Howdy from a long lost Excel user

[Smitty]

Re: Hpwdy from a long lost Excel user

We've actually got just a few more people than BC (5000 vs. 4000), but our nearest "big" town, Gunnison, is about 30 miles south. No Home Depot (that's 100 miles away), but there is a wee bitty Wal-Mart. I do miss the hell out of the Redwoods, but I can't complain about the view from my office now either.

And we've got a ski resort that boasts the most extreme skiing in the US, as well as great climbing, fishing, biking, hunting, etc...Although bears are an issue...

Cool about your place in Mendocino, that's a great part of the world.

As for SF, it's probably my favorite city to visit, but you're right, I wouldn't want to work, much less live there. My wife and daughter used to go to Chinese New Year, and the Christmas celebrations each year and loved it. It definitely beats the crap out of San Jose, Oakland, Denver, Dallas, etc.

 

[chuckchuckit]

Re: Hpwdy from a long lost Excel user

That really does sound nice there to be so remote, but still can do some civilized shopping of sorts not too far away. My cabin was about a 45 minute drive one way aprx 20 miles (6 miles of dirt switchbacks) to the nearest town of 1500 people Covelo, CA. About 60 miles total to Willits town of 5000. 80 miles the opposite direction (mostly dirt road) to the freeway. Just east of any redwoods, but massive oaks and pines. So thick in places, can't see the sky. And quiet with no city lights. Bet you guys get all those stars at night too. First time my nephew from here went there he asked me what all those specks are in the sky - lol.

Those bears can really be a problem though. One kept pulling the top of the upper spring box off to take a drink. And my apple tree at the lower spring had an abundant year once but a bear got them. When he couldn't reach them on the upper branches, he simply pulled down each branch until they snapped so he could get the apples. Got every single one of them too. He almost earned himself an ear tag for that...

Only went there about once a month, so was lucky enough to never have a bear remove the door to my cabin. Saw many good sized prints with cub tracks too at times. Was always careful not to do something like open the windows and then start frying fish.

But a neighbor there was not so lucky. He figured it must have been the McDonalds wrapper he left in his car that the bear smelled, and was the reason the bear peeled down the top of his car door. They seem to know how to get their claws in the top frame of the car door so they can peel it down and then yank the car door open. Since there was nothing in his car to eat, the now hungry bear next took off the door to his cabin. Trashed the kitchen eating and chewing on everything possible. Then made numerous trips outside carrying items like the canned goods which he piled under a tree. After completing all his hard work the bear went back inside and took a nap on his bed. He said the bed smelled so bad after that that he had to throw away all the bedding.

Lots of adventures there in the wilds... I miss that place a lot, and am very fortunate to have had it while I did.

 

[Smitty]

Re: Hpwdy from a long lost Excel user

Sounds great!

Bears can be a real issue up here. Just before we moved to our new house, our next door neighbor had 2 incidents with a bear getting into their house through the kitchen window, which was 6' off the ground. Completely trashed the kitchen both times. And once they came out to put some steaks on the grill and the bear was coming over the porch railing. I saw the same bear walk down the hill behind their place and try to get into a dumpster, then when foiled headed across the street, right past the bus stop. It was about 20 minutes before the school bus dropped kids off, so I was waiting with my .40 to make sure Yogi didn't come back. They are definitely smelly creatures that's for sure.

And I've seen car doors torn off in Yosemite...

 

[chuckchuckit]

Re: Hpwdy from a long lost Excel user

Another neighbor used to leave his truck windows rolled down at night so the smaller bears could climb through instead of tear off the doors like used to happen to him too.

Good thing you had a .40. I learned after some years up there to always carry my 357 for various protection reasons. One time I was digging a hole to patch an underground waterline that a huge falling oak branch broke when it landed. Took me hours to dig the trench to patch and glue it. Then later I found about 20 feet back in the woods a pile of fresh Mountain Lion droppings where he had been watching me from the trail, and I never knew it. If necessary my 357 would have taken care of the job, but for a bear a .40 or better likely needed.

Although usually up there the older bears stayed away from humans as they were very wary. Unlike the protected Yosemite bears that seem to know they are, so they are not so afraid of people.

 

[Smitty]

Re: Hpwdy from a long lost Excel user

I hear ya'! Most of the time I don't have the top or doors on my land cruiser, and I'd go through Wyoming winters without them on my Jeep until it really started snowing, but that was in Southeastern Wyoming, and we didn't have much of a bear problem there. Coyotes were a big issue on the other hand, and I used to carry a .270 & 9mm (with ratshot for rattlesnakes) on my saddle (I learned the hard way not to use a .357 one day on a cow horse that wasn't gun broken, and had to walk about 10 miles after he decidedly disapproved of my firing it at a snake that had bitten a calf).

I remember some jogger down in Orange County getting mauled a few years ago after trying to run from a cat. And then there was the guy in Oregon last week attacked by 3 coyotes, although I think he must have been wearing peanut butter underwear or something to have caused that...I've never had a problem with either that yelling at 'em won't fix.

I bought a Beretta 96A1 .40 and a Sig-Sauer PSum 250 modular 9mm this year after my wife left her car unlocked just before Christmas, and some ******* stole my Ruger P89 9mm, and S&W Model 19 .357 (with scope & 6" barrel), along with all of our Christmas presents and ornaments.

My dad used to elk hunt up in Northern Wyoming around Jackson for years, but finally got fed up of packing out a quarter, and coming back to find a grizzly on the carcass. Now he hunts in West/Central Wyoming where you just deal with black bears (he lived up there for 20+ years), but still packs a custom Kimber .45 and a big-A$$ can of pepper spray, along with his 45-70.

I think the problem bears up here are the juveniles, and agree that the older ones tend to stay away (those few that don't get dispatched or relocated). As for Yosemite, that's complete familiarity with people and idiots who think they're just big cuddly things. It's so much like Yogi bear/JellyStone it's not funny. I was camping in Sequoia a few years ago and when we were checking out at the ranger station, about 20 Italian campers saw a sow and two cubs, and the idiots actually followed them up into the woods (running & yelling) with cameras and kids in tow. I jumped out of the truck and ran up to the Ranger and told him what was going on, and he closed down the check-out for about 20 minutes while we corralled the idiots. Some people just need to be eaten.

 

[chuckchuckit]

Re: Hpwdy from a long lost Excel user

Lol - those are some cool stories! I like reading about that stuff. You have certainly lived a few places. I've blasted a few rattlesnakes in my day too. Using ratshot on a rattler sounds a lot better than using a 357 slug - lol. I used to club them too when I didn't have a gun with. There were some big ones around my place. The green shaded ones up there were the bigger and more aggressive ones. I'm definitely going to remember to not use a 357 on a rattler from a cow horse that is not gun broken!!

The Coyotes were real pests. They would chew through my exposed water lines especially in the fall when a lot of the springs would dry up. But the kangaroo rats were the worst. Spliced hundreds of replacement PVC water lines in 10 years because of them. I'll have to admit I did use a shotgun on some of them which did seem to cure the problem somewhat, but only for a while. Almost every time I was there I fixed water lines, as never got the line above the water tank to the upper springs buried. Line was about 1/3 mile of rough steep terrain into the forest that the Forest Service let me use, but they could take the spring rights back whenever they wanted. So I figured it was easier just to patch the lines. Didn't mind it so much as there was never anyone up there and was so peaceful working the lines up in the mountains.

But could never get those wily Coyotes as they are too smart and they can smell even where you have walked and they take off. My neighbors were pretty far away except for nearest neighbor had a bunch of "somewhat domestic" dogs about 1/4 mile or so down the mountain. The coyotes would tag team trying to lure her dogs out into the woods where they would gang up on them and kill them. They got a couple that way. I used to listen to them howl away almost every time I was there trying to lure her dogs out at night. A game they played for years as they ran from ridge to ridge yelping away. I got to like listening to their yipping and yapping at night, and recognized some of them as they each would yip away a bit different. Even taped some of it.

It was so peaceful up there. I looked for a place like that for 10 years or so. Never could have afforded that place except by some very unusual timing and circumstances that came about. And the people there were not always the best of sorts to say the least. But no matter what, I still did what was right, said my prayers and trusted God, and then went and enjoyed that place anyway, no matter what. Those kinds of places are like being on a different planet. It is hard to explain it to someone who has never had the opportunity to spend much time out in the wilds like you or I have. It was a real gift for sure for me as I sure do miss it much.

 

[Smitty]

Re: Hpwdy from a long lost Excel user

I've never run into the green rattlers, but I've heard. My Dad retired to Mesquite, NV 2 years ago and loves 4-wheeling in the back country and has run into a few Mojave rattlesnakes, which are particularly nasty. I don't think I'd try to bludgeon one of them though, since they're super aggressive and the venom is especially deadly (more so than a Western Diamondback).

Yote's are a real pain in the rear, at least they were when I was ranching. I worked on a few places that ran sheep and if a cat came in it would just take one lamb, but yote's are thrill killers and they'd wipe out 20-30 lambs, but only eat one or two. I've heard of them teaming up to take household pets, and they are smart. It is interesting listening to them though. A lot of people mistakenly think that they're hearing a bunch of them, when it's probably only 2-3. I had a little cow dog that I got down in Texas and was working as cow boss on a ranch in East Texas. I came out one morning and she was covered in blood, so I got her in the tub and washed off thinking I was going to have to put her down. Not a scratch on her, but when I went out to the truck I found a 65# male yote with its throat torn out. That was one tough little mutt.

As for your place, it's great to get into something like that, and you're truly blessed when one comes along. I hear ya' about neighbors though - They can often be hard to come by in remote country. Boulder Creek's a bit like that in that you need to be pretty careful about where you pick; you could just as easily find a place with silicon valley professionals as one with meth addicts, or white supremacists.

 

[chuckchuckit]

Re: Hpwdy from a long lost Excel user

Your cow dog that took down that Yote had a lot of heart, to risk herself like that to be protecting the flock. That's an admirable trait, sounds like quite a dog. Too bad more people can't be like that... Wasn't many like that up where my place was. But there were some. An honest Policeman up there whom I got to know over the years once told me about how bad things were getting there. He said, "New Deputies come into this county like they are really going to make a difference. It used to take them 2 years before they gave up. Now it only takes 2 months." I'll never forget that guy. That brave Christian man went out of his way for me quite a number of times. And corruption went all the way to the top. The former County DA died of a heart attack after the DEA told him to get his affairs in order because he was going to be arrested for growing pot in his own yard (back when it was illegal). He would throw out drug cases no matter how well they were prepared. (Tip of the iceberg...). By coincidence I knew the assistant who then became DA. And one time I was first on the scene of a hiway 101 fatal accident he was prosecuting. Drunk driver crossed into the lane of a car with a father and his three children, killing the father (kids survived). I didn't even see the youngest one in the wreckage in the backseat. Scene so gruesome that even a Deputy there was having PTSD type issues. Drunk/drugged driver incriminated himself on what he said to me, but then later tried to intimidate me at the scene to keep quiet. Wild horses could not have stopped me from testifying after he did that... He went to prison.

Was really amazing how I ever got that place. I'd been involved about a dozen years doing some things for God with a volunteer organization, and part of my commitment was to travel around N. Cal helping us organize it's formation. People involved were not paid, so it had to really mean something to the ones involved. But sometimes I had to do my least favorite thing - public speaking. I dreaded it so much at the time that I would tell myself before going to each one, that I could take a different route back always through a new remote area, and just dream about someday owning land. After our committee work was established and coordinated well enough for it to survive, and my commitments were over, I was quite burned out. Most meaningful thing I was ever involved in, and the most difficult too. So I really wanted a place of my own to get away and reset.

So got out all my USGS topo maps and just for fun picked the literal spot I wanted most. Picked out the springs themselves. Talked with the Real Estate agent there who was selling vitamins to try to survive due to the dead RE market then. Prices were low but even so I was completely broke and still trying to keep my business going. Told him exact springs location on the topo Section I was looking at. By coincidence land owner in his church had just said they were "thinking" about selling the land next to the springs which had a 3bd 2ba on it.

"Not a name it and claim it" at all, as I didn't want to put the cart before the horse (made that costly mistake some 10 years earlier) and wanted to be sure God was with me making an offer. Spent 3 days in motel there just reading my bible and praying. Kept coming across a verse about how He would protect my property when I wasn't there (which later turned out to be more important than I thought then). I did not seem to be getting confirmation to make an offer, but wasn't getting one not to either, which was why I stayed there for 3 days. So went forward in faith to make an offer, and prayed that if I was wrong, to let me know and I would stop pursuing it no matter how much I wanted that place. Twice before I went to make offers on places not as nice and both times God blocked it so I stopped pursuing both of them, even though both times I thought they were the nicest properties possible for me. But this time He didn't block it. I didn't know it at the time, but He was upgrading properties for me as long as I was willing to listen to His leading, instead of just doing what I wanted or what I thought was best.

Made an offer on that beautiful place that also had one good year round spring, and also was using the Forest Service gravity flow upper spring. We negotiated seven weeks before coming to terms, and he wanted a five month escrow. I think he was hoping his wife would change her mind about selling, but she didn't, and OK by me since I didn't have any money for a down payment anyway. Even while working as hard as I could, ended up with enough for the down payment only a few days before escrow closed. That literally happened. God seems to do those things with me, at the last moment. Keeps me humble - hopefully... Over the years was able to buy the acreage next to it with those original springs I looked at, and later another piece on the side to fully buffer the ridgetop the home was on. Both times I didn't have the money at first for those either. God sure took care of me up there, did a better job of dealing with quite a number of things there than I ever could have, or would have known how to do on my own. The source of many blessings in my life.

 

[Smitty]

Re: Hpwdy from a long lost Excel user

I've heard a lot of stories about some of the not-so-nice elements. I did some carpentry work for a guy in Oakland who had grown weed up there for a large operation. He said that it was a cat-and-mouse game between the growers and the cops. If you did it "legitimately", not stealing power, water, polluting, then they left you alone, otherwise not so much. He said that the Medocino county impound yard was full of 10Kw mobile generators that had been seized. If I recall there was a UC Berkeley study out that said as much as 80% of the county's revenues could be directly attributed to weed.

Up in Boulder Creek there's a road called Deer Creek Road, that's off Bear Creek a few miles before town. It's where the lawless guys and those who want to be off the grid go. The Santa Cruz Sherriff's office has a standing rule that if they have to serve a warrant up there no less then 2 cars go up, and they have M-16's at the ready, not in the trunk.

Your faith is admirable. I've been steered in a lot of directions in similar fashions. It's amazing what faith can do.

 

[chuckchuckit]

Re: Hpwdy from a long lost Excel user

One of the large Mexican weed growing operations there murdered two kids from town. Caused an uproar for a while. They even had 200 people from town meet about what to do about it, but they "did nothing". Think it was Edmund Burke who said, "All it takes for evil to succeed, is for good men to do nothing." That could be their town motto. They had plenty of motivation "and" numerous opportunities to set an example on doing something, but they "did nothing". Problem has become so ingrained that some people there sing in the choir, and then go home and water their pot plants after church - literally. Yet hardly a family there has not been affected/devastated by the rampant loose drug attitude. If anyone wants an example of how badly things end up in an environment like that, Covelo could be the national posterboy.

After County DA Norm Vroman died things did start to turn around for a while as an interim Sheriff for Mendocino County started arresting a lot of growers. But next election the County voted him out. I called that outgoing Sheriff to thank him for the good job he had done, and when I said Thank You he said, "Well hang on a second while I sit down!!" - Obviously "no one" had thanked him for trying to turn around the County. He also said, "We only lost the election by around a thousand votes, so we must have arrested a few too many of them."

He was the same Sheriff who started the "Mendocino County Sheriff Booking Logs" still accessible via internet, that has photos with the recent arrest specifics of the who's who of the neighborhood... He also fired 3 of the 4 Covelo Deputies (later two of those Deputies took their own lives). Only that honest Deputy was left so the whole Police station there was closed. At great personal sacrifice that Deputy refused to compromise with the corruption. Later he even sued a newer Sheriff. And yet I would see him always be kind, especially towards "anyone" trying to turn their life around. Last I heard he's involved with the drug task force and likely doing much good there.

But it is going to take more than just one or two to turn around that County, which most certainly could be done, if the citizens did something about it, instead of "nothing".

It is unfortunate, as it has some of the most beautiful land I've ever seen.