Catalina Island

Pine Mountain

Hello again from Pine Mountain. This week we coated the barn roof in preparation for winter. We coat the barn roof every 2 to 3 years to keep it from rusting. While I was coating it, several birds landed on a freshly painted section then made bird paint tracks on the on painted section. This week we took a relaxing visit to Catalina Island. First we have our usual sections of Alternative energy, Easy Cash, Nutrition, Traveling, and Adventure.


Alternative Energy


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.

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 http://deserthab.offgrid07.hop.clickbank.net/ and learn easy ways you can cut your electric bill.

The price of fuel keeps going up in price. Gasoline is now over $4.00 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.
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

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 tohttp://www.acaiplus.com/desertstarproducts. Check out Acaiplus, Feed My Brain, and White Lightning.


Travel for Less


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.
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 tohttp://deserthab.fly4free.hop.clickbank.net/ to find out. You will be glad you did.


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? 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

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.


Catalina Island

Catalina

Twenty two miles southwest of Los Angeles lies the island of Catalina. Life on the island moves at a slower pace than on the mainland. There are many activities and things to do on the island or if you prefer you can just relax and enjoy the scenery. The ferry ride is about 26 miles or you can fly in to Airport in the Sky which is about halfway between the two main towns of Avalon and Two Harbors. The island is 22 miles (35 KM) long and 8 miles (13 KM) wide. The highest point is Mt Orizaba at 2126 feet (648 meters) The permanent population is 3700 people with 3300 living around Avalon and 300 living at Two Harbors. The other 100 people are scattered across the island.

Two Harbors

Things to Do

There are many things to do on the island. You can scuba dive, snorkel, go fishing, go ocean kayaking, parasail, go mountain biking, horseback riding, or just wander through shops and galleries.

Two Harbors

History

The island was originally inhabited by the Tongva tribe of Indians. They called the island Pimu or Pimunga. They mined soapstone and traded with the Indians on the mainland. The first European to visit the island was Juan Cabrillo on October 7 1542. He named the island San Salvador. Sebastion Vizcaino rediscovered the island on November 24 1602 and named it Santa Catalina to honor the feast day of St Catherine of Alexandria.

Many different people visited the island between 1500 and 1860. There were Russian otter hunters smugglers and fishermen. There was a brief gold rush from 1860 to 1864 but very little gold was found. In 1864 all people on the island were ordered to leave by the Union Army. They were afraid privateers were using the island as a staging area to smuggle arms and supplies to the Confederate Army.

A small garrison of Union troops was stationed on the island and the barracks is now the Isthmus Yacht Club. After the civil war was over, the island was home to only a few cattle ranchers until 1887 when real estate developer George Shatto purchased the Island for $200,000. Shatto created the town of Avalon. Shatto’s sister in law named the town after the town of King Arthur in the Poem “Idylls of the King “ by Lord Alfred Tennyson. Shatto went broke and lost the island to James Lick.

Phineas Banning bought the island from the Lick estate in 1891. Banning built a house on the other side of the island and called it Two Harbors. In 1915 a fire burned down half of the town of Avalon. In 1919 Banning sold the island to William Wrigley.

The Chicago Cubs, another Wrigley possession used the island as a spring training camp from 1921 to 1951. In 1927, Wrigley sponsored the Wrigley Ocean Marathon and Canadian George Young swam the channel from the island to the mainland in 15 hours 44 minutes.

From 1942 to 1945 during the second world war, the island was used as a troop training ground. The airport, which was made by chopping the tops off of two mountains and filling in between them, opened in 1946. It was called Airport in the Sky. It is a 3250 ft (990 meter) runway at 1602 foot (488 meters) altitude.

Wrigley built a dance hall called the Casino in 1929. It was 12 stories tall and had a theater with world class acoustics and a large ballroom on top.

In 1975 Phillip Wrigley gave his share of the island to the Catalina Island Conservancy. This was the company he created to run the island.

In 2007 a fire burned 4000 acres and destroyed 6 businesses in Falls Canyon.

Plants and Animals

Catalina is home to over 400 species of plants. 6 plant species are indigenous to the island and found nowhere else in the world. Catalina has a buffalo herd that is kept at 200 animals. The rest are shipped to the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota.

Island foxes now number about 400 after being reduced from 1200 to 100 in 1999 by a disease called canine distemper.

There are many other species of animals on the island including Bald Eagles. 9 species of animals including 2 species of mice and a species of ground squirrel are only found on the island.

Visitors

Over a million people a year visit the island. Most go to Avalon. Golf carts and bicycles are the main transportation. There is a 10 year waiting list to bring a truck or a car to the island. There are 5 campgrounds and 9 boating campgrounds. Bicycles can be rented but you need a license which is $20 for 2 days or $60 for a year. If you want to get away from the crowds at Avalon, Two Harbors is the place.

Movies

Many movies and TV series have been filmed on the island. These include China Town and Airwolf. Ronald Reagan while at the island in 1936 took a screen test and became an actor and later he was a governor and later a US president.

Research

Catalina is home to 2 marine institutes. There is the Catalina Island Marine Institute and The USC Wrigley Institute.

Catalina is a great place to go and relax. It is close to most of southern California and the costs are reasonable.

Two Harbors

Two Harbors

Two Harbors

Catalina

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 Coconut Dreams. This coffee is a desert coffee for those of you that like coconut. All I can say is that it has a unique taste of coconuts and goes well with pie or cookies. Squeekers and I have been watching the latest episode of the Sci fi series Stargate Atlantis. The show is over and I have finished my coffee and cookies. I put Squeekers in his cage and turn off the gas fireplace. It is time to get some sleep. See you all next week.

Resources

http:// www.catalinachamber.com/videos

http://en.wikipedia.org/Santa_Catalina_Island,_California/

Black Sea Vacation

Pine Mountain

Hello again from Pine Mountain. It has been a warm week here on the mountain. The flowers and the trees are putting on their spring outfits making the whole area look good. Our wind turbines continue to whir away making more power than we need and selling the excess to the grid. Our Horizontal is from
http://www.bergey.com/ and our vertical is from
http://www.pacwind.net/.net/ . Our water turbine is from http:// http://www.absak.com/.

This week our old John Deere tractor decided to quit on us so we are rebuilding it. It should run for another 20 years when we finish.

This week our globetrotting adventurer Roxana has a story about her summer vacation on the Black Sea. We also have our normal sections on Supplemental energy, Health and wellness, Niche Marketing, Traveling for Less, and Adventure and Treasure Hunting.

Renewable Energy

Would you like to become energy self sufficient? A good place to start is with a book known as the alternative energy bible. It will teach you easy and inexpensive ways to start producing your own electric power. Go to

http://deserthab.offgrid07.hop.clickbank.net/ to get your copy.

The cost of gasoline is approaching $4.00 a gallon. How would you like to increase the miles per gallon of your vehicle? You can also gain more horsepower and reduce your emissions at the same time. Go to http://deserthab.water4gas.hop.clickbank.net and learn simple inexpensive ways to accomplish this procedure.

Health and Wellness

Life is difficult and stressful these days. Our food when we have it is colorful to look at but has very little nutritional value because of refining and processing. We need to add supplements to our diet to survive and not burn out too soon. We all need more energy and better short term and long term memory in our multitasking lives. A good place to start is Acaiplus, White Lightning, and Feed My brain. Go to

http://www.acaiplus.com/desertstarproducts to learn more.

Travel for Less

In these days of rising prices, how would you like to travel and save money to? Learn how you can save enough money to take that once in a lifetime vacation. Go to

http://deserthab.airtravel.hop.clickbank.net/ and find out.

There are ways to travel for free. These ways are easy to learn. Go to

http://deserthab.fly4free.hop.clickbank.net/ to find out. You will be glad you did.

Have you ever longed 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? Do you like to write letters to your relatives telling them about your recent vacation? 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

Do you watch movies like Indiana Jones and wish you could do that in real life? Do you like a good mystery? 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 for our feature story

Black Sea Vacation

In the summer of the year 2007 I went on vacation to visit my mother on the coast of the Black Sea. My mother lives in Maikop, the capital of the republic of Adygeya. Maikop is a city of 155,000 people 400 km inland on the northeast shore of the Black Sea and the climate is temperate continental. That means – 5 C in the winter and 30 to 35 C in the summer. It is well watered with 85 rivers and streams and an average rainfall of 80 mm a month. The republic of Adygeya is the fifth territory of Russia and is located on the picturesque northern slopes of the Caucasian ridge of mountains. The foothills of Caucasus are magnificent and the plateau Lagonaki at the 2000 meter height ( 6000 feet) is a splendid natural site. There are karstic caves, snowcapped mountains, alpine meadows, wide steppes, pine forests that are centuries old, and racing snowmelt waterfalls. There are hot mineral springs and exotic flora and fauna.

There are Sauna camping experiences. Piles of rocks are heated then a large metal framed tent is placed over the rocks. Pairs of bathers go into the tent with bathing brooms. The brooms are immersed in water then shaken on the hot stones forming steam. The pairs of bathers then brush each other down with the wet broom. When the tent becomes to hot everyone rushes outside and jumps in the cold snowmelt white river.

Adygea has more than 130 karstic caves and here is where Speleotourism or touring and camping in caves began. In the surrounding countryside there the falls of Ryfabgo, big Aszishskaya cave, Fisht-oshtenovskiy hills, and big Thach national park.

Maikop is located on a large inflow of the Kuban river. Maikop means valley of wild apple trees. The cool snow melt waters of the White River revive the apple orchards during the long hot summers.

There are over 70 archeological sites around Maikop that show what life was like in previous centuries.

About 76 km southeast of Maikop is the town of Guzeripl. It is here that international rafting competitions take place.

Traveling to the coast we come to the resort town of Sochi. This town is the Russian Riviera. It has sandy beaches and mountain skiing in the winter. My mother and I rented a room in a big house 100 meters from the sea.

In June there are few people on the beach so my mother and I enjoyed the almost deserted beaches. I tried parasailing. I enjoyed it very much. I could see the Black Sea on my right and the city of Sochi on my left.

The next day we had a storm. The storm stirred up the waves so when the storm stopped I went for a swim to feel the power of the waves. The swim was super. Mother sat on the beach under an umbrella sipping the house wine.

Next we went south to the town of Adler and visited one of Stalin’s old summer residences. The huge house sat on a hill and was of Sovietsky design. After Adler we went to the town of Pitcunda. It was a really hot day and everyone went to the beach to go swimming.

dolphin was swimming nearby and came over to greet everyone. The dolphin was very friendly and someone even tried to feed him a banana. Everyone took pictures. Too soon we had to leave.

Our next stop was Lake Ritsa. Here we took a catamaran to New Athos. Here we went to the famous underground caves. A narrow gauge railroad and a three car train took us through the rooms. Next we went to the top of a mountain to visit Iversk’s chapel and the remain of the fortress that surrounded it. This was the last stop on the tour. Everyone on the bus was singing on the way back.

Next we rented a room at Aqualoo. Aqualoo was a big waterpark and we had fun riding the waterslides, tanning in the sun, and getting a massage.

In the evening we returned to our cozy room and drank a bottle of champagne. Too soon our summer vacation ended and I gave mother a hug as I boarded my plane to return home.

Pine Mountain Evening

Well another day is over. I have the old John Deere tractor almost torn down. I will order parts next week. The tractor has been needing an overhaul for a while now. I am relaxing by the fire in my gas fireplace. Squeekers my African grey parrot is munching his favorite snack peanuts sitting on his perch by the fire. He is talking to himself and anyone that will listen. I am enjoying another coffee drink from http://www.coffeefool.com/. Tonight I am having Irish Cream. This coffee is just right for relaxing by the fire. It makes me think of my ancestors and their journey from Ireland.

Well I am tired and it is time to call it a day. I put Squeekers in his cage, turn off the fireplace, and head off to bed. See you all next week. Goodnight.