[FESTIVAL] Kitty and Creek’s Wild Mountain Times

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

How reliant are we on the grid? The answer is not at all. The grid is not available here, and never has been. There are no services available to us at all. We are like a ship at sea - we make our own. We have a large Outback solar power system and battery bank, nine solar arrays and two generators for backup. It takes a well-designed system to power our house to modern standards that are adequate for guests and our home-based businesses. Our generators only run for around 100 hours a year, and on a cool sunny day the solar system can generate about 7KW for about nine hours. We draw our electricity for the rest of the day and overnight from the battery bank.  

Our internet signal comes to us from a remote mountain-top tower. Before we were able to install a neighborhood landline, we received our phone calls on a radio device. These are used a lot on remote places like islands, offshore oil rigs, fire watch towers, remote stretches of highway, etc. The signal can go 35 miles in a straight line, after which it requires a repeater to compensate for the curvature of the earth. Times have changed though, and we can now connect to a local cell tower. 

Whew! Life is such an adventure. Our guests are all interested in seeing our power system, and the self-tracking solar arrays on the hillside near the house. It is very fun to explain how it all works. You can see all that on our listing's photos. We have a deep well for our water, 340 feet. The pump is programmed to run only on solar when it is available. We pump it another 250 feet or so to the top of the peak to storage tanks 1/4 mile away from the house, so gravity flow gives us excellent water pressure in the house and the garden automatic drip system with 16 stations.

Fire safety is a huge concern here, and we constantly maintain our firebreaks. No open flames, campfires, smoking, etc, of necessity. We have 17K gallons of water stored, and pump stations to power our fire hoses in case of a local fire. We served as volunteer firefighters when we were running the remote resort with 12 houses and 50 guests, in the 1970's.  We were such tough young people, ready for anything. 

We also maintain a lot of private road - it is a three mile round trip to get to the county road to get our mail, and our driveway is a half mile to the house, off the resident-maintained private road.  Staying fit, strong and focused is so necessary. 

We also do the usual things - composting, growing vegetables, etc. We love taking our guests on hikes, birdwatching - a guest came from across the country to see two local bird species that nest in our garden, which are not easily found anywhere else. That was super exciting! We have nine trail cameras in the forest for watching our wildlife neighbors including bears and lions. Guests can and do hike with us to change out the camera memory chips, and have a look at the videos they captured.Our version of home movies! We have eight hummingbird feeders to keep the mob of hummingbirds satisfied. It is a full time job catering to them.

I plant seeds from tomatoes, and if a potato sprouts in the pantry, I plant it. I've a lot of short season tomato babies in the solarium, waiting for reliable weather. We take them outside for the day, and back indoors at night until Spring warms up the outdoor decks.  It is so satisfying to be able to dump out a pot and gather a bunch of lovely new potatoes for dinner. I let a lot of plants free seed - cilantro, parsley, borage, shiso, arugula, corn salad, etc. I've some lovely old rosemary plants that are filled with bees singing. We've a wild hive of honeybees somewhere in the forest. I've followed the "bee line" all over the mountain looking for the hive, and have yet to locate it. They ask for some sugar water when it has been a cold winter, and crawl all over my hands and arms. Fascinating to watch them. Anyone who loves wild creatures is in their element here. 

We have declared our ranch, all 180 acres, to be a wildlife sanctuary with an eventual conservation easement in place;  all the creatures seem to know that they are safe here. 

Now it’s over to the rest of you - how reliant are you on the grid?  Hoping to hear from you in the comments.

[Ann72]

What a pleasure to read this @Kitty-and-Creek0.  The story of you following a bee-line into the forest transported me right there.  I've had your listing saved ever since I first met you here, and I hope to come someday.  Thank you for your inspiring story!

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Ann72 Thanks for appreciating my story and wishing to visit here. It would be such a pleasure to welcome you to the mountain. Those wonderful bees are all over the blooming Rosemary and they make such a lovely unison hum as they do. It is the time of year when all the little  tree frogs talk all night, and all day here. It seems they never sleep. Ricket, ricket... and when one starts, another responds, until the entire mountain is filled with frog talk! Spring is here in all its glory!

[Maria-Rossella0]

Se potessi, se fosse possibile........arriverei prestissimo! Grazie per tutta la conversazione....ho "bevuto" tutto ciò che avete detto!!!!

[Clara116]

@Kitty-and-Creek0 thank you for such a lovely journey on your post and then reading and looking at your amazing listing.....wow, like Ann I want to visit sometime for sure! I have it saved in my dream book too. The pic with the hummingbirds blows me away, we here in Fl. get a few and just love watching for them to play, enjoy the feeder but you have the disneyland of hummies....WOW, totally love that.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Clara116 Do come follow your dreams to this place above the clouds! The hummingbirds usually leave for parts unknown in late October, and return mid March. They have nests in the tall Madrone trees here. They seem to be like salmon coming back to their birthplace to nest, which means the population keeps growing. A handful stay all winter. We call them the Azalea Clan. One female hummingbird started the trend, she stayed all winter even in the snow and ice, sheltering from storms in an Azalea bush under the porch overhang. We watched her from the kitchen window. We named her Azalea, of course. She lived a long life here, joined by a few others. When she vanished, other hummingbirds have inherited that Azalea. We imagine they are her descendants. We have learned that a healthy Anna's hummingbird might live as long as 12 years.  The feeders must be constantly scrubbed clean and kept from any molds or contamination that could - and would - kill these little birds that trust us with their health and safety. The nectar is 4 parts water and 1 part white sugar, boiled and cooled. The warmer the weather the more often is necessary to scrub the feeders. As you know, sugar is a perfect medium for growing bacteria and molds. We also have a big, colorful, flower garden and all those blooming forest plants that provide natural foods for the little birds, who also gobble up small insects and spiders. They have a huge appetite for protein, and we see them "cleaning" the plants and trees. On warm nights, the bats fascinate us with their stunt flying as they gobble up the night insects...

[Jennifer3225]

💚💚💚Azalea💚💚💚

[Laurelle3]

@Kitty-and-Creek0 your could say way of life is really "Sustainable" and by living off the grid means you have to be resourceful otherwise it doesn't happen. I would say your guest want to be there and experience your shared way of life to learn or take time out from the "Rat Race " from the fast pace of life.

Thank you for sharing your way of life.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Laurelle3 

You are so right, living off the grid is a lot of constant work, and being resourceful is the key, along with always paying attention. We are very exposed to weather, so maintenance never stops. We were reflecting with some recent guests that it is a bit like camping out, here! As you said, guests come here for time away from the fast pace of life. We so appreciate what they all do to keep the infrastructure we all rely on in this world working smoothly.  It is our privilege to provide a space for quiet time away, as a way to restore balance in life; an honor for us to keep that place for our guests.                     

[Katja202]

@Kitty-and-Creek0 Wow your place is our dream. Love love love your story! 

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Katja202 Thank you for engaging with our story! We are holding that space for resting, refreshing, rejuvenating, and reconnecting with our essential selves. Come sit on the rock and appreciate what Mother Nature has provided. The small things, the beauty of details, the voices of birds, the rustling of leaves, the fragrances of the forest in every season. 

[Jennifer3225]

Wonderful to read your stories, and what a commitment to declare the 180 acres a wildlife sanctuary. This is a huge lifestyle commitment and is inspiring. What are the favourite noises you hear out in the wilderness when it is quiet? Curious what your favourite song bird is?

Best

Jennifer🇨🇦

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Jennifer3225 

Oh, my! Favorite local bird? That's tough!

Western Tanager, Chestnut Backed Chickadee,  Red Breasted Nuthatch, all the Flycatchers & Warblers, Lazuli Bunting, Pileated Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Varied Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Cedar Waxwings, Black Headed Grosbeak, Black Phoebe. Anna's, Allen's & Rufous Hummingbirds, Mountain Quail, Stellar's Jay, Spotted Towhee, Common Raven, Band Tailed Pigeon, California Thrasher,  Hermit Thrush, Screech Owl, Spotted Owl, Sooty Grouse. Peregrine Falcons!

Sounds we hear besides birds - wind, rain, hail, the trees dancing in the wind, and making the wind visible! The movement of this solid wooden house when the temperature or barometer drops. Foxes and Mountain Lions talking! Bears huffing! 

[Jennifer3225]

Chick-a -dee-dee-dee-dee-dee.. I can hear them now 😉

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Jennifer3225 

Chickadees are so social, and adorable. I've often said that heaven is being under a tree filled with chickadees, all talking and bouncing around !