far field

the far field is also the "wild" field. this is where most of our bear sightings occur. much of this field has been overtaken by himalayan blackberries which attract the bears in august when they fruit. they also provide cover for many other creatures.the far field also has a small pond which is attractive to all manner of wildlife. there is a major spring that bubbles up from the bottom of an old lake bed or mine pit. the "bear hole" as it is called is full of old fig, apple and plum trees. water + fruit = fat and happy bears! the original homestead was in this field as the mining claim map from the mid 1800's shows. chimariko indians also had village sites in this valley but the only artifacts we have found have come from the current homestead site.




the wild side




the swamp pond




another angle on the pond



piles are ready to burn


winter



mysterious mists




red bud alley at the upper end of the far field

home field

this is the home field in early summer as seen from the barn hayloft.





here is the same view in winter




chester loves winter.




the ranch is large and to get a true feeling of the place it has to broken down into different areas. there are three fields on the property totaling around 100 acres. the upper field is smaller and drier and the lower fields are part of an ancient river bed. at some point in the distant past the river took a new course and left this old river bend high and dry. it would have been an oxbow lake for hundreds if not thousands of years before gradually filling in with sediment from the springs and hillside erosion to become what it is today. due to their lower elevation and the presence of multiple springs the lower fields can be quite swampy in the winter. wild ducks and geese are regular visitors in the spring and fall. the two lower fields are refered to as the home field or main field and other we call the far field. of the two lower fields the home field is probably the most scenic while the far field is definitely the wildest.this is how it appeared on the first day we saw the place. it is late may 2005




march is a time of green grass and rainbows. this shot must have been taken at the end of the first winter due to the burn piles in the front yard. the place was a mess and took years to clean up.




here is some classic fall light and color. probably taken in October. our firewood piles can be seen in the upper end of the field.





this is the view from the upper end of the home field looking down towards the homestead. the walnut orchard can be seen in the distance with hennessy ridge in the backround.





this is basically the same shot as above but in the early spring.





and a zoom in of the walnut orchard

the homestead

although "only" three acres the homestead is where most of our time is spent. we have the old cabin, which has lots of funky old character and was our sole residence for three years. the roof leaked, the pluming leaked, there was no insulation, no cooking stove, washer or dryer and the hot water only got a little better than luke warm. but it was home. and home to many others as well. we lived with mice, moths, ring tailed cats, skunks, bats, wood peckers and many, many frogs. they liked the leaky pluming. there were a few other interesting creatures and spirits as well but they were not regular visitors.



one thing i can say about the cabin is that it was one of the coziest and most welcoming houses i have ever slept in and have always slept very soundly there. the wood stove is a beast and fire wood is abundant so winters in the cabin, while challenging, were nostalgic and always toasty warm.




in the summer of 2008 we built the kitchen house. it looks like a cabin on the out side but is a work of functional art on the inside. a cooks dream with a view of the garden and all the fancy appliances to turn the food into a dream come true.





it was wonderful to live in the old cabin and experience the "old vibe" of the place but i think we were all pretty happy to enjoy the conveniences of our modern times. even chester seems pretty happy about it. he likes the custom down draft stove that blows all those good smells out side for him to salivate over.



we do our best to keep the new place as cozy as the old cabin. wood stoves are good for that.




the barn is quite a nice building as well and stands guard over our garden.



this is a picture from the first day we saw the place. the open barn door even creaked in the wind.





this is the pre kitchen house homestead.





and then there is the GARDEN!






this is how it looks this year as of early june




so far we have either harvested or planted broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, lettuce, kale, chard, basil, cilantro, parsley, okra, leeks, sunflowers, cabbage, peas, bush beans, pole beans, spanish onions, beets, carrots, parsnips, eggplants, peppers, tomatos, tomatillos, potatos, butternut, delicata and pink banana squash, zucchini, straight and crook neck summer squash, musk melon, honeydew, water melon....




pumpkins....



and corn, corn, corn!!!!



not to mention blueberries, raspberries and strawberries out the wazoo!!!

fat bear ranch tour

so now that the fat bear has inspired the skinny bear to use his computer again i will try to put some more interesting stuff up for all to see. how about a virtual tour of the ranch and the places nearby that fit into the "idea" of what this place is. i am unlikely to take much time in the summer for regular blogging as there is just so much work to do here, but posting a tour one place at a time just might work. i will leave the regular stuff to the missus.

lets start with the front gate......

the front gate gives us our best river view and the scene pretty well takes your breath away before you even cross the property line. we live far enough inland to have definite seasons but they are the most noticeable when looking at the river. the river can be as low as 5oo cubic feet per second (cfs) or as high as 50,000 cfs in the winter. in the summer and fall it is usually running about 600 cfs. we are blessed to own both banks of the trinity river as it flows through one corner of our property. the river frontage extends almost all the way to the bridge in the distance. this is a very quiet and wild section of river and the river creatures are less wary here than they are elsewhere.


this is how the river looks in the fall low flow on a year with no fires and no fall rains having yet raised the river level. this picture is taken at the time of the year when the salmon are returning and the eagles and bears are actively hunting for them.



this is a picture at the end of the summer on a fire year. the klamath mountains burn over very regularly and the summer air quality can leave something to desire. like oxygen..... in a totally natural environment every acre of the klamath mountains would burn on average once every eight years. last year over 100,000 acres burned and we have a 6000 acre fire going right now.



this is pretty much what the winter river looks like. clear but with a green cast to it. there is snow to the river level several times a year. when it snows the river drops and gets clear as the high alpine watershed freezes solid. when a warm storm comes in the river rises and gets muddy. when it snows for weeks and then a tropical storm comes in the river floods as the next photo shows. it can come up so fast one can sit there and watch the water rise.




this is what the river looked like on new years day of 2006. our first winter on the ranch. our beach is under about thirty feet of water as was my driftboat. p.s. never leave an open boat in a flooding river when a tropical storm is in the forecast. i did get the boat back...... the following spring!



this is how the river looks in the spring on a low water year as the water is dropping from the snowmelt flows.




this is a high water spring at a pretty high snowmelt and dam release flow. both pictures were taken in may.


as you proceed up the drive way a lovely falls cascades down from the left from a high crack in the cliff.




the falls comes from this little spring basin. it appears to be either an old lake bed or a mining pit. i'm still not sure which it really is but regardless i refer to this spot as the bear hole. a good place for wildlife sightings. not a good plce to camp.....




if you look to the right as you pass the falls more river can be seen through the trees



as you round the bend our barn and home stead comes into view. if the driveway looks like this then we have no power, hot water or water pressure. and you probably swam to get here. this shot was taken durning the flood of 05/06 when our road washed out and the power was off for about 10 days. life in the country can be rough once and awhile.




some winters are wet and some are snowy. it can be cold in the mountains, but its always warm inside!





we like to keep it warm and cozy in the winter. hot tea anyone?

A Hungry Visitor

here is the reason we call it fat bear ranch. he's big, he's fat, he's furry and he seems to want to eat chicken. bad bear!!!! no chicken for you!!!!

spring has sprung

Spring is upon us in her full glory with blooming trees, wild weather and... and...BABIES! The garden is going in and the world is turning a vibrant green here. It is also the time of year that we burn off all the brush piles around the place. Burning may look alot like work but i have to admit it is one type of work that i really enjoy and the forest loves it. So does Forrest! He got to see his first burn pile yesterday. He didn't cry so i figure he must have liked it. I'll bet he just can't wait to be big enough to help me burn. Forrest wakes up by six am and squalls until i put him in his rocking swing in front of our giant picture windows to watch the sun come up. I think it is a bit early to get up when there is no fishing involved, but at least it gives me some nice quiet time. A leisurely cup of coffee and some unhurried computer play time is a luxury that I haven't given myself much of until now, thanks Forrest!