It took all day- we found it! I was either drinking or not, I really don't remember, and I was browsing eBay, which is a fact.
I remember that part.
I found 20 acres near Terlingua.
I like Terlingua.
This appeared to be within 2 or 3 miles of the Ghost Town, and I bid a stupidly low price for it.
There was no way that 20 acres that close to Terlingua was going to sell for what I bid.
It did.
I won.
Now, all I had to do was find it, right? Out here, it could be totally inaccessible, or just have 4-wheel drive access, or be the side of a mountain.
It could'a been anything.
So, as soon as my doctor would give me the OK, I scooted West.
Got here yesterday.
Today, my neighbor and I got into my truck- after long discussions via email, many hours on Google Earth, and a few phone calls to local surveyors- we thought we knew where we were going.
For the first 3 or 4 hours, it appeared as if you couldn't get there from here.
Or anywhere.
We traveled was back into the desert, up the mountains- at times my truck was at a very scary angle driving sideways across a mountain.
That's when we decided to regroup.
Mexican food was definitely called for.
I've found that most problems become less daunting after a good #1 Mexican Dinner.
In the "Chili Pepper," which is a surprisingly good restaurant run by a happy family, we ran into the Amazon.
Betsy and I had met the Amazon at Lajitas resort last trip.
It turns out that she used to live near my land.
"Have you tried the riverbed," she asked? Well, no.
It hadn't occurred to us that we could drive down a dry riverbed.
So we all trekked back down hwy 170, took a right at the riverbed, and drove a few miles...
which took a long time.
6 or 7 miles an hour was pushing it.
There are rocks in the riverbed that could easily puncture a tire or an oil pan.
There are cactus that can pierce a radial tire.
We took our time.
We had loaded the co-ordinates for my property on the GPS, and- amazingly- the riverbed took us within a quarter of a mile of my property.
An easy walk.
Unless you've recently had a knee replacement surgery.
I tried.
But it was just too vertical, and the thought of being cut on again kinda melted all my macho, so I let my neighbor and the Amazon go ahead.
I walked around the river bed, took a few photos, and listened...
I lucked out.
The property is gorgeous.
When it rains, there's a waterfall! It's green, water should be relatively close to the surface, and it's flat enough to be useful- and looks out over some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen.
I am pleased.
As we dropped the Amazon back at her car, I asked her what she wanted for helping us find the land.
"A Mexican Coke," she said.
It turns out that the Study Butte store has Mexican Coke, which apparently are made with real sugar, as opposed to whatever is in the American ones.
The Amazon got back in her little car and drove off.
The neighbor and I headed back to the Portable Empire West office (see below).
I pulled up the photos and decided I'd share.
What's the marketing lesson? I'm thinking.
The only pattern I see is that when I cruise eBay and make stupidly low bids, I occasionally buy something that I wouldn't otherwise buy.
In this case, I bought twenty acres of fabulous desert for much less than I've paid recently for a guitar.
I'm not sure there is a lesson in that.
(Added later.
) There probably is a lesson there.
Most of what happens in my life happens in a dimension that I don't have conscious access to.
The law of attraction never sleeps.
I don't know, exactly, what the desert has in store for me.
The Universe, presumably, is working on it.
I'm just following the flow, walking the path that appears in front of me, and enjoying the trip.
Apparently, the universe was of the opinion that I needed 20 more acres near Big Bend National Park.
The reason for this will be revealed, or not.
So far, it's working out just fine.
Maybe that's the lesson?
I remember that part.
I found 20 acres near Terlingua.
I like Terlingua.
This appeared to be within 2 or 3 miles of the Ghost Town, and I bid a stupidly low price for it.
There was no way that 20 acres that close to Terlingua was going to sell for what I bid.
It did.
I won.
Now, all I had to do was find it, right? Out here, it could be totally inaccessible, or just have 4-wheel drive access, or be the side of a mountain.
It could'a been anything.
So, as soon as my doctor would give me the OK, I scooted West.
Got here yesterday.
Today, my neighbor and I got into my truck- after long discussions via email, many hours on Google Earth, and a few phone calls to local surveyors- we thought we knew where we were going.
For the first 3 or 4 hours, it appeared as if you couldn't get there from here.
Or anywhere.
We traveled was back into the desert, up the mountains- at times my truck was at a very scary angle driving sideways across a mountain.
That's when we decided to regroup.
Mexican food was definitely called for.
I've found that most problems become less daunting after a good #1 Mexican Dinner.
In the "Chili Pepper," which is a surprisingly good restaurant run by a happy family, we ran into the Amazon.
Betsy and I had met the Amazon at Lajitas resort last trip.
It turns out that she used to live near my land.
"Have you tried the riverbed," she asked? Well, no.
It hadn't occurred to us that we could drive down a dry riverbed.
So we all trekked back down hwy 170, took a right at the riverbed, and drove a few miles...
which took a long time.
6 or 7 miles an hour was pushing it.
There are rocks in the riverbed that could easily puncture a tire or an oil pan.
There are cactus that can pierce a radial tire.
We took our time.
We had loaded the co-ordinates for my property on the GPS, and- amazingly- the riverbed took us within a quarter of a mile of my property.
An easy walk.
Unless you've recently had a knee replacement surgery.
I tried.
But it was just too vertical, and the thought of being cut on again kinda melted all my macho, so I let my neighbor and the Amazon go ahead.
I walked around the river bed, took a few photos, and listened...
I lucked out.
The property is gorgeous.
When it rains, there's a waterfall! It's green, water should be relatively close to the surface, and it's flat enough to be useful- and looks out over some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen.
I am pleased.
As we dropped the Amazon back at her car, I asked her what she wanted for helping us find the land.
"A Mexican Coke," she said.
It turns out that the Study Butte store has Mexican Coke, which apparently are made with real sugar, as opposed to whatever is in the American ones.
The Amazon got back in her little car and drove off.
The neighbor and I headed back to the Portable Empire West office (see below).
I pulled up the photos and decided I'd share.
What's the marketing lesson? I'm thinking.
The only pattern I see is that when I cruise eBay and make stupidly low bids, I occasionally buy something that I wouldn't otherwise buy.
In this case, I bought twenty acres of fabulous desert for much less than I've paid recently for a guitar.
I'm not sure there is a lesson in that.
(Added later.
) There probably is a lesson there.
Most of what happens in my life happens in a dimension that I don't have conscious access to.
The law of attraction never sleeps.
I don't know, exactly, what the desert has in store for me.
The Universe, presumably, is working on it.
I'm just following the flow, walking the path that appears in front of me, and enjoying the trip.
Apparently, the universe was of the opinion that I needed 20 more acres near Big Bend National Park.
The reason for this will be revealed, or not.
So far, it's working out just fine.
Maybe that's the lesson?