Palomar Mountain News

From: Yvonne Vaucher

The California Fire Safe Council is happy to formally announce that we are launching a new Fire Safe Vendor List. This free digital publication will be available for download on our website and will include a variety of businesses working in the fields of fire safety, prevention, and/or mitigation.

If you are a vendor, come list with us! A call for applications will be announced soon via email, social, and our website with the final list available early 2025. 
 
Vendor types will include:
 
o   Fire Resistant Building & Materials 
Including contractors, siding, vents, gutters, screens, and more.
 
o   Wildfire Mitigation Platforms & Services
Including assessment apps, data tracking, and services such as chippers, tree trimmers, mastication, grazing, traffic control, and more.
 
o   Environmental Consultants 
Including CEQA compliance, biological surveys, CWPPs, grant writing, forestry, and more.
 
o   Fire Detection Software, Equipment, & Services 
Including sensors, cameras, drones, satellites, AI, and platforms.
 
o   Emergency Response Equipment 
Including sprinklers, alarms, sirens, disaster plan apps, and more.
 
We know local Fire Safe Councils are often looking for services and products to source their projects, and they are also asked of homeowners, “Who do you know?”. While CFSC does not endorse vendors on our list, we are doing some of the legwork to identify and help narrow the field for wildfire resiliency sourcing.

We are also committed to widely sharing the Fire Safe Vendor List through the Fire Safe Council network and beyond. It is our hope that this results in safer and better-protected communities throughout California!

If you’re a vendor offering services in one of these areas, we hope you apply!
 
For questions about the publication or the program, please contact Melanie Hogan at mhogan@cafiresafecouncil.org.

The clouds rolled in and a friend had just arrived. Time for a campfire! Party lights were on when I showed up for a few photos. Fall has arrived on Palomar Mountain and doesn’t this look inviting?

Warm up by the fireplace insert in the Great Room with updated kitchen and a whole lot more make it so easy to move right in. Very unique, beautiful, one third acre of fabulous boulders and your own forest.

Click for lots of photos then come on up for a tour!

Bonnie Phelps, Realtor with the graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate!

760-533-1742

New listings to ‘Fall’ for on beautiful Palomar Mountain. The leaves are just beginning to turn and you’ll appreciate jackets when heading this way. The Little Green Cabin in the Woods is just perfect for weekend getaways or joining us full time. For those of you who work from home, great internet is already set up and there is the perfect little office waiting for you …. see that window at the very top?? What a great “tree house” view from from the cutest ‘cubicle’ ever! Maybe you’d use it as an artist studio or a craft room or??? What would your plans be? The exterior was recently professionally painted, appliances are included and furniture is optional. How fun is that! Hurry, come see!

Three escrows just closed and three new options are heading your way! Simply click for all the details of with lots of photos then lets connect for your tour!

Bonnie Phelps, Realtor-stoking-the-wood-stove!

Call or Text 760-533-1742

Palomar Mountain Fire Safe Council proudly presents “It’s Dumpster Time Again” If the weather holds we will have a 40 yd roll-off for community use at the Fire Station 79. When facing the Fire Station line up on road to left.

Open 8 am to noon on Saturday, November 2nd. Weather report looks a bit bleak for Sunday at this point, so we’ll see about that. Usual rules – no tires, paint, HAZMAT, e-waste, Lg appliances, chemicals.

Good news! Warner Springs Community Resource Center will offer e-waste and hazardous waste disposal on Nov 9 from 9 am to 2 pm, 30950 Highway 79, Warner Springs, CA 760-782-0670

It’s the place to meet your neighbors on a Saturday morning!!

Questions?

Call or text Cecelia 760-594-4688

From: Rosemary Johnston

Palomar Mountain’s Annual Apple Festival is always a great day! Click for photos of some of the old fashioned fun we have had over the years.

Hope to see YOU there!

There is a reason they named the South Grade to Palomar “Highway to the Stars”. The lookouts on the last couple night have had lots of cars up to photograph Comet Tsuchinshan – ATLAS. You have a few more opportunities to see it for yourself.

Photographers and long-time friends of the Mountain, Ernie and Katie Cowan came up on Saturday night, October 12 for this shot. Ernie said it was “… Spectacular. If you miss it, it will be back in 80,000 years. See you there!”

Oh, and this just arrived from another photographer extraordinaire, Mike Pique, taken about 7:10 PM Sunday evening (sunset was 6:20) from his cabin property off East Grade.

“I had a good view last night (Sunday, 13 October) from the yard below the cabin on the southwest slope of Palomar Mountain.  Had to look across all the lights on the coast, of course, but fun to see it.  I had missed it Saturday because it was not as far south as I’d expected and it was behind the cedar tree shown here (I didn’t know to go down to the yard).  Time of photo was 1919h PDT; sunset was 1821h so not quite an hour earlier.  Camera was my Sony Alpha, APS-size, kit telephoto zoom set at “82mm 35mm equivalent” (its widest setting).  You could fiddle with the contrast and maybe bring out more tail, but I just send it as-is.”

We’ll be watching for it the next couple nights! Come on up!

Bonnie Phelps, Realtor, enjoying the shows from the Highway to the Stars

Do you have gently used jeans, jackets, hoodies, or other clothing for men and women or blankets to donate? Gently worn jeans, boots, tennis shoes in all sizes, are the most needed. Also new t-shirts, socks and boxers for this wonderful annual event.

The past seven years Palomar friends Jim and Teresa McCarthy, have volunteered at the North County Veterans Stand Down. Teresa is on of the smiling faces, at the Hospitality Booth, greeting Vets as they arrive and distribute much appreciated clothing and toiletries. Jim pickups up vets at train stations, Brother Beno’s, and other shelters around the county as Vets travel from all over the US to the largest Stand Down. Jim also drives attendees to dentist and doctor appointments and will be a one-on-one ‘Battle Buddy’ this year.

You are invited to drop off any donations at their cabin on Crestline with the Yellow Door, or our place on State Park Road.

The event starts next Thursday and runs through Sunday, October 17th to the 20th. Three meals a day are provided for all. Would YOU like to help at the event? It’s a lot of fun and the more volunteers we have, the better. Such a great experience for all. Everyone who comes through, is so thankful and says this event is the best they have ever been to. So many people have their lives totally changed through this weekend. Come on out and be a part of it!

Thanks to all from Teresa and Jim and their son, Phillip who is one of the wonderful success stories from the program.

Call or Text Teresa at 760-855-4015

Oh my! Looking for a delightful place to experience and shop close by in Santa Ysabel? During your visit, you can also visit their sister store, Petals and Potions where you can enjoy a facial, grab lunch at Dudley’s or the Farmhouse, take home a pie or caramel apples from the Julian Pie Company. But first! Olive and Oak is having their grand opening this weekend! A forward from from: East Grader, Jana Lucaccioni From: Gina Taylor, owner at Olive and Oak Friday to Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM As we settle into our new home, we’re just getting started! There’s so much more in store for us in the coming months, and we can’t wait to share it all with you. Be sure to stay connected with us—there’s always something beautiful waiting for you at Olive and Oak. Join us every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday starting October 4th. For directions and much more, simply visit: https://www.oliveandoakantiques.com/

For those of you on the mountain this afternoon, ‘The Calvary’ showed up for a fire that stayed under an acre, with much gratitude to them and the crews on the ground! I just got of the phone with our own Station 79 Captain Dean Kawaski. He said it started up on a ridge between the back of Frye Creek Campground and Doane Pond. About 30 to 40 firefighters really got a workout today because they had to hike back in some steep terrain. Palomar’s Fire Department was joined by crews from Valley Center, Warner Springs and La Jolla Reservation. They were just sitting down to dinner at about 8:30pm and plan to be out mopping up first thing in the morning.

When I first heard about the fire, I called Ray and Sue Carpenter who have a huge pond on their ranch in Mendenhall Valley. They invited me down for a front row seat watching helicopters draw water, including this huge twin engine Chinook, that showed up about every four and a half minutes over an hour and a half. It holds 3000 gallons. Their pond and others on Palomar have been used for every fire up here for decades. Another reason to not have the 500KV towers anywhere at all on Palomar Mountain.

The pond is three acres. In an hour and a half they had taken about 60,000 gallons of water. We noticed the light color showing up on the lower part of the reeds along the edge of the pond where the water level was dropping. Ray and Sue had already turned on their well system that pumps 250 gallons a minute to keep the water supply up to fight the fire. Another fire popped up about 20 minutes later so the helicopters were at the pond again. We are so blessed to have the outcome we have when so many other areas is So Cal aren’t as fortunate.

I’d kidnapped Sandrine (webmaster for Save Palomar Mountain). We first drove up to the Campground entrance where trucks and crews from Escondido, Pala and San Pasqual were staged to assist if needed. But thinking they might have been able to go back home tonight in their clean turn-outs and shiny trucks.

We are so thankful for all of the amazing support and resources that kept that fire from spreading on our beautiful mountain!

Bonnie Phelps

PS – We’re working on getting a great video to you along with a wonderful story from Ray about what it took to get another fire out up here back in the days.

“Step up. Live without regret. Reach out and help others.”

These people involved in the Boatlift were among the Hero’s 23 years ago. So thankful I saw this about the time it was first released in 2013. I’ve played it many times over the years but surprised to see so few views. This morning I thought I’d share with you Palomar Mountain News folks and friends as we remember this day, and will Never Forget.

Bonnie Phelps