Homestead mailing list

["Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>]

Humboldt County has seven "official" rivers and several smaller rivers and 
more creeks and streams than you can count.  The whole place for the 
corridor that is formed by the coast and 20 miles inland is green most of 
the year.

A heat wave in Eureka, btw, is 70 degrees <g>

We left Eureka because the folks from L.A. had discovered it, sold their 
McMansions, did bidding wars and paid twice the asking price which was less 
than 25% of what they sold the McMansions for and we couldn't afford to buy 
a nice sized piece of land we'd been saving for.  We sold our in-town house 
and bought 12 acres "up the hill" in Trinity for half what we sold the house 
in Eureka for.

IF I had the funds, I'd buy in the Elk River area, Kneeland, or Blue Lake 
area.  IF I *really* had the money, I'd buy in Fieldbrook, Hydesville, 
Carlotta or Korbel.  Elk River does flood every few years since Palco clear 
cut everything and its uncle and the river is silted up.  Weather is great 
(warmer) in Blue Lake, Fieldbrook, Hydesville and Carlotta.  Korbel and 
Kneeland get a tiny bit of snow in the winter.  Fortuna is all houses now.

Eureka, Fieldbrook, Arcata and Fortuna all have about 300 plus growing days 
a year.

If you get way out Hwy 36 it gets dry and water can be an issue.  If you 
want heat during the summer, head on up to the Willow Creek, Orleans, 
Salyer, Burnt Ranch area.

The area to the west of the freeway heading through Arcata is called "The 
Bottoms."  Lots of dairy, no irrigation needed, good pasture 24/7 12 months 
of the year.  There are some really great organic farms, bulb farms and 
native plant nurseries located in The Bottoms.  The east side of the freeway 
is more homes, not too much land available.

The Eel is still prone to flooding, so one has to be careful where one buys 
down the old highway, out in Fernbridge/Ferndale and south of Fortuna.  101 
is routinely flooded as you drive through Loleta.  Not enough to close it to 
all traffic but enough to make it a PITA, particularly if you don't have a 
4x4 that sits pretty high.

Almost any area I mentioned you can stick a plant in the ground with little 
or no work and it grows.

If you decide to look around the area, let me know and I'll give you the 
skinny on any area you are looking at.

Lynda
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Jones" <billj AT harborside.com>


> We've settled on wind for summer watering, but I really want to use a
> simple wind-driven compressor with my new pneumatic pump.
>
> It's about 15 mph when the summer sun shines, so it's perfect.  A lot
> depends on whether you have a clear shot to the north.  If there's a
> hill to your north, the summer wind doesn't reach you.  At the immediate
> coast by Cape Blanco, the summer wind (even) reaches 80 mph.  It's scary
> to go there, with the cliffs and all.
>
> > If you are seriously thinking of the Eureka area, you'd find plenty of
> > places for water power
> That's why I need the generator.  We need light the most in winter.
> Assuming we stay here over the winter, the creek provideth.
>
> You know, we haven't explored much off of US 101, but Arcata seems to > 
> have a lot of farms, however it's dead flat right along the coast
> there.  Maybe up in the hills there's a little place...
>
> I always wonder why you left Eureka.  Seems like heaven there to me.  I
> get the impression the Eel river seeps out of its banks and waters the
> whole local area.  But I'd only be there for the winter, and summer heat
> waves.