The View from the East Portal of Tunnel 12 - [Gorge Ride 2017 Series] - A view of the Gorge looking east from inside the East Portal of Tunnel 12. After a two year hiatus from entering the Gorge, my riding companions and I penetrated the canyon from the Jacumba portal and traveled off road by two wheel conveyance for roughly 6.5 miles to the wooden trestle bridge at Goat Canyon.
The two winters that have elapsed since our last quest through the gorge has caused a number of rock falls onto the tracks along the line, including the near blockage of the East Portal to Tunnel 16.
Now in order to travel though the tunnel to Dos Cabezas, a rider would need to carry their bike up and over a 15 foot pile or broken rock and boulders at the tunnel mouth, or walk on the 100 year old work trail which is little more than a path around the mountain through the Chaparral and Cholla.
Consequently, it appears that the collapse at the opening of Tunnel 16 is yet a further nail in the coffin of this moribund shortline and it is becoming rather doubtful that the line will ever operate again as a revenue generator, or as a tourist line.
However, there is one up side to the happenings on the CRZY, and that is that due to the condition of the track and the tunnels, it would be impossible to be cited for trespassing under California Penal Code section 369(i) since there is no chance whatsoever to operate any kind of equipment over this route.
There are no operating trains on this railroad and the line has been under an embargo order since 2008.
