May 2023 Update

Dear Friends,

 

Spring is finally here… I hope you all survived what seemed like a long winter. We had a ton of snowy days in Modoc but we still managed to make some progress on the project. Little by little, I think I can finally say that we’re getting close to being done. Joel and I sure are looking forward to hitting that milestone. A lot of people have asked about the design, which is hard to visualize based just on our description, so I took a pano photo… the bath house is on the right, guest house on the left and the foundation for the covered patio is at the far side. All three together form an octagon with a courtyard in the middle. I’m taking the picture from the main entrance.

And here’s another shot from the opposite side… I was standing near the creek under the locust trees. Bath house is on the left and guest house on the right – you have to imagine the covered patio completing the octagon since we only have the foundation done and it’s covered with snow. Thank you to everyone who has come out to help get us this far and especially to Joel’s daughters Shelby and Rainey, who have each taken some sabbatical time at the property in the past year and helped with the final year push for completion.

 

The place I was standing when I took this picture seems perfect for a small RV or trailer and we plan to make this into an inviting pull-through camping site for tent campers or small vehicle campers. Nice and shady under these trees in summer!

 

I’ve had some people asking about the annular eclipse coming up in October. Our little corner of California is along the path of totality. Will we be having an eclipse party? Yes, we will… please let me know if you’d like to come out that weekend! There’s a lot happening in Modoc before then, though, so read on below for info about other opportunities to visit as well. 

 

Here’s a link to info about the eclipse:

 

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/where-when/

 

 

The Sort of Semi Annual Rocktion is back! Join us June 10 afternoon for a Bay Area opportunity to say hello in person and, if you are so inspired, to participate in a friendly bidding competition over some unique Modoc rocks. You can use them for landscaping, jewelry, or just because you like cool rocks. Some people use quartz crystal rocks as part of a spiritual practice or to help them feel more grounded. Regardless how you use them, we will have an assortment of rocks, quartz crystals and petrified wood for rock lovers to peruse. All are welcome to come socialize, though, whether or not you are interested in rocks.

 

 

I’m working on the Owl Creek Calendar for 2023-24… this year we’ll be featuring people at the property or enjoying the Surprise Valley area. Let me know if you’d like a calendar!

 

 

Speaking of doing things, there is actually a lot going on this summer in our sleepy Surprise Valley. We hope you come out for a visit if any of these looks like fun...

 

Memorial Day Weekend: May 26-29. The snow will be gone (probably) and we will be dividing our time between working on the project and finding relaxing places to cool off. I already know of a few people who are planning to come that weekend and we have plenty of room for more in the campground area. This would be a great time to come visit!

 

First Fridays: June 2, August 4, October 6. First Fridays were a huge local hit in Cedarville last year. We’ll be in town for the ones in June, August and October and you’re welcome to join us for any of them.

 

Fly-In Breakfast at Cedarville Airport: July 16. For my pilot friends, get some mountain flying experience in a new set of mountains by flying out for the weekend and going to this annual small-town fly-in breakfast. I’ll pick you up in either Alturas (which has instrument approaches and fuel) or Cedarville (which has neither of those things). We have plenty of camping gear you can borrow so no need to load your plane up with tents and sleeping bags. Let me know if you want to plane-pool with another pilot or if you want me to hook you up with a CFI.

 

Eagleville BBQ, July 29. This is an annual fundraiser for the Eagleville Fire Department. The Eagleville BBQ has become something of a Surprise Valley reunion, drawing hundreds of people who once lived here back to Surprise Valley each year. Lots of tradition around the deep pit BBQ – where to find the right groves of mountain mahogany, who tends the overnight fire, whether the bags of beef are really thrown into the river and floated under the bridge before they go onto the coals… 

 

The Perseids Meteor Shower peaks August 12 this year, close enough to the new moon that people who know say it should be a great year to hang out in a zero-gravity chair with a glass of pinot and watch the show.

 

Cedarville Dark Sky Festival: August 18-19. This has been gaining some traction as an annual event put on by the Friends of the Nevada Wilderness, BLM and other local organizations. It includes a dark sky painting class, an introduction to night photography lesson, and learning about astronomy from local scientists. https://www.nevadawilderness.org/2023_dark_sky_festival

 

Modoc County Fair in Cedarville: August 24-27. This is Cedarville’s biggest annual event, a super traditional small town fair. You really know you’re in a ranching community when you see how many events there are for working dogs and how amazing these talented dogs are at working with their humans to herd.

 

Valley-Wide Yard Sale: September 30. If you like antique shopping, you might enjoy this day-long annual event… you get a map and addresses of people up and down Surprise Valley who are selling, then you drive from Fort Bidwell to Eagleville and everywhere in between to check out their offerings, stopping for lunch or a picnic somewhere scenic along the way. Time moves slowly in Surprise Valley so this is one place where you can actually find antiques and vintage items that have just been hanging out in someone’s house since they were new.

 

Annular Eclipse: October 14. See link above. Come for the weekend… the eclipse itself is conveniently on Saturday night.

 

Holiday Tractor Parade, December 2. It’s a little colder in December, but if you are into some small-town Christmas festivities, this would be a great weekend for it… there’s a Christmas tree lighting Friday night, and an annual tractor parade on Saturday. I’m thinking Joel and I have to enter one of his many tractor-like vehicles this year. Come hang out on it with us and wave to the passers-by, but remember… it’s Modoc. There will probably be more participants than passers-by. It’ll still be fun.

 

 

Other things to do in Modoc County that guests have asked about at some point…

 

Fly Ranch Geyser Tours. The Burning Man organization recently purchased a historic property called Fly Ranch that is home to a nearly 200°F geyser. Fly Ranch Geyser was featured in National Geographic some years ago but has mostly been inaccessible to the public because it was on private land. Now you can book walking tours out to see it. This would make a good day-trip from Owl Creek. Joel and I haven’t done this ourselves yet so we’re hoping some friends come out this summer and we’ll all go together. Here’s more info about the geyser and how to book tickets for a walking tour. https://flyranch.burningman.org/

 

Wild Horse Adoption Events. Modoc is home to a large number of wild horses and they are regularly rounded up and sold. You can also just visit the Devil’s Garden area of the Modoc National Forest and look for them in the wild. This is another thing Joel and I have not yet done and would love to do with some visiting friends at some point.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/modoc/landmanagement/resourcemanagement/?cid=FSEPRD512471

 

Lava Beds National Monument… caves, lava tubes, bat watching… yet another thing I would like to do with some visiting friends. Would be great to go in summer.

https://www.nps.gov/labe/index.htm

September 22

Hello and Happy Equinox! 

The first day of fall is already bringing cooler temps and helping reduce the fire hazard across much of the state - thank goodness for that!

So many thanks to our recent guests for fun times at the lake near Fort Bidwell and all kinds of help with our late summer project completion goals. Aaron got a lesson on the mini and became a digging machine, completing literally hundreds of feet of trench for our water pipe, and Pat helped put all that pipe together so it's ready to go in, as well as helping with siding, cutting and insulation. Brenda took some beautiful color palette pictures and helped us finally decide on some colors for the interior. Nolan and Lizzie found rocks and cut rocks... 

And Lizzie, as you can see, served as our rock model for the largest entry in our Rocktion.

What is a Rocktion, you ask?

On November 6, here in the Bay Area, we are going to have a social gathering and rock auction. Outdoors and one cow apart, of course. We'll be highlighting some of the cool Modoc rocks that come tumbling down from the Warners every year. We've got green rocks, orange rocks, jet black rocks and seemingly everything in between. Some of them have shiny black bits in them as if the rock were formed during a lava rain. Others have small shell fossils in them and once in a while, tiny geodes or seams of quartz. We find lots of petrified wood, which is technically a rock, and some pieces that we think are fossilized sea shells that filled with quartz over the millenia. We will be auctioning off a selection of various types and sizes that could be used as landscaping features, fidget toys, jewelry, or just to admire as nature made them. It will also be a chance to say hello in a safe outdoor environment, so save the date and look for more details to come!

Visiting Opportunities Coming Up

October 14-17 Builder's Weekend

This will truly be a builders weekend because we still have lots to do before the snow flies and we could really use a few helping hands. We'll also have some hiking and chill evenings at the campfire and plan to watch a live streamed concert on the Saturday. Bring your guitar if you play one! Projects are likely to be: digging a winter burn pit with the little excavator, finding rocks, cutting rocks, staining the bath house siding, and prepping exterior insulation and lathing for stucco on the energy shed. If you enjoy projects like that and want to learn or practice some practical skills, we'd love to have you come up!

Veterans' Nature Retreat

This weekend is for veterans and their families to come out and enjoy the Silence of our remote foot-of-the-mountain location, hike, share, reflect, admire the Milky Way, enjoy outdoor meals, and generally just relax. You could go for a long ride around the valley on your motorcycle or bicycle. Or you could just hang out under the pear tree all weekend and never leave the property. We probably won't have any projects going this weekend... if someone really wanted to make something, it might be a camping platform for our first future hut site on an outcropping that overlooks the valley. If you're feeling really adventurous, you could sleep out there, but I wouldn't really recommend it. Wait for the hard-sided hut.

Here are a few photos. It feels like things take forever sometimes, but wow - we actually have gotten a lot done this year!

We explored a new area of the property.
These rocks are too big for the Rocktion!

Owl Creek ran over into its natural creek bed!

We trucked in lots & lots of insulation...
with more yet to come

I hope everyone is staying well and healthy. It would be great to see those of you who are local, so do pencil in November 6 on your calendars. 3:00 pm in East Palo Alto.
Happy Fall, You All,
Patti

September?!?

My goodness... it's September already, summer is winding down, the school year is winding up, covid is still with us and that makes it harder to travel, but we still have a lot of space up in Modoc for people to keep their "1 cow apart." So if you're still deciding what to do for Labor Day weekend, consider coming up - you'll be outside and can stay true to your bubble while still hanging out (loosely) with other people. 

Fire update - fortunately, Modoc foresters have done an amazing job taking care of our forests and residents have been extremely fire-conscious. So far this year, we haven't had any fires that got out of control. Joel and I are strategizing about how to mitigate our own fire hazards on the property, which may come down to digging a winter burn pit the size of a small house. It's heartbreaking to see what's happening with fires in California.

Anyway, we changed the design of our cedar siding to make it hopefully more resistant to catching embers, and that project is well under way. Thank you Alicia for huge help with that over a weekend of tonguing and grooving with routers and table saw!

First, we added 2 layers of non-combustible R-6 Rock Wool to the exterior.

Then, we use a tongue and groove method rather than board and batten.  The hope is that not only embers but also flickers have a hard time finding a foothold.

OMG - look at all that lumber that needs to be tongued and grooved!

A big thanks to everyone who came out to help salvage lumber from the Baylands a few months ago - Jamey, Braxton, Jim, Nolan, Lizzy, Trish and Trish's girlfriend. That lumber is also up in Modoc now waiting its turn to be turned into a hopefully fire-safe walk/rollway.

I hope everyone is staying well and healthy, and please do let me know if you want to come up for a visit Labor Day weekend - we'll be there Friday through Monday and we would love to have you up for a visit!

Patti

 

Happy Spring all! 

 

We were excited to have a new neighbor move in down the road who is a published wildlife and nature photographer. Look for a night sky photography workshop weekend, hopefully in July, for those who want to try to get some good shots of the Milky Way.

 

Meanwhile, two things coming up this month to help move the Modoc project along… First, we will be reclaiming some lumber this coming Saturday, right here in the bay area. It used to be part of the catwalk system PG&E set up to maintain electrical towers along the edge of the bay. Now they use helicopters to access those towers and the old catwalk is in disrepair, but we confirmed that the lumber is still in good shape and we’ve arranged with the City to pull out a trailer full of boards this Saturday, May 15, at 9am. We will repurpose them to build a walk-and-roll-way at the property so that guests can safely get down to the creek area whether on foot, walker or wheelchair. If you have a couple of hours and a little muscle to lend, we would really appreciate your help!

 

Second, we are having a Builder’s Weekend up at the property on Memorial Day weekend… we’ll either be siding, framing or doing stone work. (Framing is our first choice, but we just saw our framing package the other day and, well... as you can see in the photo it's not quite ready for us yet.)

If you are looking for a relaxing and covid-safe adventure for Memorial Day weekend, come on up for a visit. You can help build things as much or as little as you want. Given the crazy stress of some people’s jobs these days, you might also just want to eat, sleep and stare at the mountain, and that’s OK too.

 

Patti

Happy 2021. The last time I wrote, we were pushing walls into place up in Modoc, California was just emerging from a Pandemic Lock Down, and there was all kinds of social and political tension across the nation. I guess things haven't changed too much, but maybe turning the page on 2020 will bring some relief. As I write from my place in the Bay Area, I'm admiring the courage of my neighbor's cherry tree, already in full blossom, and also watching birds tear into the remains of last year's persimmons right next to it. It takes a while for last year's fruit to make way for the future, but eventually it happens - it seems like there's a metaphor in there somewhere for where we find ourselves today. 

We did get those walls up in the Bath House in the remainder of 2020. We also got the solar PV system installed and the septic system 99% complete. Those were huge! My hope was that we'd be able to light a Christmas tree on the berm so people would see it when they drove by and... on December 21, the Winter Solstice, shortest day of the year, we flipped the light switch and lit that tree! What an awesome moment that was. I wish I had a better picture, but you'll have to look closely on the left side to see the lights of the tree.

It made me really happy when a neighbor texted me saying ~ you must be up, we just saw your Christmas tree lights when we drove by!

The Bath House has taken shape and although we need to side it, it is actually starting to look like a small homey building. We're still staying in the trailer when we're up there, though.

Starting to take shape inside too!

Solar PV worked well, even on the shortest sun days of the year, with snow.

We're hoping 2021 will bring completion of all utilities and of the Bunk House. That includes the star gazing deck, which has undergone several transformations on paper but is currently planned as a roof top deck on the well pump house. Our location in Surprise Valley is adjacent to one of fewer than 10 designated "dark sky" regions in the world... we hope that things like staring at the Milky Way or watching the Perseid Meteor Shower in safety and comfort will be unique experiences for our guests. If you like that sort of thing, please plan to come up this year.

We've also created a calendar using Shutterfly, featuring photos of the property and dates of covid-safe visiting opportunities we plan to have this year. If you would actually hang a calendar on your wall and would like one, please let me know - we ordered a few extras so we could give some away. Here are the first 3 months...

               

Finally, we've had guests and they've taken some great sets of photos... I'll end this entry with a link to a set of photos taken by Nolan's handy drone. 

https://adobe.ly/3nEuc2B

I promise I will be better about updating this blog going forward... we get so busy doing things that we sometimes don't stop to reflect and share, but my gut says that humanity is going to have a beautiful renaissance when this pandemic subsides and we want to be ready to welcome you and others in joyful gatherings when that happens. Meanwhile, the property is also a relatively safe place to welcome smaller groups of people who want to visit with others from their bubble. 

Stay safe.

Overwhelmed with Gratitude

Just a quick update to say thank you to everyone who supported the Bath House 2020 campaign. I had been on the fence about whether to do a fundraising campaign. When a friend called me to say she and her husband wanted to help keep the Bath House project on track, I hesitated a little and then learned what beautiful things can happen when you just say “yes” to people who are trying to help you. Not long after, another friend told me she wanted to help support the vision up here and I got some more practice saying “yes.” Those two initial donations taught me that it’s OK to accept help and inspired me to go ahead with the Bath House 2020 t-shirt campaign. So thank you from the bottom of my heart to Faria, Sunny and Audrey for your donations and for the lessons I learned by accepting them. 

We only sold 17 t-shirts, which probably reflects the fact that a) people already have too many t-shirts, and b) my design skills are not very good. But people were generous with their words of encouragement and their non-t-shirt donations, and the grand total, including those first two inspiring donations, was $8,485 raised. That’s amazing! That was enough to finish the foundation and build the floor (both already done and have passed inspection), complete the installation of the well pump (also done and water is now flowing – huge celebration there!!!!), buy the conduit we’ll need to connect the pump to the house, build the Bath House walls (which is happening this week), and also get the roof on. Wow! 

That’s all happening because of you, so thank you to all of you for helping us get this done on schedule – Faria, Sunny, Audrey, Randy, Nick, John, Oswald, Ryan, Patricia, Paolo, the other John, Heejay, Gisela, Brenda, Autumn, Ames, Alyce, Don, Amy, Pattie, Robert, and Pia. Add to that the design and consultation skills of Joel’s friend Cassie, who helped us get our drawings into digital format; my DeAnza energy teacher Massimo, who is volunteering his time to review our energy systems; equipment loans by neighbor Ed and the Marchys down the road; and all the sweat and muscle expended by Aaron, George, Diana, Brenda, Pat, Nolan, Lizzie, Gene, Steve, Roy, Dave, Linda, Hans and Mary in helping clear the build site, bend rebar, pour thousands of pounds of cement into the stem wall, haul sandy gravel over from the gravel pit, and do the final wall raising itself this weekend. This has truly been a team effort and we are overwhelmed by gratitude. Thank you for all you do in support of this project.

If you sent something to 18283 County Road 1, Eagleville, and it came back, by the way, my apologies. The postmaster advised I should only be using our PO box number for now, which is: PO Box 553, Cedarville, CA 96104.

Here are after /after photos of the same places you saw in the last blog update. We both had to pose with the well pump solar panel and even Allie was excited that we finally had water from the well. And click on the 1-second video to hear the beautiful sound of water flowing out of that spigot – no more trips to the neighbor’s house for water every two days!!

And here’s the Bath House on wall-raising day… so much of what has gone into this so far will never be visible to most people but we hope occupants will feel the benefits of all that work in solidity and comfort: 3 square feet of concrete footing, a 4-high CMU block stem wall on top of that, horizontal and vertical rebar woven throughout, a 6-hour day for 4 people hand filling the stem wall cavities with cement, stucco on the outside for aesthetics, rigid foam insulation on the inside for improved thermal mass performance, backfilled, leveled, floored, and ready for walls to go up this weekend. 

OK, got too busy with the wall raising, so now I also have wall photos as well!

I also can’t end this post without a shout out to Lisa in the window department at the East Palo Alto Home Depot. I knew windows could get pricey. But I still got sticker shock when I started window shopping for the high-performance windows we will need to make our off-grid concept work for Modoc winters. In total, we’ll have 17 windows throughout the finished house (bath house + living quarters) of which 3 are sliding glass doors and 7 have special glazing designed for spaces heated by solar orientation… those windows need a low-e coating to keep heat from escaping, but they also need to maximize solar heat gain coming in. Nobody wants those in California and even window people are a little iffy whether or not the combination of features is possible. These windows need to be oriented to the South and they need to direct the sun’s warming rays toward a companion feature, which is a thermal mass floor. The other windows need to be as energy efficient as possible because we’ll be off grid in a place where winter can last 4-5 months. We can’t use argon to improve efficiency because of our elevation. And we are in a State Responsibility Area, which means CalFire has additional requirements that all our windows have two panes of tempered glass. With all those special requirements, Lisa did an amazing job of walking us through our options and the price impact of each, getting our order right, and finding discounts that apply to us. At the end of the day she got us our 17 high performance Anderson windows / sliding glass doors for under $400 an item. If you need windows, she’s your ally.

A final note while on that topic, those thermal mass floors will feature natural stone which will collected in Nevada at some point over the next few months. If you enjoy rock hounding and want to come up when we are on stone-collection expeditions, let us know!

Biggest hardest wall is up!

First wall up... three to go. Will make another blog post when we're done.