8/24/13 Land ho

my morning puppy love before we set out for Victor

We trucked it up to check out the land Mom and Dad have a pending contract on. On the way out, the balloons over the city were rising up into the morning air. I think we counted about 8 in view. It was a beautiful day for a drive to the mountains.

Victor is about an hour's drive from the Springs, and stands at about 10,000 feet above sea level, so the winds stay much cooler than in the city. 

When we arrived at the gate, I chuckled at the posted sign, although I was informed this was mainly for elk hunters who entered private property illegally. Definitely different crimes around these parts. 

The flattest spot on the almost 40 acres currently has a fifth wheel parked on it, as well as a cistern and a portapotty. This would work well during the building of a house, although the land deal is separate from whether the fifth wheel stays. They hadn't been able to locate the key the last time and we were on a mission to see if we could get inside and get a feel for the options and its Kelly Blue Book worth.

There are also some great rock formations, perfect for climbing, that peek up above the trees.

Sam and I climbed up on top of the fifth wheel and sat and stared for a good while. At that elevation, with that white top, we managed to get ourselves sunburned in less than 15 minutes.

The tee-pee formation of the logs down by the firepit, also allows for a hummingbird feeder.

There are also some great sitting logs.

The property is well forested, lots of bristlecone pines and stands of aspen. You can also find some glory holes still around, which means you can't go wandering through the trees after dark without some danger. These were excavated by miners 100 years ago, looking for gold veins.

The meadow in the center of the property is filled with wildflowers and tons of quartz.

Dad and I climbed up the rock formation from the picture above. This is looking down through the trees to the small spring below, right at the property line (just left of center in the picture). That road has yet to be pinned down as another possible access to the land. The maps aren't the most well-marked things in the world when you're dealing with the middle of nowhere.

Looking toward the fifth wheel and Battle Mountain, you can also make out the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in the distance.

Turn the other way, and through the trees is the "backside" of Pike's Peak, currently entirely bald without his handsome snowcap.

Looking down at the edge of the property to the south is the fence line that is one of the biggest questions still to be answered.

By the Teller County Map, where you see Dad standing is actually the property boundary. We don't know if the map is wrong, or the guy who grazes his cattle through the property (reducing the tax to about $5 a year) set up the fence wrong, or whether a neighbor has incorrectly constructed the fence line 30 yards too far out.

While Dad and I were checking out fencelines, Bob, using all of his prison guard experience, located the key to the fifth wheel.

The thing is sorely in need of a super deep cleaning and interior decorating (everything screams mid-90s) but since I've always loved tiny spaces, it was mighty cute.

By then, we'd worked up plenty of appetite for lunch, so we headed back down to Victor to check out the local cuisine (blog to follow).