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The body of a Caucasian male who had been diving near Horseshoe Cove within the Salt point State Park was found floating face down, wearing a wet suit, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office reported Sunday.
The Sonoma County Sheriff's helicopter “Henry-1” was dispatched to the area just after 1 p.m. Sunday, according to the report from Sgt. Dave Thompson.
Ground units, including sheriff's deputies and state parks lifeguards, arrived at the scene and located the subject, who was then partially out of the water. Thompson said Henry-1 arrived over the cove and quickly configured the helicopter to perform a rescue.
Sheriff's Pilot Paul Bradley flew Tactical Flight Paramedic Scott Westrope to the subject via a 100-foot-long rescue rope, which was attached to the underside of the helicopter, Thompson reported.
Westrope contacted the unconscious subject and put a rescue-strap around him. Bradley then flew both Westrope and the subject to the top of the bluffs surrounding the cove. Once atop the bluffs, the subject was determined to be deceased, Thompson said.
He said the coroner's office is following up on the case.
Just after the Henry-1 crew was completing its mission to recover the diver's body, some hikers reported they had just seen what they believed to be a person stranded on a large rocky outcropping just south of Horseshoe Cove, Thompson said.
Henry-1 quickly lifted off and responded to the area to begin searching for the person, Thompson said. Within seconds, the helicopter was overhead and located two male subjects on top of a large rock and completely surrounded by the ocean's rough waters.
The helicopter was once again configured to perform a long-line rescue. Using the 100-foot-long rescue rope, Bradley precisely lowered Tactical Flight Deputy Chris Lomanto and Westrope to the top of the rock, where they began the rescue, Thompson said.
Westrope attached a rescue device to the first man, securing him to the helicopter, and both were then flown to the shore where State Park's Lifeguards were standing-by. Thompson said Bradley then returned to the rock where Deputy Lomanto had remained with the second man, who was trapped on a narrow shelf along the rock itself.
Lomanto then attached himself back onto the rescue long-line and was immediately flown to the second man, with both then flown to shore, Thompson said.
The men, ages 19 and 20 and both Santa Rosa residents, were uninjured and were very grateful to be safely back on the shore, Thompson reported.
He said the men had apparently gotten onto the large rock to go fishing. While on the rock, the tide had come back in, cutting them off from returning back to shore.
In addition to Sunday's rescues, Henry-1 and its crew responded to a diver in distress report in Gualala on the Mendocino Coast just before 10 a.m. Saturday, according to Thompson.
Cal Fire, State Parks lifeguards and other rescue personnel including Cal Star air ambulance also responded to the area, where Thompson said the diver was reportedly swept out to sea and had been unable to swim back to shore due to the strong rip current and heavy surf.
Henry-1 arrived on scene 22 minutes after receiving the call and found the 51-year-old Lafayette man a quarter-mile offshore. They pulled him to safety in a rescue operation that took less than two minutes. By the time of the man's rescue he had been in the water for more than an hour, Thompson said.
Thompson said the diver, who had 21 years of experience, had accurately recognized his dilemma early on and abandoned his weight belt. His dive tube and other dive gear were later stripped away from him by large waves before he was rescued.
He said the diver was cold and extremely tired but uninjured and thankful for everyone's efforts.
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The Lakeport Fire Protection District reported late Saturday that it received a report of an injured dirt bike rider in the Cow Mountain Recreation Area at about 11:30 a.m. that day.
The initial reports on the injured biker’s location and status were vague, with one unconfirmed report stating that he was being transported by ATV to the Mendo-Lake Road, according to the fire district.
Lakeport ambulance 5012 arrived first on scene at Mendo-Lake Road and trail 25 at 11:51 a.m., at which time reporting parties told paramedics that the patient was 1.5 miles down a “black diamond” trail and ATVs could only travel half a mile due to poor road conditions and trees across the trail.
Under the direction of Fire Chief Ken Wells, Helicopter REACH 6 conducted a flyover to search for the injured party but without success, fire officials said.
Four Lakeport firefighters, including two paramedics, began walking down the trail to search for the injured person. Shortly into the operation, rescuers came upon other dirt bike riders; they advised the patient was located several miles down the trail and had a shoulder injury that prevented him from riding out, according to the report.
By 12:30 p.m., the firefighters still hadn’t located the man, and officials said they resource orders for both Lake County Search and Rescue and a California Highway Patrol rescue helicopter from Redding.
At approximately 1:41 p.m., following another hour of searching, paramedics located the man after hiking 2.8 miles over harsh terrain, the district reported.
The paramedics found the man, who is in his 30s, with an isolated shoulder injury caused by losing control of a dirt bike and striking a tree. He had walked nearly two miles from the accident site before being located.
After a thorough patient assessment, paramedics decided to walk the patient out due to an extended arrival time for air resources, the fire district reported.
A Lakeport volunteer firefighter’s ATV and sheriff’s office ATV had traveled down trail 25 as far as possible before road conditions became too severe. After splinting the injured extremity, paramedics walked with the patient to awaiting ATV equipment, which then transported the patient to the ambulance.
Lakeport Fire reported that the patient was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital by Lakeport ambulance 5012 for definitive treatment shortly before 3 p.m.
The patient was wearing full protective equipment, including body armor and helmet, which likely reduced injury severity, according to the district.
No injuries to emergency responders were reported and law enforcement is conducting the accident investigation.
Agencies involved in the successful operation included Lakeport Fire, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, CHP and REACH air ambulance.
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I’m not a big fan of tannins in wine. Amusingly enough, as a very hairy guy I don’t like that fuzzy feeling in my mouth. Heavy tannins give me the feeling like I’m eating a whole wolverine. That doesn’t mean I don’t like Zinfandel, but I’m sure you would agree that if Zinfandel was a celebrity it would be Hugh Jackman. Ah, now the wolverine comment makes much more sense, doesn’t it?
I initially thought Hugh Jackman and Zinfandel compared very well, and researching for this column has reinforced that opinion for me. For instance, people not only like Zinfandel, but the wine seems to draw downright fanatics. There are Zinfandel organizations and Web sites the likes of which I’ve never seen regarding any other wine. I found a similar following for Hugh Jackman, with the words “Hugh Jackman is my idol!” appearing many times across the Web.
The Zinfandel grape is a bold, hearty grape which originates from the Croatian area of Europe where it is called “Crljenak Kaštelanski” (No, I can’t pronounce that for you). The Ogulin family immigrated to Lake County and brought the Zinfandel vines with them. The Ogulins are Slovenian in heritage, which is the same general area as Croatia, so it would seem natural that they would bring a grape they were familiar with to the area.
Lake County has always had a love affair with Zinfandel, and the oldest grapevines in the county planted by the Ogulin family in 1875 are still thriving on the Shannon Ridge property. Similarly, Hugh Jackman, although Austrailian by birth, is something of a transplant being that his parents are English.
Hugh Jackman is considered by many to be one of the sweetest men you could ever meet. In fact, he found it so difficult to express the rage needed for the role of Wolverine in the first X-Men movie that he spent three weeks with the director just to get it right. The Zinfandel grape is so sweet that it can reach a brix of 25 which means it can contain 25 percent sugar, one of the highest of any winegrape and even fruit in general.
Flavors you will find in Zinfandels can include anise, boysenberry, burnt match, cassis, cardboard, clove, cranberry, black cherry, briar, chocolate, cinnamon, clove, coffee, forest floor, “jammy,” licorice, nettle, nuts, orange zest, raisin, rhubarb, varnish, violets, vegetal, even wet dog.
There are some climate specific flavors such as red berries, raspberry and cola in hotter climates, and in cooler climates you might find anise, blackberry and black pepper come forward.
The aging process can produce many different smell and flavor descriptors in Zinfandel too. Carbonic maceration, or fermenting the grapes while still whole or in a carbon dioxide filled enclosure, can produce flavors similar to candy or descriptors like “tutti frutti” and bubblegum. Aging the wine in oak can add cedar, coconut, wood or oak, sagebrush, smoke, tar, or toast aromas and flavors.
Zinfandel can ferment to a higher alcohol content than most wines; 15 percent alcohol can easily be achieved, and sometimes greater. Aging a Zinfandel can increase the perception of a high alcohol content and make the wine taste “hot,” or as if it is spiked with extra alcohol.
Normally when I write one of these columns I like to include every taste descriptor for that wine I can find or think of, but with Zinfandel this would be an exhausting effort due to the amount of descriptors I’ve found. If you would like to find more Zinfandel flavor descriptors, www.zinfandel.org has a fantastic descriptor wheel on its Web site or for purchase.
Speaking to Zinfandel drinkers gets interesting as they refer to the Zinfandel regions and ages: “I prefer old growth coastal Zinfandels,” or “I don’t like the peppery coastal Zinfandels, I only drink the inland Zinfandels.” People are fanatical over Zinfandels, but then again other people are Hugh Jackman fanatics!
Unlike many other red wines, Zinfandel is best consumed within three to five years of bottling since aging too long can give the previously mentioned “hot” or high alcohol taste, and can also add cedar, cigar box, earthy, leather and musky flavors to the wine, which many people do not care for. Overaging a Zinfandel can result in the wine losing its unique qualities and becoming more generally vinous, meaning that you couldn’t tell the difference between it and a Cabernet Sauvignon or other red wine.
While it is recommended that most Zinfandels are to be drunk young, most Zinfandel aficionados say that the best Zinfandel comes from old vines, ones that are at least 50 years old. There is some sense in this belief since the grapes in a cluster on a young vine can mature at different rates, while on older vines the grapes tend to ripen more evenly.
Primativo is a grape grown in the “heel of the boot” of Italy, and genetic testing has proven that it is identical to the Zinfandel grape; just like identical twins have different fingerprints, the Primativo vines have their own unique qualities. They tend to ripen before regular Zinfandel vines, generally have heavier yields, and fewer bunch rot disease problems.
Due to Zinfandel’s popularity in the United States and Primativo’s obscurity to the average American wine drinker, Italy allows Primativo winemakers to label their wine as “Zinfandel” if being sold to the U.S. The Alcohol and Tobacco Trade and Tax Bureau in 2002 announced that they consider Primativo and Zinfandel as synonymous.
It is believed that the Zinfandel grapevine was the first domesticated winegrape and that domestication started around 6,000 years ago. The Zinfandel grape was one of the first grown in Napa and Lake counties.
In my personal opinion Zinfandel is the most complex of the winegrapes, and many will agree that a good winemaker can really pull the most from the grape and show his/her unique style in the finished wine. Hugh Jackman is also amazingly versatile, not only being a beloved actor but an accomplished singer and dancer as well.
You can usually identify an old growth Zinfandel vineyard by the untrellised, gnarly looking vines. Having the vines unsupported causes the vines to produce fewer grapes but of a higher quality. I’m sure that most wine makers would agree that they would prefer higher quality rather than higher quantity of grapes.
Hugh Jackman has starred as action super heroes, a dramatic independent film actor and even as a romantic comedy leading man, as in “Kate and Leopold.” Hey, what good is a romantic comedy without a time-traveling baron? No matter what the venue, Hugh Jackman has chosen his roles to be in typically high quality productions, which has resulted in fewer film roles than a conventional “A-List” celebrity.
However, his body of work is eclectic, unique and impressive. For example, “The Fountain,” while cinematically an amazing and gorgeous movie, is mentally challenging.
Correspondingly, Zinfandel grapes are also that “A-list” celebrity, and can be made into a heavy wine, a light wine, a tannic wine, a smooth wine, dry, sweet, etc. Zinfandel and Hugh Jackman both have the ability to transform themselves to be whatever they are needed to be.
In full truth Zinfandel is the only one of this series that I’ve written on winegrape varieties that really came to intimidate me. As I researched and talked to different Zinfandel fans I found that Zinfandel has so much history and complexity that only an entire book solely about Zinfandel could do it justice.
So for all of those fanatics, I’m sorry if I didn’t cover your favorite part about your wine. And to Hugh Jackman, comparing you to the Zinfandel is the highest complement I can give you.
Lake County Zinfandels
Barclay and Browning Wines (Hoodoo Creek Old growth vines)
Beaver Creek Vineyards
Big Valley Wine Co.
Brassfield Estate Winery
Cougar’s Leap Winery
DeLoach Vineyards
Gregory Graham Wines
Jelly Jar Wines (Rutherford Winery, old growth Lake County vines)
Langtry Estate & Vineyards
Moore Family Winery
Monte Lago (coming soon)
Ployez Winery
Rosa D’Oro Vineyards (Primativo)
Shannon Ridge Vineyards and Winery
Shed Horn Cellars
Sol Rouge Vineyard and Winery
Steele Wines (Winner, Peoples Choice Competition, Writers Block) Catfish, Shooting Star, Steele, also available
Tulip Hill Winery
Wild Hog Vineyard (Sonoma County Winery, Old growth Lake County vines)
Wildhurst Vineyards
Ross A. Christensen is an award-winning gardener and gourmet cook. He is the author of "Sushi A to Z, The Ultimate Guide" and is currently working on a new book. He has been a public speaker for many years and enjoys being involved in the community. Follow him on Twitter, http://twitter.com/Foodiefreak .
Clearlake Police arrested Alejandro Mondragon, 31, on Wednesday, alleging he was responsible for stabbing two men – brothers Wesley Auten, 21, and Samuel Auten, 26 – during a fight at an Oak Avenue home earlier that day, as Lake County News has reported.
However, Mondragon, who tentatively had been scheduled for arraignment and was being held on $50,000 bail, was released on Friday with no charges formally filed against him, according to officials.
“At this point, the evidence we have before us is insufficient to file charges against Mr. Mondragon,” District Attorney Jon Hopkins said.
The decision not to move forward at this point surprised Clearlake Police.
“We had enough to go forward,” said Clearlake Police Chief Allan McClain.
He said the Autens are being uncooperative in the case, which could be causing a hangup for prosecutors.
However, McClain – who wanted to be careful to guard key information about the case – said his department had witness statements to support the case even without the Autens’ cooperation.
Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Sgt. Tom Clements at 707-994-8251.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Paul Brown, 49, was the victim of the head-on crash, which occurred on the Highway 20 overcrossing at Highway 101 on Wednesday, according to a Friday morning report from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
The crash occurred shortly before 7 a.m., as Lake County News has reported.
Brown was traveling westbound in his Dodge Ram pickup when he lost control and collided with a Ford F-550 utility truck driven by 33-year-old Edward Turberville of Santa Rosa, according to the California Highway Patrol reported.
The CHP said that Brown died at the scene.
Turberville also was injured in the crash and transported to Ukiah Valley Medical Center, according to officials.
Both men were wearing their seat belts, the CHP reported.
The CHP continues to investigate the crash's cause.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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