Palomar Mountain News

Considering selling your home, ranch, cabin or lot or land?

There are a lot of folks out there longing for a weekend retreat away from the craziness of the cities.  Some folks have also realized how effective it was to work from home.  I’ve talked to some who had their kids in public school, but now appreciate how much less time it takes to home-school and have enjoyed extra time with their kids.  People are realizing now for many jobs, good internet is all they need, so they are looking to make a move away from the cities. Seeking a lifestyle change for the good, these folks are pretty envious of what we have up here on Palomar.

Folks are wanting to get their family back to some old-fashioned values and enjoy time together on this beautiful mountain.

I’ve realized over the past month or so, I averaged a showing a day but so little for sale!!!  We just opened escrow for my last active cabin listing with several backups on the file.  Cash buyers are open to fixers. Plus, historically low interest rates are available so it is a great time to list and make a move!

Considering selling or buying? Let’s connect!

Bonnie-on-a-Roll!

Meet Alma and Daniel with their oldest grandson, Joe.
We were out front when they drove by, slowed down, backed up and pulled in. Joe explained he had his grandparents out for a drive and wondered where there was a public restroom. Well, he made the perfect stop! We even had a table reserved for their picnic!
Alma is a charming story-teller. She was born in Los Angeles in 1926 so that makes her 94 years young! She has such happy memories of coming up to Palomar many times over the years. You see, her father was part of the crew that built the South Grade! Fernando C. Ulloa, was born in 1902. He was a Mexican immigrant during the Mexican revolution. In 1911 his family immigrated to El Paso. Eventually he found his way to this area and had a job working with the WPA. There ware so many men working to build the road. The goal was to have it built for the mirror to come up for the Observatory. It was exciting times!
Alma and her husband, Daniel Boone (yes, Daniel Boone), were “poor as church mice” when they married. Daniel retired after a career working for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and later for Hughes Aircraft. Alma invested thirty years teaching history and Spanish to many fortunate kids as she would have been a favorite teacher. They had three sons, and their chauffeur for the day, Joe is the oldest grandson.
They settled in San Diego. Alma really should write up her delightful memories of what San Diego was like when there were so many dirt roads and the “center of the county was at 5th and Broadway”.
I’ve met so many nice people on their drives up to Palomar the past few months. These folks were extra-special.

Bonnie Phelps

From: Doug Anderson

Growing up at the Observatory, I knew a very interesting man, a former resident Donald Gordon.  Click for some history of Donald Gordon written by a neighbor of his in El Cajon back in the 1960’s.

Mr. Gordon had 160 acres on what was known as Morgan Hill.  He lived out west of the Upper French Valley on Palomar.  Mr. Gordon built and flew the first airplane west of the Mississippi!

We would ride our motor bikes over to see him on occasion. He lived in a water tank with a pump organ. He was always building something. One time over there he was laying out and hand making a chain sprocket to gear down a motorcycle. He had no electricity, he was using a hand crank drill press to drill the holes, then hand filing the teeth, unbelievable! He was stone deaf so we couldn’t communicate very well. He has mention at the museum in Valley Center, and I remember seeing his airplane motor that he donated to the San Diego Air and Space museum. I saw the engine before the Air and Space burned down in 1968, I don’t know if it was destroyed. I think it was a Wright Brothers engine.

I so loved his hand crank drill press that I now own one! Kids love to turn the crank and see it drill stuff.

Enjoy,
Doug Anderson

San Diego Air and Space Museum Donald Gordon

Donald Gordon Personal Papers

Donald Gordon by neighbor Hazel Sperry

Doug and Greg Anderson, Then and Now

Doug Anderson’s Life on Palomar

Every year the Palomar Mountain Planning Organization (PMPO) produces a newsletter. It is a LOT of work from lots of folks with all sorts of info from all the boards that contribute to the workings of the Mountain. Until now, after printing, volunteers would gather and have a fun day with an assembly line, collating, folding, labeling, stamping and getting over 500 newsletters in the mail to you.  This year it was a party of one.  Mike Pique volunteered to process our newsletters from his deck, enjoying his view while listening to tunes from his retro-style radio.  THANKS Mike!

Click for a pdf of the PMPO_2020_Newsletter

In addition, Mike mailed 340 to off-mountain addresses today. 237 post office box holders will get one tomorrow.

Do you have a change of address since last year?

Are you new to the mountain and would like to have a newsletter via mail?

Would you rather get it electronically from now on?

Please send your contact info to newsletter@pmpoinfo.com with your preferences and you’ll be all set.

Keep reading for a note from board member, Michael Walsh:

Hi Mike,

A hearty Thank You to both you and to Susan Humason for all the hard work that went in to getting the PMPO Newsletter completed, and launched! I know several others helped and of course thanks to the authors of the articles, but I also know this would never have happened if you hadn’t personally stepped up (once again!) and shown the leadership and the commitment that we very much appreciate, but don’t say often enough. The PMPO Board and the Palomar Community is very fortunate to have you, thanks again for another job very well done!

Best regards,

Michael Walsh

Per Rosemary Johnston:

The State Park is now open for Day Use only.

We’ll have to have pancakes at home this year on Memorial Day Weekend.  Be sure to have sausage links and those wonderful fresh strawberries.  But, it just won’t be the same without YOU!  Please keep reading for more weekend info from Cecelia:

From: Cecelia Borland
Subject: Pancake Breakfast/PMPO Annual General meeting

Very sorry we cannot have the Pancake Breakfast or PMPO meeting at the Fire Station this year.  There isn’t an adequate venue elsewhere on the mountain so the Pancake Breakfast is cancelled for this year and PMPO meeting is TENTATIVELY planned for July 25.

One of our much-loved families is moving!  Jamey Eriksen started at the Observatory in 2012 as Support Astronomer and is now the Supervisor of the Electrical Group.   Stacy and the oldest girls joined him in 2015. Two daughters, Rowan and Molly were soon joined by little Astrid. They have lots of friends on Palomar and are such smart and kind girls and will really be missed.
Congratulations to Jamey for his promotion as the new Director of Operations at Apache Point Observatory in Cloudcroft, New Mexico! They are heading out the first week in June where they will most likely be living next door at Sunspot Solar Observatory. It’s the tall structure to the far right in the photo in the distance. And it’s all overlooking White Sands National Park, out to the top left:

Stacy made many moms (and grandma’s, too) so happy up here when she started Palomar Mountain Kids Club. Each week was something very special with story time for the littles and many fun activities for our kids and youth. She orchestrated everything from outdoor hikes to poetry recitals and graduations. The kids learned how to build solar ovens, do great crafts, play games, had behind-the scenes tours of the Observatory and Post Office, climbed up in the fire trucks, met the fire department and forestry service crews and even Smokey the Bear. We’ll continue with the foundation Stacy laid and are forever grateful with wonderful memories of all the great times:

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Cloudcroft is another beautiful mountain-top town at 9,000 feet. A lot of the same beauty and even more as it’s a little bigger with a library, playground, gas station, grocery store and choice of restaurants! Instead of mountain lions, they have bears! In fact, the original Smokey Bear came from that mountain range in New Mexico.

We wish we could have a big party with lot of hugs. Please join me with virtual mountain hugs and love and let the Eriksen Family know “we are with you, no matter where you are”:

It was so fun to meet up at the Post Office with Mitch and Sarah Peters and daugher, Giana.  They have enjoyed their time together so much with the adventure of a snow storm and her home-schooling and all the fun of quarantining on the Mountain.  Giana has been an ‘only child’ and now that status is expiring.  Number Two is on the way in November!

Meet the Cabin Angels, Doug Morehead and Anne Schafer!  Reluctantly, Ed and Kathy Trudersheim let go of their family cabin after four generations of happy memories.  They were so thrilled to hear of Doug and Anne’s plans to restore their treasured cabin that Ed named them the ‘Cabin Angels’.

It was so fun for the prior owners to come up and meet the newest keepers of Hi Ho Cabin.  They decided to pull the old wood stoves out of the basement.  Dudley 322 was on the front of the original stove and D22 1826 was on one leg of the stove.  A quick search found the Dudley Wood Burning Box Stove might have been made in Nashville, Tennessee. That box stove just might go back inside one of these days as a lamp table.

Ed complied old photos and wrote some family history as a keepsake.  I asked to share as I thought some of you would enjoy it too.  Click for A Photo History of the Hi Ho Cabin and the Plaid Sofa

Wayne and Anne, also known as A&W ’round the mountain, are so excited with their latest project.  They have been happy as can be ‘sheltering in place’ next door and are finishing up transforming a guest cabin on their property.  Perfect timing for Hi Ho! They love Palomar and were so tickled to be first in line and now the newest owners.  In no time at all, they got the water running, water heater working, cleaned out the Ben Franklin stove and built their first fire.  The mice have been encouraged to move elsewhere, the curtains were washed and hanging up, the top layer of dust and acorns were swept away just in time for the photo with the plaid sofa:

Ahh, many more good times to come at Hi Ho!

See also Free Cabin with purchase of TP and Soap

and Hi Ho Cabin Sign Change

Poison Oak is very happy out there!  With all this rain and snow, it looks like more poison oak then I’ve ever seen.  All the showings I’ve done hiking property with clients lately, some folks are pretty nervous.  They have told me they are allergic to poison oak.

Meet Doctor Gaila!  She is wonderful with reversing allergies.  I had amazing results under her care. At the end of the painless, pleasant treatment, I was so impressed and asked how often I would need to go back to see her.  She said “I usually never see my patients again”.

Our son Nathan has been to Dr. Gayla for allergies and poison oak specifically and she cleared him of that itchy misery.

So, if this strikes a cord, you might want to connect with her before you go hiking in the woods again.

Bonnie Phelps