Thats pretty much what I said when I visited the Beta Site today…the first time I’ve been up there since it changed hands. Specifically, into my hands. I could not help myself but to say “See that tree over there? Mine. That one? Mine. That rock? Mine.” I also scolded a bird for trespassing. I have a bit of a territorial streak in me.
I wanted to head up there for more than just childish selfish reasons…I wanted to see what the roads were like, and more importantly, to see how much humanity was up there. This is an are that is well past ten miles from electricity. The number of year-round residents isn’t going to be huge…though they are there. My concern was my two closest neighbors on the two properties that were kittycorner from me. Neither property showed signs of their roads being used. At least, not terribly recently.
Of course, the road to my property (and , wow, it takes some getting used to saying ‘my property’) was equally unused. The only prints remaining in the snow were from the local wildlife and the cattle that roam the area.
A few trees had decided theyd give their lives to block the road into the Beta Site and they will get removed in the spring when the snow melts. In the meantime, they do yeoman service deterring any trespassers.
And once you get to the top of the hill, you can see down into the proposed building area.
The remaining snow was very patchy in the timber and there were plenty of places in the pines where the ground was nothing but beds of pine needles on dirt. Sat there for a while and listened to the blissful silence of…nothing. No cars, no trains, no people, nothin’…just the way I like it. It was probably about 50 degrees and sunny at that point so it was pretty dang nice to be out there. A light pullover and ballcap were plenty.
One of the reasons I wanted to get up there was because I wanted to see where along the route would be the optimal place to unload the side-by-side and continue the journey. Later this month I’ll be picking up a trailer to haul the side-by-side out there. I need to find a spot along the route where I can safely and securely park the trailer and my truck while continuing on the side-by-side. The road to the Beta Site is an easy enough, though bumpy and twisty, ride in the non-snowy season. However, once the snow sets in theres some parts that are definitely sphincter-clenchingly treacherous. Certainly, throwing some chains on the tires of my small truck wold go a long way but there will come a point where the snow or other conditions call for something a bit more dedicated to crappy terrain. So..side-by-side.
There were portions of the property that were knee deep in snow and portions that were completely bare. I definitely should have brought along my snowshoes, as well as some gaiters and yaktrax.
And, one other reason for the trip – remote game cameras. I received a couple remote game cameras for Christmas and deiced to try setting one up to keep an eye on things. I don’t necessarily expect to see much in the way of trespassers at the moment, but I would like to get the familiarity with the system and process so that when summer gets here I can set up a network of cameras at the most likely access points.
So…long day. My plan is to pick up the trailer in three weeks and haul the side-by-side out there and get some miles and experience on it. I will also be dragging up a loaded Monovault with some essentials so that theres at least some resources up there in case I do actually have to hide out up there before I get the place built up.
But, I gotta say, it was a very novel feeling to know that everything I looked at belonged to me (for as long as I pay the $50 annual property taxes, anyway.)
Oh, and the road that you see in the pictures above? It’s steep. One of the other things I wanted to do while I was up there was make sure the realtor had removed their signs. They had not. But, as it turns out, those For Sale signs are made out of a corrugated plastic that was perfect for sitting my butt on and roaring downhill at breakneck speed before tumbling out into the snow. That was fun.
Good for you, dude. I’ve been rooting for you through the search this last year, and I’m excited for you! I hope it’s a grand adventure, and that it turns out great. I remember looking at my property after the signing. It’s a pretty cool feeling, all ideas and potential.
No feeling like real Ownership not just paying a mortage.
Looks great! Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to your build & move.
Why on reading this did this just pop into my head? https://youtu.be/Q54lVO7elt0?si=BJbIb5qsyTxAHDzM
With that slope you will be able to have a nice walkout/daylight basement if you wanted…
Thank you for including us in this adventure as well as the nice day you had!
Following. Yes on the game cameras or remote in place photo video coverage. If not net capable for off site monitoring it will allow some recording and data gathering in your absence to build an activity profile of wildlife visitors or periphery human activities at roads or neighboring parcels. If you visit somewhat infrequently an leave truck and foot tracks or plow and blade the drive way in and can kinda keep it clear depending on snowfalls year to year it may show signs to interlopers some one is there or does tend to the area, but will also be a sign to the curious or nosy types as well as criminal interlopers that something is up there. Your typical first year or so of any goings on there will be of interests to neighbors or passerby types and you know how nosy they can be. The may meet you and bring a plate of cookies and be great, but there may be the tweaker ex con nefarious types that are friendly on the outside but always looking to rip someone off and being the new guy outsider you are a target as such. Plann accordingly and work these probable into your strategies as you get set up and engage with the property / area. Have fun!
You have any good recommendations for cameras you can watch/record remotely? I am more on edge of suburbia but would like to have a few on my property, but refuse to upload video to Ring/cloud servers.
Sorry I don’t have enough worthwhile advice. I don’t like being plugged into some corporate app system to use those types of cameras systems. Nest, ring etc. They are backdoored by l.e.o. big brother feds and wi fi can be hacked or scanned to determine it is in use in the area. Even just a data card battery game camera should help fill out a data intelligence profile of the area even though you are not live logged in. I myself will have to study this conundrum problem. Stay alert out there folks.
Eufy seems like something that would work for you…
With birch trees on the property, you need to build a sauna
in regard to the realtor’s “For Sale” signs – most areas of the Country – they are only obligated to remove their signs in a timely fashion if realtor firms change >>>
after a sale it’s understood that their advertising can continue – if it’s a buzy location a “SOLD !!!!” addendum sticker gets applied for some additional advertising buzz >>>
interesting enough – if you didn’t read the uber uber fine print of the listing contract – a client is $$$$$ responsible for the signage posted to the property – totally up to the realtor’s discretion concerning absolutely everything >>> getting sued for $100s for some of that field advertising is noooo joke …….
Re SxS… should be considered winter travel capable only when backed up with a 4wd backhoe to carry out the SxS when it will inevitably get hi centered on snow pack.
Fact. And that is only after trudging thru the crusted snow to fetch the BH. Make sure the SxS also has a winch for the easier ‘stucks’.
Congratulations.
“Ten miles from electricity.”
You certainly have a rabbit hole or two to go down.
Please, please, get some professional advice on your power system and don’t just kludge something together based on YouTube videos. A lot of the stuff I see off grid content creators doing is straight up cringe. The gear isn’t cheap and if it isn’t done right it will fail you at the most inopportune time, and then continue to be a constant headache. It can be something that is super reliable and doesn’t need your attention but maybe once a month to check on metrics, if done correctly.
Congratulations on the new place! When you purchase a trailer for the rtv, consider one large enough to haul it but small (lightweight) enough to pull with the rtv to the destination.
One trailer big enough to haul not just SxS but equipment and supplies. Twin axle minimum, tractor/backhoe capable minimum.
Regarding remote game cameras. I have a number of cellular game cameras that I acquired on sale for less than $50 each. They are used for game trail watching and for security around our property. Downside for remote use is that my particular brand of camera (SpyPoint) also transmits its GPS coordinates so their location shows on the Apps map. For sure, SpyPoint knows where they are but location may also be hackable.
If possible, use cameras that do not transmit GPS info.
You may want to change your view on avian neighbors. If you were to make friends with the local murder of crows they could be a veritable winged early warning system and surveillance system for the cost of a large bag of peanuts. Imagine a neighbor that wronged you and could not leave their home for being attacked by flocks of crows.