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 RANCH REVIEWS When producers, directors, and location managers choose the ranch for their shoots, that speaks to the artistic scenery and striking Sierra vistas that await you. Also included here is an article on our outstanding fishing from a professional writer/fisherman from the Los Angeles Daily News, and a small feature from the Readers Recommend section of the Los Angeles Times. Finally, the opinion of a travel author whose book reviews hundreds of recreational places throughout california, and who gave the ranch a "10" - her highest rating. Menu
Foghorn Outdoors Review
You can daydream about having a place like this, or you can rent Bonnie B Ranch for a week and make it real. I've tried it both ways, and I can testify that the latter choice is far more satisfying. Here's what you need to do: Gather up a group of five to eight people, including yourself. You can invite your family, your friends, or what the heck, even your boss (if you want to score some points). Tell them to pack up their fishing gear, outdoor clothes, and a week's worth of groceries. Then head to the town of North Fork, just southeast of Oakhurst and Bass Lake in Sierra National Forest, and get started on your private ranch vacation. The reason you need a few folks to stay at Bonnie B Ranch is because you're paying to rent the entire three-bedroom ranch house, and all of the 440 acres surrounding it. That doesn't come cheap, but then again you aren't just renting a motel room or even a little cabin. Current rates at the ranch are $350 per night or $2,300 per week. At the weekly rate, a group of six people will pay about $55 each per night. For that price, they get lodging in a beautiful 3,000-square-foot ranch house, plus all the horseback riding and fishing for big bass they can stand. After we visited, I realized I had paid a lot more at plenty of other places and gotten a lot less. Fishing is one of the highlights at Bonnie B Ranch. The ranch has five small lakes which are loaded with hand-raised bass, including some bigger than 10 pounds, and plenty of bluegill and crappie. The largest of the lakes can be fished by float tube or pram (bring your own); the rest are best suited for shorefishing. Hikers and equestrians can choose from 16 miles of trails that have been built on the property. Spring wildflowers are breathtaking, maple and oak trees bring autumn colors, and winter snow makes the property a white wonderland. The ranch is available for rent year 'round; my first choice would be spring, but all seasons are excellent. In case you are wondering if you'll be staying in a run-down barn, here are some details on the ranch house: It's a three-bedroom, three-bath home perched on a hill, with a large living area and giant picture windows that look out over the grounds to the mountains beyond. From your living room, You can gaze at Home Lake, the largest of the ranch's ponds, or the horses grazing in the pasture below the house, or far off to the high mountains of the Sierra. In fact, the ranch house's panoramic view and big Fireplace are so enchanting that it may be hard for you to leave the premises. The ranch dates back to 1891. On the property you will find a covered bridge, historic gristmill, and plenty of stone work. Throughout its history it has been operated as a cattle ranch and a dude ranch, but most recently it has been owned and operated as a guest ranch by the local Bryant family. The Bryants keep a staff person on the premises to keep everything running smoothly. It's unlikely you'll want to leave Bonnie B Ranch during your stay, but if you feel like taking a drive, you're situated right by the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway. Bass Lake is also close by, and southern Yosemite is a 40-minute drive. Excerpted from "Easy Camping in Southern California", by Ann Marie Brown: $12.95; for more information, phone 1-800-FOGHORN
 Scout tabs North Fork for movie Madera County a Christmas present. By Charles McCarthy The eastern region of Madera County received an early Christmas present Tuesday that is expected to pump money into the economy. A rural setting on the Bonnie B Ranch near North Fork has been chosen by Steven Spielberg's movie production company, which wanted to duplicate New England in winter. Filming of a feature called "Mouse Hunt" is set to begin in March, Eastern Madera County Chamber of Commerce executive director Noreen McDonald said. "This announcement is a great Christmas present for eastern Madera County," said Brian Wilkinson of the Madera County Film Commission. "We estimate direct expenditures to the community will be a minimum of a half-million dollars." McDonald has been showing advance location scouts, directors, production managers and photographers for Spielberg's DreamWorks SKG studios around the Madera County mountains since late October. On Christmas Eve, she said, she got confirmation from Southern California that the makers of "Mouse Hunt" intended to use the North Fork location. Phone calls by The Bee to the "Mouse Hunt" offices Tuesday reached only answering machines but McDonald said her confirmation came from the person in charge of the group who toured the site with her. In his Bass Lake resort office Tuesday, Wilkinson said the "Mouse Hunt" set construction would begin in mid-January, with two weeks of filming scheduled in early March. "Mouse Hunt" will star Nathan Lane, who played opposite Robin Williams in "Birdcage," and Lee Evans. Approximately 175 people are expected to make up the cast and crew during the two weeks of filming. McDonald said the production company planned to hire local union construction workers to build a Victorian house on the ranch site, which she would only say is off Road 200 near North Fork. When a Spielberg location scout asked her in October whether she knew where the film company could duplicate New England scenes, longtime New England resident McDonald knew just the places to show the scout. Spielberg representatives kept returning to Madera County and zeroing in on the North Fork ranch site. That convinced McDonald and Wilkinson that the company was interested. Last week, McDonald showed 12 "Mouse Hunt" planners the site at dawn. "They wanted to see the sun rise on the set to determine how many hours of nonglare sunlight time they would have," McDonald said. "They're filming a New England winter scene." Location-rich area McDonald and Wilkinson hoped that "Mouse Hunt" would show other filmmakers that Madera County is a location-rich area not too far from the Hollywood studios. In recent years, several television commercials have been filmed using Madera County mountains and lakes as backdrops. Don Potts is the location scout who brought Madera County its last feature film, the 1988 production of "The Great Outdoors," which was filmed at Bass Lake with Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. The film's production crew spent $1.8 million on goods and services supplied by area businesses. Tuesday, Potts was vacationmg at Bass Lake. By phone from Wilkinson's office, Potts said Madera County, with Yosemite National Park nearby, has lots of potential outdoor film locations. Potts, a Fresno native living in Southern California, was scouting locations for the "Lois and Clark" Superman TV series. Any chance of Superman landing in Madera County? "We stay pretty close to home on that show," Potts said. Deep wallets and monster bass By Bennett J. Mintz NORTH FORK : The small fly-rod bass popper landed squarely between the red barn and the horse corral. A moment later a terrific fish came charging out from the maple tree and swallowed the lure.
Fishing for bass in a tree near a barn and corral? Is this one of those old fishing tales your grandfather used to spin?
Not exactly. The tree, the barn and the corral were reflections in one of the ponds
at the Bonnie B Ranch located midway between Fresno and Yosemite National Park. But the popper and the bass that tracked it down were real.
The private ranch, also known as Bryant Farms,is a 440-acre spread in the western Sierra Nevada foothills about 35 miles south of the park's boundary. It caters to anglers who have deep wallets and a hankering to tackle spunky, hand-raised bass.
The Bryants were once a prominent farming family, growing everything from cotton to tomatoes between Bakersfield and Visalia along Highway 99. Their handsome ranch in the town of North Fork east of Highway 41 in the Sierra Nationai Forest, was both a home and a vacation, retreat.
Apparently, former president Ronald Reagan considered purchasing the Bryant estate prior to settling on his homestead north of Santa Barbara. Yet, the family managed to retain the rustic acreage, cutting some 70 miles of horse trails, building a magnificent estate home, stables and a tack,room, and creating a number of ponds.
Today, the picturesque bodies of water - dubbed Home, Leaky, Sneaky, Mossy I and Mossy II - are used for irrigation, fire safety and flood control ... oh, and for growing some monster bass as well. Besides harboring the bass, the ponds crawl with various varieties of bluegill (a hybrid lot that run as big, as Mike Tyson's fist), frogs, turtles and a plethora of aquatic insects.
Is it easy to catch a lunker bass? No. Is it fun to try? You bet.
Ranch manager Larry Curtiss greets customers with a brief tour of the fishing holes and offers his best advice.
"If you can sneak into the shallow end of Sneaky, there's a 12-pounder back there. I caught him twice," he said with a chuckle during a recent visit.
"There's an even bigger one in there.", he noted, pointing to Mossy I, "but nobody can catch him. Must go 15 pounds, maybe more."
Home Lake, the one closest to the ranch house and barns, is the largest and deepest of the ponds and has both largemouth and smallmouth bass, mingled with bluegill, crappie and some hybrid warm-water fish. A few of the ponds can be fished from prams - flat-bottomed boats; others are-strictly for shore-casting. While Home Lake doesn't have a pram, it is ideal for a float tube or similar free-floating device.
Plan on being on the pond that suits you best soon after dawn cracks the sky, then fishing until the sun covers the entire area. Take a stroll or horseback ride around the ranch during the afternoon. Then be back with rod and reel in hand once the evening shadows fall across the water and the bass come out from the weed beds. Depending on the pond, bluegill and crappie are pretty much available all day. Busy as a B NORTH FORK - The folks at the Bonnie B Ranch are anxiously waiting to see how their huge outdoor set will appear in "Mouse Hunt," the DreamWorks movie partially filmed here earlier this year.
The comedy, starring Nathan Lane, Lee Evans and Christopher Walken. is due in theaters at Christmas time.
A large Victorian house was also constructed on the site during three months of difficult weather conditions in the Mountain Area. Then in March, 10 acres of gently rolling hills that are usually green and covered with wildflowers, were draped with rolls of thin, white polyester to give the stunning effect of a New England winter.
As it turns out, the hands at the Bonnie B are no strangers to filming crews.
The stagecoach of Wells Fargo Bank has rumbled down ranch roads, and other commercial film crews such as Fleetwood mobile homes have made almost yearly visits to capture the picturesque beauty.
Producer Richard Kiel, who played "Jaws" in James Bond movies, also chose the property's rustic covered bridge for night scenes of his movie, "The Giant of Thunder Mountain."
The ranch and large barn-style house can be rented out by guests on a year-round basis and includes horseback riding and fishing in five private lakes.
The property's artistic setting continues to attract many visitors from the movie industry, including producers and crews from such television shows as "Home Improvement."
Ranch Manager Larry Curtiss proudly sports his "Hunt for Red October" jacket given to him by a guest who built sets for several Tom Clancy movies as well as for "Batman."
Kerry Bryant monitors the Bonnie B along with other investments for his mother. "We've had other filming projects," says Mr. Bryant. "but nothing approaching the size of 'Mouse Hunt.' The special effects coordinator and publicist told us our set was of the same scope and magnitude as 'Star Wars,' another Spielberg production." (DreamWorks is a Steven Spielberg company.)
The look and realism of the film site startled everyone. including special effects coordinator Mike Lantieri. In addition to a huge area made to look like snow-covered hills, two lakes were filled with a synthetic substance that made them appear as though they were frozen solid with ice. "It was eerie," says Mr. Bryant, "because while standing out on the fake snow and looking at the frozen lakes, everyone felt much colder than it really was."
HOW REALISTIC WAS IT?
The final experts had long necks and feathers. Twenty Canadian geese happened to be making a rare visit to the ranch. When the cast and crew weren't around, the geese circled the set warily, then decided to land on the "icy" lake. But at the last instant, the leader pulled up, sensing that something was not quite right and that this idyllic setting wasn't Canada after all.
"Mike Lantieri the special effects coordinator, was very unassuming, and, consequently, enjoyable to work with," says Mr. Bryant. Local producer Randy Cohlan was visiting the set and decided to subtely inquire about Mr. Lantieri's resume by asking him what movies he had worked on.
The humble Lantieri paused a moment and then answered, "Well, I did all the Spielberg movies." Mr. Cohlan's mouth dropped open, and he just started laughing. Amother visitor asked Mr. Lantieri bow he achieved a particularly gory effect in one of the "Star Wars" trilogy. After searching his memory, he replied that he had used Jell-O. And so goes the magic and illusion of moviemaking.
Even so, without some luck here and there, many of the fantastic effects and the movie itself may never have happened at all - or at least not at North Fork.
Scouting for DreamWorks, Peter Novak had looked as far east as Vermont for just the setting he wanted. Frustrated, he dropped on his way back from the Humboldt County Film Commission to talk to Fresno's equivalent, Brian Ziegler, who lives at Coarsegold, who suggested the Bonnie B Ranch.
Mr. Novak later admitted that upon seeing the hill between two lakes, it was love at first sight, and that he knew isntantly that his long search had come to an end
Still, construction of a large Victorian house during three months of Mountain Area winter was a daunting task that DreamWorks tried to avoid. Mr. Novak had discovered a group of Victorian houses in Northern California that were scheduled for demolition. The plan was to buy one, cut it into sections, and bring it to North Fork using ocean barges for part of the journey. But in the end, the red tape, delays and shipping costs ruled that option out, which meant it was a race to build a two-story house on a muddy hill in three months.
Mountain ground that held water like a sponge made even the seemingly simple act of building a road to the house site look impossible. "Experts at the Forest Service claimed they could construct a road even through a marsh," says Mr. Bryant. DreamWorks' transportation crew finally did use a "petro mat," recommended by the Forest Service that allowed the water to escape. But even with that trick, they still used more than 50 tons of gravel to stabilize the road so it could support heavy trucks.
Creating fake snow over a huge area wasn't easy, either. The first thought was to use environmentally friendly gypsum, a substance used in farming, to increase the soil's water absorption. The gypsum is used in a process combined with water, so more than 40 tons of the powder was trucked in and dumped near the site. However, though the process worked fine in the Los Angeles experiments, it created a dirty-looking snow in the mountains, so had to be shelved in favor of the polyester material that was finally used.
Looking back, Mr. Bryant still marvels that the whole movie project came off as well as it did - and on time.
"With 200 people, huge cranes, lights, caravans of trailers and semi-trucks coming and going at all hours of the day and night, it was a massive endeavor," says Mr. Bryant.
"The closest comparison I can think of would be a carnival. All at once a small, self-contained army of people arrive and virtually occupy your property. Then, just as suddenly, they're gone - and as the deer and bobcats cautiously return to claim their turf, the whole magical process begins again - somewhere else." Principal photography on "Mouse Hunt" began at the privately owned Bonnie B Ranch in the small mountain community of North Fork, California, 15 miles south of Yosemite National Park. The secluded 440-acre ranch served as the site of Rudolf Smuntz's mansion, the missing masterwork of fictional architect Charles Lyle LaRue.
"I think of the house as one of the characters in the film," Adam Rifkin comments. "It had to be incredible scary and bizarre."
For the surrounding countryside, Academy Award® winning special effects coordinator Michael Lantieri was faced with a chilling task: simulating the snowy Delaware landscape. His team spread out 22 acres of fake snow blankets across the hillside and around the mansion and its surrounding lakes. An ice chipper was also used to create real snow for tighter shots where the blankets wouldn't seem real enough. "As far as I know, this sets the record for the biggest snow job in movie history," Lantieri jokes. "Nobody will believe that we were actually shooting in warm weather."
The stunt involving the brothers riding across a frozen take in a bathtub called for Lantieri and his crew to build a pier 300 feet long and a quarter of an inch under the surface of the water so that they could slide the tub over it.
One climactic scene called for the effects team to blow the front door off the house and dump 12 thousand gallons of water over the cast. They then used 250-300 feet of explosive charges to wreak havoc on the mansion.
Lantieri advises, "Since the destruction is supposed to be from water damage and not an explosion, it was a little trickier to do. The telephone poles around which we constructed the house were loaded with charges and sequentially dropped, causing gravity and the weight of the house itself to create the effect."
Eight cameras were employed to cover the action, which had to be captured in one take. The cameras were placed at numerous locations across the front area of the house and set to film at varied speeds in order to give editor Craig Wood every possible aspect from which to cut (edit) the sequence.
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A lot of people hold a private fantasy about owning their own ranch... The kind of place that has a few horses grazing on the grounds, a main ranch house with extra bedrooms where your friends can stay, and maybe even a few fishing ponds sprinkled around the property.
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 Located in central California near Yosemite National Park For Information, Call (805) 636-6733 between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time Contact Kerry A. Bryant |