Category: Land (Page 2 of 5)

We look for our “dream lot”.

4th of July Weekend – Long Post – Bonus Video

July 10, 2013 / admin / 3 Comments

Well.

There is much to cover in this post which details our long 4th of July weekend at the lot. Going through my notes and photos the topics break down into 3 main areas: work on the lot (of course!), a visit from our friends Tom and Patti Hamilton, and my ATV trip (Georgia Pass) on July 7. That is a lot of ground to cover so this is going to be a very long post!

Both of us had taken Friday, July 5th, off to make a long weekend out of the 4th of July holiday. The initial plan for the 4 days looked like this:

Jerry to take the truck and trailer to lot early morning on July 4, open the RV, start working on various tasks. Pam to drive up the morning of July 5th bringing the dogs, more food, and other sundry items. Our guests, Patti and Tom Hamilton, arrive around 12:00 noon on the 5th for spaghetti lunch and visit. Afternoon spent visiting. Pam to return home the next afternoon, the 6th, after she and I work on various projects. Sunday the 7th I get to ride my ATV on local trails.

Things don’t always work according to plan. I screwed up and forgot my RV keys so when I arrived on the lot on July 4th I had no way to get into the RV. I called Pam and she suggested she come up that night (the 4th) instead of the next morning. With that arrangement made, I turned to doing other chores.

High on my list was tracing the wiring from the RV’s solar panels. I discovered why they are not charging the batteries: The output of the panels is feeding into the refrigerator! This makes no sense to me as the refrig is 120 volt (house current) or LP (propane) powered, not powered by the voltage put out by the panels. I did not have my electrical tools along this trip but will re-route the solar panel charger output directly to the batteries on our next visit. The panels do appear to be working OK. Perhaps the people who installed the panels thought the refrig would run on 12 volts? There are a few of them that will, but ours is not one of them.

Pam had wanted to move our dog run out of the back yard and up to the lot. Pam thought the dogs would prefer to be in the run instead of being on zip lines strung between two trees while we were working on the lot. Since we put in the privacy fence in De Beque, which separates the front and back yards, the dog run had seen little use. You should have seen us getting the run out of the back yard and over the fence! This involved muscle power and a bit of assistance from one of our neighbors. We managed to get the run loaded on our utility trailer, along with 5 cut-in-half railroad ties, for the trip to the lot. Here is a shot of the loaded trailer:

Dog run, railroad ties, and ATV ready for 4th of July weekend.

A long drive on the interstate and over two mountain passes later, I unloaded the dog run at the Sanderling lot, scouted a place in the aspen grove to set it, and towed (dragged?) it with the ATV into the general area. The final placement involved dragging the run – by hand – to its final destination. Pam later made final adjustments (digging one side into the ground a bit) and added a few logs to the perimiter to discourage digging. We even put up the shade cover on top. Blondie, Bru, and Jo were not wild about this arrangement but were OK as long as they could see Pam working in the grove.

Dogs relax in covered dog run.

I unloaded the trailer, placed the cut railroad ties in place, then hooked the now-empty trailer to the ATV and took it into the aspen grove. I proceeded to load the trailer with wood destined for the burn pit. During the process I salvaged a few more small trees to cut into firewood on the theory that if it was good enough for firewood it might as well be used as such, thus cutting down on the amount of wood that needed to be hauled away.

Shortly after finishing this day-full of tasks, Pam arrived with the keys, dogs, and a couple of freshly-baked pies. We opened up the RV, had dinner, and made plans for the next morning.

The next day, Friday, was a busy day. The big morning project was to get the gate built. I unpacked the portable generator and grabbed the tools I had brought along for this purpose. Rather than bore everyone with the details I’ll just include this photo of the finished project:

Gate is finished. White stuff on ground is small hail from a recent storm.

Note the wheels mounted to the bottom of both gates. These will provide support for the gates when they are closed, taking some of the weight off the posts. Given the relatively shallow holes the posts are cemented into, every bit of support will help!

Our friends of 25 + years, Tom and Patti Hamilton, had moved to Colorado last year (from the State of Washington) and Pam had invited them to see the RV and lot on this day, July 5th. After a delay, caused by a wrong turn, Patti and Tom arrived OK. We settled in for a spaghetti lunch (and pie for desert) and a few hours of conversation. (And, of course, a walk through the aspen grove and up to Pam’s Pavilion Point!)

Patti and Tom Hamilton relaxing in the RV.

Patti and Tom live on the edge of Colorado’s Black Forest and were within about 2 miles of the massive fire that devastated the area just a few weeks ago. We had time to catch up on this event, our kids, work, a few social issues, and general conversation. Before we knew it several hours had passed. Patti and Tom headed home late in the day. We had enjoyed their visit and promised to visit them later this year.

Shortly after Patti and Tom started their drive home, clouds began to roll in and deliver some much-needed moisture to the Sanderling area. The rain pretty much ended the day’s activities, but Pam and I enjoyed just sitting together and looking out the window at the storm. Later the storm broke long enough for us to get out for a walk and to take a few “stormy sunset” photos. After that it was time for a good night’s sleep.

“Stormy Sunset”

Saturday we awoke to a rain-fresh morning. Agenda items for the day included more lot clean-up and firewood collection. I took the first load of scrap wood to the burn pit, unloaded it, headed back for a 2nd load and took that over to the pit. On the way back I received a call from Cindy, our neighbor (who feeds animals at the De Beque house while we’re gone), informing us the a pregnant mom cat Pam had trapped out of our garage (Isadora, nickname Izzy) was having her kittens. (Izzy had a total of 5 kittens.)

Izzy’s 5 kittens show a range of colors and markings.

Pam had planned to return home this day anyway because of the impending birth of kittens (it was why she drove the second vehicle in the first place), but we wanted to finish several chores before she left. One of these chores including loading the utility trailer with logs to be cut into firewood for Kathy Hall. (You might remember from previous posts that Kathy operates a cat rescue operation and uses wood to heat her rescue building in the winter.) Most of this wood had been collected earlier, but I did cut some standing dead aspen to make a full load. Other chores included finding a place for the spare set of RV keys to be left on the lot, removing the sun cover from the dog run, and getting stuff ready to go back with Pam.

Pam is ready to load firewood.

Then it was washing up, loading and sorting, and getting the dogs ready for the trip home. It had been a very busy few days that saw us getting much work done on the lot and having a very nice chat with Patti and Tom, our first mountain visitors.

After Pam left I took 2 trips over to the hand pump to replenish our fresh water supply. As on the previous day, late afternoon rain developed which put a halt to any other outside work, but it was pleasant to have a late dinner and listen to the rain drumming on the roof of the RV. We have no TV or radio in the RV, but I did have my Walkman and listened to music while the rain was falling. Later, after the rain let up, I went for a walk, then called it a day.

That about wraps up the first two topics; work on the lot and the visit with Patti and Tom. The next day, Sunday the 7th, was my day to ride the ATV.

My book of ATV trails showed a major trail going over Georgia Pass. This pass is one valley east of Boreas Pass and is another route into Breckenridge. It was never a railroad line, just a wagon road that served mines in the Breckenridge area, and is now a forest service road. Several side trips take off from the main road, making this a good area to spend some time on an ATV. The added benefit is this area is close to the lot, maybe 20 – 25 miles away, quite handy.

It was a great ride. I saw a couple bull moose and some mountain goats. I rode through areas that had been mined in the past but have since begun to revert back to a more natural state. I rode through heavily wooded areas (the aroma of warm pine was in the air) and past marshy meadow areas that must have held huge beaver ponds at some time past. I spent some hours above timberline enjoying hugh vistas of mountain tops. One disappointment: The maps I had were not up-to-date and a loop trail I had planned to take was now closed to motor vehicle travel, forcing me to take dead-end side trails instead. On the other hand, one of these trails led me to the the mountain goats, so I guess things worked out overall.

Here is a gallery of photos from this Georgia Pass trip.

Top of Georgia Pass. Mt Guyot is in the background.

Road passes through an old mining district.

Two bull moose spotted in a marshy meadow.

Summit views from Mt. Wise.

And, possibly the highlight of the day, these mountain goats:

Mountain goats #1.

Mountain goats #2.

Mountain goats #3,

I carried the camcorder with me this time. Here is a compilation of video clips I took during the course of my ride: (Running time is 8 minutes and 13 seconds.)

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s two cents worth:

I did suggest we leave a duplicate set of keys on the Sanderling lot back in June, but Jer felt this would not be necessary. Sigh. It’s not entirely satisfying to be right when you’re the one who has to make the four hour drive [on three hours notice] to deliver the keys, however. Still, it’s not every guy who would tote a dog pen that far and over such obstacles (interstate and mountain passes) for dogs he’s not entirely crazy about anyway. I guess I’ll cut him some slack about forgetting the keys.

Izzy’s litter is foster litter #23 (since 2004)

Work, Work, Work…

June 5, 2013 / admin / 3 Comments

In my last post I mentioned I would be including a few more details on the work we did on the lot over the long Memorial Day weekend. Here is that information!

Most of the projects centered around the slope created by the driveway install or work on the driveway itself. The contractor suggested we build some soil erosion control terraces across the face of the slope using old aspen logs, stumps, and rocks exposed during the driveway construction. These terraces would help hold the slope in place until native soils and vegetation could take hold.

Here is a photo of the drive slope after construction:

Driveway slope after construction

Three terraces later the slope looked like this:

Terraces in place

I cut stakes from a couple aspen trees and used them to anchor the cross-logs. We dragged a few longer dead logs (that had been downed earlier on the lot) and added them to the mix. Pam went through our slash pile and dug out old stumps and situated them as additional supports. She also picked up a lot of the loose rocks that had come off the slope and threw them onto the uphill side of the retaining logs. This made the footing at the base of the slope much better!

Pam taking a break from working on terraces

We had been told that new aspen will sprout from old aspen stumps, so we collected a bunch of stumps uprooted by the construction and placed them at the top edge of the slope, partially buried. We hope our information was correct and some young aspen spring from these stumps — collecting, placing, and burying them was a lot of work!

Old aspen stumps placed at top of slope

In the above photo you can see, off to the right, some of the terraces. At bottom center in the photo is one of the evergreen bushes Pam found on the lot and transplanted to the slope. Pam transplanted several items, including a dozen blooming cactus plants, using the tools she had brought along just for this purpose:

Pam’s transplants, including cacti

While the slope took up much time and energy, two other projects also received attention. One of these was the driveway retaining wall, the other was wood clean-up and hauling.

The supplies on the aluminum trailer included 9 railroad ties. Pam and I unloaded them using the following procedure:

I pick up one end of the tie. Pam slips a chain around the end of the tie. Chain is attached to the ATV, which is then used to drag the ties off the trailer and roughly position them along the drive. Later I took a shovel and flattened the ground where the ties would sit and repositioned them into place. The whole operation went pretty well. I used the 2-wheel dump cart to haul up a couple loads of rock from the base of the slope and used these as an additional retaining wall.

Railroad ties at right edge of driveway

The work done so far had taken Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Monday morning we tackled the last project we had planned, lot clean up. Using the ATV I was able to get the trailer pretty close to what remained of the slash pile that was at the bottom of the slope (slash featured in picture #3 above, behind Pam). After loading this wood I hooked up the trailer to the truck and went over to the burn pit.

Unknown to us, the rules concerning the burn pit had changed. In the past we had received a combination to the pit gate and could dump when ever we wanted. The pit was now closed except for Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. I drove up to the local fire station and spoke to one of the guys there to get the story. It seems some people were using the pit as a dump and dropping used appliances, broken toilets, and hazardous materials (paint and stain) that were very expensive to clean up. The pit was designed for wood dumping, encouraging clean up of dead wood around houses for increased fire safety. No wood dumping for us this day! (I did go over the following Saturday, June 1, applied for a permit, and dumped this and another load of dead wood.)

At the burn pit

After that is was time to pack up and, sadly, head home. It had been a busy but satisfying Memorial Day weekend!

Trailer life.

The other part of this story is our first RV experience. It went pretty well. There were a few issues of finding things, adjusting the furnace thermostat, and getting used to the small toilet and shower. I had filled the water tank at home, but had since filled the water heater and tested the water systems. This led to us running a bit low on water the last day. (Since then I have refilled the tank with water from a local hand-pump well.) We slept OK and figured out where to put things like recycle materials. Its not like home (we learned that it takes a few seconds for the hot water to kick in when the water is turned back on at the shower head) but is a great step up over tent camping. I think we will be comfortable for weekend and longer stays.

Here is a 2:03 video of me getting fresh water for the trailer:

You can tell by my huffing and puffing just how out of shape I am!

Did I mention our land is part of an open range?

Cattle on the open range

Not all bad; we occasionally see pronghorn antelope:

Pronghorn antelope seen on way to lot

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

The antelope did NOT play with the deer (…where the deer and the antelope play…),

Discouraging words WERE heard (…where seldom is heard a discouraging word…),

And the skies were DARK PURPLE with an oncoming storm (…and the skies are not cloudy all day…).

First weekend at the lot. Lots of photos.

June 2, 2013 / admin / 3 Comments

Whew. I have a lot to cover since my last post. I try to strike a balance of text and photos in these posts but this post will be mostly photos; my next post will go into more detail about the actual work we did during our Memorial Day weekend outing.

First we had to get The Box to the lot. I had taken Wednesday off during the week before Memorial Day to move The Box as I didn’t want to compete with holiday traffic the first time out. I am pleased to report the F150 pulled the load OK, the electric brakes worked fine, and I even passed a few semi-trucks going up Vail Pass. A closure of I-70 forced me onto a long detour which cost me time and extra fuel, but I was glad to get The Box onto the lot, get the refrigerator started, and begin the set-up routine.

Leaving home en route to the lot

The Box arrives at the lot.

The “Big Outing” began on Saturday morning. We finished loading the truck, hooked up the aluminum trailer, and off we went. (You may recall, from a previous post in March/April, the trailer was loaded with “stuff” we had purchased on sale to haul up to the lot.) This was the first time the dogs had spent any time riding on their bench in the back of the truck but they adapted fine and the trip went off without incident.

The truck with the ATV and all the stuff we wanted to take this trip.

Since this was our first excursion utilizing The Box, I thought we should get a photo of our first meal in it. We had hot dogs, bread, fruit, chips, and lemonade, with chocolate-chip cookies for desert. Just like camping…

First meal in The Box: Hot dogs.

We had taken the ATV and the new dump cart along to help with chores. This combo worked well. The ATV was used frequently to haul rocks, drag logs, and unload and place the railroad ties along the edge of the driveway. I used the winch several times; it was a nice addition to the ATV and I suspect it will get used many more times during the course of cleaning up the lot.

ATV was used to move railroad ties into position.

While I will not go into detail of all the work we did, suffice to say we were very busy (and very tired) all the time we were there. (My next post will have more “before – and – after” photos of the driveway slope where we did a bunch of work.) I mixed up some hummingbird food and set out a feeder which soon attracted a few hummers. We did take time to enjoy the views from the windows of The Box and enjoy a couple sunsets.

South Park view from slide-out window

Hummingbird feeder (red bottle hanging from dead snag) at rear of The Box.

Nice sunset!

Monday afternoon we packed up and headed home. It was a very tiring weekend, but we did get a lot done. Once home Pam launched into a few had-to-be-done chores (laundry/cat box cleaning/vacuuming) and I picked up a few groceries. Both of us were so tired it was hard to get to sleep that night, but Tuesday it was back to work for both of us.

Here are a few more photos of The Box and the lot. The Box served pretty well though we did run into a few minor problems; the stick-on soap dish fell off the wall, “somewhere” it’s leaking occasionally around the toilet (clean water), and we hadn’t planned a place to put recycle items. Still, we did OK and believe The Box will serve us well as a weekend get-away.

The dogs seemed to enjoy the change and managed to get comfortable on the couch. Once outside, Bru can roam free and generally comes when called (except when she visits the neighbor), but Blondie and Jo have to be on either zip lines or leashes. If Blondie smells a ground squirrel, she would follow it into the next county (la, la, la, are those humans calling me?). Jo just loves to run, and usually comes when called, but isn’t consistent.

Dogs get comfy on couch.

More next time on the projects themselves. We transplanted, shoveled, pounded stakes, worked on erosion control, cut a few dead trees, picked and moved rocks, dragged logs, and generally worked like convicts. The change to the lot is noticeable and we’re pleased with the improvement but, boy, were we pooped.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

When we arrived at Sanderling on Memorial Day Saturday, it still felt like Winter in the high country. The aspen were bare-looking and night-time temps were close to freezing. By Memorial Day Monday, when we left to head home, Spring had arrived, with the bright green, lacy leaves aspen are known for. Pretty great to enjoy two Springs in different locations this year.

Did Jer mention the hot water ran out before I finished my last shower of the weekend? No? Just like camping…

Jer also didn’t mention we have cactus on the property. When I see them (and assuming I have the energy), I dig them up and transplant them. Who wants to pick cactus needles out of dog’s paws anyway?

The Box nearly ready….we think.

May 19, 2013 / admin / 4 Comments

I keep saying the trailer (The Box) is nearly ready, but then we keep finding small things to do. This week we have:

Filled the water tank. Turned on the water pump and tested all water lines. Fired up and tested the hot water heater. (Hot water really is hot.) Flushed the toilet. Acquired a used weight-distribution hitch. Bought trailer mirrors from eBay. (Hope they get here soon.) Tested all the outside running lights. Bought a high-pressure tire gauge and checked / inflated all the tires to 65 psi. Cleaned and sealed all battery connections. Hooked the trailer to the F150 and took a short drive to check the electric brakes. (They work fine.) Pam started putting together a food kit to leave in the trailer. I replaced a broken door stop. Tested the stove top burners. Had the empty propane tank filled. (The other is about 2/3 – 3/4 full so we left it alone.)

The last two things to be checked are the furnace and making sure the refrigerator runs on propane. The refrigerator has been tested on electric and works fine. Add a few clothing items, a bit of food for us and some dog supplies, and we will be ready for our first outing.

The plan is to pull the trailer to the lot next week, set it up, then return for a longer stay over Memorial Day weekend. I figure getting the trailer positioned, leveled, and set up will take an hour or so. After that we will enjoy the lot for a few hours before we head home.

Yesterday we drove over to the lot to plant our 30 Douglas Fir tree starts and determine where we want the trailer to sit. I had not been to the lot since the drive was put in and Pam hadn’t been there since last fall.

The tree planting went OK. Twelve of the starts went in along the driveway, beginning at the entrance of the lot and moving inward. The remainder went into the upper end of the drive into the slope created by the driveway install. We hope these trees, if they survive, put down roots and keep the slope from eroding. Over time we think native grasses will take root -we’re actually counting on the native grasses more than the trees.

I didn’t take many photos of this outing, but Pam did take this snap of me balancing on the slope and planting one of the Doug Firs::

Jerry planting a Douglas Fir start.

Closer to home, we have a large Cottonwood tree in our front yard. Pam had seen a couple birds fly into the tree on a regular basis but couldn’t initially see a nest. Surprise for us: the tree has a hole in it apparently suitable for a nest. Blondie, our oldest dog, finds this very interesting and frequently looks up to watch the birds fly in and out. Here is a short video of the parent birds at work:

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s two cents worth:

A big ole thunderstorm rolled in just as we were finishing our tree planting in the high country. The booms of thunder echoed across South Park quite loudly and scared Bru (who has storm anxiety) quite a bit. Storms rolling in across both the Collegiate Peaks range and the Mosquito range — quite an impressive sight. On our way home, there was snow in the air all the way to and over Vail Pass. Snow on May 18th. Bummer.

Sanderling Lot Update and “Stuff”

May 12, 2013 / admin / 1 Comment

Well.

A bunch of stuff, all small, seems to have happened this past week. It was the first week were we didn’t have below-freezing temperatures at night. However, South Park received 16 inches of snow in the last 2 days. It looks like our tree planting – 30 Douglas Fir starts – will have to wait a while longer.

30 Doug Fir waiting to be planted

I got the truck into the garage! I had to use a prop to hold the door open, and the radio antenna bent just a bit when I backed in but, due to it’s built-in flexing, straightened right out.. Man, that truck is big. There is little room either in front of or behind to walk, but the Ford is now inside and we can get the Honda in and out with no problems.

F-150 in garage!

I have been in contact with the Elkhorn Ranch Owner’s Association Treasurer, Mr. David Drake, and we are working out details on getting a key to the dump station. Turns out the station is not that far away which will be convenient. When we pull the trailer over to empty the holding tanks we will be able to replenish fresh water, eliminating the need to haul water from De Beque. That will be a help.

Now the question becomes one of timing; when will we be able to pull the trailer up to the lot? We still have a couple things that need to be done before that can happen.

A brake controller was purchased through eBay and installed this weekend. The trailer has electrically-controlled brakes, but you need a controller in the towing vehicle to apply the power proportionally to the braking need. Pam spent a few hours cleaning the trailer’s bathroom – not a fun afternoon – and put paper liners in the bathroom drawers. Still to be done: test the water systems, get the other propane tank filled, (One was filled this weekend) and add whatever food and clothing items we plan to keep in the trailer. Not all that much, really, but until the South Park snow melts we don’t have to hurry.

Our lilacs and iris are blooming. Daffodils and tulips are just about done. I’ve mowed the lawn a couple of times. Spring is here.

Lilacs in bloom.

Going through some of my old video footage, hoping to find something of interest, I came across this clip of our cat Soot playing with a grocery bag:

We helped our newest neighbors remove a couple dead trees from around their house. Their lot looks better and we were able to get some firewood for The Street Cat Coalition run by our friend Kathy Hall. She’ll use the wood next winter to heat her shelter building. I used the truck to haul the smaller branches to the town’s burn pile so it has already come in handy.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

That Was The Week That Was

March 24, 2013 / admin / 4 Comments

Wow. What a week. At this time last week we didn’t have a quote on putting in our Sanderling driveway. Now the basic drive is in and awaiting surface material (road base or decomposed granite) and erosion-control retaining walls. Lot of work to do over the Summer, but we can get on the lot! The excitement didn’t end there: We bought an RV trailer.

Arctic Fox trailer logo (Dealer photo)

It is a 2000 Arctic Fox 26X model, bumper pull . This unit has a kitchen-area bump-out and rear bedroom. The basic design has not changed over the years, with the exception of the front window. (Newer units don’t have one, this one does.) We don’t have the recliner shown at the left edge of the slide-out, or the TV on the cabinet near the main entry door.

Floor Plan (Dealer photo)

While looking over the rig we found it already has 3 solar panels (total of 60 watts) mounted on the roof to help charge/maintain the twin batteries. The trailer comes with 2 each 30 pound propane tanks instead of the standard 20 pound units.

Trailer – entrance side view (Dealer photo)

Bump-out / slide (Dealer photo)

Manufacturer web site, which has more interior and construction details, is: http://www.northwoodmfg.com/index.php?page=makeindex&make=arctic&type=traveltrailer

We spent last Wednesday looking at RV lots in Grand Junction and saw some very nice — but very expensive — units. We looked at toy haulers but eventually ruled them out as they are not “4 season” rated. (4-season trailers have furnaces and methods to heat the fresh water and holding tanks, allowing RV use later in the Fall and earlier in the Spring. Since the trailer will be parked at 9,600 feet elevation, we decided the 4-season rating outweighed the transport and storage area a toy hauler offers.) Five RV lots and a dozen or so trailer tours later, we realized we wanted a used unit with a living room slide that was reasonably priced. Which is pretty much what we purchased.

The trailer comes to De Beque this Friday. The dealer, Humphrey RV and Trailer, is replacing the carpet in the bedroom, testing all the systems, and cleaning and detailing the trailer. (It has just come in on trade when we looked at it and had not been “gone through” yet.) Price: $8,600.00 plus tax and licensing. Our thought is we can spend weekends and vacations in the trailer for the next several years. While the RV purchase expense takes away from our long-term home construction budget, it saves hotel/motel fees, gives us a place to cook meals, and provides sanitary facilities on-site. ($100 per night for motel stays x 20 mountain visits per year = $2,000 annually for motel fees without the RV.)

We have window where spice rack is shown, different flooring. (Dealer photo)

Hm-m-m-m, transport. Our next challenge will be getting the trailer to the lot. We’re going to borrow a neighbor’s truck to make the initial trip from dealer to De Beque and, once on the mountain lot, use the Scout to tow the rig to and from the RV dump station. The Elkhorn Ranch dump station is about 15 miles away (provided by our homeowner’s fees); that’s where we’ll dump the grey and black water tanks. Experience will dictate how often that needs to be done. (Grey water is kitchen and shower water, black is toilet.) Now, how to get the RV from De Beque to the mountain lot is still in the works. Biggest problem is to make sure transport vehicles used have electric brakes; a controller costs about $130.00 and will need to be purchased and installed in the Scout to ensure safe braking to and from the dump station. If we end up getting a pickup, the brake controller will be relocated to it. (I can dream about the pickup.)

The “fun” part is making lists of what we need to put in the trailer. A 2nd tea kettle, linens, pots, pans, cooking gear…neither of us has camped in a long time, and it will undoubtedly takes us a few outings to get everything we need. Us and the 3 dogs…should be a hoot. Oh yes, an outside containment area for the dogs is on the list too.

A 10 by 12 foot storage shed will need to be erected fairly quickly. We need a place to store the chain saw, portable generator, and other equipment we will be using to clean up the lot, work on retaining walls, and landscaping where necessary. We are in for an active Summer!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Please notice on the Arctic Fox 26X floor plan [above ] the bedroom is on the far end of the RV — with the bathroom between the bedroom and the living area– featuring two doors enclosing the bathroom. Two doors and two thin walls may not be much to shut out the sound of Jer’s snoring, but it sure beats some of the other RV floor plans we walked through. I’ll take it.

The “fun” just keeps rolling on. The lumber yard/hardware store in Grand Junction had it’s 20% off everything sale yesterday. Had to send Mr. Fields over for various items to be used on the lot. Where the heck we’ll store them between now and then is open to discussion.

Ties, gates, pavers, drain pipe…all to be used on our Sanderling lot.

Good thing I squirreled away and stored what money I could through the winter, because the $$$ are sure flowing out this month. The IRS gets their cut next month too.

Driveway is in! :) Lots of photos (and 1 video.)

March 22, 2013 / admin / 4 Comments

Events moved fast this past week, starting with an eye-popping $25K quote and ending with a $4K driveway. Peter began building the driveway on Wednesday. I went over yesterday (Thursday) to oversee the work and take some photos. Here is the work in progress:

Bobcat and excavator were used during construction.

Excavator tore through rock and dirt.

Bobcat moved material up to corner pad.

Here is a short video clip of Peter using his Bobcat skid-steer loader:

Completed drive looks like this:

Finished drive entrance.

Midway up drive heading to the curve.

Parking pad at end of drive.

South Park view from parking pad.

I’ll have more narrative in a later post, but for now we are glad to have the driveway in place!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s two cents worth:

Jer neglected to mention he traveled over to Como yesterday in a raging Colorado Spring snowstorm — stopped by two semi accidents on the interstate before even getting to his turn-off near Frisco. I’m glad I didn’t travel along on this trip, those driving conditions on the interstate make me nuts.

Low visibility and packed roads, Vail Pass.

Up on Sanderling, apparently the location of the parking pad [on the curve of the current drive] appears to be one of the less windy spots on the lot, way less windy than the saddle where we had contemplated putting an eventual cabin. Which could mean the driveway is as long as it’s ever going to be…time will tell. We still need a rough track up to the saddle for clearing wood from the top potion of the lot.

Driveway addendum

March 20, 2013 / admin / 2 Comments

I spoke to Peter about alternatives to his driveway quote. Here is “Plan B” for the driveway: Build the first 200 feet of driveway from the junction with Sanderling Court up to the first large pine tree, which would be the start of the big curve. Include a lower side retaining wall. From the curve uphill, level a simple path up to the saddle and call it good. This upper stretch will not pass County inspection but would allow us to get up into the lot. If we do purchase some type of RV we could get it up and down this path. All this for $5,000.00. I told Peter to get started.

When we filed for the driveway permit last year, we had only mapped the first 200 feet — we didn’t know, at that time, where we would put a cabin. Our first thought was building in the aspen grove and lower on the lot, but since then we have decided on the (higher) saddle location. We filed the permit for building the driveway just up to the corner, assuming we would make a final decision on housing options at a later time. That flexibility may stand us in good stead as we move forward. We are not under any obligation to Park County to complete the entire length of the drive, just the first leg.

As long as we can get on the lot, access a parking spot for an RV, and get the first leg of the drive approved, I think we would be in pretty good shape for this year.

I will ask my boss for a couple days off and head over to the lot to watch (and photograph) the drive being built tomorrow and Friday. In addition, I can relocate a couple of small pine trees and help clear the upper part of the path to the saddle. This section has some trees to cut down and clear out. Pam and I had not made it this far up in our cleaning efforts.

We are excited about getting this project started, at a price we can (almost) afford. I should have a “driveway report” in a few days!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Stunned! OMG…Driveway Quote Received! $25,550.00!

March 18, 2013 / admin / 3 Comments

Just say we are stunned. Here is the quote for putting in the driveway:

Driveway quote – OMG!

🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁

The first time I had spoken to Peter, last fall after we closed on the lot, the price was much less and the proposed building site was on the other side of the lot! We had come up with the $5,000.00 number based on his rate of $1,500.00 per day plus materials, guessing 3 days of equipment work. The quote above includes 12.5 days of equipment work. Are you kidding?

Guess the river rock is out.

On to the next plan…I’ve asked Peter what he can do in a couple day’s work just to get the drive built from Sanderling Court up into the first 200 feet or so, which would get us up to the start of the big curve. That would, at least, allow us to get onto the lot proper. And, more importantly, that would allow us to meet the County specifications on slope and entrance to the drive, things I probably cannot do myself. The upper part of the drive, and curve, will just have to be done later with rental gear. We will have to start looking at alternate retaining wall materials.

Speaking of the driveway, here is a bit from the notes on the permit:

Notes from driveway permit.

As you can see, the County is very particular about the entrance to the driveway. If Peter can do this bit I can probably handle the rest of the construction, which aside from setting up the retaining wall, is mostly digging. I can rent a blade for the back of the 8N for leveling and grading if it comes to that.

I am bummed out, and cannot believe that $25,000.00 quote. We looked at lots where the drive would have been much harder to build; I wonder what one of those drives would have cost? Really, we were going on our conversation from last fall, and this quote has really blindsided us. 5 times our expectations. Oh well, we’ll just move on to an alternate plan.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Driveway quote and Plan B

March 17, 2013 / admin / 6 Comments

Last Friday I took off from work and drove over to the Sanderling lot to meet with Peter, our driveway contractor. We needed to finalize a route for the drive and go over some options, such as materials for retaining walls.

The day was partly cloudy and breezy with temperatures in the upper 50s. Very nice! Peter looks to be in his 40s and seems quite competent. The meeting results were a blend of good news and bad. Bad: The best driveway route would involve removing a (large) tree, something we had hoped to avoid.

Driveway corner.

Tree on right of photo above would have to be moved. Peter thinks he can save the tree by moving it downhill from it’s current spot. (Drive would come in near tree on left.) Blue lines indicate the placement of the retaining wall and the outside edge of the driveway curve. Basically, moving the drive closer to the fence line (seen at the back of the photo) would create a to-sharp corner that would not pass County specifications, and swinging out to avoid the tree would require a huge retaining wall and much longer curve, complete with culvert, to get back to the ridge. As it is, the wall would be about 75 feet long and will require fill material behind it. The fill can come from where the drive would meet Sanderling Court, as that part of the drive has to be dug down to the current road level. Although we are not keen on moving the tree – odds are it will survive relocation with a small root base – it seems to be the best compromise for us.

Good news: Most of the driveway work is just digging, which is the cheapest rate.

Peter and I discussed material for the retaining walls. The drive entrance will require a small wall on the down-slope side of the drive. That wall, which cannot be seen from the road, will consist of large (2 feet wide by 2 feet high by 8 feet long) concrete blocks. These cost about $40.00 each, not bad. Blue lines indicate where the blocks will go.

Lower drive will require wall on left side

We wanted the curve-and-corner retaining wall to be more attractive as it can be seen from the road approaching the lot and will be a focal point. Peter suggested river boulders, a natural material which meshes with our wish that we avoid “foreign” materials, such as interlocking blocks, as much as possible. River boulders are large enough to hold the load of the drive (bottom course would be 2 ton rocks) and when native soils, grass or flowers are added the result is very attractive. Not cheap, though, as the rock has to be hauled in from Buena Vista and this, plus the cost of the rock itself, will raise the price.

We also need one, possibly two, culverts. Peter said he would work on the quote this weekend and get it to us in the next few days. Now it is “wait and see” until the quote comes in. We hope it is in the $5,000.00 range.

Unfortunately, our plan to put a structure on the lot has already moved on to Plan B.

Peter mentioned (and we later confirmed) that the County will not allow us to build a garage before we build a house. Apparently Park County has been burned in the past by people building garages and sheds and then living in non-sanitary conditions. This is a blow to us, as we had hoped to put up a garage and use it to store tools and gear for a few years until we could put up a cabin. (Cabin requires a septic system and running water.) So, what to do now? We really want to be able to spend time on the land for both esthetic and practical reasons. It is hard to get any real work done when you have to drive 7 – 8 hours to get there and back, and renting a hotel/motel room for overnight stays at $100 per night. Plus we just want to be in the mountains for a while, particularly in the summer time.

Pam has (reluctantly) suggested we look at getting a used toy hauler. These rigs have some storage space along with basic kitchens and sleeping areas, and have fresh and waste water tanks. Elk Horn Ranches (the homeowners association for the Sanderling property) has an RV dump site, free for us to use, so we would tow the rig to the dump site from time to time to empty the waste water tanks and fill up with fresh water. It seems many land owners in the area follow this routine. Drawback is such a purchase takes money away from the construction fund. The trade off is having immediate use of the land and a place to stay overnight, along with the ability to move forward on lot clean-up and other jobs, or keep the money toward building a cabin in 5 – 7 years. (Well and septic would run about $20,000.00 and would have to be put in before we could get a building permit.) We are strongly leaning toward a toy hauler (storage for tools when we are not there) and taking advantage of the property while we are able to do so. We’ve checked out some toy haulers on-line, and depending on the driveway quote, will start looking at units in the next week or two.

There are RV dealers in Grand Junction, about 35 miles away. Here is an interior shot of a toy hauler for sale:

Toyhauler has a basic kitchen and bath.

Beds flip up in this basic toy hauler. Not fancy, although you can get fancier ones than this, but for an overnight stay it is probably sufficient.

Cargo area of a toy hauler

So folks, the land saga continues. In my next post I hope to have a definitive word on the driveway, and maybe even that work has begun!

In other news…

Son Toby is moving ahead with getting his Indiana referee credentials and arranging summer work with various softball leagues around South Bend. We hope this works out for him, and we have offered to help with any expenses he may have updating his equipment or paying for training. Toby is currently working for a carpet installation and cleaning service. Pay is not great but he seems to be making ends meet. The referee jobs would add a little cushion to his income.

Daughter Felicity will be singing with her Sweet Adeline group (Northwest Harmony) in Boise, Idaho late next month. The Sweet Adeline organization has a regional meeting and competition planned and we will be driving over to visit Felicity and listen to her group sing. More on this as the date gets closer. (Should be interesting to see Felic and her music ladies, she has to wear theatrical-level makeup and have her hair done to sing with this group. Totally not her natural look.)

Spring is arriving here in western Colorado. Grass is turning green and the lilac bushes are just starting to bud out. Still, below freezing temperatures are in the forecast for a few days this week, so I cannot say spring is fully arrived. It is nice to be working outside without wearing a heavy coat and the dogs are spending much more time outside as well. We had rain last night so everything is a bit wet right now, but we will get the lawn raked and maybe even put out some grass seed to patch a couple bare spots this coming week.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s two cents worth:

I’m not much for camping, so a bit negative on RV’ing. For one thing, the vehicle we have that can pull the weight of an RV is Jer’s 1976 International Scout II, which has not proven to be extremely reliable. (The Subaru can’t pull anything heavier than an aluminum trailer, it seems.) For those of you who have lived in Colorado, you know licensing for vehicles is based on age and weight, and can be quite expensive annually (2010 Subaru Forester costs hundreds of dollars per year to license). Vehicle insurance is also expensive, since each legal Colorado driver is paying for uninsured motorists (illegals up from Mexico, mostly). Then, what to do with the RV once you have moved on and no longer need it? Most of them seem to be left out in the weather to rot away, not so very attractive. However, since Coloradans have so many “toys” – cycles, snowmobiles, ATVs – toy haulers seem to be holding their value a bit better than traditional trailers, and enjoy a resale market. My main concern – how are the dogs and I going to get any sleep when Jer starts snoring in one of those tin boxes…

Category: Land (Page 2 of 5)

4th of July Weekend – Long Post – Bonus Video

Work, Work, Work…

First weekend at the lot. Lots of photos.

The Box nearly ready….we think.

Sanderling Lot Update and “Stuff”

That Was The Week That Was

Driveway is in! :) Lots of photos (and 1 video.)

Driveway addendum

Stunned! OMG…Driveway Quote Received! $25,550.00!

Driveway quote and Plan B

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