Hurricane Hilary Destroyed Our Road…Now What?

Cerro Gordo, the abandoned minign town I live in, got hit HARD bit Hilary, the tropical storm that ripped up California. In this video, we'll check out what the storm did and what the next steps are from here.

Mailing Address: PO Box 490, Lone Pine, CA 93545

THANK YOU!

[GhostTownLiving]

These are all amazing suggestions! Thank you! A few things that factor into all road repairs: 1) the road is a county owned/maintained road. So any changes has to be approved by the county and go through the whole government process. 2) the road location was picked and developed in the 1860s when the town was a boomtown. I cannot change the location of the road because it's surrounded by government land. 3) the 'back road' you see is more than 30 miles to get to town, instead of the normal 8. That road also goes through a National Park which there would be extreme approval process to do anything. 4) my goal with this repair was just to make the road passable for as cheap/quick as possible. I know it isn't the permanent solution, but the best we could do with 3 days or so...

Thank you all so much for all the thoughts on all these challenges here. They are greatly appreciated!

[MRBenchwork]

The solution to your road problem isn't adding something, it's removing the excess rock. Modern technology will allow you to break the ridges of the rock away (large excavator with a breaker) allowing the bedrock to be the road. This means even if there's a big storm event the road should still be passable.

[joshtolleson]

I remember when your first video dropped and I distinctly remember thinking this knucklehead just bit off more than he could chew. I honestly thought you would disappear after a few videos. But the interesting thing is that instead, we watched you grow as a person. Nobody in their right mind would have done what you did. Watching you take one on the chin repeatedly, yet get back up and ask for some more has been an inspiration for many people, including me. You almost broke several times, but each time you got back up and just kept going.

As I watched this video, it was awesome thinking back how far you have come. 3 years ago it would have been hard seeing you on a tractor tackling the road. Even last year you almost broke when the road washed out. Your becoming a gravitational force and your pulling people in to make this something much more than a individual dream.

[BrianOConnorPT]

UK Based Senior Civil Engineer here specialising in Highways for the last decade:

Have a look at the byproduct of the steel industry, PFA pulverised fuel ash - blast furnace slag, it can be infused into sub-base still allowing water permeation but tends to bond together rock hard, we use it precisely on haul roads around open cast mines and quarries and also in early stages of highway construction. It is very heavy duty, don't ask me about the chemistry behind it but it does keep together very well. I can shoot a few specifications your way if you need, not so sure about DoT standards that side of the pond but I'm sure it does rain a lot more here in Wales than it does there.

[Leahkab]

I discovered you about a month ago. I'm am desperately searching for My Cerro Gordo Book, the one that is out of print. About 15 years ago I became a docent with the LA conservancy and started doing a lot of research - and the importance of this town became very apparent. I am in awe of what you are doing to bring it back. I really enjoy the videos, the mines and the people who are coming together to make something so positive happen in these mountains. Keep up the good work, you spirit is amazing.

[keepitsimpleson.withrogers]

As a retired general contractor from Northern California, I agree with the idea, of using the bedrock as the road. Even with out a hammer hoe, you having blasting capabilities will help. Keep going Brent

[travisputman]

Hey Brent. I told my dad who was a civil engineer about this and this was his response "The road will probably always be a problem. Basically, he needs rock-lined ditches along the sides of the road, and wherever the wash crosses the road he needs to pave the road with concrete so floods can go over it without damaging it. And he may need culverts alongside the road where it is too narrow for roadside ditches. All this would work for most smaller storms, but a big one like he just had will still do lots of damage. All it takes is cash."

[aimeeinjapan]

My husband and I got HAM (amateur radio) licenses and antennas on our car as well as home --- great for when there is no cell service and no electricity for communication. Maybe you guys can radio in and out. Thank you for sharing--truly inspiring! I love your community.

[zanjero]

If ever there was someone who needed to aquire a D8, it was you. On the bright side, it's wonderful to see a lake in the background.

[TheSSoSS]

Hi Brent, I see alot of comments here and a lot of helpful ideas, Having lived in similar terrain in Nepal and the Himalayas, and the European Alps I have seen the same scenarios after monsoon and summer storms, so can safely say, the best methodry for you to do a more perm. fix is GABIONS...essentially loose stones in wire mesh boxes you construct yourself..., in effect you need to make a 'leaky dam' at the sections where the waters collide and flow most like rapids to slow that water down as much as, and maintain as much silt/ finer particualte capture and retention as possible, and alter the terrain at the path sides to diver the water, you'll need a rock breaker adapted back hoe to splice and break apart the roadside rocks that create the narrows and rapids and this will also provide you with your base layer, larger materiel. If you can, utilise as much flat bedrock as possible, not covered with fine grade materials, then in-fill areas with gabions and large stones/rocks, then keep adding on top in finer and finer gradations untill infilled where there are greater terrain level shifts, then and only them do you add the shales, then gravels, then grits then sands to infill all the smaller gaps and holes - I thought all this would happen again to you after watching last years repairs, when the county repaired the rd for you by only dumpin all those sands and grits onto the pathway to create a new level bed..it didnt prevent the problems reoccurance and was bound to happen again at the next big washout....its a massive job but with logistics, planning, grit gumption determination and TIME, chipping away each section by section like you know and do so well!!!, in a month youll have it all done, and it will LAST more than one season or year...so todays word is Gabions, they are also needed to fringe the rd edges as well to stop more loose material washdown from the sides, and they can also be arranged as you like to make the needed culverts and storm drainage without blasting away at the bedrock...then you can employ dry stone walls and rock rows in all the mini rivulets and gullies to again create water slowing leaky dams to prevent fast flowing erosive water flows and washing down of more loose material - hope this helps fella! love from a long time subscriber watcher from the getgo! ;) 100% behind you and your crew& always rootin for ya! :)

[phoenixignitus]

Brent, you and your team truly are inspiring. Seeing your evolution from when the American Hotel burnt down, to the first destruction of the road, and now this, *is* inspiring to me personally.
Thank you for letting us all be witnesses of your adventure.

[Cojiii]

I feel the real challenge living in a ghost town is they were only ever built with temporary residence in mind. All those that built these towns knew that sooner or later the gold, silver etc.. was going to run out. Kudos to Brent for taking on this life changing challenge and for being an excellent caretaker of the property and preserving history before it all was gone by looting, natural destruction or destroyed by idiots. Cerro Gordo couldn’t have a better person looking out for her.

[bhonea]

Keep working hard, Brent! Nothing worth while is ever easy! Your dream is coming true and you will see it through!

[JJ-vhex]

Your attitude towards challenges is 100% why this all has worked so far!

[Texas-Bob]

You are very fortunate to have the friends you’ve made since moving to Cerro Gordo. Daniel and the dump truck was a game changer, without him and the truck you would still be working to make the road passable. With your will and your friends you will make Cerro Gordo into something very special. Never give up !

[WaterAndLandActivitys]

I’m so happy Brent keeps pushing though all the struggles it’s motivating just to see how he resolves problems

[PrincessTS]

I think there is a way we can plan out the drainage so the road won't wash out. By using swails, nalabunds, rock damns, culverts etc. Where there is a plan there is a way.

[myownkindofman]

You probably have all the suggestions you need but I remember being in Sweden and seeing them break up roads by drilling holes into the rock and filling hundred / thousands of funnels in those hole with water. When it froze in winter, the rock fractures and creates a relatively level surface. Nature did most of the work for them.

[GamerplayerWT]

You definitely need culverts and flash flood drainage pipes alongside the road and maybe even under it.

[thorstenwolters]

I am very happy and proud that my great-nephew was with you and restored the road. Hey Avery, well done. Your uncle from Hamburg!