a new toy....sort of....I guess....

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by dragonfly, Mar 3, 2009.


  1. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    Sunday, My son and I got our land!
    The closing took place on the 2nd.
    4 1/2 acres, in an isolated part of the Northwestern desert.
    Located in a "valley" area, 'horseshoe shaped', surrounded on the West, East, and North and along the sides by mountains....Only way in is between 2 tall mountain peaks. (what a great tactical place!).
    Now about the Southern part....seems 'mother nature' put up a real barrier!
    A miniature Grand Canyon! Hundreds of feet deep, very steep, and made of loose rock! I have 3 mountain peaks, where I can see anything, for at least 50 miles away, on a clear day!
    The soil was a biggie also!
    Old volcanic soil, black, mineral rich, and soft! Few rocks bigger than a baseball. Few rocks at ll.
    Now, there's alway's a catch right?
    I has to be that it is 8 miles from the nearest town as the crow flies, or, it's a 45 minute drive through a maze of old tracks, (no roads), and you have to know which forks to turn at, and not end up in a bad way!
    It's nearly impossible to find. The realtor took us out and we were so happy! He had a big SUV 4wd. Not that we needed it, but it was better than the small pickup we'd drove up to the office. My rearend was happy anyway!
    Most of the "roads" were fair to non-existant....then some 5-7 miles from the actual site, we crossed a river bed/wash that was dry, but 30 feet wide. I'd not want to try that if water was running through it.
    The realtor asked me what I was looking for....I explained I wanted "OUT".
    As in really away from anyone, anything.
    He got my name from another "bigger" realtor that had nothing like I was looking for!
    He asked me right off: "are you wanting to be a hermit or something?"
    Yes! I answered.
    He knew what I wanted, and took me straight to it.
    He said, well it's about as far away from anyone and anything you can get around here, and it's heavily wooded too.
    It was. I could not see more than a few feet ( 6-8) in any direction....My son set off with a compass, and returned about 30 minutes later, having covered the entire 4 1/2 acres. He was tickled silly!
    Now, he has NEVER been out of the city, except on short day trips with me....It was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen!
    The area is 620 feet long, 290 feet wide. It has 3 natural water "troughs", about 4 feet wide, and 18 inches deep, that feed the westside of the land, the entire length. Well Water won't be a problem either, as we found out the water table/aquifer is only 150 to 200 feet down. Most areas are nuch higher in altitude....that's expensive to tap into! We were told by a few people that it was 1,400 feet down and cost $1,000.00 a foot to drill.
    The cost is $30. a foot, and that is for both the drilling and for the casing!
    The electrical, pump, or windmill is another thing entirely!
    The nearest electric poles are at least 10 miles away.
    In a southwestern corner, there's a small lake, with rock bass!
    (state land) There is no one living closer than 7-8 miles from me, and they are there for the season only, as the realtor knows them.
    I was told I'd have to have a snowmobile, to get out in some winter times...I don't really plan on going out in the winter!
    I can collect as much firewood as I can handle, as years ago the state cleared their land (for some reason!) and piled/stacked up all the trees they took out. Most were cut by chainsaw, and are free for the taking...All in all, I have about 4 lifetimes of firewood, if I had a fire going 24/7! The air is clean. crisp, and there is just the sound of a breeze in the junipers and pinons. The land is open range, so I get a lot of free fertilizer too! I am next to an area designated for hunting, and the realtor told me that the deer, the elk, and antelope run into the canyon area, to hide. Mostly due to the fact that there's no hunting allowed in there, and the brush is so heavy they can just disappear.
    He had 1 person that camped out 1 season there, so he could walk into the hunting area, (that close), and the guy was in a herd of antelope at one point, and couldn't move, without the possibility of them stampeding!
    Now that's a place to live!
    And NOW, for the good stuff:
    4 1/2 acres, $8,000.00, ($1,600 down), $206.00 a month for 3 years.
    The taxes: $66.00 a year!
    Local acreage runs: $29,000 for a "lot", 1/6 acre, with electric ONLY, no water service, and maybe, (if you are lucky), a paved or county maintained road.
    A full acre with nothing, or a run down mobile home on it, (which you'd have to remove), up to $99,000.00!
    Bill
     
  2. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    COOL!!

    Congrats on the land purchase.
     
  3. Tracy

    Tracy Insatiably Curious Moderator Founding Member

    Good for you (both)! You sound happy as can be.

    Congratulations!
     
  4. E.L.

    E.L. Moderator of Lead Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Outstanding! That sounds like the perfect place, no neighbors, water, fishing, hunting, and surrounded by lots of land so you do not have to worry about people moving in on top of you. That really sounds perfect. And what a deal, $8K!!!!! Congrats!!!!

    Now get busy drilling that well and designing your cabin.
     
  5. 8PW

    8PW Silent but Deadly

    Sounds like you're sorted then.
    Nearly!
     
  6. NWPilgrim

    NWPilgrim Monkey++

    Sounds terrific! Do you want a neighbor?

    (just kidding)

    Way to go, man. I envy you and am inspired to look harder for myself.
     
  7. QuietOne

    QuietOne Monkey++

    Add a well, septic tank, some solar panels. Sounds nice. One thing to think about; just because it's isolated doesn't mean that other people in the area don't know about it. Hunters, fishermen, folks living in the area all their lives probably have walked or driven through your property. It might be a good idea to find out who your neighbors are (8 miles may seem like a lot to you but to some country folks it's next door) and pay them a "howdy" visit.
     
  8. WestPointMAG

    WestPointMAG Monkey++

    Sounds good but does it have an undiscovered cave?
     
  9. SLugomist

    SLugomist Monkey++


    LOL :D WPM and his cave.

    Did you hear about the house in Festus MO built into a cave? It's for sale.
     
  10. ozarkgoatman

    ozarkgoatman Resident goat herder

    Yea but is the cave undiscovered. [ROFL][ROFL][ROFL]

    OGM
     
  11. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    Wow...
    Been a week already, and I'm on pins and needles waiting for the final paperwork to get here!
    Now, anyone: ?
    What has to be done to "assure" you are on the right plot of land...It should have been surveyed, and it has some "markers", in the form of 1 "t" post set in concrete, and 1 small (12") piece of rebar, and at the south end, there's a 4 ft piece of rebar with a protective cap over the end. Nothing else found.....
    Most plots/lots I have seen, have a surveyor's marker set into the ground....?
    Isn't that supposed to be included?
    I know about the "full disclosure" laws, in regards to natural hazards: flood plains, etc..
    I have finally come up with a plan/drawing, showing where I want everything to be located....That was hard! Lot's of decisions to make and still leave nature intact as much as possible. I did come up with an idea I'd read about...using a piece of concrete pipe, as an emergency "bunker". The tough part is digging a hole that big and deep! I'd have to line the hole, as they get quite a bit of rainfall up north!
    That would be bad, have your "hole" fill up with water, and float your "bunker" out of the ground!
    Sheesh!
    Thanks all I'm really excited to get the land, and can hardly wait to get up there!
    My son gets out of school for what is now called "spring break", for a week, and were planning to get up there and spend a few days laying out the area with lines and flagging tape.
    Interesting thing: I went to the local stores to see what "T" posts are costing....What I've found was disturbing....$7.00 a piece for a stamped out piece of sheet metal, 4 foot long! You bend it double, with one good hit from a hammer!
    Even the so-called 'fence posts', are junk today! Garbage tubing!
    Not one is what I remember buying in the 80's!
    I Guess nearly everything is from China today.....!
    Bill
     
  12. QuietOne

    QuietOne Monkey++

    I'm not a lawyer and I don't know the laws of that state but... you have checked the County Clerk records to see if your seller had title and there are no tax liens or judgments on the property? Also, the feds have a bunch of wetlands regulations that pretty much means you can't even put up an outhouse on registered wetlands. Any legal beagles here?
     
  13. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    Sounds beautiful, I am happy you found a place!

    Let us know if you run into any issues with laws and such. I know that if the property borders state lands and national forests, there are more than likely some kind of restrictions and possibly Game Wardens to investigate. Hopefully you won't have anything to worry about.
     
  14. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    MY Final closing took place on the 12th!
    I got all the paperwork and all is well....
    Well,.... sort of!
    (you'll love this!)
    Being a neophyte, ( that's 'special talk' for people like me that are virgins to new territory!), I had no idea of what I was getting into, and what to really look for when buying land...
    Long story short: I did good!
    No,...... I did freakin' GREAT! ("one lucky sucker" is the new terminolgy!)
    I discovered that there is an underground tributary/mini-river that enters the northwest side of my property, and exits on the far side, on the southeast!
    I got WATER! Lots and lots of fresh clean potable water!
    And to boot, it's less than 50 feet down! ( maybe only 20-30 foot)
    In the desert no less!
    It's all spring fed and there are spiderwebs of these underground springs/rivers all over the doggone place!
    I just "fell" into it by accident!
    So, I'm all set!
    Now, there is just 1 itty bitty problem.....
    The land is 160 miles north of me, not so far but it's all uphill and my gas guzzler loves to be fed! It will take a tank up and a tank back, more or less, being downhill.
    I am going to need some help in doing all the wonderful things I have planned...
    Now, a question, where does one begin to LOOK for others that share the same views and idealogy...? (forgetting all the politics and religion) (as they seem to create a FEW minor problems with some people, more often than not)
    I'm easy, but realize there's good and bad in everything, and I'll have to be very careful in picking those persons I'd want to share my land with, in making it a mini-farm.
    Any ideas ?
    I'm open!
    Bill
     
  15. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    I checked out all the local county and then State laws, and I'm "good to go" with anything but, a nuclear test site on the property!
    I get NO mineral rights unless the land is 40 acres or more or have been "grandfathered in".
    I can sink a well with NO permits.
    No inspections required. I can build a cabin, drag up a mobile home, or put those ugly cargo shipping containers on the land.
    But, "IF" I want to put in a "septic system", there is some requirements and regulations involved.....
    Which I have to totally AGREE with, in this scenario.
    I am so close to the water table, and it flows thru my entire site, and empty's in a miniature 'Grand Canyon' to the immediate south of me.....and ANY "percolation" of the septic system into the ground water, would be extremely bad and hazardous!
    Besides, there's a small lake filled with rock bass, (people fish there!), to the south west, fed from my land's water flow, and people further southwest of me, live right along the banks of the river, as it opens up inside that canyon area!
    I would not want some idiot poisoning me or my land, so I sure as heck won't do it to anyone else!
    So, I'll be looking into alternatives like "composting toilets" really soon!
    Believe it or not, there are some people out there, that would NOT hesitate to dump their wastes on their own land, or, to let it be carried into the local water supply!!!
    (I know some that are not far from me, (10-12 miles), and my arguments against what they have planned went into thin air!) Unfortunately, those people are NORTH of me too! (laws of nature dictates the water runs from North to South and normally, depending on the lay of the land, flows from east to west. Not in my case however!)
    Anyway, anyone out there have any experience with this type of waste disposal?
    I'd sure appreciate all ideas anyone has on this subject!
    Thanks to all!
    Bill
     
  16. RightHand

    RightHand Been There, Done That RIP 4/15/21 Moderator Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Check out this site for good information - Humanure
     
  17. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    Wow!
    I just read a lot of this info and it is a true remedy to the problem of diposal!
    I thank you dearly!
    I'll download the pdf files, and also order a book right away!
    Thanks again!
    Bill
     
  18. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    1) - Forget finding like minded individuals, they'll find you. (And then you can set up a secondary cache.)
    2) - Make the uphill hauls worth it, use a trailer. (Obvious, I guess.)
    3) - Prepositioning looks like what you need to do. Bugging out is usually associated with short notice.
    4) - Don't be obvious (goes without saying, eh?)

    I envy you. Good on ya' and best of luck with the delights and problems you've bought. Both go with owning a spot of heaven.
     
  19. RightHand

    RightHand Been There, Done That RIP 4/15/21 Moderator Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    It's a reference I have brought up before. Living in the country, my water pump is powered by electricity and water is required for flushing into my cesspool. I always thought I might need an alternate solution to waste.
     
  20. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    WPM...
    Yep! there's a few caves...not down on the land area, but up on the 2 mountains I could see them and they are some really big ones, from what I could see from a distance! I had my son show me the full sized digital photos, and they are quite big, at least from the entrances!
    Bill
     
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