Thursday, June 11, 2009

The Land


After my discovery trip to Montello, where I fell in love, I made an offer on 10 acres of land North of town. My current house in Utah resides on 0.17 acres. These 10 acres are laid out in a near perfect square and I all but lose my breath in walking from one side to the other. 10 acres is HUGE!!!!

My initial offer on the property was declined, but after a few rounds of negotiations we settled on a price that I’m sure made the seller happy and certainly delivered a smile to my face. The southern boundary of the property borders BLM land, so I think I can expect unobstructed views and minimal neighbors for years to come. Currently, my closest neighbor is over ½ mile away. The next closest neighbor is over a mile away in the other direction. Serenity NOW!!!! I haven’t walked around the property naked yet, but with a high degree of confidence I’m certain no one will see, much less care if they did happen to notice a bright white fat guy strolling through the sage.

The land is covered with sage brush, sand, small rocks (pebbles) and the occasional cactus. I had hoped to see a bunch of rabbits, but instead found a few friendly lizards and a handful of stand offish antelope. I half-way expected to see a few rattlesnakes, but to my delight I have yet to see any! I’m guessing this land is very similar to most other land you’d find out west in the high desert before man arrived and started irrigating (i.e…SLC).

Friday, June 5, 2009

Day One


A few years ago I ran across Montello while searching for remote and inexpensive land and never managed to do anything with it beyond that. Earlier this Spring I encountered Montello again and hit the ground running. Either the timing was right or desperation was catching up, so I went on a discovery trip to Montello and found exactly what I was searching for. I trust my father's opinion, so I invited him to come along. I don't think he'll be coming back. I trust my brother's opinion, so I invited him to come along on the second trip. I don't think he'll be coming back either. Montello is a special place reserved for those who are truly exhausted with humanity, crave adventure, and don't have a pristine trout river running in their back yard (my brother). Montello does lack trout fishing, but it more than makes up for it in the things I perceive it has. Montello forces a lifestyle of economy, simplicity, and peace.