Jumping Sheep

On a recent, sunny Costa Mesa afternoon, CMPD Officer Trevor Jones returned to the site which, a few weeks earlier, made him an Internet sensation.

The spot was Sheep Hills, and when Jones arrived, he did the unexpected. He hopped on his patrol bike, dipping and jumping on a few of Sheep Hills’ world-famous dirt ramps.

Onlookers, surprised to see a cop handle himself on the trails, hooted and hollered.

“Oh my God!” one exclaimed.

CMPD Officer, Trevor Jones, at ‘Sheep Hills’ BMX Bike Park in Costa Mesa, California.

Nick Sawyers, an artist and BMX enthusiast, captured the moment on video.

The footage went online. Ride BMX posted it on its Instagram account.

“Wait for it,” the video caption reads. “Sheep Hills was popping with all kinds of riders today.”

The video showed some riders heading up the ramps, with Jones in tow and getting some air. Reactions, mostly positive, soon poured onto the post.

“Hella cool cop.”

“Legend.”

“So rad! Get yer glory, 5-0!!”

One came from CMPD’s own Instagram account: “Our officer has mad skills! #sendit.”

CMPD Officer, Trevor Jones, poses for a photo at Sheep Hills, a legendary BMX bike park in Costa Mesa. Jones got some Internet fame after a video captured him jumping his bike alongside local riders.

To date, the video has more than 110,000 views, plus another 5,000 or so from other accounts, including CMPD’s Facebook page that proudly shared it. Jones’ ride remains among Ride BMX’s most widely watched Instagram videos.

For Officer Jones, the moment was just another day on the job. On that afternoon, Jones found himself at Sheep Hills responding to a call for service.

The area, tucked within the brush and trees of Talbert Regional Park, is a decent walk from a major road and isn’t readily accessible by car. So, Jones rolled in on his police bike.

A BMX Rider shows off his stuff during a recent session at Sheep Hills in Costa Mesa. The legendary site is within Talbert Regional Park.

A few years ago, Costa Mesa reintroduced its bike officer patrol unit after a 15-year absence. Compared to squad cars, bikes are more mobile and can get into areas vehicles can’t.

For Jones, who has been with CMPD about four and a half years, he likes how being on a bike makes it easier for him to interact with the community. That’s exactly what happened on his Sheep Hills call.

The incident ended up being nothing of note by the time Jones arrived. So he took a short ride on the ramps using his 20-speed Specialized Epic. Jones was no stranger to Sheep Hills. As an Orange County native, he grew up going there and is a longtime bike rider.

Mike “Hucker” Clark, center, talks to a group of riders at Sheep Hills. Clark is a sponsored professional rider who frequents the park.

When Officer Jones later toured I Heart Costa Mesa around Sheep Hills, he remarked on how informal, rider-made ramps used to be all over O.C.. Most are gone now, yet Sheep Hills remains.

Sheep Hills is legendary among BMX enthusiasts worldwide, but remains unknown to many, even those who live nearby. An exact history of the site is hard to trace, likely because its pioneers didn’t write things down. Instead, they dug. They patted down dirt. They made a haven for their sport far from residents or onlookers who might get perturbed by the noise.

Talbert Regional Park is a county-owned park within the Costa Mesa city limits. County staff patrol there and have long permitted Sheep Hills.

A Los Angeles Times article dates the creation of Sheep Hills to 1990, though Costa Mesa residents say it is likely several years older than that, possibly going back to the 1970s.

Chairs are set up around the perimeter of Sheep Hills for riders to rest, or for people to come watch the biking action.

In those days, the area containing Talbert was known as the Gully. Another nearby area was dubbed the Bluffs. For the adventurous, the whole area was a thrill.

“We used to run as fast as we could and jump off the Bluffs that were about where the Sheep Hills are now,” says longtime Costa Mesa resident William Pierle. “We landed into soft sand about 20 or so feet down. It was like flying!”

The gurus at the Costa Mesa Historical Society say riding in Talbert goes back at least to the 1950s. Within their archives is a 1951 article from a magazine called Cycle. It describes a “Costa Mesa Scramble” motorcycle race organized by a local enthusiast club. It also says the owner of the land at the time tolerated the motorcyclists, provided that they fenced off their area. It’s a scenario not unlike how the county continues to tolerate Sheep Hills now.

In this photo from the 1970s, sheep graze in Costa Mesa, near Estancia High School. Because the area was known to have sheep, that’s likely how Sheep Hills, located down ‘The Gully’ in what’s today Talbert Regional Park, got its name.

And speaking of Sheep Hills, what of the name? Where does it come from?

Art and Mary Ellen Goddard, volunteers at the Costa Mesa Historical Society, have a well-documented theory. Swaths of the Westside, including where Fairview Park and the Waldorf School are today, were once grazing land for sheep. So when cycling enthusiasts started building their playground, they must’ve remembered how the sheep were around there too, or used to be.

“The motorcycle races and Sheep Hills represent, to me, the early days of Costa Mesa’s affinity for action sports,” Mary Ellen Goddard says. “Volcom Skate Park is another chapter. Today, one of the city’s goals is to become the action sports capital of the world (Hurley, Vans, etc.).”

So there you have it.

Mike “Hucker” Clark is one of the unofficial mayors of Sheep Hills. He’s been riding there for several years and is now a professional rider, sponsored by Red Bull and others.

But what is Sheep Hills like today? It remains popular, but changes as new generations put their touches on it.

Mike “Hucker” Clark recently gave I Heart Costa Mesa a tour of the place, as it is designed now. Clark is a professional rider sponsored by Red Bull, Vans and Oakley, among others. He’s also one of Sheep Hills’ mayors (self-appointed, that is). He loves his riding town so much, he has Sheep Hills tattooed on his arm. It’s of smiling sheep jumping over hills, all under a bright sun.

A romp through Sheep Hills will include passes through several subsections. They include Kiddie, French (built by a French guy), Tokyo (built by a Japanese rider), Styles, Paradise, Boozer, Spoons, Mini-Tits, Tits and KOD (King of Dirt). A lap through all or just some of them is a serious workout. To do two laps in a row makes you a god among mortals.

Other areas, like Bush, have come and gone. Bush was carved out of vegetation before it too got carved out.

Sheep Hills fans maintain their playground by patting down water on the ground, which keeps the dirt (which they call “moon dust”) manageable. They used to get water from nearby Victoria Pond, but it’s now closed off. Instead, they lug in 50-gallon drums.

And, based on Sheep Hills’ continued popularity, legendary status and ability to withstand the fires that have destroyed other parts of Talbert Regional Park, it’s here to stay.

“People dream of coming here,” Clark says. “This is our sanctuary.” ♥

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