Locked Out – The Battle for LaCosta Ridge

Accessing property via a road that has no deeded rights is common. In the hills around Livermore, very few of the landowners have right-of-ways that have been validated by an official grant of easement. On the other hand, very few of these access roads are disputed. The land seldom changes hands, so the owners are [...]

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The Homesteaders

Our hill ranch has given me a new sense of appreciation for history. I’ve recently been investigating the history of our property for reasons that I’ll explain in later posts. It turns out that the first owners of our ranch were immigrants that purchased land created by the Homestead Act of 1862. Before that, it [...]

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“Barn Carvings” Follow-up

A while back, I posted some photos of carvings on a barn at the south end of our ranch. The following comment was posted earlier today by Douglas Vierra. Here’s what he had to say. An old (40 years ago) friend of mine sent me a copy of your blog on “Barn Carvings Near Sunol”.  [...]

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Barn Carvings Near Sunol

 On a turkey hunt last year, I decided to bed down for the night next to an old barn on the half section of ground that has the most turkeys. (A good idea when turkey hunting.)  After hunting the next morning, I returned to my truck to have lunch and rest. While sitting next to the [...]

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