Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Allison & Tom Schmidt of Posey, CA

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Allison & Tom Schmidt . Check out our conversation below.

Hi Allison & Tom , thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A “normal day” at the ranch can honestly be a lot. Whether we’re cleaning out duck ponds, mucking horse stalls, cutting up trees, rebuilding old cabins, cleaning the rental cabins or prepping a new garden spot we know we’ll end the day dirty and tired. One reason the property was such a draw for us was the unlimited amount of work and potential it presented. We enjoy staying busy, and staying busy outside is definitely a bonus. We love seeing new projects and restoration come to life. The wedding venue, rental cabins, barns and hiking areas we restored bring us inspiration and the motivation to keep working. While we’ll probably never finish all the jobs we have, the beauty of the property and the potential here keep us trucking along.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
In 2020 our vintage shop, California Rediscovered, closed due to the pandemic. With nothing to fill our days we retreated to a small summer cabin deep in the Sequoia National Forest where we had no cell coverage or internet. While exploring the area we stumbled upon a long forgotten property that just happened to be up for sale. Three Falls Ranch. 139 acres in the Greenhorn Mountain, adjacent to Sequoia National Forest, the property included a tired 100 year old house, year-round creek, stunning waterfalls, Redwood and Pine forests, wildflower meadows and at least 10 abandoned cabins. In a hasty moment’s decision we decided to sell our vintage shop, give up everything in LA and move to the mountains. Over the last 5 years we have just begun to restore the land and the cabins left behind, we’ve taken in rescue farm animals, opened up vacation rental cabins and created wedding/event spaces. We have many more plans. It’s just the two of us, so things move slowly. But we aren’t in a rush anymore as we enjoy the beauty and serenity of this land every day.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
When we bought Three Falls Ranch, somewhat impulsively, many friends and family questioned our decision. We were city folks after all. We were use to working heating and AC, coffee shops on the corner, food delivered to our door. Bears getting into our trash, bats and mice sneaking into every crack of the house, chopping wood for the fireplace.. all of this was new territory. Our town of Posey is less than 100 people. Our ranch had been abandoned for more than 25 years. We were an hour from the nearest grocery store. But it turned out the be the right decision for us. I’m not sure I think of buying the Ranch as a powerful decision, but everything that we have accomplished has proven that we are capable. And that feels powerful.
My teenage son just recently asked me how he’s going to learn everything adults know. And I told him that adults really don’t know much about being adults. We’re all just getting through life for the first time together. You learn as you go. At the end of each day when I sit and look out at the tall trees or brush the animals or sit with my kids around a fire pit I feel such a sense of calm and peace and maybe that’s settled feeling is the most powerful feeling for me

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There were so many times we wanted to give up. Our house had mice, no heat, no hot water at times. The roads would wash out. Animals got sick, bears got into the garbage, pipes burst in the cold, septic systems backed up into our bathroom. There is so much animal poop to clean everyday. We constantly question if we are giving our kids everything they need. Sometimes we’re just tired. But then we take a break from work. We’ll go outside and look up at the trees, or walk up to the waterfalls, or sit with the horses for a bit and think about how lucky we are. We love everything we find on this land. It’s all a treasure and we are grateful we’re here. So a few days without a hot shower, or some other inconveniences is really nothing in the long run.

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So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
We don’t know that we have a public version of ourselves. We have discovered we love hosting guests and visitors. Perhaps that is the closet thing to a public persona that we have. We enjoy sharing the space with visitors, giving tours and telling about the history of the ranch. We like getting to know each guest even for that brief time and letting them enjoy this space as much as we do.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
We hope our work to restore this land and share it is remembered…not us so much, but the trees and water and rocks that were forgotten over the years will continue to be enjoyed by future generations. We hope we are good stewards of the land. We hope our clean creeks, fruitful orchard and gardens and animal care continue on long after we’re gone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.threefallsranch.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/threefallsranch/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThreeFallsRanch/
• Other: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/585384286967325895?viralityEntryPoint=1&s=76