Palomar Mountain News

Fun tales are told of a much-loved, old-timer by the name of John Leech who built a one-room, very rustic cabin on this property in the early 1900’s. In 1950 this ‘modern’ cabin was finished with real running water and later, electric lights! That was good timing as the tiny cabin tucked in the woods, eventually met it’s demise during a heavy snowfall. You can still find some of the lumber and parts of the cast iron kitchen stove.

John’s granddaughter Linda, and her three brothers, talked to me for years about the possibility of someday letting go of their last piece of Real Estate on Palomar. In 2019 I opened a big envelope from Linda’s brother Jim. It had an amazing mountain lion photo and hand-written story telling a little of their family history with multiple properties on the mountain. Click to see the lion photo and read the story.

A few days ago, Linda and her husband Bob had their four grown sons out from around the country for a family reunion. They all came up to say ‘good bye’ to the cabin. It was hard to do! Linda’s first visit was when she was 6 months old. The sons have fond memories hiking in the woods, sledding in the snow, walking up to the General Store, looking at the bright stars and pancakes for breakfast… so many good times.

Well, it’s your turn now.

There is an open living, dining and kitchen with two bedrooms and a bath, power and water, waiting for you. You will not be bored, fixing up the cabin on this property that is just shy of an acre.

What does it need? Before you experience a ‘water feature’ greeting you during your first rain or snow, you’ll want to put on a new roof. The cabin had a vintage wood stove for 74 years that was past it’s prime. A new heat source will be on your list. You do have a shed out back to store your tools and those sleds, don’t forget the sleds.

Click for photos and more info. And, memories, lots of memories to create and savor years from now.

Always glad to give you a tour.

Bonnie Phelps, Realtor who loves the stories from this beautiful Mountain

Let’s connect 760-533-1742 DRE 01293655

One of the last, very original, 100 year old cabins is waiting for you! What peeks your interest? Weekend getaways, even full time living or a fun challenge to restore and short up for future generations to enjoy? You will need your tool box for projects that have been waiting for you for decades.

The beautiful stone fireplace sure resembles several up here made by Ralph Tillinghast who built the huge master-piece, still enjoyed at the Lodge.

If I remember right, this cabin was home to a family that helped create the largest class size at our one-room school about a half-century ago. Apparently the school got up to about 30 students and a third of them were from the family living in this cabin. So if you have a family of 12 or less, you can make it work!

Interested in a tour? Simply click for lots of photos and info, then let’s open the door and see if this is the one!

Bonnie Phelps, Realtor with a special place in my heart for Vintage Cabins!

760-533-1742 DRE 01293655

Tuesday morning I went down to the South Grade Road improvement job site. Took a few pix for you. I’d been concerned about the signage that didn’t seem to make sense.  It was perfect timing. I was introduced to a sharp guy, Aaron Aguinaldo who is the Resident Engineer.  He wanted to make it right and went with me to see the signs.  He had a thick stack of paper on his lap. We got to the top of the mountain and I suggested drawing the correct road names on a piece of paper. He opened his stack of paper and – ta da! It was a huge collection of county maps that they used for the signage placement. One glance at the map and we figured out what caused the confusion pretty quick.   

When the South Grade was built to bring the mirror up in the 1930’s, it was originally named ‘South Grade Road’ all the way to the Observatory.  Decades ago, the part of the Grade from the Summit to the Observatory was changed to ‘Canfield Road’.  Aaron rode with me as we drove around to the construction company’s signs posted in some puzzling and pretty creative places. We were smiling and shaking our heads seeing those old maps and the current street signs. Aaron made the corrections on his historic map printed with road names from nearly 100 years ago.

He notified CalTrans and they got the Message Board moved to the top of the South Grade, facing down hill.  Some signs might still covered as they are not needed. Aaron also mentioned that they are planning for a wait time of no more than about 10 minutes, Monday through Friday and only during the day.

When I was at the job site, I gave a big ‘thumbs up’ to the workers arriving for the day. One man posed for us, Alfred Ortiz. He is one of the brave crew that suit up with all their gear for their day way up in their ‘cubicle’. They scale the huge cut above the road, securing themselves to climb high on that steep bank to dislodge dangerous boulders. The huge pile of rocks and boulders are then trucked away with all the heavy equipment. Thanks to Sandrine Miller-Montgomery for the photo with two of the workers circled in red. Wow!!! They have been doing an amazing job in this 90+ degree heat to help create a safer Highway to the Stars!

Thanks to ALL, from the people of Palomar!

Bonnie Phelps

760-533-1742

So fun to run into JP Bartkowski in the General Store. We were catching up and when he mentioned his very successful formula for getting rid of skunk smells, I just had to take his pic for this post. They have some resident skunks at the ranch and his dog is a common target. JP simply mixes up his magic potion and shampoos his dog or any surface and no more skunk smell:

Small bucket of water

One small box baking soda

One bottle Hydrogen Peroxide

Two to three ounces of DAWN dish soap (Gotta be Dawn)

You’re welcome!

For 45 years the famous Palomar Mountain Observatory was the largest ‘Eye to the Sky’ in the World. Back in 1975 or so, we attending an evening event there and was so impressed by the wait time for astronomers to book their stay. We were told the calendar was booked solid and researchers had to reserve their dates two years in advance. It is so interesting to me to see the distance they traveled to get here. As such a small, rural community, an hour from the nearest city, it is remarkable to have such a vast reach of visitors.

From: Rick Burruss, Palomar Observatory Site Superintendent

I estimate that since 1950, Palomar observatory has welcomed well over 100,000 researchers from all over the world, primarily from the institutions listed below:

• California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, CA
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA
• Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
• National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC)
• Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
• American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York
• Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
• Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
• University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
• University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
• University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC)
• Harvard University, Cambridge, Maine
• Princeton University, New Jersey
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• University of Chicago
• University of Arizona
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Washington
• University of Hawaii
• University of Toronto
• Carnegie Institution for Science, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
• Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
• Pennsylvania State University
• Ohio State University

Our ‘Save Palomar Mountain Task Force’ has been coached by two attorneys to gather as much proof of the use and enjoyment of the PUBLIC from off the mountain and around the world. This is being done with a goal to stop the 13 story towers carrying 500,000 Volts of power up from beautiful Lake Henshaw and butchering this exceptionally gorgeous mountain. One option for the route could be cutting all along our only east/west roads through the enchanting valleys on East Grade, then clearly visible from Valley Center and North County as the towers could travel all along the rim, through the State Park and down across Pauma Valley. We’re asking you to please share your comments to preserve the beauty of Palomar for future generations to enjoy from around the world.

Thank you soooo much!

Bonnie Phelps – enjoying our Dark Sky with those Sparkling Stars!

760-533-1753

Thanks to a call tonight from David Ross, he has the scoop for us on the road work. I’ll reach out to the the Communication Officer in the morning about getting the signs corrected. All of us locals know where we are going but about 320 guests a day at the Palomar Christian Conference Center, all those campers staying at our three campgrounds, Observatory visitors and Vacation Rental folks from around the world would be driving around in circles…. it will all get fixed and work out, just fine.

Keep reading for a portion of the message from our favorite Newspaper Editor, David Ross:

From: Valley Center Roadrunner

County begins roadwork on S-6

The County Dept. of Public Works began roadwork on South Grade Road (S-6) on July 15 to install fencing to prevent rock falls from entering the road.  This work could go on for most of the summer.

According to Donna Durckel, group communications officer of the Land Use & Environment Group, there has been some miscommunication about what this work entailed. Some members of the public thought that South Grade might be closed to traffic at some point, but that is not the case.

Durckel told The Roadrunner, “…  Some of the confusion about signs … is likely because that day signs were temporarily staged at a different locations due to limited access.”

The Contractor is not planning any night work and no weekend work is scheduled. Delays on South Grade should not exceed 15 minutes, said Durckel.

Donna Durckel
Group Communications Officer
Land Use & Environment Group

A fun package arrived from the sellers of a little cabin up here. They wanted the new owners to have the cabin plans that were used to build their special place on Palomar. Of course I had to share with you. The Escondido lumber company where the family purchased their supplies had a two digit phone number??!? Makes me wonder how many total phones were in the city in 1920? The small book gives all the instructions you need to build the cabin from start to finish. Now we know why tree stumps are so often found as footings.

Whoever wrote this flyer really knew marketing and how to close a deal, don’t cha think? Beginning with a question and then “… Do it at once” and “Make your selection now”!

In 1920 the cabins were complete with living, sleeping areas, a kitchen and a fireplace. Oh, but you had to take a trip to the outhouse tucked away in the forest back in those days. Simpler times.

Hope you are enjoying the cooler weather we are treated to this week.

Bonnie Phelps, Realtor with more 100 year old cabins comin up!

760-533-1742

Cars started lining up at the lookout on State Park Road about an hour before the fireworks began on the Fourth of July. Of course I had to go over and visit a bit, passing out Save Palomar Mountain Postcards. People drove up the Grade from all over San Diego County to have this front-row seat. Families, couples, lots of kids and a professional photographer with several tri-pods set up. Folks told me they come up often. They escape their busy city live to rejuvenate, get a big breath of fresh air and take in the amazing views. Some said it is their tradition to see the fireworks. They also come for the snow or just a quick tail-gate picnic from the back of their vehicle, star gaze and escape city life.

We saw small planes circling and a couple of ships out in the Pacific watching the shows, too. Minutes before the shows began, a couple dozen cars had maxed out the parking area. Lots more cars planned to pull in but needed to continue on. I decided to cruise the mountain a bit and saw Palomar is a pretty popular viewing site.

How many firework locations can be seen from Palomar Mountain? We’ve counted 17 on Fourth of July. However, Sea World in San Diego invites you to “end your evening with the dazzling new Enchanted Wonders Fireworks Spectacular”. Pick a clear night and it is free admission from the Rim of the World on Palomar!

South Grade Road is the main road to access Palomar Mountain. Work is to be done through the end of the summer. There is a little confusion with the company that is doing work. This sign just popped up on Summit Circle. At the stop sign just ahead, you can continue straight west on South Grade Road. If you follow the arrow on the sign and turn right, that is not South Grade, but Canfield Road. It was reported and is to be corrected.

It was also suggested to just have one big sign going down from the top of South Grade posted with the days and hours. I did see one at the top of Canfield, coming from the Observatory, heading toward the Summit, just before you get to the Post Office. Little confusing for folks not familiar with the area.

A couple of months??? Yes, apparently the contractors have two months carved out to address some dangerous boulders and trees, repair some guardrails and a mesh retaining wall also known to us locals as the ‘monkey play ground’.

The work is to begin next Monday, July 15th. Questions are being asked about what time the work is to be done and will the road be closed evenings and weekends? I’ll get back to you when we know more.

The plan is to have one lane open for the property owners on the Grade, but with the extent of the work, they are encouraging everyone else to use East Grade to avoid long delays. Even though taking the East Grade adds about another 20 minutes, it might save time over waiting on the South Grade.

Bonnie Phelps, Realtor – Looking forward to enjoying that beautiful East Grade Road more often

Questions about Real Estate, glad to answer those, too! 760-533-1742 DRE#01293655

An un-painted canvas is waiting for your dream home or weekend getaway. It is very rare to have a parcel come up with underground power and phone plus your own private well with that delicious water Palomar is famous for. A paved road takes you right to the property where we can drive up and circle through where you might choose to make that dream come true.

Simply click for the details and lots more photos then let’s take off and explore.

Bonnie Phelps, Palomar Properties Realtor since the beginning of the Century

760-533-1742