Pikes Peak or Bust!

[Hermit]

After seeing pics of the RV, I'd say it's really two cars and a boat

The upper garage will hold the Jeep and the old F250 with its snow plow. The lower will hold the Audi TT with enough room left for the future Harley and a couple 4-wheel ATVs.

A guy needs to have a few toys to entice friends and family to the mountains!

 

[Jack_Pine]

The upper garage will hold the Jeep and the old F250 with its snow plow. The lower will hold the Audi TT with enough room left for the future Harley and a couple 4-wheel ATVs.

A guy needs to have a few toys to entice friends and family to the mountains!

Speaking of which, aren't you going to need/want a sled or two?

 

[Hermit]

Speaking of which, aren't you going to need/want a sled or two?

Good idea! Now I will need to clear a bunch of tree stumps and logs for a path out the back door and down the hill.

 

[Jack_Pine]

Good idea! Now I will need to clear a bunch of tree stumps and logs for a path out the back door and down the hill.

Well, yes, those.....In Wisconsin we call snow mobiles "sleds" like they call them "snow machines" in Alaska. They are a blast to run and good in emergency snow to get out.

 

[Hermit]

Well, yes, those.....In Wisconsin we call snow mobiles "sleds" like they call them "snow machines" in Alaska. They are a blast to run and good in emergency snow to get out.

Actually, there has not been enough snow to run snowmobiles where I will live for quite a number of years. I would have to take them farther north a ways.

 

[haha]

Not too much fire risk. The area was burned in the Haymon fire in 2002. The aspen are returning and there are lots of pine trees that are about a foot high now. I will take fire precautions around the building. There is a paper discussing how far away to keep plants and trees and other fire fuels.

The RV is too cold to use in the winter. I came back to Virginia in late October last fall.

Do I see some Pine Beetle damage in those photos, I can't really tell.

Last summer I was in Colorado and I had my first look at Pine Beetle work.

Ha

 

[Hermit]

Do I see some Pine Beetle damage in those photos, I can't really tell.

Last summer I was in Colorado and I had my first look at Pine Beetle work.

Ha

No, that's fire damage. There is a lot of pine beetle damage up in the Denver area. Where I am the areas of the forest that did not burn are in pretty good shape.

The Haymon fire actually went through the area twice. Once in one direction and once in the other. The folks that had places back then said the only thing left was steel or iron. Anything made of aluminum was just gone. When I first got my lot about 5 years ago the aspen were about 10 or 12 feet tall. Now I'd say they are between 25 and 30 feet tall.

 

[38Chevy454]

I like the house design. I will say that as an old car hobby guy, the garage is never big enough! How about adding a lean-to off the back alongside the bottom garage to provide some covered shelter space but at very low additional cost?

I am south of you and live at 7100 ft. We get some snow here and I have a tractor that is so useful around the house and property. Blade on the back for snow or grading work, bucket on the front, or detach bucket and pallet forks for front, and a bush hog on the back for cutting. Just a great multi-purpose tool. So many things it can help with.

The lean-to would be great tractor storage, for example. I can be good at spending others money!

 

[LoneAspen]

No, that's fire damage. There is a lot of pine beetle damage up in the Denver area. Where I am the areas of the forest that did not burn are in pretty good shape.

The Haymon fire actually went through the area twice. Once in one direction and once in the other. The folks that had places back then said the only thing left was steel or iron. Anything made of aluminum was just gone. When I first got my lot about 5 years ago the aspen were about 10 or 12 feet tall. Now I'd say they are between 25 and 30 feet tall.

I wasn't living in Colorado at the time of the Hayman fire, but have friends in Divide who lived through it. The stories they would tell were horrific.

When I moved back a few years later, and started looking to buy a house, one of the homes I looked at in the Florissant area seemed to be a nice home, but priced rather low. I started doing some Googling, and checking county property records, and found out it was owned by the family of the woman who started the fire. When the fire broke out, there were news reports of angry locals driving by, and threats to burn her house down. I quickly passed on that one, figuring that's the reason it was priced so low.

Glad to see things are recovering in that area.

 

[NW-Bound]

Speaking of the damage caused by the beetles, I recalled driving through the Rocky Mountain National Park and seeing vast stretches of the forest devastated. This was perhaps 7 or 8 years ago.

And about forest fires, in AZ we had a large fire called Rodeo-Chediski in 2002 that destroyed 732 sq.mi. When we were looking for our 2nd home, we had a chance to buy a home in a "predisastered area". That home was actually right at the edge of the burned area as the fire was stopped!

Due to relatively low precipitation, forests in AZ take a long time to recover, particularly areas populated by junipers. These are extremely slow growing, and highly drought-tolerant.

 

[Hermit]

I like the house design. I will say that as an old car hobby guy, the garage is never big enough! How about adding a lean-to off the back alongside the bottom garage to provide some covered shelter space but at very low additional cost?

I am south of you and live at 7100 ft. We get some snow here and I have a tractor that is so useful around the house and property. Blade on the back for snow or grading work, bucket on the front, or detach bucket and pallet forks for front, and a bush hog on the back for cutting. Just a great multi-purpose tool. So many things it can help with.

The lean-to would be great tractor storage, for example. I can be good at spending others money!

The lean-to would be a good idea, but there will be a road right there. The county wants me to do a cul-de-sac for emergency vehicle turn-around and the only way to do it is around the house. It sits on the top of a hill.

Here is my tractor and dump truck. I own them with the friend that will help me build the house. I was thinking about the forks that clamp to the bucket. I would prefer regular forks, but the clamp-on ones are only a couple hundred bucks.

 

[38Chevy454]

The lean-to would be a good idea, but there will be a road right there. The county wants me to do a cul-de-sac for emergency vehicle turn-around and the only way to do it is around the house. It sits on the top of a hill.

Here is my tractor and dump truck. I own them with the friend that will help me build the house. I was thinking about the forks that clamp to the bucket. I would prefer regular forks, but the clamp-on ones are only a couple hundred bucks.

Well, you could just make that upper deck longer and use that to park under. Lean-to does not have to be more than 8-10 ft out from the wall to provide some nice protected storage. If you made it back from the driveway it would still allow for the turn-around since you have the deck there.

My tractor bucket has the quick detach option, so my pallet forks are used instead of the bucket. The clamp-on forks are a nice option for you, and relatively cheap. They just limit some of your loading capacity since they are further out from the support points. Real nice for hauling longer pieces around, like logs or boards. Or in my case I built a retaining wall using railroad ties. Very nice letting the tractor do the hauling and moving of those heavy ties!

A dump truck is on my wish list, something similar to yours being a single axle slightly older truck. Then I could get gravel or other stuff and avoid delivery fees and time waiting for delivery. The dump bed is nice for unloading.

 

[Sue J]

.......we had a chance to buy a home in a "predisastered area". That home was actually right at the edge of the burned area as the fire was stopped

Never heard of the term "predisastered area". Is this comparable to "distressed furniture"?

Learn something new every day on this forum.

 

[NW-Bound]

I could not claim credit for the word. It was borrowed from the movie The World According to Garp, and I could not be sure that this movie was the origin of that word either.

PS. By the way, look closely and you will see an obvious goof: the debris around Garp changed as the camera position was shifted in the middle of the scene.

PPS. The "predisaster" logic does not work in Garp's case, but is valid in the forest fire case. There's little left to burn! However, the view was gone, and we did not like the floor plan, hence did not buy that place.

The world according to Garp - YouTube

 

[Mr. Paul]

Here's an update from the local political scene ... love this!

TELLER COUNTY – The town of Divide has a new mayor. His name is Pa Kettle, and he's a bloodhound.
Buster the Cat was considered the frontrunner over the last couple of weeks, but in the final vote – Pa Kettle the dog edged him out.
Since the town of Divide doesn't have a mayor, the Teller County Regional Animal Shelter holds a special election every two years to elect a new animal as mayor.
The election is considered a fundraiser for the animal shelter. Each vote costs a dollar – and every dollar goes to the shelter.
TCRAS is the only no-kill shelter in Teller County. It relies heavily on donations.
This year's election brought in $12,091 for the shelter.
The town's previous mayor was a three-legged cat.
(KUSA-TV © 2014 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)


Dog elected mayor in town of Divide

 

[Hermit]

Here's an update from the local political scene ... love this!

TELLER COUNTY – The town of Divide has a new mayor. His name is Pa Kettle, and he's a bloodhound.
Buster the Cat was considered the frontrunner over the last couple of weeks, but in the final vote – Pa Kettle the dog edged him out.
Since the town of Divide doesn't have a mayor, the Teller County Regional Animal Shelter holds a special election every two years to elect a new animal as mayor.
The election is considered a fundraiser for the animal shelter. Each vote costs a dollar – and every dollar goes to the shelter.
TCRAS is the only no-kill shelter in Teller County. It relies heavily on donations.
This year's election brought in $12,091 for the shelter.
The town's previous mayor was a three-legged cat.
(KUSA-TV © 2014 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)


Dog elected mayor in town of Divide

My kind of place! Is a real dog-eat-dog (err - cat?) kind of world when it comes to politics in Divide.

 

[LoneAspen]

Divide, Colorado...

Talk about a true "wide spot in the middle of the road" I say that in fond memory of the place, I used to live there.

I practiced real estate in Teller County for a couple years when I lived there, and had no idea of the shenanigans that went on in county politics. A dog or cat would truly make for better politicians there.

Hermit, if you haven't done it yet, drive west on Highway 24 until you go over Wilkerson Pass. As you crest over the top, it's one of the most jaw-dropping vistas I've ever seen. First time I saw it was on a clear crisp day with a few clouds in the sky, and you could see forever.

 

[38Chevy454]

Here's an update from the local political scene ... love this!

TELLER COUNTY – The town of Divide has a new mayor. His name is Pa Kettle, and he's a bloodhound.
Buster the Cat was considered the frontrunner over the last couple of weeks, but in the final vote – Pa Kettle the dog edged him out.
Since the town of Divide doesn't have a mayor, the Teller County Regional Animal Shelter holds a special election every two years to elect a new animal as mayor.
The election is considered a fundraiser for the animal shelter. Each vote costs a dollar – and every dollar goes to the shelter.
TCRAS is the only no-kill shelter in Teller County. It relies heavily on donations.
This year's election brought in $12,091 for the shelter.
The town's previous mayor was a three-legged cat.
(KUSA-TV © 2014 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)


Dog elected mayor in town of Divide

I used to live near the small town of Sunol, CA. This is 100% true story, they did elect a dog named Bosco as mayor of the town; not as symbolic, but as a real election. The best part of the history is to visit the town saloon where a likeness of Bosco lifts his leg to pee filling a beer! See here:
Bosco the Dog Mayor, Sunol, California

 

[Hermit]

Divide, Colorado...

Talk about a true "wide spot in the middle of the road" I say that in fond memory of the place, I used to live there.

I practiced real estate in Teller County for a couple years when I lived there, and had no idea of the shenanigans that went on in county politics. A dog or cat would truly make for better politicians there.

Hermit, if you haven't done it yet, drive west on Highway 24 until you go over Wilkerson Pass. As you crest over the top, it's one of the most jaw-dropping vistas I've ever seen. First time I saw it was on a clear crisp day with a few clouds in the sky, and you could see forever.

Yes, I have been there and your description is right on. You should try an off-road tour. The vistas only get better! This is north of Highway 50 at Texas Creek looking South at the Sangre de Cristos. (You have to click on the picture to get good resolution. The picture still doesn't do the view justice.)

 

[HFWR]

Love Colorado. May have to move there [-]for the weed[/-] when my glaucoma gets worse...

Stayed at a friend's cabin outside Westcliffe a few years back. Sort of a flat valley where the cabin was, but mountains in all directions. Did some hiking near there.

 

[LoneAspen]

Hermit - Thanks, I'll have to do that next time I'm back there!

38Chevy454 - That was a great article. I clicked on one of the links in it, and also found this, which was a good read. I never knew there was etiquette in touching statues, LOL:

Statue Burnishing - Statue Rubbing

 

[Hermit]

Love Colorado. May have to move there [-]for the weed[/-] when my glaucoma gets worse...

Stayed at a friend's cabin outside Westcliffe a few years back. Sort of a flat valley where the cabin was, but mountains in all directions. Did some hiking near there.

Westcliffe is just down the valley to the left in the picture.
(Maybe I should say just out of the picture.)

 

[Mr. Paul]

Since the subject of Westcliffe came up

The reason these horses are running is my knucklehead dog just behind them.

 

[Mr. Paul]

This is our view of Pikes Peak

 

[Hermit]

The area around Westcliffe is really pretty. The friend who will help me build the house has a lot about half way between there and Texas Creek. He has awesome views of the Wet mountains to the east and the Sangre de Cristos to the west.