So often, people unfamiliar with northern California have no appreciation of its inherent hazards. Once you get off the main highways up here, cell phone coverage becomes sporadic, and GPS guidance is erratic. Much of this area is state/national forests because it was too rugged to settle. Twisting seasonal roads without shoulders or guard rails can ambush the unwary; the locals can drive like maniacs. And if you have come seeking your greenrush fortune...about 40% of reported murders up here are connected with the marijuana trade. Note that I specified REPORTED murders. I shudder to think how many bodies are lying undiscovered in the woods.
At one time, I thought legalization of pot would ease the problem. Mendocino County wanted legalization in the worst way, and that's how they got it. The county stupervisors are still snarled in designing a licensing system complicated enough to baffle a tax lawyer, long past their legal deadline for doing so. However, they are determined to charge 45% tax on legal bud, thus insuring a thriving black market to undercut the price on what is, after all, just a weed.
The moral of this post? If you come to admire our gorgeous scenery, be cautious if you depart pavement for the back roads. If you want to seek your greenrush fortune, try working an indoor grow elsewhere.
