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Posted on November 20 at 9:59 a.m.

It was known as the "Bowl"or "T-Bowls" when we hung out up there in the 80's.

To answer SolaLola, there were remains of what looked like small cabins up along the road just below the large upper bowl. There had obviously been a fire through there after is was built because most of them only had stone work left with burnt timbers showing. There were still some wood parts left like a lattice cover built over one of the lower water tanks but I imagine that stuff burned this time.

During the time we were exploring there it was very overgrown and to find all the different features took a lot of crawling through brush (like to get to the amphitheater and adjoining water tank). It looks like it has been cleaned up a lot since then. The photo in this article shows a cleared Tea House area, which used to have brush right up to the back of the left side, and the article liked below describes some clean up.

http://www.sbphototours.com/data/static/...

I was hoping at some point to share a hike at this special place with my young daughter but after this fire it will likely be much more closed off. I guess she'll have to settle for Knapp's Castle, Lizard's Mouth, etc. It's a shame this place will probably never be restored and opened to the public, if it was it would be one of the most unique and amazing parks in SB.

On The Unusual History of the Tea Fire’s Point of Origin

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Posted on November 19 at 9:32 a.m.

While attending SBHS (80's) we often partied up at the T-Bowls and frequently saw other locals of all ages doing the same. It was a beautiful, magical spot and one that has been enjoyed this way since at least the 60's. On occasion we were run off by the sheriff but most of the time it was just a nice place to hike and enjoy the view of the city and channel. The water works and stone construction of the property really are a testament to the skill of the original builders. Obviously having any kind of fire up there is a horrible idea and I know that the sheriff and fire dept. have responded to fires there in the past. When I heard that the fire started up there I thought immediately that this would turn out to be the cause (as did all of the old friends I talked to). I remember the way the guy who accidently started the '77 Sycamore Canyon Fire (which I watched burn down my house as a kid) was run out of town and suffered death threats. This is probably why they are withholding the names for now. Everyone needs to take a deep breath and let the fire and law enforcement investigators finish their job. The people responsible are going to be held accountable and they will have to live with the destruction they have caused for the rest of their lives. I wish those of you who suffered a loss in this fire the best in the long journey of moving on.

On Tea Fire Cause Is Determined