April 14, 2005

STREET SCENECinnabar Hills Drive

A home with a spectacular view.

Many secrets abound in New Almaden. Cinnabar Hills Road is one of them. Driving past the stone-columned electric gate, the homes are hidden by the natural woods that border the street. A few wild turkeys scuttle on the road, hastened by a passing visitor. Just a few minutes from Almaden Expressway, the gently sloped Cinnabar Hills Road is an enclave of its own.

Natural beauty surrounds the residents. Wildflowers bloom with abandon from spring showers. Miner’s lettuce, buttercups and California sage nestle between manzanita and giant oaks. Homeowners have magnificent views of the mountains containing the Almaden Quicksilver Mine, named for the riches that were excavated over a century ago. Green belts and canyons compete with the richness of nature’s bounty. At the top of the road a view to the IBM monolith nestles in the hills.

“The best thing about living here are the ancient, aging woodlands,” said Ralph Schmidt about the five years he and his wife Faith lived on Cinnabar Hills. “It’s a lot different than the rest of suburbia. It’s a beautiful place with so many connections with history. I barely knew about the Quicksilver Mine before we moved here. And the wildlife and botanical life. There are turkeys, pigs, coyote and insects. We saw a huge painted lady butterfly migration heading north just a few days ago.”

Faith Schmidt is known by neighbors for her botanical knowledge of the flora and fauna of the area. She influenced the Altieri’s use of natural stonewalls and indigenous plants to landscape their home.

John and Gillian Altieri first bought their lot in 1997. John had always dreamed of having a house with a view. In 2000 they moved into their new home on Cinnabar Hills with a spectacular view of the mountains where Spanish Town and the Hildalgo Cemetery are reminders of California’s first mine.

“John looks out in the morning and says how beautiful it is,” said Gillian. “It is heaven on earth. We’ve seen coyote, raccoon, possums, turkeys, bobcats and great horn owl. Even a rattlesnake when we first moved in.”
Altieri loves the history of the area. She used to visit the Mining Museum when Connie Perham ran it. Later, she met Kitty Monahan and now Altieri is a docent at the Almaden Quicksilver Museum.

“My grandfather was a hard rock miner in Yorkshire [England]” said Altieri. “Maybe that is why I am drawn to the area.”

Altieri is also known for her watercolors, oils and pastels of the New Almaden area. Her paintings of past mining managers grace the walls at the Quicksilver Museum along with postcards and magnet reproductions of Casa Grande and the historic district homes of Almaden Road. An award winning artist, she teaches fine art classes at the New Almaden Community Center (268-2990).

Marvin and Joyce Snowbarger agree that the beauty and wildlife is the best thing about living in the natural area. Though there has been a reduction of wildlife since they first moved into the area 10 years ago.

“And the proximity to the Quicksilver Park is another plus to living here,” said Marvin of the venue where the couple trains.

Snowbarger completed the 135-mile Badwater ultra marathon this past year. The annual invitation-only Death Valley event is the hardest endurance race encompassing below sea level to an 8,300-foot climb up Mt. Whitney.

The international group of runners is given 60 hours to complete the extreme sport. Snowbarger completed it in 43.08 hours coming in 28 out of 72—at age 67.

An equine fan, Snowbarger boards his horse at the Lazy A Ranch. He enjoys competing in many races with the Quicksilver Endurance Riders. That is when the couple is not enjoying their neighborhood where they are finishing the landscape of their two-story home.

“It is relatively quiet here,” said Snowbarger. “There are no street lights—only the moon and stars at night. It is very beautiful.”

Though the street has neighbors, there is distance between them but many communicate by e-mail to stay in touch, Snowbarger said. That is when they don’t bump into each other walking or running through the Quicksilver Park.

The lots are christened with names like Falcon Crest and Eagle’s Nest. A new home at the top of the hill is in the final stages of completion. The most recent sale in the area was of a 2.8-acre lot that sold for $656,000 in 2004.

The homes use septic tanks and propane and have their own water supply. The residents are responsible for maintaining the road.

The street sign is printed “Cinnabar Hills Drive” but the residents’ documents list Cinnabar Hills as a road. It’s just another one of the many mysteries of the area.

—By Jeanne Carbone Lewis