Friday, October 31, 2008

The Channel Islands of California

Hello again from Pine Mountain. Glad you could join us. It is the end of October already. Halloween is here. The days are still warm but the nights are getting colder.

This week it was just the usual ranch chores here at the ranch. I turned some more wood into wood chips with the chipper. I took Pete the mule and his cart out and mended some fences. Squeekers my African Grey parrot and I tended the garden in the greenhouse.
The one barn door was not shutting properly so I took it off and rehung it. Now it works like it should. I cleaned out the cow and horse stalls loaded it in the manure spreader then hooked up the old John Deere tractor took the load out and spread it on the fields for fertilizer. Well enough about ranch chores.
If you are new to this site, here is how things are arranged. First we have this section where we tell you about things on the ranch and the surrounding area. Next we have sections on Alternative energy, Easy cash, Nutrition and Health, Travel for less, and Adventure and Treasure hunting. Then we have a weekly travel adventure with pictures from somewhere in the world. Each one of the sections has links to websites and products. Finally we have coffee by the roaring fire in the fireplace and wish you a good night and a good week ahead. I hope you enjoy our newsletter and return at least once a week for a new adventure and new products and programs to improve your life.


Alternative Energy Store


Looking for ways to save money on alternative energy? Go to the Alternative Energy Store at Visit the Alternative Energy Store for great prices on solar and wind energy equipment! They have thousands of useful products at reasonable prices. They have solar panels, wind turbines, water turbines, and all the control circuits that are needed to hook everything up. Not sure what you need or how to hook it up? They have books and video courses that take you through everything in easy to understand steps.

Wind and Water turbine companies

First for those of you that have just joined us, here at the ranch, power is supplied by 2 wind turbines and a water turbine. We also have a few solar panels that charge up a battery bank. Our horizontal turbine looks like a small wingless airplane on top of it’s 80 foot tower. We purchased that one from www.bergey.com. Our vertical turbine we purchased from http://www.pacwind.net/, it spins away on a 30 foot or 10 meter pole out by the barn. Our water turbine in the dam of our pond came from an Alaskan alternative energy company http://www.absak.com/. The wind has been normal for this time of year. Every day there is an almost constant 7 or 8 mph wind. In the late afternoon and early evening the wind picks up to about 10 to 15 mph.

Alternative Energy Handbook

Is your electric bill going through the roof? Are you paying $200 or even more per month for electricity? Do you want to cut costs or even learn how you can sell electricity back to the power company so they pay you instead of you paying them? Learn how you can supplement you electricity and reduce your electric bill for only a small investment of less than $200 in alternative energy. Go to Alternative energy and learn easy ways you can cut your electric bill.

Hydrogen Fuel

The price of fuel keeps going up in price. Gasoline is now over $3.00 a gallon. Everyone is looking for anything that will increase fuel economy even a little. Most Alternative energy fuels are still years away but there is a way to improve your mileage, increase your horsepower, and reduce your emissions all at the same time. You will be able to turn your vehicle into a fuel efficient one with only a few readily available items from your local hardware. The instructions are easy to follow and there are many diagrams so you can see how to do it too. It does not matter if you have a gasoline or diesel engine vehicle it will work with either one. Go to http://deserthab.water4gas.hop.clickbank.net/ to learn more while supplies last.

Ethos Fuel Additive

Do you want to increase your fuel economy and create 30% less pollution? How about increase your gas mileage and increase your power too. An environmentally safe non toxic product called Ethos will do just that. It improves gas economy by reformulating your gasoline to allow more air to be mixed with the fuel vapor. This causes cleaner combustion and increases power. Your fuel burns more completely and thus produces less emissions. All you have to do is add a couple ounces per tank of gasoline or diesel. Go to http://www.thegassecret.net/ and learn more about this alternative energy supplement.

Easy Cash

Easy Program

Are you looking for a way to earn extra money in these hard economic times? Have you tried other programs that are all hype and in the end you are just poorer for the experience? Are you looking for a down to earth way to make money on the internet? I have found a program that will teach you step by step in simple easy to understand videos how you can prosper on the internet. Once you set things up the program runs almost on autopilot. All you do is monitor things answer a few emails from paying customers and collect and cash your checks. You spend less than 2 hours a day working the business. Go to http://deserthab.sixfigprog.hop.clickbank.net/ to find out more.

Web Domains with Residual Commissions

Is the cost of living getting you down? Do you need to make some quick money to cover expenses? Go to http://www.freedom.ws/ , put in the access code mountain1, watch a free short movie and start making the money that you have dreamed about.






Nutrition and Health

These days everyone is concerned about nutrition and health. Most of our food is over processed and has very little nutrient value. Our food looks great but not much more. If we want to stay healthy in today’s world we are forced to take supplements. The question is: What supplements will provide what you need for the least amount of time and money? I believe one of the best supplements out there is called acaiplus. It is a blend of vitamins and minerals plus acai to promote health and long life. They also have vitamins to help improve your long term and short term memory. They also have an energy drink that gives you steady long term energy. To learn more about these products go to http://www.acaiplus.com/desertstarproducts. Check out Acaiplus, Feed My Brain, and White Lightning.

Travel for Less

Discounts, Incentives, Rebates, and Promotions

Are you tired of paying high airfares only to be crammed into a tight seat when you travel? Find out how you can save hundreds of dollars on your next flight. You may even be able to fly first class for the cost of coach if you know the secret. Learn how you can save enough money to take that once in a lifetime vacation. Go tohttp://deserthab.airtravel.hop.clickbank.net/ and find out now while supplies last.

Travel Secrets

Discover how you can fly around the world on a shoestring budget. There are ways to travel for free. These ways are easy to learn if you know the secrets.. Go to http://deserthab.fly4free.hop.clickbank.net/ to find out. You will be glad you did.

Travel Writing

Have you ever wished that you could travel for a living. Does the call of far off places thrill you? Would you like to travel the world on your own schedule and see the places that you want to see? Would you like to enjoy your vacation and get paid for it too? Long to travel on your own schedule and enjoy your vacation? Would you like to travel for a living and see new and interesting places every day? Would you like to be pampered like a VIP and enjoy life all for just writing about your travel adventures? Do you like to write letters to your relatives telling them about your recent vacation? Then you have what it takes to become a travel writer. All you need is a little instruction and you can have a dream job too. Go to http://deserthab.wp3033773.hop.clickbank.net/ and learn how you to can become a travel writer.

Adventure and Treasure Hunting

Proper Research is the Key

Do you watch movies like Indiana Jones and wish you could do that in real life? Do you like a good mystery and a good adventure? Would you like to use modern methods and tools to find long lost treasure? All this is possible if you learn from the best. Stan Grist, world renown adventurer and treasure hunter has written a course complete with step by step instruction on how to become successful. Go to http://deserthab.infoshare2.hop.clickbank.net/ And check out his course “Creating Wealth Through Adventure”

And now our feature story.






The Channel Islands of California


There are eight channel islands off the coast of California.
Two of the islands, San Clemente and San Nicolas belong to the Navy.
Five of the islands, San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara are part of the Channel Islands National Park.
The final island, Santa Catalina, is a resort island with two towns.
Santa Rosa island is now in the process of becoming a military resort island.

Island History

The northern islands were inhabited by the Chumash Indians and the southern islands were inhabited by the Tongva Indians for 13,000 years. The Indians were removed in the early 1800’s and taken to missions on the mainland.

Santa Rosa Island

Santa Rosa island was used as the Vail-Vickers ranch from the 1800’s for about a hundred years. Until 2011 the ranch still has private elk hunts in the late summer and early fall.

Santa Rosa Pier
San Nicolas Island

San Nicolas island has the legend of the lone woman. The Indians were removed in 1835 but one woman Jauna Maria was left behind. She lived all alone on the island for 18 years. She was found in 1853 by Captain George Nidever and brought to Santa Barbara. She died seven weeks later because her body was not accustomed to the food and climate of central California.

Santa Cruz Island

Santa Cruz island is mountainous with a central valley. It was originally given to Andreas Castillero as a Mexican land grant in 1839. Castillero turned the island into a sheep ranch. In 1857 the island was sold to William Barron. Barron sold the island in 1869 to the Santa Cruz Island Company.

Justinian Caire bought the other nine members shares of the Santa Cruz Land Company and became the new owner by 1880.
Caire built up the island. He built ranch houses, bunk houses, a winery, a chapel a blacksmith shop, and a saddle shop. He had a 60 foot schooner built in 1893. He planted olive, pear, fig, orange, apple, lemon, and peach trees. He planted 5 types of grapes and soon had a thriving vineyard. Caire died in 1897 and the island went to his wife who divided it up among her children. The children fought over the land and it was divided into 7 parcels. The Caire daughters Amelie and Aglae received parcels 6 and 7 which were the eastern end of the island. The other 5 parcels were part of the Santa Cruz land company. The Santa Cruz land company was purchased by Edwin Stanton in 1937. His son Carey went to Stanford and became a doctor. He returned to the island in 1957. Edwin died in 1963 and Carey inherited the Santa Cruz land company. Carey established a nature conservancy to own the land when he died. Carey also established the Santa Cruz island foundation in 1985 to protect the historical buildings and possessions on the island. Dr Stanton died in 1987.

The US government purchased the Caire shares for the Channel Island National Park in 1997. The nature conservancy owns the rest of the island.

Today the Channel Island National park has camping and day use trips on the channel islands. It is a great adventure and a great way to enjoy the channel islands.


Anacapa lighthouse
Pine Mountain Evening

It is evening and I am relaxing in my easy chair in front of the fireplace. A cheery gas fire takes the chill off the mountain evening. Squeekers my African Grey parrot is sitting on his perch munching peanuts. I am relaxing with my coffee from http://www.coffeefool.com/. Tonight I am trying Dutch Chocolate. This coffee has a distinct taste of chocolate mixed with roast coffee. It goes well with almost all deserts. Squeekers and I have been watching the latest episode of the Sci fi series Stargate Atlantis. Both my coffee and my TV show are over now. It has been a long day. I put Squeekers in his cage, turn off the gas fireplace, and head upstairs to bed. Good night all. See you next week.