Darrel Sweet's ranch is nestled in the hills on the south side of the Altamont Pass surrounded by these wind turbines. For this podcast, ranch visits are typically a hike. Ranches often exist in places where most people wouldn't want to live... mostly because they are remote.
Livermore is located on the Eastern edge of the Bay Area just under 50 miles southwest of San Francisco. As I am sure you can imagine, in the last few decades land prices in the area have risen precipitously. The city itself is nestled in the Livermore Valley, a valley which runs east/west. Historically the area was critical to railroad infrastructure and agriculture... especially wine grapes with the Livermore AVA being one of the earliest ever created in the State.
Darrel's family has been in the Altamont hills for well over a hundred years... if anyone could relate this story, it's him.