08-19-2013, 12:55 PM
I've been called a font before, but it was in reference to a fountain of not-so-desirable-fertilizer 
Glad to be of assistance. I think the bickering you see on Topix is a leftover from the old days. There are two distinct groups in Sierra County, the granola-munching, Birkenstock-wearing, New-Age-Leaning artists and the Stuck-in-the-Mud, steak-eating, no-vegans-allowed cattle ranchers. The two exist peacefully for the most part, but once in awhile a voter referendum or petition fans the embers into flames. I have always been treated with warmth and good humor upon my arrival. Like siblings, perhaps a different face is presented to outsiders. With the large number of RV parks in the area, there are a lot of snowbirds, and the Chamber of Commerce spends mucho bucks advertising for visitors. All of the townspeople understand that nearly all of the money coming into the county comes from these visitors. We are treated fine.
The BLM land is almost all leased for grazing. Some is claimed for gold. That means that you cannot bring cows in for grazing, and you can't hunt gold on claimed land. Any other use of the land is fine. Boondocking is legal almost anywhere, except that you cannot spend more than 24 hrs within 100 yards of a water source. This would include the windmill you referred to. Every windmill (and the associated water well) belongs to someone. That person pays for that water, and almost certainly uses that water for cattle. I cannot imagine a rancher refusing a thoughtful plea for a few gallons of water. I also cannot imagine a rancher catching someone drawing water without permission being anything less than explosive. The RV park I use charges $4 for a long, hot shower. I believe a single night is under $20. For that, you can get two showers, a tank dump, and all the fresh water you can carry. The rivers in the area would give water, but I think the cost of filters and/or chemicals would outweigh the "free" price. Of course, we have camped near water, and bathed in the river, needing fresh water only for cooking and drinking. 30 gallons will go a long way. Solar power is coming down in price, but I would set as much up as I possibly could to use propane. The amount of energy contained in that 20 pound bottle would require quite a large number of solar panels, and several large batteries to store the energy.
If you think of any specific questions, let me know. The pic is 2 ounces we dug out over 4 days last year. The weather was perfect and we had 2 young diggers with us. I won't bring them again. It took a month to recuperate
Bama
Glad to be of assistance. I think the bickering you see on Topix is a leftover from the old days. There are two distinct groups in Sierra County, the granola-munching, Birkenstock-wearing, New-Age-Leaning artists and the Stuck-in-the-Mud, steak-eating, no-vegans-allowed cattle ranchers. The two exist peacefully for the most part, but once in awhile a voter referendum or petition fans the embers into flames. I have always been treated with warmth and good humor upon my arrival. Like siblings, perhaps a different face is presented to outsiders. With the large number of RV parks in the area, there are a lot of snowbirds, and the Chamber of Commerce spends mucho bucks advertising for visitors. All of the townspeople understand that nearly all of the money coming into the county comes from these visitors. We are treated fine.
The BLM land is almost all leased for grazing. Some is claimed for gold. That means that you cannot bring cows in for grazing, and you can't hunt gold on claimed land. Any other use of the land is fine. Boondocking is legal almost anywhere, except that you cannot spend more than 24 hrs within 100 yards of a water source. This would include the windmill you referred to. Every windmill (and the associated water well) belongs to someone. That person pays for that water, and almost certainly uses that water for cattle. I cannot imagine a rancher refusing a thoughtful plea for a few gallons of water. I also cannot imagine a rancher catching someone drawing water without permission being anything less than explosive. The RV park I use charges $4 for a long, hot shower. I believe a single night is under $20. For that, you can get two showers, a tank dump, and all the fresh water you can carry. The rivers in the area would give water, but I think the cost of filters and/or chemicals would outweigh the "free" price. Of course, we have camped near water, and bathed in the river, needing fresh water only for cooking and drinking. 30 gallons will go a long way. Solar power is coming down in price, but I would set as much up as I possibly could to use propane. The amount of energy contained in that 20 pound bottle would require quite a large number of solar panels, and several large batteries to store the energy.
If you think of any specific questions, let me know. The pic is 2 ounces we dug out over 4 days last year. The weather was perfect and we had 2 young diggers with us. I won't bring them again. It took a month to recuperate
Bama
