Ernies Black Meadow Stories

By Ernie Psikla

The peninsula by the boat launch was a hill when we arrived. In 2002-2004, the hill was graded down into a flat parking and lake access area. Snowbird Cliff Brosie did a lot of loader work. Trucks driven by BML employees Wade and Bob transported the material up to the mesa where a separator sorted the big stones, the three-inch material, gravel, and sand. Most of the stones I used in the rock work came from that. Some of the other material was used for the driving range and for parking across from the third fairway. It was understood that the area across from Ernie’s Way road was to be part of the golf course expansion (if and when Bureau of Land Management allowed the expansion to proceed).

Snowbird Cliff Brosie was a heavy equipment operator for the Idaho Department of Transportation. Operating a large dozer was an ordinary day’s work for this gentle giant, who tipped the scales at a little over 300 pounds. 

Cliff asked resort owner George Field about starting the big, rusted Komatsu bulldozer that was stored in the maintenance yard for a many years. Cliff and George combined their skill and experience and after many hours of TLC and corrosion abatement, the Komatsu engine was started. Then Cliff used the bulldozer to make a road from the mesa to the marina. Upon reaching the docks, he cut into the hill and widened the entire area. 

Over the years I terraced the sites on the mesa from the washroom to the park model for water management and to make the sites more RV friendly. Before that, some sites required several inches of boards on one side to level an RV. If you look at the stone walls you will see many rocks have a sandy scale on them. They were bottom hill stones that were affected by exposure to water or lake beds over time — not too pretty to look, at but they have a history of their own.

Cliff and his lady Lea spent many winters at BML. He did a lot of work with me moving and placing large, heavy boulders for the “rock-scaping.” Cliff operated the equipment; and I set the stones, angle, and turned them with a certain look in mind. Like many of the BML winter snowbirds, he loved to be busy and, in his own way, give something back to his community. 

Moving Mountains, from the peninsula to the mesa

By Ernie Psikla

The peninsula by the boat launch was a hill when we arrived. In 2002-2004, the hill was graded down into a flat parking and lake access area. Snowbird Cliff Brosie did a lot of loader work. Trucks driven by BML employees Wade and Bob transported the material up to the mesa where a separator sorted the big stones, the three-inch material, gravel, and sand. Most of the stones I used in the rock work came from that. Some of the other material was used for the driving range and for parking across from the third fairway. It was understood that the area across from Ernie’s Way road was to be part of the golf course expansion (if and when Bureau of Land Management allowed the expansion to proceed).

Snowbird Cliff Brosie was a heavy equipment operator for the Idaho Department of Transportation. Operating a large dozer was an ordinary day’s work for this gentle giant, who tipped the scales at a little over 300 pounds. 

Cliff asked resort owner George Field about starting the big, rusted Komatsu bulldozer that was stored in the maintenance yard for a many years. Cliff and George combined their skill and experience and after many hours of TLC and corrosion abatement, the Komatsu engine was started. Then Cliff used the bulldozer to make a road from the mesa to the marina. Upon reaching the docks, he cut into the hill and widened the entire area. 

Over the years I terraced the sites on the mesa from the washroom to the park model for water management and to make the sites more RV friendly. Before that, some sites required several inches of boards on one side to level an RV. If you look at the stone walls you will see many rocks have a sandy scale on them. They were bottom hill stones that were affected by exposure to water or lake beds over time — not too pretty to look, at but they have a history of their own.

Cliff and his lady Lea spent many winters at BML. He did a lot of work with me moving and placing large, heavy boulders for the “rock-scaping.” Cliff operated the equipment; and I set the stones, angle, and turned them with a certain look in mind. Like many of the BML winter snowbirds, he loved to be busy and, in his own way, give something back to his community. 

Photo of the peninsula hill courtesy of Dale Olson. The photo was taken probably in the 1980s by Dale’s parents, Howard and Betty.