We close on the land on September 2nd.

[Grandpa Shooter]

The land we were trying to buy will close on Tuesday after Labor Day.  The owners needed cash and settled for $7500 for 4 1/2 acres.



Now comes the task of cleaning up the land and clearing the dead wood without hurting the character of the parcel.  We will go with all alternative sources of utilities and sanitation.  It is "off the grid" and will likely stay that way for many years.  That is one of the reasons we wanted that parcel, along with the views.

I am going to have to learn a lot about "green" technology over the next 2-3 years, so any of you with the knowledge or sources are welcome to post the links here or PM me with the stuff.

Thanks,

Grandpa

[SkunkApe]

Beautiful!  Where is it?  Looks like Wyoming?

[Grandpa Shooter]

Eastern White Mountains of Arizona.  50 miles from where I live now.  Used to have 40 acres but that was in the past.  This will be a lot more fun to develop.

[K Frame]

"Eastern White Mountains of Arizona."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

I HAVE YOUR IDENTITY NOW, SUCKER!

HELLO, SURFSHOP USA? I WANT 12,000 SURFBOARDS, PLEASE!

YES, MY CREDIT CARD...

MY FIRST NAME IS GRANDPA, LAST NAME, SHOOTER...

[RevDisk]

Eastern White Mountains of Arizona.  50 miles from where I live now.  Used to have 40 acres but that was in the past.  This will be a lot more fun to develop.

Beautiful piece of land.  Any initial thoughts of what you intend on putting on the property?

[Grandpa Shooter]

Eastern White Mountains of Arizona.  50 miles from where I live now.  Used to have 40 acres but that was in the past.  This will be a lot more fun to develop.

Beautiful piece of land.  Any initial thoughts of what you intend on putting on the property?

I have given that some consideration and believe we will start with an all steel structure anchored into one of the four "table areas" on the property.  There is a drop of about 6-8 feet from one table to the next and would allow me to pier the area in front of the structure and add on a deck.  Covered area would be about 400 square feet and open deck area of 250-300.  That would give us a base camp so to speak where we could camp, park a travel trailer etc.

I could add to it, enclose it, wire it, all on my time table.  I am not in a hurry at the moment, but who knows what may happen in the future.  I will need to design a rain/runoff collection system, composting latrine, reclamation, etc as well as check into alternative power sources.  Most likely candidates are wind and generator.  Solar is nice, but pricey for what little you get.

Looks to be a wonderful opportunity to do something with what little is left of my mind.  Whipping up scathing repartees for Mike Irwin's insightful comments is not high on my list of things to do.

[PTK]

Mike sometimes wonders why we think him insane.

I can't fathom why.





 

[Hutch]

Neat-o.  There are books, well, at least ONE book, on rainwater "harvesting", as it's called.  Depending on the climate there (I'm completely unfamiliar with the area), solar can provide a lot of your needs.  I'd stick with 12v lighting and "appliances" (read, fan), since you can then avoid an expensive inverter.  A couple or 4 golf-car batteries can store a LOT of juice.  How available is firewood?  Can you get a serious propane tank delivered?  I have lots and LOTS of books on stuff like this. 

[HankB]

Off the grid, cagey about the exact location, out in the middle of nowhere . . .

I think I've figured this out - Burt Gummer is posting as Grandpa Shooter! 

[El Tejon]

Wasn't Burt in Nevada???

It all blurs together out there for me too.

[Grandpa Shooter]

Neat-o.  There are books, well, at least ONE book, on rainwater "harvesting", as it's called.  Depending on the climate there (I'm completely unfamiliar with the area), solar can provide a lot of your needs.  I'd stick with 12v lighting and "appliances" (read, fan), since you can then avoid an expensive inverter.  A couple or 4 golf-car batteries can store a LOT of juice.  How available is firewood?  Can you get a serious propane tank delivered?  I have lots and LOTS of books on stuff like this. 

Thanks Hutch!

Our primary fuel source for cooking and heating will be wood.  In this area dead and down trees are readily available.  A good wood freestanding fireplace would be nice but not practical.  I will have to find a unit with internal baffling to send the smoke back into the firebox to be "reburnt" to cut down on emissions (smoke and ash)  There are no deliveries to the area so we will have to haul water and propane.  I can pick up a few 100 lb tanks and fit wheels on them for easier transport.  BBQ tanks hooked up to a pressure regulator and then to a ventless "infrared" propane heater work well for backup heating.  That is what I use now.

Probably the biggest challenge is food handling and preservation, but that is my Lady's responsibility.  Canning and dehydrating are her thing.  We both have lived simply by choice in the past so this is merely an extension of that.  My only real luxury is my laptop and internet service.  I would have to get a high end power modulator and sign up for satellite service to get a connection out there, but quite honestly, I don't know we will care to be connected at that point in time.

If you would send me a list of the book titles you have it would make the process easier for us.

Thanks again for your interest.

As far as my being "cagey", I don't really see why any of you are so all fired interested in where I will be setting up our alternate home site.  It is not like you will be dropping in to visit.  Or that you would be invited either.

[Tallpine]

Eastern White Mountains of Arizona

Well, I guessed "New Mexico" so I wasn't far off   You're probably just a few miles from the border.


Have you considered a tee-pee for your first dwelling ?

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Congratulations, that's some beautiful land you've got there.

[Grandpa Shooter]

Eastern White Mountains of Arizona

Well, I guessed "New Mexico" so I wasn't far off   You're probably just a few miles from the border.


Have you considered a tee-pee for your first dwelling ?

Now that you mention it, that would not be such a bad idea.  I know where to get some lodgepole pine and some good sailcloth properly waterproofed would work.  I doubt they would let me hunt a few buffalo to get the hides so that is out.  I am actually considering building a "cliff dwelling" along the lines of the Sinagua Indian designs.  Living here gives one a real sense of what the early cultures did to survive.  The scarcity of reliable water sources makes one think strongly about how wasteful we have become of our natural resources.  When there has been any substantial rain the larger wash not far away runs strongly and if it rains longer than a couple hours the waterfall on the adjoining property runs.

I hope to buy the other two pieces of land in the elbow of the bluff we will own to the top of.  If you bent your arm and looked down on it, we will own from the wrist to the forearm, but not the inner elbow area.  Because of that we have to leave a right of way to that land.  If we buy it, the waterfall would be on our land.



This picture shows some of the bluff we will own part of.  To the right of this in the elbow is where the waterfall comes off the top of the bluff.  A conduit system and holding tanks would create a considerable reserve of water.  That is a long way off, but worth dreaming of.

[K Frame]

"Whipping up scathing repartees for Mike Irwin's insightful comments is not high on my list of things to do."

Lazy.



Regarding power...

Isn't that area known for pretty steady winds most of the year?

Any possibility of going on a windmill generator to provide power?

[K Frame]

Also, sounds like the perfect location for a gas or kerosene absorption refrigerator/freezer. 

[Grandpa Shooter]

"Whipping up scathing repartees for Mike Irwin's insightful comments is not high on my list of things to do."

Lazy.



Regarding power...

Isn't that area known for pretty steady winds most of the year? Any possibility of going on a windmill generator to provide power?

 
There is supposed to be a big wind farm going in not too far away from that area so yes in theory it is possible.  However if the bluff at the back of the property blocks the prevailing wind pattern we would have to go a long way up to pick up a good wind.  That will be better assessed when we start staying out there on the week ends to work on the land.  Right now I am looking at the difference between LPG and gas generators as far as generating capability, available plug ins, Db ratings and such.  So far the Champion 4000/3500 is on the top of the list.

[Tallpine]

Some of the early miners in this area built "cliff houses".  You can still see them along the hiway north of Billings.

They just excavated a little under some natural sandstone ledges ("rimrocks") and then built cut stone front walls with window and door openings.  Of course, houses were a lot smaller back then.  Some of the miners' frame houses were about 8' by 10'.

How does Grandma Shooter feel about all of this?  
Have you gotten her a squaw dress yet?  

I wanted to buy some raw land and build a little retirement cabin off grid, but we bought an existing modern house on 40 acres instead.

[Grandpa Shooter]

I wanted to buy some raw land and build a little retirement cabin off grid, but we bought an existing modern house on 40 acres instead

I went there back in 2002.  I bought 40 acres, developed it, put a 1500 sq ft custom house on it, and the wife at the time waited until I was almost finished with all the custom interior tile work, and then filed for divorce.  She cleaned out all of the investment funds, $70,000 worth, and left me with less than $2,000 in my personal account.  I had to borrow money to counter her divorce filing and still lost my behind.  She got the house and acres, the horses and dogs and I got the mine shaft, so to speak.   Jerry Reed does a good job of singing about it as I recall.

I am a little more leery now.  Gee I wonder why?

Mrs Shooter loves the idea of being off the grid and away from neighbors.  The ones we have now are gone most of the time so they are not a problem.  We just like the idea of not having to have neighbors.  Around the bluff or a couple of miles down the road is close enough.  One of her first questions was, "Can we shoot out there?"  Gotta love her!

[Tallpine]

And you got married again  

[PTK]

I hate to say it, but that was the first thing that popped into my mind as well. I got burned once and now I'm hesitant to even DATE!

[Grandpa Shooter]

And you got married again  

I hate to say it, but that was the first thing that popped into my mind as well. I got burned once and now I'm hesitant to even DATE!

I figured this would come up so let us lay it to rest.  You only go around once.  Yes I got burned, but not just once.  You can pull your head back into your shell and try to stay safe like a turtle, or you can accept the reality that some relationships just don't work.  I put myself into my relationships as completely as I can.  I stick my neck out and go for the gold.  I don't know how to do it any differently.  I want a woman in my life and it is not the fault of this one what the last one did.  You don't get a second chance at life, but you can give yourself another chance at happiness in a relationship.  I have lost probably $350,000 in failed relationships, but I have never given up on life, or the desire to be happy in it.

It is your choice.  Give it shot, or dry up emotionally.  Your choice!

[Hutch]

Gimme some time, the books are packed up.  I recall M. G. Kaine's "Five Acres and Independence".  I'll do some scouting and get back to you.  Do you want to keep this thread, or should I PM you?

[280plus]

If you could move that land to CT you probably get at least a mill for it. Nice...   

[Grandpa Shooter]

If you could move that land to CT you probably get at least a mill for it. Nice...   

The only problem with that plan is that I would have to move back there with it.  That would suck!  I spent the first 30 years of my life in the East, minus time in Vietnam.  Only been back twice since I moved out West.  Sucked both times.