WE ARE LAND OWNERS!!!

Yesterday we went to the Title Co in Alamosa to sign the final papers to complete our land purchase, so as of yesterday we are the proud owners of 40 acres!!  To celebrate we camped on it last night.  We took some more pictures, planned where we will build both the camp house and the Wren's Nest, and dreamed of what our lives will one day be like when we live there.  This is where we are going to spend the rest of our lives.  Now THAT is a new feeling!!!  And one I could really get used to!

 Here you can see the snow is almost gone and more green is starting to appear.

 Taken from base camp.

 Since there are no trees out there we got this thing to give us some much needed shade, and boy were we glad we got it!  

Hey Vanessa, recognize that feather?

 To give you a better idea of how BIG this property is, we took the following pictures from the corner posts.
I suggest clicking on the pics so you can zoom in.

 If you look closely at the above pic you will see the shed and our camp area.  This was taken from the NW corner post and our camp is about in the middle of the land.

Again taken from the NW corner post. The fence runs down the edge of our property, along the Bureau of Land Management land that we back up to.  Past this fence there are miles and miles and miles of solitude.

 Can you see me in this pic?  I am standing at the NE corner post and Ken is about 1/3 of the length of the property away from me!  The other 2/3 is back behind him.  This place is HUGE!

 This is our driveway coming in to the land, toward Blanca.

 And this is our driveway coming back out, toward Hwy 17.  This portion of our driveway is about a mile long and then you hit the dirt road which is well maintained, and it's about 8 miles long.

 This was taken from the NE corner post. 

 And this is from the SE corner post.

This was taken from the lake, in the general vicinity of our SW corner post.  The berm you see facing the lake is probably going to be the one we build our underground Earthship into.  First we will be building an adobe barn/camp house up on the flat area near where we camped.

Ken made a fire pit and we sat around it, talking of what our future might hold.  It also kept us warm until we could snuggle up in our sleeping bags.  It got down into the low 30s but we were cozy.  Simon helped keep us warm, too, just like when we were crossing the country last year.  He loved it this time, too!

Because of the fires in AZ and NM sometimes it was really hazy out there.  It blows my mind the smoke travels so far that we have a hard time seeing a 14,000 foot mountain right in front of us.

With a piece of land to call our own there is so much potential!  We can grow our own food, build our own earth friendly homes, and maybe even get a couple of horses someday.  The ideas are flowing and it is exciting to know that they are going to come true.

Gratefully yours,
Ken and Jen and Simon, Land Owners

Hi Mom and Dad!!  We love you!

Zapata Falls

Today we went to Alamosa again and while we were in the area of Mt Blanca we decided to go check out Zapata Falls.  It was a bit of a drive to the parking area, then we hiked back to the water which was about 1/2 mile, then we hopped rocks all the way back to the 40 foot waterfall.  It was so incredible back there!!!  Half the waterfall was frozen and was blue like the glaciers, and the other half was coming down loud and fast.  Such a cool hike!  First a little info on the San Luis Valley:

 We sure are liking our vehicle!  Perfect for us here.

The hike up was sorta steep but not bad, and it was very rocky.

 We rested a moment before beginning the rock hopping portion of the hike.

You will need to click on this picture to read it. 

 We were kinda shocked they let people rock hop back there, since it would be really easy to fall and get hurt.  We waited around awhile after seeing an older Canadian couple hopping back to see the falls.  We wanted to make sure they made it back out okay.  They did.  :)

 See how blue they are?  Glacier ice.

It was ROARING!

 After we came back out I started showing off a little. I've still got great rock hopping skills and that made me feel young.  :)

I was so proud that I didn't get my feet wet at all, not even a little bit. :)

It was getting late when we left, but we paused here for a bit of quiet time.  The mountains settle my emotions and lighten my spirit.  Just looking at them does something to me that I just can't seem to describe.  See the Sand Dunes out there in the distance?  We will be going to visit those on our next trip down into the Valley.  S

Having fun, as usual!!  I love it here in Colorado!  SO MUCH!  

Bbye for now!  <3 <3 

Property

 See the mountain behind our Walmart?  That is Mt Blanca, a fourteener, the 5th highest peak in Colorado and an important part of Navajo history.

 There is Mt Blanca again..  see the GPS?  It's confused about where we are!  LOL

 This and the pics that follow were taken on or from the land.

 This is a seasonal lake, empty right now but it fills up and wildlife come.  Half of it is on the land, the other half is on BLM property.

 Two sides of the property are fenced.

 Unlike most places around this area, the land has rolling hills.

 This is a small, two story shed that has been wired for electricity.

 There is a BLM easeway that borders one side of the property.

BLM Marker

 The only neighbor.  He is rarely there.

A farm we saw on the way in.  There were a few of these in the area. Electricity goes a few miles down the well-maintained dirt road but does not go all the way back to the property.

<3  It took our breaths away.  <3  

Looking for Campgrounds

Finally today felt like Spring in the Rockies!  The wind wasn't too bad, the skies were blue, and the temp was in the high 60's so we headed out for a hike.  This time we decided to scout out the local campgrounds since it won't be long before we break out the camping gear and get back to nature!  We found a place near the Reservoir that looked promising. It was called Cross Creek Campground and we hiked all around it.  As usual in this area we discovered spectacular views and we were the only people out there.

When you come across perfect "chairs" in nature, you take a break.

There were a couple of these birds hanging around.  Not sure what they are.  Anybody know?  They make a loud feather noise when they fly off, and they don't fly very far, or very well.

We stopped for a little apple cider, bananas, and raw almonds and then headed down the road to another campground.  We liked it a lot too and since it's off a paved road we could easily take the trikes instead of driving.  I am VERY excited about doing that again!  This time last year we were camping out nearly every night and I MISS IT!

When we got to these HUGE boulders I tried to get some pics of Simon howling...

but instead, I got pictures of Ken trying to get Simon to howl.  :o

Nope.  Not gonna happen.  LOL

Anytime we go out hiking around here I feel happy, joyous and free. You can't get that kind of pure peace just anywhere and I am so very grateful for where I live.  

See ya next time!