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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News AP Entertainment Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend December 21, 2006 Weather closes Galice Access Road That stretch leads to Bear Camp Road, where the Kim family became stranded last month By paul fattig Mail Tribune GALICE — Mother Nature has forced the closure of a road leading to the area where James and Kati Kim and their two young children became stranded late in November. A roughly five-mile section of the Galice Access Road, which eventually leads to Bear Camp Road, will be closed for public safety beginning today through the winter because of poor road conditions caused by saturated soil, said Patty Burel, spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's Medford District. The section's closure, whose blockage with locked gates effectively closes access to the Bear Camp Road from the east, is not related to the Kim family incident, she stressed. Moreover, the Bear Camp Road is currently impassable because of snow and ice, authorities warn. Advertisement James Kim, 35, died of hypothermia after he attempted to walk out after their vehicle became stuck in the snow on a logging road off Bear Camp Road. "We've had a history of rock slides on this part of the road," Burel said. "The weather has been wet. The soils are saturated. There are already rocks on the road." That section of the Galice Access Road has been closed periodically over the years because of rock slides, she said. That includes February 2002, November of that year and in winter 2003, she said. The road was closed to the public for the majority of the 2003 to 2005 season due to the extensive slide conditions, she noted. Hailing from San Francisco, the Kims were heading home after spending Thanksgiving with friends in Seattle when they decided to take the one-lane Bear Camp Road through the Siskiyou Mountains to the Gold Beach area where they had reservations for Nov. 25 in a river lodge. After more than a week of huddling in their car with little food, Kati Kim and her daughters, Penelope, 4, and Sabine, 7 months, were found by a search helicopter. They were rescued in good condition. The body of James Kim was found a few days later after he had hiked roughly a dozen miles in an attempt to get help for his family. The Galice Access Road, also known as BLM Road 34-8-36, will be closed from milepost 4.4 to milepost 8.9, Burel said. The closure is a little more than four miles after the turnoff from the Merlin-Galice Road. Two metal gates will prohibit access to the Galice Access Road above and below the slide area, Burel said. Signs warning the public of the closure will be posted, she added. The side road the Kims had taken off Bear Camp Road was at around milepost 12, she said. The gate on that side road was closed and locked on Dec. 6 by a Josephine County sheriff's deputy on contract with the BLM, she said. The Peavine/Serpentine Springs Road, an alternate route to the Bear Camp Road from the east, is not plowed during the winter, she said. That road is not expected to be passable now. The closed section of the Galice Access Road will remain closed through the winter but will likely reopen in spring 2007 after the rock debris is removed, Burel said. Anyone intending to drive on a remote mountain road is asked to check with local BLM or U.S. Forest Service offices about road conditions before heading out. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com