Ohmygoodness!!! The For Sale sign just went up at the top of the mountain and the charming ‘Little Red Cabin in the Woods’ brought up the nicest folks. I got meet lots of people who are yearning for our lifestyle on beautiful Palomar Mountain. This one new listing created my busiest week ever with about 20 showings in the past few days. Now multiple offers are being reviewed and still more showings at this charming cabin!
Some clients had seen property with me in the past. Some were looking for a little more elbow room. On my promised tours, I also drove them by a cabin on 4 acres where the painter just finished up. 3 offers for that one, too. It wasn’t quite ready for the MLS but the seller just couldn’t refuse one of the offers, so we just opened escrow.
Thinking of selling?!?
Let’s get your questions answered. The buyers are waiting!
Would you like to take off on a little adventure to see the best view in the county? Pack a picnic and visit Palomar Mountain State Park. So many miles of trails to explore! One of the highlights is visiting Boucher Fire Lookout with the spectacular views across the San Diego County. It is extra special when staffed by volunteers up there looking for smokes. At this time visitors aren’t able to go up volunteers might be available to answer a couple questions from the catwalk, while watching for smokes. Staffed daily from May 1st to December 1st.
One of the many hats Ernie Cowan wears is that of a photographer. Thanks Ernie for these great shots! The Milky Way is amazing!
From: Ernie Cowan
Beginning the first of the month, Boucher Hill and High Point Fire Lookouts are now manned by volunteers with the Forest Fire Lookout Association.
This will be the third season working the towers for Kati and me. We love it. Gives us time in the outdoors, but also is a great public service.
FFLA works with the U.S. Forest Service and the trained volunteers are the eyes in the sky looking for the first smoke and calling that information into dispatch so fire crews can quickly respond.
Palomar’s own, Smith Mountain Boys have a fun May Concert schedule for us!
Starting Friday Night 5 to 8 (that would be TOMORROW!), YOU are invited to meet up at Wynola Pizza for ribs, salads, wings and lots of other options with GREAT music by Dutch Bergman and Bruce Druliner. Dutch’s family goes back about six generation in these here parts. Bruce’s family has been on the mountain only about 80 years.
A very fun, outside venue is waiting for us Friday night – could be chilly so bring your jacket.
And, drum roll, in addition to their great options down in Borrego Springs, the Lazy H booked The Boys for Wednesday night the 19th. Ohmygoodness! Jack said you’d be much happier to have a reservation so you don’t get turned away as last time it sold out!!! You can email Jack at info@lazyh.com or call in 760-742-3669.
Who wants to carpool? Let’s connect… meanwhile, let’s get to foot tappin’!
Here s the schedule from Denise along with info on their new CD! Betcha they would autograph at the events!
May 2021 Gigs
1. Friday, May 7, 2021 – 5 – 8pm Wynola Pizza and Bistro Julian, CA 760-765-1004
2. Wednesday Night, May 19, 2021 5 to 8pm
Lazy H Restaurant, Pauma Valley
Call to Reserve your table 760-742-3669
3. Saturday, May 22, 2021 – 4:30 – 7:30pm American Legion, Post 853 (ALR Steak Night) Borrego Springs, CA 760-767-4001
4. Monday, May 31, 2021 – Noon – 2 pm American Legion, Post 853 Memorial Day Hot Dog/Hamburger Celebration Borrego Springs, CA 760-767-4001
CD update:
After a year in production, The Smith Mountain Boys have completed their first album, Cover Stories. Twelve of your favorite cover songs have been professionally mixed and recorded on CD’s. We will have the CD’s available at each gig for purchase or via our website, www.smithmountainboys.com.
Keep an eye out for a Toyota car parked along one of the grades and Hwy 76. Several fires have been started along the roads apparently by someone that might be driving a Toyota car. Sam Taylor called asking that folks keep an eye out. Have your camera handy to hopefully get a photo of the license plate.
About 10 days ago, I was going down the East Grade and came across a van parked near the bottom. This guy also had a pretty big “warming fire” going right along side the road with quite a big stack of sticks and brush he’d collected, right next to the fire. Driving past the van, I got a few good pix including his license plate and called 911. On my way back up, about 30 minutes later, I passed our Cal Fire crew and law enforcement mopping up. Thanks All!
Apparently this is newest fire-setter is someone different. We all travel these roads so much, it would be great to catch him and put a stop to this.
Check out the before and after!!! Wish I had a photo before the new flooring and paint went in!!! The kitchen was canary yellow and the flooring was down to the slab from 70 years ago. This wall between the kitchen and living room just had to be opened up!!! Palomar didn’t have power until a few years after this cabin was built. So, these older cabins didn’t have a space planed for a big refrigerator. Now there are two oh-so-convenient under-counter refrigerator/freezers and a brand new stove. It is so inviting to see through to the big picture window and be a part of what is happening in the living room. And look! The daffodils just bloomed outside the kitchen window!
New windows, flooring, appliances, lighting, freshly painted on a half acre that is pretty usable. Maybe a tiny house? Two bedrooms and one bath, plus a pull-down ladder to the attic where you can stand up. What would YOU do with that space? Come up and join us full time or escape to your mountain getaway. $365,000
Would you be getting a loan? Simply call Adam Denton 619-301-8797 cell. He has some amazing products available. 1st time home buyers would be 3% down for a conventional loan. Otherwise it is 5% down for a primary residence and 10% for 2nd home loan programs, FHA is 3.5% and VA 0% down both for primary residence. In 10 minutes you can find out where you are comfortable financially. Amazing loan options available these days!!!
This charming cabin should be on the MLS tomorrow so you’ll have lots more photos and I’m always glad to open the doors.
The rattlers are just waking up from their long winter’s nap. Thanks to a Palomar Mountain East Grade neighbor, Frank McCarthy for the photo and video.
High on Kennels in Santa Ysabel offers training classes for your dogs to be aware and hopefully avoid rattle snake situations for you and your family. You can take your dog to one of their classes or perhaps we’ll have a class up here. I’ll let you know. Click for Rattle Snake Aversion Training.
Bonnie Phelps, Realtor
Just hoping to avoid meeting up with these guys this year!
Those woodpeckers have really been busy! Two SDG&E guys stopped by yesterday to let me know I’d have a different view from my desk today. SDG&E has replaced poles on Crestline and Birch Hill and now it is our turn on State Park Road. This pole at Fern Meadow Road was apparently the most popular with the local woodpeckers so they started here first. They will be working their way along the road eventually replacing all with steel poles to also be more firesafe.
Bonnie Phelps … so wanting to get up there in one of those buckets!
My last post was about waking up to a Mountain Lion at our door. I’ve had many comments, and emails from concerned folks. I wrote it lightly but do want you to know that we are very concerned. That last post was pretty long so I wanted to make sure you got to the link that was at the bottom of that post. This photo is of the lion that was at our horse corral last night for about 2 minutes before turning away. Very bold and quite frightening since two of our grandkids saddled up and rode that horse yesterday.
YOU can help: be sure to report your incidents with lions. It takes less than a minute:
We moved here in ’98 and didn’t see any lions at all our first ten years or so. Then our first one, a few years later a second one. I’ve seen several walking along State Park Road like they were headed to the General Store for an ice cream. We see them very often. I was glad to see the box to check to be able to take care of this very aggressive lion that was literally right under our patio roof. We can deal with loosing cats, chickens, ducks, but loosing children is a different story.
One of the Palomar photos here shows 4 lions in the same frame from a neighbor’s trail cam. Another shows a lion dragging off a deer with the neck in his jaws. Our youngest grandson is about the size of the deer: https://palomarmountainnews.wordpress.com/?s=mountain+lion%27&x=0&y=0
A few years ago Fish and Game would come up and trap a lion that had killed livestock. Now they don’t. Apparently there are just too many. So when you report an incident there is a box you can check if you want to be able to defend yourselves and livestock with a ‘lethal or non-lethal’ solution.
From East Grader, Frank McCarthy: “I think as long as the deer population holds, adult people don’t have too much to worry about, generally. Two things though; with drought seemingly constant and with the lion population growing, the deer population is dwindling. Secondly, I do believe that children are at risk. Most of the attacks in So Cal now are directed towards children, even with adults present. It’s an easy risk benefit calculation for a lion. Any attractants like water troughs, food for turkeys or salt for deer, anything you do to encourage wildlife, you will encourage predators. So think carefully before you do that. And always have a means to defend yourself and your children. A game warden told me that it’s not the lion you see you have to worry about, it’s the lion you don’t.”
Up early, I had an arm-load of things to put in my car. I stepped out of our house and the door shut behind me. That is when I locked eyes with this lion walking toward the cat dish. The cowboy had been out a few minutes prior and let ‘Mousetrap’ out of the garage for breakfast. We recently had seven cats, but now down to one. I’m thinking this lion was looking for her last quick breakfast from this litter.
All I’ve learned and practiced for meeting up with a lion, vanished. I knew I should put my arms up and R O A R! Well, everything in my mind went into slow motion. My arms were full. I knew I could drop everything but when I opened my mouth, I just froze. The poor lion wasn’t fazed. After all, it was 7:15 am and I didn’t have my makeup on. That must have been a very scary sight for her to see. She turned and walked through the carport as I was fumbling to get back in the house.
My husband was sitting by the fire and all I could say was ‘LION’. Suddenly, he was young again, running to see the lion walk past the bedroom window, just a few feet away. I stood at my desk while the lion sauntered down the bank on one of the best sled runs on the mountain and past the wood splitter where our four grandkids are often working on their firewood business. You can see the kick balls on the ground where the children had been playing the day before.
She wasn’t in a hurry so I ran out on the patio and took this pic of her walking across the orchard. She calmly took her well-worn path up the bank, carefully crossed the road and was off, for now.
Most of you know our four grandkids live on their ranch next door. They have lost many cats, chickens, and some ducks to the lions. They do have livestock guardian dogs that often bark, much to the dismay of the neighbors. The Sunday before me being face-to-face with the lion, the grandkids had friends visit. Three more little kids joined our four at play right there, inches from where the lion greeted me a couple days later. My husband said something about the children being lion bait as the 6 little kids they went up the trail to the ranch. I sure hope that never comes true and you can bet they won’t be using the trail again anytime soon.
Our oldest stayed behind and I took her home at dusk. As I was letting her out, the dogs were barking. I drove away and there was a lion, casually walking through. Not seeming to be bothered by the barking dogs at all.
Last night our family arrived home to see a lion right next to the horse correl. Heidi, our daughter-in-law said the lion stared them down for about 2 minutes before getting bored and wandering off. No fear, very confident and as Heidi said, their youngest son is about the size of most deer. It is always hard when we loose these animals but loosing any child on this mountain to a lion is unthinkable.
Over the years I’ve posted about lions on Palomar Mountain News. Now I could post photos and experiences about once a week. The lion population is rapidly growing. Some of the comments I’ve seen are from city folks seeing lions close by. Yes, population is growing and can be pretty dangerous.
Two of our neighbors have trail cams that often include lions. Here is one from a couple days ago:
Well, that was quick! Humberto is finishing up painting his 9th cabin on Palomar Mountain. I pulled over quick when I saw him a couple years ago at his first property. I walked around a bit and asked him to come paint our house next. He does a wonderful job and is a pleasure to deal with. Two coats on this cabin after a great job prepping are done now and the deck looks fresh and ready for the new owners.
I thought Humberto was going to be a few more days. but just spoke to him and he’ll finish up today. Like to catch him while he is on the mountain or on his way down? Call or text to 760-419-0197.
Bonnie Phelps, Realtor
At my desk: 760-742-1742
Out and About: 760-533-1742
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