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Greenwood/Elk columns November 1 ~ December 6, 1990 November 1st. Pacific Bell is in the process of routing an underground fiber optic cable, from behind their sub station in Elk, out around the east side of town, along their right of way. It will emerge at the Greenwood/Philo Road, by Kevin Joe's new house, then travel overland on existing poles. This project will bring our phone service into the current century. We will be able to place forty thousand phone calls at once! We can even have phone modems for those with computers, and the Elk Garage will be able to have a computerized ordering service to the outlands such as Fort Bragg. I know the Elk Garage tried to have a computer terminal before but the 'baud' rate was too fast for our local antiquated phone system. Those days will soon be over. it is also my understanding that the fiber optic cable will put to rest any thought of erecting a microwave dish at the sub station. I took a walk up Greenwood Creek this morning. All is peaceful and quiet. I went past the site where our Breakfast First! hooha happened; where seventeen of us were arrested during our four day protest; on down the haul road where new water-bars have put the haul-road to bed for the winter; on past the no trespassing sign and up the old railroad right-of-way along side our creek. Into the cut. So. How does it look? Well...sort of depends on how you look at it. I see stumps and a lot of slash. I see a lot of trees broken off part way up or striped of branches here and there. I see a lot of damage on steep hill sides. I see fresh stumps between the railroad right-of-way and our creek, yet, overall, there are a fair amount of trees left. Not as bad as it could have been. Not as good as it could have been. I think of what it must have been like when the railroad grade was put in. The amount of dirt and side cast that went into the creek then. How those big trees were dropped and drug down into the creek behind dams to wait for the winter rain and the dynamite that would release them for their short trip to the mill pond. I think of the old time photos I have seen of this area, after that first cut and burning, a hundred years ago. So, how does it look? Well, swell, compared to then, but I also notice the size of the old burnt stumps, averaging five to six feet in diameter. I notice the new stumps, averaging two to three feet in diameter. I wonder what the size of the next generation of stumps will be? I think of the local old-timers who have told me of the huge quantities of fish that used to be in this creek. The talk of bear and elk and other wild life, now long gone. I think of the local logger who told me the reason there are no fish is because of the Japanese drift nets. I think of Lee Susan telling me that this is a recovering watershed, that it is much better than it used to be. Well. Is it? I guess it is better than it was a hundred years ago and worse than it was two hundred years ago. What's my guess for a hundred years from now? Damned if I know. The loose soil from the logging is hanging on the hill sides, waiting to be firmed up by gentle rains of washed down out of the hills by a down pour. The propositions are waiting to be voted in or out. Time will tell the truth, one way or the other, I guess. November 8th. I noticed four pelicans, cruising north, just out beyond the edge of our town, last Saturday. Here it is November and they are still hanging around. Does this mean another mild winter? Wouldn't they be gone already if they knew the weather was going to turn nasty? I'm sure they have a more intimate sense of weather trends than I do. Any bird that can travel miles, into the wind, without flapping its wings, must have a lot more awareness of the subtleties of our environment than I do. Of course, they are out in it all the time where as I take notice only occasionally. Did any of you early risers happen to see the moon set? It looked just like a huge sunset but with all the color removed. The rain was beating hard on my roof, the evening of October 30th and I knew it was time to make the rounds for turbidity samples, come morning. By the time I was ready to roll, around 9:00 AM, the sun was out and another sparkling day was in progress. In town, Jane Matson had received .68 of an inch while up at Ed Bird's 1.50 had come down. Under the Elk Creek Bridge I noticed the water had risen a couple of inches but since I haven't put in a calibrated stake yet I couldn't tell how much. The water sample tested out at 4.70 NTU's where-as at the end of the dry season it had read 0.17. On Greenwood Creek, at the old L.P. bridge site, I see the 'dam' is gone, rye grass has been scattered and is beginning to sprout, a light green haze covering the ground. My turbidity reading this time is 2.30. Last time 0.12. Up the Greenwood/Philo road and then down to Barn Gulch. My dog likes this leg of our travels. She took off after a rabbit but didn't stand a chance. The various side tributaries were still dry, not enough rain to get them going yet. I made notes for future reference to see how much rain it takes to get them running. At the bottom of the trail, just before arriving at Greenwood Creek, is a half block size grass meadow. I have been told that this was the site of a tie camp. Possibly the one that was called Camp 10. I'm told that over one hundred people used to live here. The cook house was up against the west side, the bunk houses were along the east side, by the creek. The flat was where all the work was done and the split stuff was loaded on the railroad for the trip to the coast. There is a dogwood tree there which I saw in full bloom a couple of springs ago. I'm told there were apple trees and a cherry tree but they have died off and are long gone along with the building remains. I took the Greenwood Creek sample, now reading 2.60, it was 0.21 last time, then the Barn Gulch sample, 1.80, last time 0.45. I then walked up the tributary a short way and found it split into two streams. The one to the west coming from Barn Gulch and the one to the east, coming from a gulch that, so far, I have no name for. I walked up "no name gulch", and found a small, beautiful, untouched valley with evidence of an old haul road that is mostly grown over. Lots of moss and ferns and shade. I have decided that it would be interesting to take two water samples out of the barn gulch tributary, just above that 'Y'. One from Barn Gulch itself, which was logged not too many years ago and has failed culverts and slide areas and one sample from 'no name' which has returned to a more stable state. Both gulches are very steep, about the same size and on the same side of Greenwood Creek, but one has been left alone and the other has not. Could be an interesting comparison. Then off to the Navarro. Last time it read 2.70. This time 16.00. It dawned on me that I am taking the sample from the Highway One bridge and at this location I am in the tidal area. The ocean water comes in and mixes things up. To take an accurate sample I am going to have to drive up 128 a ways to get above that. Fine tuning. Always fine tuning. On the far side of the bridge a pelican dove for his lunch. November 15th. Well, shucks, everything is pretty quiet, here on the western front. I guess I'm free to ramble. I happened to see a Tee Vee program on the Arts and Entertainment Channel the other evening. They were covering the solar powered car race from Florida up to Michigan. There were about ten different vehicles entered by different collages around the country, MIT, Harvard, Cal State, Western Washington, and so on. The cars were off to a pretty good start and rolled right along when the sun was out. They had to stop in the evening, of course, when the sun went down, and the second or third day of the race a rain storm struck and they had to pull off to the side of the road and throw plastic sheets over their vehicles. The drivers and back up crews wound up having a party under the covers while they waited for the rain to pass. The commentator kept talking about all the improvements that will be required to make these cars practical; better batteries, more efficient solar cells, better motors and so on. The following morning, while sitting on the one-hole-er, where I do my best thinking... It seems to me those cars are already at their apex. What could be better? When it gets dark you have to stop. When it rains out, or is dark and a miserable day, you have to stay home and party. When going up steep hills you have to slow down and enjoy the scenery. You get all these benefits for free from the sun. How like us humans to keep flailing away at a project until we have it cranked up to where we can go like hell, day or night, rain or shine. I visited Crown Hall the other evening, and enjoyed Bobbie Markel's, "This is not an Audition". What a call to stop worrying and get on with life. It's all happening anyway, whether we partake or not. Thank you Bobbie. Not only did I enjoy Bobbie's show but an unexpected treat happened during intermission when I stepped out side and was introduced to Jake Helper, the author of the Jake Helper Column in the last Mendocino Commentary. Pleased to meet you, Jake. Speaking of surprises. I checked out Olaf Palm's portrait show at the Mendocino Showcase Gallery. Various folks you know from around here including a wonderful portrait of Elk resident Belvie Rooks. Olaf definitely "got her". You got till the end of the month. Oh! I know! Stopped in Fort Bragg Feed the other day for my monthly bag of dog food and a woman came up to me and asked, "Is that your cow?" I said, "Yep". She then asked, "What do you do with it?" I told her I drive it. She then asked, "Do you do artificial insemination?" I 'spose it only stands to reason. November 22nd. I bumped into Rusty Gates in front of the Elk Store. He was admiring my license plate, ROADCOW while I was appreciating his ELK4US. After pleasantries he asked if I would put the following in the paper... Elk Art and Craft Christmas Fair, December 8th and 9th, 10:00 AM till 4:00 PM. Both days. Terry Garner is doing the pizza Interested exhibitors and otherwise contact Rusty Gates 877-3425 I had a message on my answering machine informing me that I was wrong on two items in my column a couple of weeks ago. Barn Gulch is actually named Barnes Gulch and the tie camp I called Camp 10 was actually Camp I (eye). All the camps on Greenwood Creek were "Letter" camps. Elk Creek and Alder Creek camps were Numbered camps. Speaking of Barnes Gulch... I hiked down there again last Wednesday to set up my water monitoring stations. I will now be able to record, "How high's the water, Momma", if and when we ever get any of that stuff. Greenwood Creek was the lowest I have seen it yet this year. While there, I did a rough cross section measurement of the creek; how wide at the base of the bank, how wide at the top of the bank, how deep and so on. These measurements, coupled with the actual height of the water will give me square feet of water and that combined with flow rate will give me cubic feet per second. Then, using a Imhoff Settling Cone, I will find out how many milli-liters of setteable matter there is per liter of creek water. I 'spose that can be worked up to tons per acre feet with the right formula and someone who cares. After several hours of selecting a site and doing the measurements I decided to pack it in and started the forty five minute hike out. I finally got back to ROADCOW, waiting patiently alongside the Greenwood/Philo road, unloaded my camera and notes and finally sat down for the trip back to town. Won't start. A peek in the engine compartment revealed that someone had taken my coil wire. Ha! Ha! Well, everyone knows my bus and most everybody knows I'm doing this water sampling on Greenwood Creek. Somebody must not like it. I pulled off the number three spark plug wire and put it in place of the missing coil wire and drove home on three cylinders, surprised and disappointed. I have been hiking around the local woods quite a bit. I have been in areas where the logging crews have left their chain saws, jacks and wedges. I have been alongside yarders and loaders still hot from a days work. I have not messed with a thing. I have let it be. I expect the same. I found it hard to believe that one of the guys from the crew we "Breakfast First-ed" with would stop and do something like that. I got along with them quite well, but who? Surely not one of my friends and neighbors... Two days later, someone told me; remember, this is a small town. No it wasn't anyone from the logging crew. It was a local. November 29th. Thanksgiving Holiday I drove 800 miles during imminent war with Iraq - gas price in Bakersfield - $1.15.9 - to get away. To get away from turkey day crowds, even my small town - Population 250. Even away from my three friends! To get away to the desert and be surrounded by nothing; and nothing, according to my map should be Owls Head Valley. Owls Head Valley, at the south end of Death Valley and west a bit towards the Panamints. Out past the emigrant trail marker showing the route of escape some 1800's travelers found trying to save their lives and familys. Away to this most empty spot to sit on a rock by my fire. Not a tree, no water, no houses, ranches, cars, people. Not even an owl. Surrounded by huge vistas and random pieces of military hardware. I found three timing fuses, two honeycomb aluminum airfoil sections, rocket tail fins; Fort Irwin military playground is just over the hill to the south. There is a caretaker-mine employee back up the road at Owl Spring. He arrived from Colorado seven months ago. They started up a mine back then and he expects his first paycheck December 19th. Iron ore. He said it was 150 degrees last 4th of July. He isn't real sure -" the other thermometer broke at 130". All he could do was stay in his trailer with two swamp coolers going full blast. Owls Head Valley. It is dark now and there is not one light; house light, yard light, car light, out beyond my campfire. From the Panamints to the west, Owls Head mountains to the north, Black and Funeral mountains to the east and Granite mountains to my back. Thousands of acres of nothing. I love it. Why? Why so far? Why so remote? Why so alone? Why sit by a campfire surrounded by nothing and feel content? Because my Dad is dying. Because he used to take me to godforsaken places just to see what's over the hill, just down that road. I remember the Badlands of South Dakota, our 1955 Packard with a blown radiator hose and Pop off taking photos of grasshoppers. No problem. That desire and ability to go beyond the last rutted road, to really, really get stuck and still enjoy it. He gave me that. That's why. Thanks, Pop. Owls Head Valley. Thanksgiving. 1990. December 6th. Hey! Just thought of something... Shouldn't Bush fill out an Environmental Impact Statement before launching his war? It would seem, to me, with all the concern over global warming and the hole in the ozone and the Exxon Valdez oil spill and what not it would only seem right to stop and consider the consequences. I mean gun powder and rocket propellant and burning refineries and sinking ships and poison gas and maybe even radiation can't be too helpful in trying to heal our environment. What is War? Time out? Do we just waive the zero waste discharge requirements and hope for the best? Goodness! Well, the Greenwood Creek Project has come a little clearer into focus. Seems the idea is to remove the parking lot from across the Elk Store and slide it down around behind the Mill Office/Post Office. Put some picnic tables out there and some restrooms. Well. Swell. But the feeling I get is that once the parking lot is controlled with a definite entrance/exit it would only be one small step to charge for use of the park. $5.00 per vehicle. $1.00 per dog. "$1.00 per dog? Jeez officer, I got her for free and it's been money ever since." Maybe it is only a bad dream and yet, if I am only dreaming, it still seems too close to the existing reality. I know that the State Parks are falling on hard times, along with the rest of us, since our government is drying up their funding. The ol' Reagan trickle down effect is still at work, shifting the burden down to the private sector. It only stands to reason but, but...if people want to pay for an nature experience they can go to Disneyland or Club Med where they get something for their money. Here we got nothin' but poison oak, salt water, and fog. Louis Martin, Elk's very own high tech hermit, came out of his dark dingy hovel to tell me that the Elk Arts and Crafts Fair is looking for musicians. Anyone who wants to toot their horn or practice the violin in front of an audience that could care less is asked to call Louis at 877-3598 and sign up for a time slot. Openings for budding musicians are between the hours of 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM, December 8th and 9th. Here is an opportunity to get over your stage fright or die. Tubas? Kazoos? What the hey! Give it a shot. Who knows, maybe some hidden talent is out there and would like to join the fun of Elk's Art and Crafts fair. As long as you're coming anyway, why not bring your accordion. Our latest rain, November 26th, amounted to .68 of an inch here on the coast. Jane Matson told me that, as of the 26th, we have received a total of 2.54 inches since the first of July. That is five inches less than the amount we received in the same period of time last year! Oh -oh! Thus ends my last column for the year 1990. I decided to take off early for Seattle to spend some time with mom and pop. |