California's regulations often just don't fit us. And we have no voice. While much of California boomed in the 1990s, times were bad in this hinterland. Bald eagles sit on fence posts. The forested Warner Mountains line the valley's west edge.
Cowboys still drive cattle right through the middle of town.
Babies and deaths bring out the community. Though folks hereabouts have been shooting squirrels for generations, the springtime fusillade didn't become an institution until the poison program ceased and the rodent population boomed. In 1992, Chamber of Commerce leaders concocted the Squirrel Round-Up, which has been an unvarnished success. Surprise Valley's squirrels rarely disappoint, turning out in herds. You're being a sniper.