Palomar Mountain News

Waking up this morning I was inspired to make a little El Nino Snow Gal for you.  Beach hat, sunglasses, spring scarf and an umbrella.  Oh, and a carrot nose, of course!  If the forecast of 57 inches of snow had been even half of that, our little tree would have been nothing but a big lump under a few feet of snow.  So we need to keep in mind that in spite of what the weatherman is telling us, this is Southern Cal, it is an El Nino, and we better keep those umbrellas handy.

Many of us on Palomar Mountain had snow plows, chains, groceries for a month or so and were ready to go for a BIG snow.  We’ll be patient and hopefully use it all real soon!

There are some pretty big rocks to watch out for with this storm.  Thanks to Rob Hawk who took this one on the South Grade.  We sure appreciate the County Road Station guys who maintain the mountain and Cal Trans who keeps Highway 76 in great shape for us.

Robert Carlyle noticed NOAA has upped the possible inches of snow for Palomar to a minimum of 37 and maybe as much as 57 inches over the next few days.  Ohmygoodness!!!  However, NOAA did predict snow last night, but we didn’t get it.  Only a dusting of slushy stuff in parts of the mountain. Time will tell.  Meanwhile, have your sleds ready!  🙂

Our gauge shows 3.7 inches of rain yesterday.  Lots to be thankful for on our thirsty mountain!

Is a cabin on your goal list for 2016?  Dreaming of a cabin ‘off the beaten path’, with lots of privacy, big towering trees, and an Observatory view?  You can start your year off great with a $40,000 price reduction!

We just got a plotted road right to the door, so most cabins up here can now be yours with as little as a 10% down.  Many thanks to the hard work of my Mountain lender, since the beginning of the Century, Bobby Askari and Title Rep, Jeff Knapp.  We’re rolling in again in Real Estate on Palomar!

Check out ‘Off the Beaten Path’ at Cabins for Sale on Palomar Mountain where you’ll find MLS info, photos and a ‘Walk in the Clouds’ Facebook album I took a couple hours ago.  Bundle up and let’s go see.

Make it a great 2016!

Bonnie Phelps

Wow!  If the weatherman is right, the minimum snow predicted this week will exceed our biggest snow fall last year, at 19 inches, over New Years.

So, here is a friendly reminder to make sure you have winterized;  your pipes are drained and there is antifreeze in the toilet bowls.  We keep lights on in our well sheds, too.

Residents and Property Owners:  Be sure to have a copy of your tax bill or electric bill for Palomar in your glove compartment.  Makes it much easier for the CHP to wave you through if the mountain is closed to ‘Residents Only’.  Family or guests coming up?  If they plan to arrive early in the morning, or after about 4:00, they will have a lot less drama getting up the mountain.  It is a good idea to email them info with a copy of your proof of residency, to show CHP if needed, too.

Friends-of-our-Snow:  You’ll need chains for sure.  A 4WD is the very best.

Snow Chains?  Here is a great deal on used ones with a lesson on how to put them on: SNOW CHAINS Snow Bird Enterprises New and Used Tire Chains, Buy-Sell-Trade-Repair, custom fitting 619 442-3767 or 0175  504 Macon Street (corner of Main and Macon) in El Cajon

Lots more snow info for you at Snow Tips and Pix

We’ll have the hot chocolate on!

bonandon

Such a beautiful shot of just one of the amazing trees in our State Park.  This ‘Lord of the Forest’ is worth hiking down to along the Weir Trail.  Photo by new friend, photographer and philosopher extraordinaire, Fred Blackburn.

Feeling generous?  You have a few hours left for a tax deduction to benefit our Palomar State Park.  Click here for more info.

Make it a safe and Happy New Year!

Another peek through John Lesac’s lens of the 2015 Christmas Moon from Palomar Mountain. It was taken from the top of the road at Curt and Barbara Waite’s property, looking up through their beautiful cedar trees.

Enjoy your New Year celebration tonight!

Staff housing is needed for the Christian Conference Center.  Do you have a cabin available?  Please connect with Micah and see what you can work out.

We are potentially looking for a house to rent month-to-month on the mountain. Depending on what would be available, would probably determine who we would move. I think ideally we would be looking for a 2-bedroom house. 

Mountain neighbor and photographer, John Lesac shared his view of the first full Christmas moon in 38 years. Pretty special. So bright out there tonight with our crystal clear sky at 26 degrees.

Thanks John for all you do for the mountain – serving on different boards, donating hours of time with video and computer assistance and all the wonderful delicacies you create.   Fabulous desserts made in his wood burning stove.  You’re appreciated!

Very Merry Christmasing on Palomar!

We roused those horses early for their Christmas carrots. A little bit of hail arrived and we are pretending it’s snow for our White Christmas on Palomar Mountain 2015.

Since Tuesday, our gauge measures about 6 and a half inches of rain.  One inch of rain can make a foot of snow. We could have had quite a bit of extra fun up here if the temps had dropped. Love to have you pop by. The sledding would be pretty muddy but we have lots of goodies, in addition to a big bag of carrots, waiting for you!

Keep on enjoying your Christmas Celebration!

Bonnie and Don

A beautiful story came my way tonight so we have a white envelope tucked in our Christmas tree on Palomar.  Thought I would share this as I am guessing some of you might want to do the same thing.  Click to read about the White Envelope.