The Camp Dude Compound
Camp Dude is a very special place in the Sierra foothills. It’s the home and creative studios for Jeff and Lucky. We’re a half hour from the west entrance to Yosemite National Park. The five acre property sits at 2,800 ft elevation, is set back via a half mile drive and is surrounded on three sides by federal land. The acreage tiers down to a vortex where the original gold mine is located. The gold-fevered original owner claimed the mine as The Spanish Bit. We don’t know if he ever found any gold but maybe someday we’ll stumble across a nugget. There is a quartz vein bubbling from the earth leading to the mine.
As you come onto the property you’ll see the building site for the pool house and gallery. We decided that it made sense to build the pool first, and we were right. We have had a blast swimming and playing music up there. The gallery structure will take a couple more years to complete.
About another 2 acres down the drive is the residence. It’s a late 50’s cement block number that we have nearly completely remodeled - from collapsing ceilings and missing windows transformed into a comfy country home.
Behind the house is a great outdoor slate patio and barbeque area.
In the summer the back acres are busy with a very prolific vegetable garden and beyond that are grapes, pears and apples.
Down below is an old barn with a loft where Lucky constructs wood oddities from recycled wood and found objects. Finally, below the barn is the old mine.
The terrain here is rugged. There are plenty of old oaks, manzanita and pines. The soil is a rich red with chunky rock outcroppings. We get 4 full seasons: Winter is cold with occasional snow; Spring comes in big bursts with crisp to warm weather and a parade of hundreds of bulbs and wildflowers; Summer is hot, hot, hot and the pool is the savior; Autumn is wildly colorful and the weather perfect for harvesting the fruit trees and the ritualistic blackberry jam making.
We have rented the space for the last several years and are currently on hiatus.
