Petrolia California

Petrolia High School
Originally uploaded by wanderinghome

This is the Lost Coast in Northern California, a virtually untouched landscape of rivers, coastal meadows, dirt roads and redwood forests.

The rural community of Petrolia sits on the Mattole River & due south of Ferndale, the touristy Victorian village. The rugged coastline of Punta Gorda is just a few miles away & the big city of Eureka is north - over an hours drive away. While there's not a whole lotta real estate available out here, the homes that do come on the market can go fast. How 'bout a river front custom home for under $400k? Sorry that one just sold.

More on PETROLIA CA
realestate.yahoo.com/California/Petrolia

Juniper Hills

Sometimes you do not need to drive very far outside of SoCal to feel like you're on the middle of nowhere. Large expansions of deserts close to Los Angeles & San Diego give that remote feeling of rural, out of the way locales. From Pasadena, on the other side of the San Gabriel Mountains, is an area known as Palmdale CA. Up against the mountain is Pearblossom & Littlerock CA. Above that, on the rocky desert slopes, where the views of the Antelope Valley are nice, sits a rural neighborhood community of Juniper Hills....where the Joshua trees meet the Junipers!

Fort Tejon Road (N2) cuts thru this high desert region, but is no where near the State Park of Ft Tejon on the Grapevine (I-5). Only 1000 residents live in the hills here, where the elevation is between 4000'-6000' & big boulders, juniper trees & joshua trees line the landscape. Devils Punch Bowl is a nearby park with visitors center & hiking trails. This area is also well known for it's equestrian ranches & excellent horseback riding trails. The area does get a dusting of snow each year & many of the roads are dirt, so it would be advisable for residents to own a 4x4 vehicle. Although Juniper Hills now has it's own Town Council, very little can be found on the web about this desert paradise. The prices are not cheap due to the fact that the land is inside Los Angeles County & close by to SoCal high desert cities.




Map of Juniper Hills & Devils Punch Bowl, Pearblossom, CA 93553

Saline Valley: Available

I cannot believe this 80 acre land is still available. I saw this in early JAN 2007 while visiting Lone Pine, CA. This is an extreme & rare opportunity to OWN rural lands next to a National Park boundary & in the middle of Saline Valley volcanic wonderland. Famous for its' Hot Springs & nudity is the norm out there, (altho the NPS will not tell the average tourist).

Sand dunes are in the middle of the valley at 1000' & the towering 11,000' range sits to the west, between Saline & the Owens Valley. The Eastern Sierra is located to the west of that. Check this area out seriously. Beverage Canyon, wow. The Inyo Mountains look incredible in Google Earth.

Someone needs to buy this awesome locale & build an eco-resort with rental cabins, solar energy, windmills & of course green Jeep tours. This is a big area for off-roading & exploration. Old mines of the Inyo Range. The Saline Valley Hot Springs are just across the valley (10 miles). This is prime desert - 80 acres against Death Valley National Park! Access is a graded dirt roads (with some pot-hole paved portions of earth). The north pass BISHOP (can get snowy in winter) or south pass DARWIN (icy/muddy in winter). On occasion a real 4x4 is needed to access this valley.

Closest towns include ---
BISHOP, CA
LONE PINE, CA
DARWIN, CA

Follow the link at the top & tell JENNIFER, Total Escape sent ya!

Own the High Sierra

The hidden resort of Dardanelle is for sale. It is located at 5100' elevation, way, way back on the Sonora Pass, Hwy 108 - 50 miles east of Sonora CA & the Gold Country. And where the snow is deep & crazy some years. The mountain property is surrounded by Stanislaus National Forest & the Emigrant Wilderness. The location is extreme & the selling price just got reduced for this 12 acre business. The resort consists of a general store, restaurant & bar, motel rooms, cabin rentals, laundry, showers, a small RV park, gasoline & a post office. Trout fishing, rivers, hiking, backpacking, camping... a true alpine wonderland with granite views all around. This area is a winter wonderland for snow-mobilers. Yes, you can own a piece of heaven in the High Sierra!