August 2020

Deer Springs Ranch Owners Association

A t t h e R a n c hwww.deerspringsranch.org

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE ­

Fellow Members of DSROA, as thePresident, I wanted to express myhope that you are all doing well.Given the turbulent times that we areall experiencing this year, it helps toremind us that our focus should be onfamily and those things that are mostimportant in life. The Ranch is a placewhere we can escape the conflicts andnoise of the world around us. I amglad to have a place of refuge.

As an update, the Ranch isfunctioning very well. We have beenable to enjoy the many talents of ourproperty management company andits principal, Kurt Jacobsen. Ipersonally was able to enjoy hisoutdoor cooking skills at one of ourBoard meetings and it was delicious. Iknow that several other activities andcookouts have been hosted by theproperty manager, including a fishingderby.

I also find that headquarters has beencleaned and many of our members areparticipating in a community garden.This makes the whole operation morecooperative and fun for families andfriends that visit the Ranch.

The restoration of Cabin 3 has nowbeen completed and thanks to theefforts of Joe and Candy Bosze, BrentFullmer, Brad Pierce, Jeff and TinaCollins, Kurt Jacobsen and manyothers, this project was completedquickly and economically.

The restoration of Cabin 7 has alsobeen completed with too many

upgrades to mention. This project wasmade possible by Kathy Pierce, ScottKoller, Kurt Jacobsen, and manyvolunteers including Mike & SueMcNichols, Brent Fullmer, MichaelHaeseker, Brad Pierce, TaNieshaSpor, the Hunt family, and many,many others. It should be noted thatthis project was completed with verylittle cost to DSROA because of thegenerosity and work of so manyvolunteers.

Finally, the water hauling station hasnow been installed, and with theexception of a few final tweaks, willallow us to have a dispense system forour water hauling members which canbe certified. This project was madepossible through the efforts andcontributions of Brent Fullmer, KurtJacobsen and Larry Clarkson.

The airstrip is currently beingimproved and addressed through thegenerous contributions of time andmoney from a new member, JeffMeshinsky. This work will improvethe value and access to the Ranch bymembers and will make the area looknicer.

The members should know thatseveral other projects were put onhold earlier this year because of thethreat of COVID­19 and its possibleimpact on our annual budget. Somemembers have stepped up to helpfund items which we would haveotherwise put on hold. Just tohighlight a couple, Dale Clarkson

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paid for stocking the fish ponds thisyear and Joe & Candy Bosze donateda large amount of furniture to theCabin 3 restoration project.Additionally, some modificationshave been made to the scheduled useof the cabins in an effort to minimizethe risk to the members of exposureor infection.

All in all, as we head into this year'sannual meeting, I want themembership to know that the state ofthe Ranch is very good, financiallyand physically. There will always bework that can be done, but we muststop from time to time and recognizethe work that has been completed andto recognize those who help make ithappen.

We would all like to thank themembers for their contributions bothbig and small.

Barry Clarkson, DSROA President

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ANNUAL MEETING AUCTION

Going once, going twice, SOLD!Join our auction and donate goods orservices to be auctioned off! ContactMariah at

dsroa@deerspringsranch.org

to submit your items!

herself that took me on as a project23 years ago (although I still need alot more grading and compacting),flew out with me to DSR and wetested the runway out (picturesprovided). I began flying 35 yearsago with a commercial, multi­engine,instrument rating and eventuallyhelped build a municipal airport outin Washington DC and ran it withtwo partners for a number of yearsuntil selling it in the 90's and movingout west to the San Diego mountains.Dirt strip and turf or grass strip flyingis some of my favorite within thecapabilities of the two aircraft wekeep and fly about in: a Cessna Turbo182RG and a two engine, pressurizedCessna 421. The Turbo 182RG is aperfect platform for mountain flyingand dirt strips ­­ it has both a turbo­charger, to compress that thin air, andit has retractable gear to suck up intothe gear wells and create less dragafter takeoff.

All that said, the Meshinsky's arevery excited to be a part of the DSRfamily and to continue to helpmaintain the DSR strip. Many greatthanks goes to the DSR Board forsupporting the project and donatingthe assistance of the ranch gradingblade and the water and diesel fuel.

ruts. But speaking of good­handlingin "ground effect" above, Phil told mea plane had gotten totalled (no onehurt though) when the pilot pulled upa bit too quickly a few years ago, asopposed to staying level andremaining in ground effect, and theaircraft drifted off to the side tocollide with the plant­life off to theleft of the runway. So indeedmountain airstrips aren't just for everyone. But for those wanting the abilityto visit DSR, a bit more quickly andeasily, then the runway is a keeper.Which of course brought me and mybest friend Joe, a president of a SanDiego grading company, into DSRwith a 17,000 road compactor roller,and a borrowed water truck (thanks toLarry Clarkson and his crew) and the

DSR road grader blade.

We spent the better part of a Saturdayand Sunday in July running backforth, north to south and south tonorth, grading and regrading the strip(and compacting it with water and theroller) to make it fun and yet usableagain. There are still challenges to besure. The lower 1/3 of the runwaycompacted a fair amount. But therewas not enough water to get the latter2/3'rds to the north compacted. Sowe'll have to wait for the monsoons tohelp out.

To boot, yesterday a fresh new brightorange wind sock arrived at my home­­ and I'll get back up there in thecoming weeks to don it on the polethat I'm assuming Phil Hall originallyput out there. And last weekend mywife Eli, a Brazilian ranch hand

AIRSTRIP REGRADED

It's the middle of July with recordsetting heat, and I'm sitting inside a17,000 pound road roller compactoron a strip of dirt at DSR with Joe, mybest friend from San Diego, who issweating it out in the DSR gradingblade. What fun. We're reprepping anearly 1 mile long airstrip. And at6,500' MSL in altitude, no less. By theway, the U.S. record for highest dirtstrip is in MacKay, ID, called theCopper Basin strip, and at it sits at anose­bleeding 7,700' MSL. At DSR,our proud strip is not too very far offor behind the MacKay one with therecord setting altitude ­­ just a fewhundred feet lower in altitude. Andwhile such mountainous thin­airheight pose issues for pilots,nonetheless Larry Clarkson tells methat several years ago a TV filmingcrew actually brought in a C­130 (4propeller) military cargo plane intothe strip as part of a reality TV filmset­up. Like I said, what fun.

Regardless of the heavy military gearand cargo lift capability, the runwaystill requires deft handling as a pilotnegotiating altitude and air density ­­all set way up here in the ethereal,where thinner air exists (particularlyin the summer time when themountain air, which already thin,expands even more to becomethinner). And yes as you wouldimagine, the thinner the air then thereis less lift that the aircraft's wings cansupport at slower speeds. So ingeneral the aircraft requires higherspeed take­offs, and thereafterremaining in so­called "ground effect"(i.e., not pulling up and pointing thenose skyward too quickly but flyinglevel with the runway for a bit beforeyou ever­so­gradually begin yourascent).

For years Phillip Hall had beenmaintaining the airstrip, while he wasstill flying. But in the last 3 or soyears, the runway had fallen victim toplant­life, cattle hooves, and ATV tire

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And the biggest thanks of all, ofcourse, goes to Larry Clarkson andhis crew, Christian and XXXX(forgot his name ­­ please fill in) forjumping in to assist and run some ofthe vehicles. Anyone that may beflying into the ranch in the future thatwishes any pointers of insideknowledge, of what I've learned ofthe strip during the grading, pleasefeel free to call me and Eli any time.Happy flying, touring and enjoyingthe great opportunity of the ranch,and thanks for welcoming us aboard!

Jeff Meshinsky, 619­843­2086

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ON THE RANCH

Hello everyone,

Fourth of July weekend was a greatsuccess. Many folks took advantageof the amazing fireworks display thatKanab puts on every year. Otherstook advantage of our activities hereat the ranch. We had a pot luck BBQFriday July third and it wasawesome. We had a great turnout. Itrained that afternoon and everyonejust gathered in the store and porch.We were blessed with a doublerainbow and some amazing photoops.

On the fourth we had a lunch atHeadquarters followed by ascavenger hunt that led to the troutponds where we had a fishing derby.Absolute blast and thank you all whoattended.

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Ranch improvements are comingalong. Big shout out to Brent Fullmerfor all of his help and leadershipgetting this management team ontheir feet. All cabins now have newpropane gas lines throughout andregulators up to code. All of therefrigerators are operating andkeeping cold. They do need to beburped once in a while; just thenature of propane refrigerators. Ifyou notice that the top or bottom iswarmer than it should be, just let usknow and we will take care of it. Thenew water hauling J station isinstalled and operating. We aretweaking it, but it works well andmuch faster than the old hose. Foryour first time utilizing it, I will behappy to assist you.

There are many more projects to bedone and I will be posting a schedulefor volunteers, so if you seesomething that you might beinterested in or have some expertise,all help is appreciated. Scheduleforthcoming. Our cabins are seeingsome exciting new foundationalsystems created. I want to make ashout out of gratitude to Cindi Olsonhas been an integral part of thisprocess. She has immersed herself inlearning and analyzing and is integralin creating these new systems. AndYAY! She's running for the Board.

Upcoming Ranch Events: Labor Dayweekend activities include aweekend long scavenger hunt andfishing derby as well as Volleyballgames and Horseshoes, topping it all

off with a Potluck BBQ and awardsceremony Sunday evening at 6pm!

The annual meeting will be held onSaturday, September 12. We willhave a double header forentertainment. Mike Ewing and JonStone with demonstrations onblacksmithing, kids crafts, knifemaking and more. Don't forget tocome hungry for the Annual MeetingBBQ and bring your side dish toshare. And let's make that auctionprofit soar.

Now regarding the election to beheld at the annual meeting. The mostimportant part of being a member, isthe opportunity to elect your board.We have some great candidates andeach are worthy of consideration.You all have probably hadinteractions with some of them andknow them. This is an opportunityfor each of us to choose who sits onthe board and helps make decisionsfor the ranch. I urge you all toconsider carefully your candidatesand cast your own votes for thoseyou think will best serve the ranchand you. Board members shouldhave no consideration of personalgain. It is not a power position, butrather a humble calling to serve ourneighbors and act on behalf of all. Iurge everyone to vote for candidateswho have your best interests in mindand heart.

Kurt Jacobsen, Board MemberProperty Management

on the ranch ­ cont'd on the ranch ­ cont'd

FISHING

A big THANK YOU to Dale & PatsyClarkson for sponsoring the stockingof fish in the ponds this year!Biggest catch yet is a 2.5 pounder!Congrats Gary Christensen!