I saw happen to people who thought they were an important part of the NCH community. 

On October 1, 2026, the entire residential staff of NCH, representing a combined 90 years of service, were informed that their employment was ending immediately as part of the Hermitage's winter closure staffing plan. There was no offer from the leadership of NCH to have the staff prepare the property and get things in order for the winter closure. There were no mentions in the termination letter of a return to work on the event that the hermitage reopens in spring or even an offer to reapply at such time. It turned out that the winter staffing plan didn’t include a single member of the current residential staff. Resident employees were given 30 days to leave; no severance, no help, financial or otherwise, for relocation, and no word from the prior. Many of the staff affected have no vehicles to leave, including the head of maintenance who has been living and working at NCH for 39 years. They weren’t even offered a ride to the bus stop.

Everyone on staff understands the sustainability concerns given the age and health of the monastic community, the remote location and the threats of road closures and no one expected the hermitage to be opened in perpetuity. 

As many of you know, New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur was evacuated by the prior, Fr. Ignatius Tully, in relation to the Plaskett Fire. When the evacuation order was given to the staff by the prior, there was no clear plan, no sense of when we might return or if everyone had transportation to evacuate, or a place to evacuate to. One staff member, who had managed to get a ride with a guest to Monterey, requested to stay at Incarnation Monastery in Berkeley and was told there was no room and should find another option. She had to evacuate to another state at her own expense. No effort was made to help staff who had no place to go find shelter. One staff member went to a hotel under the assumption that he would be returning home within a few days, but, as the weeks drug on, was forced to camp outside of San Luis Obispo in order to keep enough money to return to his parents in Florida. He had to walk two hours into town each way to get basic provisions, while living in a tent. He, like all of the staff, were kept in a state of limbo, unable to access their property, This was completely unnecessary. to be clear that there was never any imminent fire danger as the hermitage was at no time in an evacuation zone, we were in an alert zone. The fire was never within 8 miles of the property. Two staff members (including the head of maintenance), who had seen the hermitage through fires before, stayed behind of their own initiative feeling there was no danger. They were never at any point asked to sign safety waivers. That is because there was no actual danger.

Nevertheless, most of the staff evacuated in good faith assuming the leadership was being cautious, although none would have evacuated on their own accord. Again, the hermitage was never in an evacuation zone. In the coming weeks the staff would continually be denied access to their homes and property, including medicine. It’s not clear that a single person in our zone that evacuated and even though Highway 1 was open from the north as far south as Pleasant Valley; tourists were able drive to the hermitage as early as September 3rd, staff wouldn’t officially be invited back for 20 days only after pleading and finally demanding an actual reason in writing why they were made homeless.

What was the situation for staff like during the evacuation? The NCH newsletter of September 4th said that the staff were “safe and being well taken care of.” This was partially true, the staff were safe in that they were never in any danger from the fire in the first place, but, in no sense was NCH leadership taking care of its staff. The staff were in complete limbo and could get no actionable information about the situation. Communication to staff  from the NCH leadership was sporadic, vague and as time went on, increasingly legalistic. I can understand not wanting to give misleading information to the staff about a return to work and normal operations but it almost seemed that they simply were not interested in the hardship the evacuation was causing. Attempts to get basic information were met with no concrete information. Typical exchanges went something like this:

NCH: We will do an assessment when we have access to the property.
Staff: What is preventing access? The road is open.
NCH: no response
Staff: What assessments need to be done?
NCH: We want to check the condition of the property, water, and the freezers.
Staff: When do you intend to do that?
NCH: As soon as we are able.
Staff: When will that be?
NCH: As soon as we are able.

To be clear, the head of maintenance, who had never left the property, could have done this assessment at any time. He was there, drinking the water, utilizing the electricity from the generator and watching as all the fresh food (in the perfectly functioning walk-in) went to waste. He was never contacted to do an assessment for reasons that are still unclear later. Everyone knew that the road was open, the property was never threatened and an assessment could have been made at any time. Imagine weeks into being an evacuated staff member, imposing on a disabled relative, and having to try to answer their reasonable questions as to why you are still on their couch and having to say, “I have no idea why?” And having them respond, “I thought these were Christians?”

18 days into the evacuation, Fr. Ignatius e-mailed staff to inform us that the monastic community had been engaged “for some months” in a review of the future sustainability of New Camaldoli, a process he said had “begun well before the present fires.” He explained that decisions about reopening, recalling staff, and even “residential occupancy” would now depend not simply on fire conditions (which were of no threat), but also on the continuing institutional review. What no one could understand was why we had to be effectively homeless while what was going to be an ongoing, months long conversation? If the prior knew they were planning on closing while they figured out the future, why put people through all the stress and financial strain? Why was it so important to keep residential staff off the property?   

Obviously, no one on the staff feels that they should be privy to internal monastic affairs, but, you can imagine how this information, the first we’d heard of it, was received by the already distressed staff. That distress was made worse the next day when staff received notice that they would be paid all accrued vacation time, which is usually done at the end of employment. It was never clear as to why the staff couldn’t be on site while these decisions were being made, they knew there were no safety issues. At this point reservations for October had not been cancelled and if the hermitage were to reopen they would need the staff there. If the prior (who was the sole decision maker so far as staff was aware) knew they were going to close, why wouldn’t he have invited the staff to return and help close the property down? They were well aware some members of the staff were facing homelessness and all were in complete limbo, unable to make basic decisions about their precarious future. Staff reached out to him politely asking for concrete information over this time- none was given and some received no reply at all. 

On September 15th the prior addressed the issue of hardship and uncertainty by telling staff that they were free to seek other work as their circumstances demanded and that NCH would write them a letter of recommendation. Of course, if staff quit, they would not be entitled to unemployment benefits that could help with the financial strain that evacuating them had already caused. If you weren’t willing to quit, you were free to remain in limbo with no home and no income until some unspecified time when he would decide if you could access your home and personal property (including medicine), which again, had been completely unsecured for 20 days. Most staff had never been given keys to their residence and because there was no evacuation plan, no measures were taken to secure their belongings. 

This same September 15th email also announced that the prior was happy to report that an initial assessment had been done and, “the property seems to have come through well!” Of course it had, again, two staff who had been living there the entire time, the fire was never near the hermitage, anyone reading this could have driven to the hermitage on September 3rd and no one we are aware of in the area ever left. NCH leadership were using this as an excuse to keep the staff and perhaps the other monks away.

This kind of gaslighting was crazy-making for staff whose future was hanging in the balance. We’d been told to apply for unemployment  while we were on temporary leave, but, unemployment mails documents to your home address, which was the hermitage, where we weren’t allowed to go for some reason (even though staff were receiving notifications that their packages were being delivered mere days after the evacuation). 

One staff member who had evacuated to Coconut Creek returned to the hermitage on the evening of September 16th to get medicine from his residence and happened to pull in at the same time as the prior’s secretary. The secretary did not ask this person where he had been and how he was doing, he asked if the prior knew he was there and suggested he inform the prior. When the staff member emailed the prior asking if it would be okay to stay the night, as he wasn’t feeling well after the long drive, he was told by the prior it was okay to stay given the circumstances, but he was to leave in the morning.

Starting on September 16th, individual staff requested to return– the ones who wrote letters demanding to know the legal or safety basis for being denied access to their property were sent cold legal replies granting access to return. These form replies included the phrase “after consulting legal counsel” which indicated they were consulting legal to find out if they were legally required to let staff return. Staff who wrote letters without that language did not receive a response at all. Some staff hesitated to demand return to their housing because they feared it would mean an end to their employment.

On September 18th staff requested a zoom meeting with the prior with hopes of clarity about the situation and were told “he received the request and was very willing to have a meeting once he was in a position to give a substantive update.” This meeting would never be granted.

On September 23rd, NCH granted all residential staff permission to access their homes and property with an impersonal form letter making it clear that it wasn’t a recall to work.

On September 25th the prior announced the winter closure, saying that he would give an update the following week about the closure staffing plan. That would be the last communication the prior would offer. He individually never reached out to any of the affected staff to enquire about their wellbeing during the entire period of these events. 

The next update would come not from him, but the CFO on October 1st announcing all residential staff were to be terminated effective immediately. We were all given 30 days to leave our residences. 

Finally, there has been the situation since the staff was allowed to return. Returning home did not mean returning to normal living conditions for staff. Benefits we normally relied on while living in such remote location began to be slowly taken away. 

Since the entire residential staff was on temporary leave, we were expressly forbidden to work- the job of preparing the grounds for closure was to be carried out by the recently hired operations manager who lives off site in the area. As the staff returned, securing the property became the number one priority. Keys to golf carts were removed, common areas were locked. Keep in mind, since the evacuation the entire property, including the staff’s residences and property, were completely unsecured and since the road was open, anyone could have wandered up to the hermitage. Tourists and hikers come up all the time and there is a history of people stealth camping on the property and sleeping in unoccupied rooms. To the returning staff, it seemed that the property was being secured from them.

The employee handbook states that resident staff are “entitled to receive one tank of gasoline per month for their personal vehicle.” However, when one employee sought to use his monthly gasoline allowance during this time to go to the emergency room, he found the operations manager had changed the lock on the communal gas tank. When he asked for a few gallons to get to the doctor, he was told by the operations manager that “He was no longer entitled to gasoline. The only things NCH was required to provide was electricity, propane and running water.” The great irony is that this employee's residence didn’t have running water at the time. Keep in mind he was still employed with NCH and requested the operation manager to put in a work order to fix it. She said she’d check, but never got back to him. Would it have mattered? The entire maintenance department was on temporary leave like everyone else with explicit orders not to work. Plus, they were about to fire him in a few days. At the time of writing, he is still living in his residence with no running water as he tries to figure out where will go at the end of the month. This is a man in his 70s, as were a number of other terminated staff. In case you think that this act of seeming cruelty falls on the operations manager, know that before refusing this man the gasoline, she said she had to ask someone above her. The only people above the operations manager  are the prior and the CFO (who answers to the prior). 

As the terminated staff scramble to find new work and new shelter in their allotted 30 days, NCH has taken steps that have made life for those remaining very difficult and seems cruel by any standard and baffling for a religious organization. Beginning the day after the staff was terminated, NCH leadership began throwing out perfectly good food rather than offering it to the remaining staff, many of whom don’t have transportation to get to the nearest grocery store that is over an hour away. When asked why they were throwing out open bottles of condiments, for instance, staff were told, “tomorrow is garbage day.” Recently, they were told the communal walk-in refrigerator and freezer would be turned off the week ending October 11th. When asked for a specific day, staff were told, “they’d let us know.” When asked for a reason, staff were told it was “to save electricity.” Staff are allowed to stay until October 31st. It seems they are expected to try and fit enough food into the minifridge in their cells to last 20 days.

If you are wondering if the financial situation here is so dire that it would be cost prohibitive to keep the walk-in cooler on or allow a sick member of the former staff a tank of gas to get to the doctor, please know that the outside contracted landscaping company that costs $5000 dollars a month is still here every week.

Lastly, what has happened to the head of maintenance perfectly illustrates the callousness the NCH leadership has shown in how they have handled this whole situation. For 39 years he has worked to maintain and protect the hermitage through every slide, fire and emergency that has happened during his time here. He is the person who has dug the graves for the many of the monks who have died here. In many ways he exemplifies the life of a hermit as an example of simplicity and humble service. He had an understanding with the previous prior that he would be able to retire on the property. He, as of this writing, has 23 days to vacate the home he built and figure out where he’s going to go next. 

It is important to communicate his situation because as the NCH September newsletter emphasized to its readers that the hermitage was not closing permanently and that “the property would be cared for and its essential systems and infrastructure would be maintained.” You’d think that the perfect candidate for that job would be the head of maintenance; who lives on site, knows the systems, has relationships with all the contractors, can operate every piece of equipment on the grounds and has lived on the property for 39 years.
The September newsletter also, somewhat misleadingly stated “the hermitage came through the fires with no significant damage.” The truth is even better, the hermitage came through with no damage at all because it wasn’t ever in danger, which raises the question, why did this have to happen the way it did? Why were the staff involved made to suffer needlessly?”

heyo!

i want to camp in julia pfieffer big sur state park in mid-november for a couple of days - but i'm seeing that reserve california has campsites available to book... even though the park is closed? i haven't seen any opening-day-estimates, but knowing big sur i imagine it would be longer than expected.

is this a risk worth booking? thoughts?? prayers???

for the love of the game, this beautiful land.

Molera Night to day timelapse

i’ve never ran this marathon or do i live in California. i found this shirt at the bins a few year’s ago and i just think its cool because its almost 30 years old.

Im from Seattle and I was determined to see as much of the California coast as I could before winter.

I started on Highway 1 in Monterey, and drove to Morro Bay, I wish I had stopped more, especially south of the Whale Watchers Cafe.

Those of you who live in the area so fortunate to have the opportunity to visit this gem of a place.

I hope this winter isn’t so harsh that I can’t make the same trip next year, although I’m not optimistic.

A little story time

I was a college student at CSU Chico from 2017 till I graduated in 2022, through these years I have nver went on Highway 1 or any of the coastal areas that this highway runs through. I went back to my country in the middle east and stayed here until back in July I decided that I will go back to California to spend my vacation. Booked my 17 hours direct fly from Dubai to Los angeles and all of my hotels/ airbnbs. One trip I had in my mind was from LA-Santa barbara-Monterey through Highway one. Finalized everything even the car and put in my paid leave.

Weeks go by and the news hit (I sometimes read news and stories about CA even though I live thousands of KILOMETERS away) Dixie fire and Timber fire starts, and the highway closures hit. I was devastated, one of my most remarkable trips would be cancelled because of the fires. I kept praying things would settle when I get there. Weeks go by and nothing changes. On 11/09 I arrived at LAX and spent two nights in OC, I decided that I would go through highway 101 to Monterey. Woke up on Monday on the 14th of Sept, Caltrans twitter account, Highway 1 is fully opened, I was sooooo relieved. I hit the road, spent the afternoon in Santa barbara downtown area,and then countied my journey to Monterey. When I started going on the coastal road, there are no words that could describe my feelings right at the moment. No words can describe the
beauty of the landscape and especially with the sunset. You guys are so lucky to have this beautiful road. I hope one day I can live in your beautiful state after retirement.

On a side note, I continued my trip for the next 2 weeks going to Yosemite, Yellowstone, Redwoods national park, SLC, Vegas and back to LA. I traveled around 3800 miles.

Came across this detailed coverage for Rocky Point Restaurant. As the headline states, it's a bold redesign. While some have favorable opinions, others consider it an eyesore.

Contains pictures and renderings. Also names individuals involved, including current owner.

Opening of Day Use Areas except Arroyo Seco, Plaskett Campground, and south end of Silver Peak Wilderness, Williams Ranch

I’ve come across some YouTube videos where he claims to have lost his cabin — the old Kinder cabin — in the Plaskett fire. But the Los Burros Mining District is in the Silver Peak Wilderness . . . his “property” is actually federal public land.
In one video he says he bought the rights to the mining claim, so I’m wondering what rights he actually has to the cabin itself? I’ve seen a comment suggesting he plans to “rebuild.” Any locals know this guy?

Hi everyone, sorry for the late response on this. Just a friendly reminder that the flock item which was pulled from the BOS agenda several weeks ago is now going to be presented during tomorrow's BOS meeting.

https://monterey.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1443697&GUID=E8B0F919-AECD-47F9-A16B-42C56DD453E7 As you can see, on page seven, item 9. The Sheriff's office is trying to get authorization from the County Purchasing Agent to enter into a 10 year long contract with Flock to install 63 more flock cameras across Monterey County.

Item 9 is the first item after lunch, so it will almost certainly begin around 1:30. Please attend in person if you are able as that is the most visible and effective way to have your voice heard. Please be aware that you're only given 2 minutes to speak, so you may want to pre-prepare your talking points.

You can also appear remotely via zoom, if you use the "raise hand" feature during the public comment period you'll eventually be called and be able to speak.

Zoom Link: https://montereycty.zoom.us/j/224397747#success

Additionally you can write in to the [cob@countyofmonterey.gov](mailto:%20cob@countyofmonterey.gov) email address. As far as I'm aware, all public comments pertaining to BOS meetings are printed out in packets and given to each of the supervisors. Emails should still be valid and provided to the supervisors right up until the time that the item is actually discussed so don't feel like you've missed your chance to reply.

Thank you to everyone who's submitted emails, provided public comments during meetings, attended protests, etc. All of your efforts are highly commendable and I hope to see many of you at the County Government Center tomorrow

I’m trying to gain trail crew experience through volunteer roles to bolster my resume for the NPS (or any employed trail crew position).

Does anyone know if there are (or will be in the future) any volunteer openings to help with land restoration? I’d imagine they’ll be trying to prevent or reduce landslide risks in the winter and there’s lots of trail-crew-adjacent work to be done (using tools, clear debris, erosion management, etc)

Hello! I’m trying to understand where I took this picture 8 years ago. I took it with a telephoto lens so that doesn’t help. It was taken at 135mm

More or less it should have been taken between Paul’s slide and pacific valley bluff trail

I’m going back in a couple of weeks and would like not to miss this spot.

Any help? Is that structure a private property or a hotel?

Thanks to all the community