Little-Acorn

I'm setting up an outdoor R/C area here in Rancho Penasquitos, north of Miramar in San Diego. People have run R/C cars here a fair amount in the past, so it's not really a "new" area. But I've cleaned out a lot of the rocks that others have had problems with, filled some holes, smoothed out areas that needed it, etc. Hopefully it's a friendlier area to 1/10 scale and larger, and possibly smaller cars too. There's still stuff left to do, my lazy old hide starts to complain after any actual physical labor, so it's an ongoing project.

It's at the far west end of Carmel Mtn Rd, where it intersects Via Panacea. Carmel Mtn Rd. narrows down to two lanes after it crosses Hwy 56 (no exit), goes southwest about 200 yards further, and ends at a dirt berm where you must turn left on Via Panacea. But the builders graded for an additional three lanes, and then simply blocked off the additional three (dirt) lanes with a guard rail. Eventually the road will go through, and they'll pave those extra lanes someday.

But for now, people have put in some little dirt humps for riding BMX bicycles over. They're kind of deteriorated-looking, but I'vwe been trying to clean them up and make the humps suitable for RC car jumping as well as BMXs. The graded dirt area is maybe 50 feet wide, and a couple hundred yards long. No trees, shelter, water, or power, but no grumpy owners either. Don't go up the tall dirt banks, you'll find "No trespassing" signs up on the fields beyond. Park on Via Panacea or Via Las Lenas, or at the very end of the road where the dirt berm is.

For you GPS aficionadoes, the lat and long are N 32d 57.16m, W 117d 8.92m. Be there or B^2. Take it easy and don't alarm the natives, OK? They're nice folks. Let's keep them that way.

DIRECTIONS:

* From I-5 or I-15, get on U.S. 56 (Ted Williams Pkwy), and go to the Black Mountain Rd exit (Exit 7). Turn NORTH on Black Mtn Rd.
* Take Black Mtn Rd one block to Twin Trails Rd. (stoplight, Shell station). Turn LEFT on Twin Trails.
* Take Twin Trails about 1/2 mile to Carmel Mountain Rd. (stoplight). Turn LEFT on Carmel Mtn Rd.
* Stay on Carmel Mtn Rd about a mile, until it ends at a dirt berm and guardrail. You have arrived!



A picture taken from the top of the earth berm at the end of Carmel Mtn. Rd. The camera is looking to the north-northeast. The paved area is Carmel Mtn Rd.:

Little-Acorn

This morning I cleared out the remaining loose rocks, and uprooted a few more buried ones. Surface is now very driveable, though not a billiard table (it never will be that). Jumps are useable though still narrow. I filled more of the ex-puddle between the two twin jumps, it's feeling more solid every day, it's very driveable now and should be OK for bicycles by the weekend.Also covered over the hole next to the southernmost jump - I had been dumping rocks in it, and I covered it with earth this morning and tamped it down. You can now drive over it at high speed without problem.

Place looks a lot better with no loose rocks. There are still some bicycle ruts, but at least those are going in the same direction the cars will be. I will fill them in soon.

I still want to widen at least the two twin jumps so beginner drivers (like moi) won't miss them completely. And I need to cover over the deteriorated jump. No one's using it at all now, and probably haven't been for a while. I might make a single jump out of it, we'll see.

But the place is definitely up and running as an R/C bashing spot. Come try it out.

Little-Acorn

I widened the twin jumps.

BEFORE:



AFTER:





Y'all come.