Monday, September 22, 2014
Once Upon a Time...
This photo was taken in February, 1976, from the parking area at the PMC Stables (now Equestrian Center). If you check the photo closely, you'll be surprised how much ISN'T in it.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Your Taxes at Work
Visitors and newcomer residents of PMC and the surrounding communities are mostly unaware that many of the "amenities" in the National Forest and in Kern County recreational areas are not in very good shape, to say the least. Many would (wrongly) assume that the way things are now is the way they've always been, which couldn't be further from the truth.
With few exceptions, (Lampkin Park in PMC, the drought effects notwithstanding, McGill Campground on Mt Pinos, and most of Frazier County Park are well-maintained), the majority of parks and campgrounds in this area are in very sad shape. This was not always so.
Just west of the intersection of Cuddy Valley Road and Mil Potrero Highway is the remnants of what was once commonly referred to as the "Y Camp", for "YMCA". The youth organization leased the property from the USFS (probably on a 99-year lease--common in the latter part of the 19th century, and well into the 20th.) When we first came to Pine Mountain, the Y Camp was thriving: well-kept cabins with fireplaces, and a main lodge with a commercial-quality kitchen and a huge stone fireplace. There was a sparkling swimming pool (now empty, but still there), and throngs of city kids who had a chance to spend a week or two each summer "in the woods." For whatever reasons, undisclosed by the Forest Service or the YMCA to anyone I know, the lease was not renewed when it expired in the 80's. A non-profit organization tried (unsuccessfully) to re-open the camp as a summer retreat for troubled youth, and after a few years, let their lease go unused. The camp, now off limits to anyone, fell more and more into disrepair. Today, most, or all, of the windows are broken, trees have fallen on a couple of the cabins, and the whole facility is oh-so-slowly succumbing to the forces of nature (and vandalism), so that some day soon the only thing recognizable remaining may be the buildings' foundations (and that fireplace).
Like sad bookends, the campground just to the west of Pine Mountain Club could tell a very similar story of boom and bust. Mil Potrero Park, along with next-door neighbor Camp Condor, and the Mt. Abel Ski Lodge on top of Cerro Noroeste, has seen much better days. Also a long-term USFS lease, Mil Potrero Park was (is?) part of the Westside Recreation District, based in the City of Taft. Also built in the earth 20th century, the Park had a beautiful, well-kept campground, a playground, and a swimming pool. Until the Pine Mountain Club clubhouse was enlarged, the lodge at Mil Potrero Park was the largest gathering place around. It boasted a huge fireplace, a nice kitchen, and good restrooms. (important for those big parties, and wedding receptions.) What was Mil Potrero Park like in its heyday? Imagine any of the nicer campgrounds in the national parks---with well-kept camping spots, picnic tables and clean fire-pits; with large well-lit bathrooms (flush toilets and hot showers) and a well-furnished log-style lodge room with pool tables, ping-pong, and other games, and a roaring fire on cool evenings.
For many of those good years, the Park was maintained with love by Jerry & Judy Keller. They lived in a mobile home on the grounds, with two or three or more Australian Shepherd dogs, at cat or three, and hundreds of humming birds. More about the Kellers when I get to telling stories about "pioneers".
In the late 80's and early nineties, Taft, largely dependent on oil revenues for a big part of their budget, was going through a difficult time as Kern River crude oil plunged to around $8.00 a barrel (!). Outlying recreation facilities, and their need for full-time upkeep, became an expensive luxury. The Forest Service, at about the same time, required expensive repairs and clean-up of the fuel tanks on the property, as well as upgrades to the water system. Over a few years, the District cut back funds to run the Park, until it abandoned its claim to the property. A few years later, the Boy Scouts tried to utilize the Park for their programs, and (reportedly) spent a lot of time, effort, and money trying to make the Park facilities usable, all the while (again, reportedly) having to jump through a number of USFS hoops. It seems the Boy Scouts have thrown in the towel as well. The rounds of broken windows and other vandalism, as well as weather related damage, have begun.
From the time they were developed, until the late 90's, virtually all of the campgrounds in the area, both federal and county, had running water, and regular trash pickup. The state water resources control board (SWRCB) decided that ALL water available for drinking, cooking, etc. in any public facility HAD to be treated, even if the source of the water was a pristine mountain spring (as most of the local ones were). Subsequently, ALL of the water supplies for the campgrounds and parks were shut off, unless they were connected to a treated water system (almost none could be). Due to Forest Service cutbacks, trash service in the campground has been significantly reduced as well. (In most cases, trash cans have been replaced with a few "centrally located" dumpsters. ---Progress...
Visitors and newcomer residents of PMC and the surrounding communities are mostly unaware that many of the "amenities" in the National Forest and in Kern County recreational areas are not in very good shape, to say the least. Many would (wrongly) assume that the way things are now is the way they've always been, which couldn't be further from the truth.
With few exceptions, (Lampkin Park in PMC, the drought effects notwithstanding, McGill Campground on Mt Pinos, and most of Frazier County Park are well-maintained), the majority of parks and campgrounds in this area are in very sad shape. This was not always so.
Just west of the intersection of Cuddy Valley Road and Mil Potrero Highway is the remnants of what was once commonly referred to as the "Y Camp", for "YMCA". The youth organization leased the property from the USFS (probably on a 99-year lease--common in the latter part of the 19th century, and well into the 20th.) When we first came to Pine Mountain, the Y Camp was thriving: well-kept cabins with fireplaces, and a main lodge with a commercial-quality kitchen and a huge stone fireplace. There was a sparkling swimming pool (now empty, but still there), and throngs of city kids who had a chance to spend a week or two each summer "in the woods." For whatever reasons, undisclosed by the Forest Service or the YMCA to anyone I know, the lease was not renewed when it expired in the 80's. A non-profit organization tried (unsuccessfully) to re-open the camp as a summer retreat for troubled youth, and after a few years, let their lease go unused. The camp, now off limits to anyone, fell more and more into disrepair. Today, most, or all, of the windows are broken, trees have fallen on a couple of the cabins, and the whole facility is oh-so-slowly succumbing to the forces of nature (and vandalism), so that some day soon the only thing recognizable remaining may be the buildings' foundations (and that fireplace).
Like sad bookends, the campground just to the west of Pine Mountain Club could tell a very similar story of boom and bust. Mil Potrero Park, along with next-door neighbor Camp Condor, and the Mt. Abel Ski Lodge on top of Cerro Noroeste, has seen much better days. Also a long-term USFS lease, Mil Potrero Park was (is?) part of the Westside Recreation District, based in the City of Taft. Also built in the earth 20th century, the Park had a beautiful, well-kept campground, a playground, and a swimming pool. Until the Pine Mountain Club clubhouse was enlarged, the lodge at Mil Potrero Park was the largest gathering place around. It boasted a huge fireplace, a nice kitchen, and good restrooms. (important for those big parties, and wedding receptions.) What was Mil Potrero Park like in its heyday? Imagine any of the nicer campgrounds in the national parks---with well-kept camping spots, picnic tables and clean fire-pits; with large well-lit bathrooms (flush toilets and hot showers) and a well-furnished log-style lodge room with pool tables, ping-pong, and other games, and a roaring fire on cool evenings.
For many of those good years, the Park was maintained with love by Jerry & Judy Keller. They lived in a mobile home on the grounds, with two or three or more Australian Shepherd dogs, at cat or three, and hundreds of humming birds. More about the Kellers when I get to telling stories about "pioneers".
In the late 80's and early nineties, Taft, largely dependent on oil revenues for a big part of their budget, was going through a difficult time as Kern River crude oil plunged to around $8.00 a barrel (!). Outlying recreation facilities, and their need for full-time upkeep, became an expensive luxury. The Forest Service, at about the same time, required expensive repairs and clean-up of the fuel tanks on the property, as well as upgrades to the water system. Over a few years, the District cut back funds to run the Park, until it abandoned its claim to the property. A few years later, the Boy Scouts tried to utilize the Park for their programs, and (reportedly) spent a lot of time, effort, and money trying to make the Park facilities usable, all the while (again, reportedly) having to jump through a number of USFS hoops. It seems the Boy Scouts have thrown in the towel as well. The rounds of broken windows and other vandalism, as well as weather related damage, have begun.
From the time they were developed, until the late 90's, virtually all of the campgrounds in the area, both federal and county, had running water, and regular trash pickup. The state water resources control board (SWRCB) decided that ALL water available for drinking, cooking, etc. in any public facility HAD to be treated, even if the source of the water was a pristine mountain spring (as most of the local ones were). Subsequently, ALL of the water supplies for the campgrounds and parks were shut off, unless they were connected to a treated water system (almost none could be). Due to Forest Service cutbacks, trash service in the campground has been significantly reduced as well. (In most cases, trash cans have been replaced with a few "centrally located" dumpsters. ---Progress...
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Grandpa, tell me about the rain!
In the middle of a lingering drought, when it seems it may never rain again, I thought I'd tell a few stories about the times we had more rain and snow than we could handle.
When we first started coming to PMC 40+ years ago, California (at least the southern half of California) was in the middle of a "dry spell" -- not really a drought, but significantly less rainfall than average. The overall precipitation for the whole region had been below average for a time, but the greater Frazier Park/Pine Mountain Club area got enough snow and rainfall to keep the lakes and ponds near full year-round, and the creeks and streams running all year as well. The small lake in Cuddy Valley always had plenty of water in it; Cuddy Creek ran all year from Lake of the Woods through Frazier Park and Lebec, all the way to Castac (now Tejon) Lake, which rarely ran dry, even in late summer--without supplements from the California Water Project. Bernina and Woodland Creeks ran full enough to make a white-water waterfall at the bottom of Woodland Drive at Mil Potrero Highway. The pinion pines from the top of the S-curves all the way to the "Y' had long strands of Spanish moss on their north-facing sides. Water flowed on the west side of Lampkin Park, and the area where the new Fire Station is was a swamp. The creek flowed under Mil Potrero Highway into the upper pond on the golf course, out to the second pond, and into Fern's Lake. The creek flowed over the dam, and then spread out into the lower pasture, much of which was like a grassy bog. By the time the creek passed the gate at the entrance to the canyon trail, it was usually too big (wide) to jump across without getting wet (except in the latest months of summer.) The area to the north of Mil Potrero Highway at the turnout past Yellowstone that is now a grassy area used to be a swamp, as well.
But the winters even then were far from "wet". Most of the precipitation came in the form of snow, and usually in one or two big storms. In March, 1974, we got 4-5 feet of snow in 36 hours (at the Clubhouse elevation), and in January 1976, we got 6+ feet in 48 hours. It snowed all the way down to Castaic and Wheeler Ridge on I-5. The Interstate was closed for four days. Cuddy Valley Road was snowed over at Lake of the Woods (by Mike's Pizza), with drifts higher than a jacked-up 4x4. Three guys in their trucks almost froze to death when they ran into the wall of snow and got stuck. It was a white-out, and they tried to keep warm in their stalled trucks, not being able to see the occupied homes just a few yards away.
County Roads Department was able to make Cuddy Valley Rd. passable after 4 days by requisitioning a snow-blower from eastern Kern County. After that storm, the weather got extremely dry for several months, well into 1977. The climatologists predicted a long-lasting, cold, period of drought, that could last as long as twenty years or more. (!) The "New Ice-Age" they called it. (!)
This is why so many of us old-timers ☺ scoff at "climate-change" or whatever. After the weather gurus had predicted an extended period of drought, in October, 1977, a new weather phenomenon reared it's infantile head: :EL NIÑO !!! It rained, and RAINED, and R-A-I-N-E-D. Over 12 inches in two and a half days (at 5500 feet), then a few days with showers, then more storms--for weeks. The creeks flooded, the highways had mud slides and rock slides. San Emigdio Creek flooded the canyon almost wall-to-wall, and the ensuing rush of water washed out Highway 166 west of Interstate 5- miles and miles to the north. By Spring, the water (mostly from the Kern River) had flooded all the fields east of Highway 99 almost to Mettler. At that time, you could have taken a small boat from Sandrini Road north and sailed through to the remains of Tulare Lake, and on to the San Joaquin River out to the San Francisco Bay!
In the middle of this first El Niño, in December, 1977, a terrible windstorm struck Kern County. A cold, dry East wind blew down off the desert, trying to fill a huge low-pressure cell off the western coast. Gathering speed and tons of dust as it headed west, in places it topped 200 miles-per-hour as it crossed the hills at the base of the Grapevine, stripping the topsoil from the northeast faces of the hills. (If you look at the hillsides near the top of the hills on both sides of the highway just before you get to Grapevine going south, you can still see the lateral streaks on the land where the soil was stripped away). The choking dust trapped many drivers in their vehicles on the Interstate, and on the highways to the west towards Maricopa--some for almost two days. The dust choked the engines and stopped the cars and trucks in their tracks. To my knowledge, no one died, but in the aftermath of the windstorm, more El Niño rain caused the barren hillsides to turn to mudflows, and a woman driving on the freeway was swept to her death as her car was trapped in a huge mudflow and crammed into a huge drainpipe. (The vertical gullies from those flows are also still visible today on those same hillsides, and in the lower parts of Grapevine Canyon.)
The rainy weather had another effect that winter-- it didn't snow--or at least it didn't stick-- in and around PMC. What snow fell was so wet that it melted right away. There was a small accumulation of snow on the very highest streets, but hardly enough to require a snowplow. On top of the mountain was a different story: more than 26 FEET of snow accumulated on the upper slopes of Mount Pinos, Sawmill Mountain, and Cerro Noroeste.
El Niño-type weather patterns occurred in the early eighties and again in the early nineties, with similar results--flooding, mud/rock slides, downed trees, etc. Frazier Park and Lake of the Woods had to shore up the banks of Cuddy Creek through those communities with the use of "gabions" --large rocks enclosed in heavy wire cages that held them in place against the flowing water. Otherwise, the rushing water would so undermine the creek banks causing their collapse, and the structures above would end up in the creek. (some did). The remaining gabions can be seen at the edge of the creek, on the north side, just after crossing the most western bridge in Frazier Park. Cuddy Creek has been dry for so long, it's hard to believe that that much water ever flowed there. For a perspective on extreme rainfall and streamflows: Piru Creek, which drains some of the area directly to the south of PMC, on the south side of Mt. Pinos (primarily Lockwood Valley), has some historical streamflow data available (1938 to 1969). In 1969, which was a wet year, but not near as wet as 1977-78, the peak stream flow of Piru Creek was over 35,000 cubic feet per second. That's about 262 thousand gallons per second.
When will the next wet period happen? If I knew, I'd say so. The climatologists were predicting an El Niño for this winter-- In May, they gave it better than a 70% chance. The last I looked, the chance was under 50 % (a weak bet at best), so time will tell. Historically, 20- and even 50-year droughts were not unheard-of in this region. (Let's hope not.)
We could always ask the Chumash to do a traditional rain dance. I've been told it was always 100% effective--- they didn't stop dancing until it rained.☺
When we first started coming to PMC 40+ years ago, California (at least the southern half of California) was in the middle of a "dry spell" -- not really a drought, but significantly less rainfall than average. The overall precipitation for the whole region had been below average for a time, but the greater Frazier Park/Pine Mountain Club area got enough snow and rainfall to keep the lakes and ponds near full year-round, and the creeks and streams running all year as well. The small lake in Cuddy Valley always had plenty of water in it; Cuddy Creek ran all year from Lake of the Woods through Frazier Park and Lebec, all the way to Castac (now Tejon) Lake, which rarely ran dry, even in late summer--without supplements from the California Water Project. Bernina and Woodland Creeks ran full enough to make a white-water waterfall at the bottom of Woodland Drive at Mil Potrero Highway. The pinion pines from the top of the S-curves all the way to the "Y' had long strands of Spanish moss on their north-facing sides. Water flowed on the west side of Lampkin Park, and the area where the new Fire Station is was a swamp. The creek flowed under Mil Potrero Highway into the upper pond on the golf course, out to the second pond, and into Fern's Lake. The creek flowed over the dam, and then spread out into the lower pasture, much of which was like a grassy bog. By the time the creek passed the gate at the entrance to the canyon trail, it was usually too big (wide) to jump across without getting wet (except in the latest months of summer.) The area to the north of Mil Potrero Highway at the turnout past Yellowstone that is now a grassy area used to be a swamp, as well.
But the winters even then were far from "wet". Most of the precipitation came in the form of snow, and usually in one or two big storms. In March, 1974, we got 4-5 feet of snow in 36 hours (at the Clubhouse elevation), and in January 1976, we got 6+ feet in 48 hours. It snowed all the way down to Castaic and Wheeler Ridge on I-5. The Interstate was closed for four days. Cuddy Valley Road was snowed over at Lake of the Woods (by Mike's Pizza), with drifts higher than a jacked-up 4x4. Three guys in their trucks almost froze to death when they ran into the wall of snow and got stuck. It was a white-out, and they tried to keep warm in their stalled trucks, not being able to see the occupied homes just a few yards away.
County Roads Department was able to make Cuddy Valley Rd. passable after 4 days by requisitioning a snow-blower from eastern Kern County. After that storm, the weather got extremely dry for several months, well into 1977. The climatologists predicted a long-lasting, cold, period of drought, that could last as long as twenty years or more. (!) The "New Ice-Age" they called it. (!)
This is why so many of us old-timers ☺ scoff at "climate-change" or whatever. After the weather gurus had predicted an extended period of drought, in October, 1977, a new weather phenomenon reared it's infantile head: :EL NIÑO !!! It rained, and RAINED, and R-A-I-N-E-D. Over 12 inches in two and a half days (at 5500 feet), then a few days with showers, then more storms--for weeks. The creeks flooded, the highways had mud slides and rock slides. San Emigdio Creek flooded the canyon almost wall-to-wall, and the ensuing rush of water washed out Highway 166 west of Interstate 5- miles and miles to the north. By Spring, the water (mostly from the Kern River) had flooded all the fields east of Highway 99 almost to Mettler. At that time, you could have taken a small boat from Sandrini Road north and sailed through to the remains of Tulare Lake, and on to the San Joaquin River out to the San Francisco Bay!
In the middle of this first El Niño, in December, 1977, a terrible windstorm struck Kern County. A cold, dry East wind blew down off the desert, trying to fill a huge low-pressure cell off the western coast. Gathering speed and tons of dust as it headed west, in places it topped 200 miles-per-hour as it crossed the hills at the base of the Grapevine, stripping the topsoil from the northeast faces of the hills. (If you look at the hillsides near the top of the hills on both sides of the highway just before you get to Grapevine going south, you can still see the lateral streaks on the land where the soil was stripped away). The choking dust trapped many drivers in their vehicles on the Interstate, and on the highways to the west towards Maricopa--some for almost two days. The dust choked the engines and stopped the cars and trucks in their tracks. To my knowledge, no one died, but in the aftermath of the windstorm, more El Niño rain caused the barren hillsides to turn to mudflows, and a woman driving on the freeway was swept to her death as her car was trapped in a huge mudflow and crammed into a huge drainpipe. (The vertical gullies from those flows are also still visible today on those same hillsides, and in the lower parts of Grapevine Canyon.)
The rainy weather had another effect that winter-- it didn't snow--or at least it didn't stick-- in and around PMC. What snow fell was so wet that it melted right away. There was a small accumulation of snow on the very highest streets, but hardly enough to require a snowplow. On top of the mountain was a different story: more than 26 FEET of snow accumulated on the upper slopes of Mount Pinos, Sawmill Mountain, and Cerro Noroeste.
El Niño-type weather patterns occurred in the early eighties and again in the early nineties, with similar results--flooding, mud/rock slides, downed trees, etc. Frazier Park and Lake of the Woods had to shore up the banks of Cuddy Creek through those communities with the use of "gabions" --large rocks enclosed in heavy wire cages that held them in place against the flowing water. Otherwise, the rushing water would so undermine the creek banks causing their collapse, and the structures above would end up in the creek. (some did). The remaining gabions can be seen at the edge of the creek, on the north side, just after crossing the most western bridge in Frazier Park. Cuddy Creek has been dry for so long, it's hard to believe that that much water ever flowed there. For a perspective on extreme rainfall and streamflows: Piru Creek, which drains some of the area directly to the south of PMC, on the south side of Mt. Pinos (primarily Lockwood Valley), has some historical streamflow data available (1938 to 1969). In 1969, which was a wet year, but not near as wet as 1977-78, the peak stream flow of Piru Creek was over 35,000 cubic feet per second. That's about 262 thousand gallons per second.
When will the next wet period happen? If I knew, I'd say so. The climatologists were predicting an El Niño for this winter-- In May, they gave it better than a 70% chance. The last I looked, the chance was under 50 % (a weak bet at best), so time will tell. Historically, 20- and even 50-year droughts were not unheard-of in this region. (Let's hope not.)
We could always ask the Chumash to do a traditional rain dance. I've been told it was always 100% effective--- they didn't stop dancing until it rained.☺
Monday, July 14, 2014
Famous? or Infamous?
Having lived in PMC for almost 40 years, and having been in business here for almost that long, you meet an awful lot of people. All of them are unique in their own way, and most (but not all, unfortunately) are interesting characters for a whole encyclopedia of reasons. That said, the one question about people that I get asked the most by other people is something like:
"I've heard there are a lot of "celebrities" (my quotes) who come up here--do you know of any??"
Short answer: Well, yes.
This area has been known to Hollywood/show business types for many years--many years before PMC was even a gleam in Tenneco's jaundiced eye.
The Lebec Hotel was a notorious hangout just after the turn of the last century for the likes of Rudolf Valentino and other silent film stars, and Frazier Park and Lockwood Valley were chosen as "getaway" places to stay for many people in the movie industry (both in-front-of and behind the camera). The Palm Springs area enjoyed the same popularity--for a time, the studios required their stars under contract to stay within a couple of hours' travel time of their workplace so they could start work on very short notice. The open spaces of this area made excellent locations for movies, and later TV shows (still do), and many people in the "industry" visited here on location, and then came back to vacation, and ultimately buy a piece of property (cheap!). Oscar-winning screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Spartacus, Roman Holiday) owned a beautiful large ranch in Lockwood Valley for many, many years, until he was forced to sell it to pay his legal bills when he was investigated by Senator Joe McCarthy as one of the "Hollywood Ten". John Schneider (Dukes of Hazard), Lance LeGault (a ton of westerns), and John Doe (Roadhouse) were long-time residents of the Frazier Park/Lake of the Woods area.
But for PMC it was a whole other story. For a time it seemed like most of the people here were involved with movies/TV/entertainment. We affectionately referred to them as "ST's" (Studio Trash). From grips and electricians, props people, costumers, directors, producers, film and video editors, stunt people, agents, publicists, business managers, singers, musicians, dancers, and many well-known stars --they were here--some as permanent residents, most when their work-schedules allowed.
From about 1980 until 2004, we had a video store inside the Auto Center. (People in the entertainment industry are the BEST video and DVD customers!)
It seemed they ALL came by to rent movies when they had time off to spend in PMC. And some just came in for repairs, or to buy gas, and catch up on local happenings. I'll never remember them all-- but I'll take a shot at it.
If some of the names are unfamiliar, just check www.imdb.com . This is in no particular order, but just one memory prompting yet another. Many of these people have their own story for me to tell, but that will have to wait for another time, when I have more time, and space to write.
Dom DeLuise (& Carol, Michael, Peter, and David), Ray Wise, Rod & Charlene Amateau, Gino Vannelli, Mel Brooks & Anne Bancroft, Janis Paige, Talia Shire, Belinda Montgomery, Diane McBain, Parker Stevenson, Gene LeBell, Sia and Shane Barbi & Ken Wahl, Perry King, Heather Locklear & Scott Baio, Nina Simone, Spencer Milligan, Britt Leach, Roy Dotrice, Patrick Macnee, Frankie Valli, William Lucking, Dennis Howard, John R. Moore, Julianna (McCarthy) Constantine, Larry David, Richard Lewis, Lindsay Frost, Warren Frost, Perry Barndt, Kurt Bryant, Val McCallum, Christopher Walken, Rick Dees, Wink Martindale, Dave (the Hullabalooer) Hull, Julie Newmar, June Lockhart, Clayton (the Lone Ranger) Moore, Wally (NHRA) Parks, Thomas Ian Nicholas, John Behring, Joe Higgins, Jamie Farr, Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron, Dylan (Charlie) Walsh, Ritch Brinkley, Chuck McCann, Red Buttons, Georgia Holt, Kathleen Lloyd, Charles Martin Smith, Molly Hagan, Burt Reynolds & Loni Anderson, and I'm sure many more I'll remember after I post this!
"I've heard there are a lot of "celebrities" (my quotes) who come up here--do you know of any??"
Short answer: Well, yes.
This area has been known to Hollywood/show business types for many years--many years before PMC was even a gleam in Tenneco's jaundiced eye.
The Lebec Hotel was a notorious hangout just after the turn of the last century for the likes of Rudolf Valentino and other silent film stars, and Frazier Park and Lockwood Valley were chosen as "getaway" places to stay for many people in the movie industry (both in-front-of and behind the camera). The Palm Springs area enjoyed the same popularity--for a time, the studios required their stars under contract to stay within a couple of hours' travel time of their workplace so they could start work on very short notice. The open spaces of this area made excellent locations for movies, and later TV shows (still do), and many people in the "industry" visited here on location, and then came back to vacation, and ultimately buy a piece of property (cheap!). Oscar-winning screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Spartacus, Roman Holiday) owned a beautiful large ranch in Lockwood Valley for many, many years, until he was forced to sell it to pay his legal bills when he was investigated by Senator Joe McCarthy as one of the "Hollywood Ten". John Schneider (Dukes of Hazard), Lance LeGault (a ton of westerns), and John Doe (Roadhouse) were long-time residents of the Frazier Park/Lake of the Woods area.
But for PMC it was a whole other story. For a time it seemed like most of the people here were involved with movies/TV/entertainment. We affectionately referred to them as "ST's" (Studio Trash). From grips and electricians, props people, costumers, directors, producers, film and video editors, stunt people, agents, publicists, business managers, singers, musicians, dancers, and many well-known stars --they were here--some as permanent residents, most when their work-schedules allowed.
From about 1980 until 2004, we had a video store inside the Auto Center. (People in the entertainment industry are the BEST video and DVD customers!)
It seemed they ALL came by to rent movies when they had time off to spend in PMC. And some just came in for repairs, or to buy gas, and catch up on local happenings. I'll never remember them all-- but I'll take a shot at it.
If some of the names are unfamiliar, just check www.imdb.com . This is in no particular order, but just one memory prompting yet another. Many of these people have their own story for me to tell, but that will have to wait for another time, when I have more time, and space to write.
Dom DeLuise (& Carol, Michael, Peter, and David), Ray Wise, Rod & Charlene Amateau, Gino Vannelli, Mel Brooks & Anne Bancroft, Janis Paige, Talia Shire, Belinda Montgomery, Diane McBain, Parker Stevenson, Gene LeBell, Sia and Shane Barbi & Ken Wahl, Perry King, Heather Locklear & Scott Baio, Nina Simone, Spencer Milligan, Britt Leach, Roy Dotrice, Patrick Macnee, Frankie Valli, William Lucking, Dennis Howard, John R. Moore, Julianna (McCarthy) Constantine, Larry David, Richard Lewis, Lindsay Frost, Warren Frost, Perry Barndt, Kurt Bryant, Val McCallum, Christopher Walken, Rick Dees, Wink Martindale, Dave (the Hullabalooer) Hull, Julie Newmar, June Lockhart, Clayton (the Lone Ranger) Moore, Wally (NHRA) Parks, Thomas Ian Nicholas, John Behring, Joe Higgins, Jamie Farr, Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron, Dylan (Charlie) Walsh, Ritch Brinkley, Chuck McCann, Red Buttons, Georgia Holt, Kathleen Lloyd, Charles Martin Smith, Molly Hagan, Burt Reynolds & Loni Anderson, and I'm sure many more I'll remember after I post this!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
The 800-Pound Gorilla (Part II)
Some of the grandest mistakes made by past Boards and management were funny (maybe not at the time, but in hindsight), and some were almost tragic.
A former manager made a deal to sell a quantity of decomposed granite from what was a small quarry behind the Maintenance Yard (past where the transfer station (trash) is now). The contractor re-engineering, re-aligning, and paving the section of Mil Potrero Highway from Cedarwood Drive west to the intersection of Cerro Noroeste (Mt. Abel) Road needed the decomposed granite (DG) as a suitable base for the roadway. PMCPOA was paid a reasonable sum for the material, but no one in management seemed to realize HOW MUCH DG they (the road contractors) really needed. The result was the huge pit behind the Maintenance Yard (past the #4 green on the golf course). Many homes on the south slope of PMC have a spectacular view of that pit (scar). PMCPOA has spent thousands and thousands of dollars (much more than they were paid for the DG) to try to get something to grow in that steep slope, even Hydro-seeding it at least twice, but to no avail. It's just dirt.
Over the years, the Clubhouse has been "remodeled" and expanded several times. (The original structure was just the Condor Room space, plus about 40% of the Lounge space; downstairs was just a small snack bar and a storage room). During one of the more extensive expansions, it was decided to use "in-house talent" instead of licensed tradesmen to do the plumbing and electrical work (ostensibly to save money). Consequently, one night the Clubhouse caught fire, and only because it was discovered soon enough, it didn't burn to the ground. Luckily, insurance paid for the damages, and no one was hurt. Faulty electrical work was the reported cause.
I got a call one New Year's Eve afternoon from the then-GM, Mike Duffy. He said the electrical outlets behind the bar in the Lounge had stopped working, all the maintenance guys had gone home (holiday) and they needed the bar working 100% for the New Year's Eve party that night. (Note: I am neither an electrician nor a plumber). Under the bar, I found the sink drain was cobbled together with a piece of radiator hose and a coat-hanger, and it was leaking into an open electrical junction box. I asked where the electrical panel was to shut off the power, went to it (down stairs), and shut off all the breakers. A couple of circuits behind the bar were still on. I found another panel a couple of rooms away, and shut all those breakers off, too. Now, all the circuits were dead. I went back to the first panel to turn it back on, so the rest of the building would have power back, and the circuits were live again (!!) The bar outlets and lights were being powered by two sources. A real electrician was called, and as far as I know, that mess was fixed. Don't even ask about the plumbing problems in that building!
****
Anyone who has been to the Transfer Site (trash dump) can see that it's neat, well-kept, and rarely smells bad. That hasn't always been the case. That same area used to have 15 or 20 regular "dumpsters" -- the dirty, smelly, banged-up boxes with the metal lids that banged--that would smash your fingers if you weren't careful. Each business in the Village had its own dumpster or two, as well. Southside Disposal Company would come once (or twice) a week, and dump each bin individually. The PMC Board of Directors at that time decided that Southside was charging too much for their services, and also decided that PMC could collect and haul its own trash for "much less". (file under "Best-Laid Plans). A used trash-hauling truck was purchased (thousands $$$), and two or three "roll-off" bins (big huge bins) were also purchased (more thousands $$$). Southside was notified by PMC management that their services were no longer needed. Southside promptly came up and hauled all their dumpsters away---including the dozen or so that were being used by the Pine Mountain General Store, 3 restaurants, and a few other businesses. Immediately, the Kern County Health Department notified the General Store and the restaurants that they were in violation of their Health Permits which required those types of business to have a dumpster (trash bin) immediately adjacent to their business (food waste, which couldn't be stored inside the business, also couldn't be placed in small cans or bags--it had to be in a proper trash bin -- on the premises.) Southside was contacted, asking why they removed ALL the dumpsters, not just those being used by Pine Mountain Club. Their reply was that the remaining number was too few to make a trip with the big truck that had the equipment necessary to dump the bins into itself. They WOULD bring up two of the BIG roll-off bins and put them at two locations in the Village. One was placed in the alley behind what is now La Lena Mexican Restaurant, and on was placed in the open area across from what is now Pine Mountain Realty. (where the cut-out figures are). The Health Department was persuaded to consider those locations as "on premises" for the General Store and the other restaurants. BUT (BIG BUT), the roll-offs cost $120 each to dump (they had to be loaded, hauled to the Lebec dump, emptied, and hauled back to PMC). Southside had only charged $7.00 a month (each) to empty the dumpsters. Because they were so big and obvious (and ugly), many people decided to skip the trip to the PMC dump, and dumped their household trash (and construction waste) in the Village bins. Then, warm weather brought the flies---and the smell...
The situation seemed to be getting worse (and exceedingly more expen$ive) by the week, but an ultimate solution soon appeared seemingly out of nowhere. In their rush to "save the Association money", the Board (and management) had neglected to check the county regulations regarding franchises. In Kern County, and most other counties in California, certian businesses (like utilities) are granted franchises for certain areas, and they are the only ones allowed to conduct that business in a particular area. In Kern County, examples of this are cable companies, ambulance service, and trash hauling. Southside had an exclusive franchise to haul the trash ("garbage") in this part of Kern County. Pine Mountain Club didn't, and was violating the franchise rule, and so Southside sued. After lenghthy negotiations (lawyer$$), a plan was hammered out whereby PMC would provide a "Transfer Site", where the trash would be collected, and a portion of it recycled. Trash compactors were installed to compact the trash into special bins which Southside --now becoming "Mountainside Disposal"-- would haul to the Lebec dump to be emptied. Recycling of cardboard, glass, and plastic was required. Kern County Health Department would allow the restaurants in the Village to take their trash to the Transfer Site, as long as it was not allowed to accumulate at the business, and they would be in compliance with the Health regulations. The PMCPOA trash truck and roll-off bins were sold (at a loss). I'm proud to admit that I helped to bring this particular happy ending to yet another "big, bad idea".
A former manager made a deal to sell a quantity of decomposed granite from what was a small quarry behind the Maintenance Yard (past where the transfer station (trash) is now). The contractor re-engineering, re-aligning, and paving the section of Mil Potrero Highway from Cedarwood Drive west to the intersection of Cerro Noroeste (Mt. Abel) Road needed the decomposed granite (DG) as a suitable base for the roadway. PMCPOA was paid a reasonable sum for the material, but no one in management seemed to realize HOW MUCH DG they (the road contractors) really needed. The result was the huge pit behind the Maintenance Yard (past the #4 green on the golf course). Many homes on the south slope of PMC have a spectacular view of that pit (scar). PMCPOA has spent thousands and thousands of dollars (much more than they were paid for the DG) to try to get something to grow in that steep slope, even Hydro-seeding it at least twice, but to no avail. It's just dirt.
Over the years, the Clubhouse has been "remodeled" and expanded several times. (The original structure was just the Condor Room space, plus about 40% of the Lounge space; downstairs was just a small snack bar and a storage room). During one of the more extensive expansions, it was decided to use "in-house talent" instead of licensed tradesmen to do the plumbing and electrical work (ostensibly to save money). Consequently, one night the Clubhouse caught fire, and only because it was discovered soon enough, it didn't burn to the ground. Luckily, insurance paid for the damages, and no one was hurt. Faulty electrical work was the reported cause.
I got a call one New Year's Eve afternoon from the then-GM, Mike Duffy. He said the electrical outlets behind the bar in the Lounge had stopped working, all the maintenance guys had gone home (holiday) and they needed the bar working 100% for the New Year's Eve party that night. (Note: I am neither an electrician nor a plumber). Under the bar, I found the sink drain was cobbled together with a piece of radiator hose and a coat-hanger, and it was leaking into an open electrical junction box. I asked where the electrical panel was to shut off the power, went to it (down stairs), and shut off all the breakers. A couple of circuits behind the bar were still on. I found another panel a couple of rooms away, and shut all those breakers off, too. Now, all the circuits were dead. I went back to the first panel to turn it back on, so the rest of the building would have power back, and the circuits were live again (!!) The bar outlets and lights were being powered by two sources. A real electrician was called, and as far as I know, that mess was fixed. Don't even ask about the plumbing problems in that building!
****
Anyone who has been to the Transfer Site (trash dump) can see that it's neat, well-kept, and rarely smells bad. That hasn't always been the case. That same area used to have 15 or 20 regular "dumpsters" -- the dirty, smelly, banged-up boxes with the metal lids that banged--that would smash your fingers if you weren't careful. Each business in the Village had its own dumpster or two, as well. Southside Disposal Company would come once (or twice) a week, and dump each bin individually. The PMC Board of Directors at that time decided that Southside was charging too much for their services, and also decided that PMC could collect and haul its own trash for "much less". (file under "Best-Laid Plans). A used trash-hauling truck was purchased (thousands $$$), and two or three "roll-off" bins (big huge bins) were also purchased (more thousands $$$). Southside was notified by PMC management that their services were no longer needed. Southside promptly came up and hauled all their dumpsters away---including the dozen or so that were being used by the Pine Mountain General Store, 3 restaurants, and a few other businesses. Immediately, the Kern County Health Department notified the General Store and the restaurants that they were in violation of their Health Permits which required those types of business to have a dumpster (trash bin) immediately adjacent to their business (food waste, which couldn't be stored inside the business, also couldn't be placed in small cans or bags--it had to be in a proper trash bin -- on the premises.) Southside was contacted, asking why they removed ALL the dumpsters, not just those being used by Pine Mountain Club. Their reply was that the remaining number was too few to make a trip with the big truck that had the equipment necessary to dump the bins into itself. They WOULD bring up two of the BIG roll-off bins and put them at two locations in the Village. One was placed in the alley behind what is now La Lena Mexican Restaurant, and on was placed in the open area across from what is now Pine Mountain Realty. (where the cut-out figures are). The Health Department was persuaded to consider those locations as "on premises" for the General Store and the other restaurants. BUT (BIG BUT), the roll-offs cost $120 each to dump (they had to be loaded, hauled to the Lebec dump, emptied, and hauled back to PMC). Southside had only charged $7.00 a month (each) to empty the dumpsters. Because they were so big and obvious (and ugly), many people decided to skip the trip to the PMC dump, and dumped their household trash (and construction waste) in the Village bins. Then, warm weather brought the flies---and the smell...
The situation seemed to be getting worse (and exceedingly more expen$ive) by the week, but an ultimate solution soon appeared seemingly out of nowhere. In their rush to "save the Association money", the Board (and management) had neglected to check the county regulations regarding franchises. In Kern County, and most other counties in California, certian businesses (like utilities) are granted franchises for certain areas, and they are the only ones allowed to conduct that business in a particular area. In Kern County, examples of this are cable companies, ambulance service, and trash hauling. Southside had an exclusive franchise to haul the trash ("garbage") in this part of Kern County. Pine Mountain Club didn't, and was violating the franchise rule, and so Southside sued. After lenghthy negotiations (lawyer$$), a plan was hammered out whereby PMC would provide a "Transfer Site", where the trash would be collected, and a portion of it recycled. Trash compactors were installed to compact the trash into special bins which Southside --now becoming "Mountainside Disposal"-- would haul to the Lebec dump to be emptied. Recycling of cardboard, glass, and plastic was required. Kern County Health Department would allow the restaurants in the Village to take their trash to the Transfer Site, as long as it was not allowed to accumulate at the business, and they would be in compliance with the Health regulations. The PMCPOA trash truck and roll-off bins were sold (at a loss). I'm proud to admit that I helped to bring this particular happy ending to yet another "big, bad idea".
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