Tucked away in eastern San Diego County just above the Mexican border is an interest stretch of railroad, a forgotten feat of engineering that just was not meant to be. Carrizo Gorge is a 12 mile-long rugged granite and gneiss valley that is hardly the place you'd expect to find a railroad. Yet the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway cuts through here with a near continuous chain of tunnels (up to a half mile long) and trestles (including the longest curved wooden trestle in the world). The stretch of rail was completed in 1919...and a crucial tunnel collapsed in a 1920 earthquake! The Goat Canyon Trestle (frontispiece) was then built to bypass this tunnel and span Goat Canyon. A patchy history of use and disuse (destruction followed by repair) ensued. As recently as 2007 the rail line was closed to the public with plans to repair and reuse the line. For the present moment the rail line is inoperable with abandoned derailed cars spanning the tracks and collapsed tunnels, making an amazingly wild mountain bike ride, 99% on single track or grates adjacent to the rails.
When we pulled up to the park spot it was clear we were not the only people that thought this would make a great new year's day activity. Over the course of the day we saw four different groups of hikers and one mountain biking group. I was pleasantly surprised the locals seemed quite friendly with most waving as they drove past our car. After adjusting seats and lubing chains we set off along the foot-wide singletrack adjacent to the tracks. Occasionally we had to dismount to cross a trestle without a side path, but generally the route was remarkably rideable. A short distance on we reached some interesting vandalized passenger cars derailed across the tracks. Quite a surreal sight. A little further was the first of many short tunnels. The further on we went the deeper the canyon, the better the scenery and the more impressive the tunnels and trestles.
It's hard to say whether I liked the tunnels or trestles more. Probably the tunnels. Two of them approached a half mile in length and needed headlamps. The amount of concrete and shoring that went into these tall tunnels in truly impressive. The tunnels were also probably the smoothest travel. And each was a little different.
Progress was slower than it ought to have been so we settled our sights on having lunch at the Goat Canyon Trestle. This was a truly impressive feat of engineering. I biked across the grates, avoiding the occasional hole. Sara and I ate lunch in an abandoned box car to get out of the wind for a bit. On the way bike I decided to walk the bike which was actually much scarier than riding it. When riding the bike you look forward- on the grate material that means you see a rather solid looking surface. When walking the bike you look down at your feet, looking through the thin grating and realizing just how precarious this pile of wood and rust is! I wonder how many more years it has until it collapses. Maybe the region's next big earthquake.
We returned the way we came without incident. We passed a few groups and were passed by a group of bikers. Eventually we made it back, about 15 minutes before drops of rain. I was happy to find the car intact and where it should be. I'm glad I finally got to check out the gorge if not the entirety of it. It's certainly a unique and fascinating place.
We drove on to El Cajon to stay the night with my grandparents. Thanks to them for a great visit and a great end to a few days of local adventuring.
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