Mud and Sunshine : Cleanup: Visitors return to Sepulveda Basin only to find many recreation areas closed. It may be two months before everything is open again.

The floodwaters have long since receded, and raindrops weren’t falling on anybody’s head Saturday as joggers, golfers and bicyclists returned in full force--or semi-full force--to the Sepulveda Basin almost two weeks after it was swamped in a severe storm.

But despite the sunshine, there were plenty of dampened spirits around the 2,031-acre basin, the second most popular park in Los Angeles.

Many of the recreation areas in the basin, including all or part of the city-owned golf courses, soccer fields, baseball diamonds, parks and a model-airplane field, were closed and may remain closed for months, prompting complaints from park users who came to the basin hoping that the area was back to normal.

Golfers grumbled about ragged greens. Joggers tried to maneuver on muddy, slippery trails. Model-airplane buffs lamented that their planes were grounded. Motorists had to roll up their windows quickly to prevent clouds of fine, wind-blown silt from entering their cars.

“As soon as the sun comes out, people come here acting like nothing’s happened,” said Dick Ginevan, chief parks supervisor for the San Fernando Valley region. “Then they come out here and get stuck because they go somewhere they’re not supposed to.”

Ginevan estimated it will take about two months before the golf courses and other recreation areas--bounded roughly by the San Diego and Ventura freeways, Victory Boulevard and White Oak Avenue--can be fully used again.

“There’s a lot of detail work we have to do, especially on the Encino golf course, which is still closed,” Ginevan said. “We have to clean and repair the irrigation system, which will take a lot of time. The silt is very fine and gets into everything, so all the mechanical equipment has to be taken apart and cleaned.”

The Feb. 10 storm turned more than 400 acres of the basin into an instant lake. About 48 motorists were trapped by the storm-driven water, and many had to be rescued by helicopter.

Ginevan said the highest priorities were to clean the golf courses and the western side of the basin: “That was hit the least, so we can get that open sooner.”

Most of the Balboa Sports Center on the western side of the basin at Burbank and Balboa boulevards was filled with activity Saturday. The baseball diamonds, tennis courts and children’s play area were in use. However, the soccer field was still off limits.

In the morning, golfers crowded onto the Balboa portion of the Sepulveda Golf Courses on Burbank Boulevard. Although all 18 holes of the Balboa course were open, some golfers still were not pleased.

“There are a lot of bare spots,” said Glenn Dryfoos, 30, of Los Angeles as his foursome played a round. “The green is soft in a lot of places. It’s not all that much fun.”

Dryfoos said he usually played on the Encino course, which was closed. He and his companions had to lug their golf bags because the ground was still too soft for golf carts.

Louise Ewing, the city’s golf operations supervisor for the Valley region, said it could take up to six months to clean and open the 18-hole Encino course.

“We’re really hurting,” Ewing said, noting that only about 200 golfers hit the links, less than half the usual Saturday crowd. “There are a lot of people who won’t come because they can’t use carts.”

Large scattered hills of debris dotted the two courses. Maintenance workers used fire hoses to wash away some of the silt.

Also, only nine holes of the 18-hole Woodley Lakes Golf Course were open, officials said.

Disappointment was also high--at least higher than the model airplanes--at the airfield at Woodley Park, where dozens of enthusiasts gather each week. Silt on the runways rendered them useless to the small aircraft because the particles could clog and ruin the engines, according to some airplane hobbyists who stood talking in the parking lot.

“This is a tremendous letdown,” said Ted Alford, 35, clutching his seven-pound, P-51 Mustang model. “This is pretty much what we all do for relaxation. It’s pretty awful.”

The runways probably won’t be usable for another two weeks, parks officials said.

The southern portion of Woodley Park was closed because of heavy debris and hazards, Ginevan said. The archery range and the wildlife preserve were open, although users had to stay on designated paths.

Also closed was Lake Balboa Park on the east side of Balboa Boulevard from Victory Boulevard to the Los Angeles River.

Not everyone who came to the park Saturday found the closures, the mud-caked trails or the silt-covered vegetation depressing.

“I rather like it,” said Zvi Kyr, 43, a general construction worker, as he walked around the basin. “I think it makes it look more natural.”