“I think tomorrow is going to be a little bit cooler!”

As a resident of the Kern River Valley for numerous years I have had the opportunity to meet many of the old timers. The above quote came from one of the first old timer couples my husband and I met when we moved to the Kern Valley in 1979. The Ramsey’s had a way of always finding the good. July and August are typically the warmest but keeping your cool and wit  is important.  Attitude truly is everything is any given situation.

During the past several years I meet and greet numerous personalities and it is always those with a sense of humor that I find the dearest. We always strive to do our best in every situation but yes “Stuff Happens” that we have no control over such as heat, lizards, and the occasional squeaky cooler belt. We appreciate all of our guest but the pones with smiles are good attitudes are on the “preferred guest list.”  The perks of being on this list are numerous.

With the Isabella Dam Modification project well underway there is always news to report. Although this is our first newsletter l we will try to keep you informed of the happening in and around the Kern Valley.

The pre-construction, engineering and design is complete. The construction of the USFS facilities is complete. The new forest service building in Kernville is beautifully designed and already in use. The new location is right here in Kernville on Kernville Road. The dam and spillway construction are underway and began this year 2018.  In September 2017, the Corps awarded a $204 million contract to Flatiron/Dragados/Sukut Joint Venture of Benicia, California, to construct the Phase II dams and spillways modifications. The project is expected to be complete in 2022.

The new boat ramp has been modified to include the 60′ wide turn around for launching.  The old buildings at Engineer Point are gone! It is an odd site to behold if you have been on the lake. The down side of this project is the lower lake levels. The lake elevation is being taken down to below 50% of it’s capacity right now. The up side is that whitewater rafting on the lower Kern will continue for at least a couple more months!

With all of the changes and construction ongoing we want to assure our guest that the area is still an awesome place to visit. There are plenty of water sports, recreation and relaxation awaiting. Just last month I visited the Trail of a Hundred Giants. It was cool and beautiful. The drive was beautiful and only about 45 minutes from the cottages.

We are diligently working on upgrades and landscaping. Our vineyard is in it’s forth year and looks marvelous.

Hospitality is always our first priority! I’ll keep this info coming and would love your feedback or questions.

We would love to have you as our guest if you have never been to our cabins. We really love our return guest and consider you all our friends! We are also offering discounted lodging for any mid week workers or their families.

Cheers! Until next time

Carla Thorn

Manager

Sierra Gateway Cottages