I posted this on the original thread right before it was closed.
Hi all, Brand new here. Only found this forum because Blaze is missing from my neighborhood. I haven't read through all sixty some odd pages, but wanted to clarify some stuff I know just from living in Foothill Ranch.
There are two parks with the name "Borrego" in them. Borrego Overlook park is higher up in the residential area. It is smaller and can only be accessed through the neighborhood. This is NOT where he was last seen. Where he was last reported to be seen is Borrego Park. It sits between the local elementary school and the library. You can access it from the school, library, neighborhood and from the backside. The backside walking trail leads down a rather steep, long path to a shopping center. This trail can not be accessed by cars. The shopping center is adjacent to the entrance to Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park.
To get to Borrego Park by car, you go down a driveway that immediately comes to a "T". To the left is the library parking lot, to the right is a small parking lot for the park. The library DOES have surveillance cameras pointed at the library parking lot (aimed at the book drop in the library parking lot). These cameras may be able to see the driveway that leads to both the library and the park, but it is doubtful (due to the way it is laid out) that they will see anything in the park parking lot or park itself.
The parking lot for the park sits at one end of the park. The bathroom is right up against the parking lot. It remains unlocked at night. The playground sits right behind the bathroom. In the middle of the park is a large soccer field. Behind the soccer field is the walking trail to shopping center. There are lights by the parking lot and along the path that leads to the walking trail on the backside of the park. The other side of the park (by school) is VERY dark at night, but it is quite a distance from the parking lot (across a soccer field). The park itself is very flat. There are no houses that back to this park. It is doubtful noise from this park could be heard by any of the homes by the park unless it was something very loud like a gunshot. This is a popular park for walking during the day, but is very quiet at night.
The industrial park (where the Kawasaki building is) sits lower than the park. This area is called FootHILL Ranch for a reason. Lots of slopes and hills.
Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park sits in a valley between the two neighborhoods in Foothill Ranch. There are a lot of trails in the park and lots of areas that are inaccessible too. I've seen a lot of people call it a "forest" and although it has trees, it has far more brush, cactus, shrubs, etc. The park is home to lots of coyotes, snakes and even mountain lions. Anyone who lives here would not go hiking there at night without some serious protection.
I hope this clears up some questions about the layout of the park and surrounding area.
Someone asked if you can see the entrance to Whiting Ranch Park from the parking lot. No, not even close. From the parking lot at the park, you have to walk the length of a soccer field and the width of a basketball court, plus some just to get to the opening to the footpath that leads down the hill. The footpath is paved, fairly steep and has a curve. At the bottom of the footpath, there is a shopping center to the left (coffee place, hair salon, grocery store, gas station, etc.) and a small parking lot and the entrance to Whiting Ranch Park to the right.
From google maps: red x = Parking lot for park (small building right next to it is bathroom). Yellow line is trail across park, down the hill to entrance to Whiting Ranch. Green circle is entrance to whiting ranch. See next 3 pics
Pic below is taken looking toward the shopping center from pink dot on google map. The yellow/orange lights are the footpath. Shopping center to right, Whiting ranch to left (would be other way around if coming down the path)
Pic below is looking up footpath from blue dot on google maps. It is fairly steep, not wide, well lit but rarely travelled at night. I can't imagine forcing/dragging/pulling/carrying someone up or down this path.
This is looking toward Whiting Ranch from the same blue dot on google map pic. The entrance is right in the middle. It is MUCH darker in that direction.
*Sorry, don't know how to rotate the last 2 pics
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