Trip Date: May 4, 2022
Find this SpotThis was the first trip up the Hill for Bob and we had planned on devoting our time to building his cabin. Last year he got the foundation, floor, and the deck in, and covered it well to protect it from the winter. Now it was time to get vertical and get some framing done, to literally, get her off the deck. We were excited at the prospect of making some progress towards getting the cabin looking more like a cabin and getting Bob off the ground and out of his tent and into much more comfortable shelter.
The drive up was smooth except for 2 minor construction stops. Bob beat me up the Hill which was a treat as I didn’t have to unlock either of the gates. Bob was just getting unloaded as I rolled up and greeted each other on a gorgeous day. We knew from the weather forecasts the wind was going to be consistently strong and occasionally howling tonight and for the next few days, and that forecast was spot on. But for now, it was awesome. We got his lumber off loaded from the truck and took the tarps off the deck that had protected the flooring all winter. They had performed admirably.
We set about screwing down the bottom plate and making sure it was perfectly square. With that done, Bob set about marking where all the studs would be and window and door framing. I had just left to continue unpacking as Mike rolled up top so I went off the greet him. He was excited to be back and we got to unpacking and setting up the trailer, and checking on the new stuff we put in place last trip. It all seemed good.
After a bit, Bob came in and we all sat for a spell to catch up. Mike and I took care of some odds and ends and Bob continued with his framing layout on the deck. Soon, it was cocktail time and we gathered in the kitchen. I suggested with the prospect of big wind tomorrow night, we BBQ tonight to take advantage of the calm while we could. We started with stuffed mushrooms and they were delicious. Mike had again brought steaks and we did those to perfection along with a vegetable medley. Soon, it was off to bed-bed.
The wind picked up in the night and brought in some clouds that blocked most of the stars at some point. The morning wind was raging and it seemed unlikely that we could build anything vertical in this. I looked out my cabin window and saw Bob up early wandering around his tent. I couldn’t tell exactly what he was doing, but that amount of activity this early in the morning was not a good sign. By the time he came into the kitchen, it was clear something was in the air. He said he couldn’t see building in the wind, and hadn’t slept much, so he was going to call it. Ever the man to make a decision and stick with it, he was packed up and rolling down the hill before long. Mike and I were left to adjust our minds.
We sat in the kitchen for a while discussing our options. We soon had a list of little projects we could do while here, and after a good breakfast of yogurt, berries, and a little dry cereal, eventually got to moving about. The first project was a repair of the rain gutter on my cabin. We found a metal clip to help support it and then re-glued the end cap on and used a couple zip ties to help hold it. With the remaining gutter glue, we sealed the small space below the kitchen window to reduce the wind blowing under it. We were exhausted from the burst of activity so we took a rest.
I went out near Bob’s cabin and whacked down a small Juniper that was in the line of vision from their deck and the Warner’s. The ax did a remarkable job. I cut off all the bigger low branches and thought for a moment of leaving a lolly pop tree which wouldn’t impede their view that much. Taking a second look from the deck and the massive window on that sde of the cabin, I decided it was better off gone. And so she went.
We had bought a longer negative battery cable for the trailer batteries and so we changed that out. We also moved the 2 propane tanks around the side so we could access them bot from the side and allow for the eventual cover to close more. We added about 20 gallons pof water to the trailer and Mike straightened out a kink in a hose which seemed to make a big improvement in filling up the holding tank. Then we went around back and got the wastewater dump pipe in place.
We bought a 3” pipe rubber connector and lined up the 2 pipe pieces, then moved some rocks and dug a little trench for the pipe to sit in, then covered the top with dirt to hold it in place. With the drain pipe in place and positioned properly, we were now ready to build the cover for it and install the vertical vent pipe and it would be ready for extreme use. We cut the drain hoses from the kitchen sink so that they would water some of the plants rather than just run out onto the bare ground. It also hid them from view which was also a plus.
Finally, we pumped the little water that was in the cabin tank up into the kitchen tank and I was really surprised how much there was. We must have had some amount of precipitation between visits because I remember Mike and I letting that tank run empty last trip when we installed the 2” plug to replace the broken valve. That gave us a decent amount of water in the kitchen tank; maybe half full, giving us about 500 gallons of water. With each trip I bring 100 gallons so we are definitely getting it there.
With that list of chores done, we had some lunch and then decided we would check out the Eastern fence line. Mike drove down to the cemetery and walked to the corner and then up the line. I walked to the midpoint survey monument which was also the end of the fence line, then walked the line down. It was great wandering about on this East side as we rarely come out here. The road in is on the West side, the road up is on the West side, the views out over Dry Valley and out Termo-Grasshopper Road are all looking West, so this side seemed wild and unexplored.
It definitely seemed greener and more densely vegetated. It is the lee side, so perhaps doesn’t get dried out so much by that steady breeze out of the West. It also is below the crest of the hill where we have camp, so again, less wind. There were a lot more plants and wildflowers in bloom. Some more very cool rock formations and a very cool small flat bench that would make a very cool building or deck spot. Eventually I came to the midpoint marker and the fence and followed it on down. All the clearing that Dale did while building the fence was still clear, making for easy walking. Down the hill Mike and I met up and discussed the greener, denser vegetation he had noticed as well. We hung out for a bit just enjoying being on this side.
Back up top, it was time for a nap for Mike and I settled onto the kitchen deck to update my to-do list and materials needed for next trip up. We had talked about buying a hot water system that runs off propane that could feed the kitchen sink and a shower, but I had always envisioned the shower in front of the water tower. I didn’t think the hoses and controls would allow this so I was trying to picture another set up. I walked around to the backside of the cocktail lounge and sat for a bit fairly protected from the wind and had a celebratory cocktail.
When I got back to the kitchen Mike was ready for cocktails and we got to making dinner. We just heated everything up on the stove since the wind was out of control. We had a nice dinner but didn’t linger long and it was early to bed. I slept great, only having to get up to pee once, which is rather astounding. The wind was still blowing and we had knocked off quite a project list the day before, so we pretty much just packed up and split.
I had considered taking highway 89 South off 36 last time, but didn’t think of it in time. This time, I was mentally prepared and took the 147 turn off into Clear Creek and along the East shore of Lake Almanor. I was trying to enjoy the green forest as much as I could know the fire destruction was soon to come. I feared around every corner it would come, until it finally did, in Canyondam. Whatever had been there was gone. I couldn’t tell if it had been much of a place, but it was a blackened slate now.
From there on I was afraid of getting into Greenville, as we had spent some time there while looking at property some time ago. I knew from the reports that the town had been hit hard and I was troubled by the images I expected to see. It was worse. I have fought forest fires while in the Forest Service and I have seen many many burnt forests, but I have never seen a town or community devastated by fire, let alone to the extent that this town suffered. I couldn’t even tell where the gas station, restaurant, and little store we had gone to were, or had been. I was relieved to see the few stores and shops that survived and the amount of construction and repairs that were well underway.
Lots of people were at the lone grocery store, and trailers now represented the past and the future of many other businesses. I could only imagine the horror that these folks have been through and what it must be like to decide to stay or leave your home. What it is like to return for the first time to so much destruction; no less than a war zone. What it must be like to decide to rebuild on site or to take heed and try to find safer confines. How much it must hurt to endure the loss, the pain of friends and family, the tortured stories of pain and suffering. I give them a lot of credit to carry on, in whatever capacity they are capable. They have been through a great catastrophe.
I made it through town, pained in my tiny infinitesimal way of just driving through, and by the time I passed the Dollar store and the High School, I was thinking more of grit, and strength, and courage, and rebirth, and next chapters. Into Crescent Mills and it seemed like a bad nightmare. I was relieved not to be going through Taylorsville to witness that loss, as I had had my fill. I was in full process mode when just at the intersection of highway 70, there was a massive line of vehicles behind a construction site. This really made my heart sink.
Early that morning before leaving the Hill, I got a text from Bob. I mentioned I was thinking about going 89 then 70 through the Feather River Canyon. It wasn’t until this traffic stop that I saw his response telling me that 70 was closed as of yesterday. Here I was, less than a mile from the intersection, stopped for construction, but perhaps unable to go 70. If not, I would have to continues on 89 into Quincy and then basically back into Truckee, or take 49 up an dover the Sierra’s into Auburn. Neither option intrigued me.
Fortunately, as the line moved up to the intersection, my blinker on begging to be allowed to turn right, but moving ever so slowly in case I didn’t get the go-ahead and had to veer left, the flag guy was vigorously waving me on to get a move on and clear the intersection, onto 70 I went, even though few others had made this choice and almost nobody behind me either. Nonetheless, I was stoked. I still had a ways to go to get home, but at least it was the way I wanted to go.
I didn’t get too far down the road when I came to another traffic stop. I was the first car so I was assuming it was going to be a long stop. I stopped the engine and sat. I was opposite a huge rock formation along the river; it looked like serpentine or travertine we saw at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone or even Travertine Hot Spring outside Bridgeport. It could even have been a hot spring and was interesting to look at while I waited and snacked on what I had brought with me. Eventually we got the all clear and we rolled on down the Feather River canyon past Belden and Tobin and Cresta and the famous Pulga Bridges.
The Feather River is both gorgeous and grotesque. It is a beautiful narrow river canyon with steep slopes on both sides, rapids, flat wide sandy beaches, dense forest, and a great variety of Sierra plants and animals. It provides swimming, fishing, boating, rafting, and is a paradise on many hot summer days. It also has been turned into an industrial conglomerate of dams, power houses, pump stations, heavy electrical lines, and freight trains. It is a heavily used commercial corridor and hydrological power grid. It is especially complicated now due to the fire scars that have blackened many of the ridges and much of the lower canyon.
I was stung by the memories of the Paradise fire and all the suffering that caused and by the maddening disregard of PG&E and their atrocious record of killing people and destroying communities yet continuing to survive with impunity pr4ovided by the government which is supposed to protect and serve the people, not the corporations and utilities which literally are killing them with their greed and callous capitalism. It is impossible to escape from these tragedies, difficult not to get destroyed by them even if you were not involved directly in them. It can be challenging to stay positive and not feel like you are ignoring the pain and suffering of others. It can be challenging to be happy for the good things and people in your life while at the same time feeling compassion for those less fortunate or who are dealing with tough times. Shouldn’t we all suffer together?
Coming out into Oroville, I am always reminded of the time Steve and I came up to get our 3 kittens and how much joy they have brought us, even though one ran away and we are left with not knowing if we have 2 boys left or 1 boy and 1 girl. We call him Bobby so even if maybe it is Bobbi, we don’t cause our gender neutral kitty too much confusion. On the flip side, Oroville is also where the engine blew on my Ford F-350 which cost me an $8,000 new engine, so there is that. So much for them being good for 1,000,000 miles! Stupid Fords.
Back home a night early was a blessing for my devoted wife. I am sure Beth was happy to have me home early too. Only the kitties really showed any signs of knowing I was even gone. Oh well. Happy to be home. Love being at the property. I have it pretty good.
Hart Hill Bob’s Build Photo Gallery
