Kara and I were txting this am and decided we'd add the reasons behind the 5 year plan.
I't a little hard for me to express but I'll give it a shot, bear with me I just got done shoveling two yards of compost comprised of horse manure and hay out of the bed of my truck and it's windy so I may not be at my most eloquent.
For me the 5YP is about freedom. Freedom from worrying about if I'm bothering the neighbors. Freedom to raise my own chow, whether it be flora or fauna. It's about freedom to explore the outdoors and enjoy what it has to offer. It's about opportunity to learn and expand my skill set. It's about challenge and adventure.
Don't get me wrong Texas has a lot to offer. I love this state and it's been my home for the last 14 years. I spent part of my teens in El Paso, and came and went from the Ft. Hood area on leave once I joined the army until I got stationed here.
The problem is somethings I want in life are sorely lacking in the lone star state. We have little to no public land. The drought shows no signs of letting up which is seriously impeding my efforts to have a nice place and impact fishing in a major major way. To hunt in this state you have to pay big bucks which I just don't have or you need friends with land that will let you hunt. It's not like that everywhere, here are pulic lands available to us in other places. There are places in the country with no shortage of water. My intention is to find some place with a balance of the things I need and make it my home.
Last year I had the fortune to make a few trips that really got me hungry for making this happen.
I rode my Harley to Spokane Washington, that really got the fire started, the mountains in Colorado are amazing! It was really western Montana and northern Idaho that I fell in love with though. Trees! Mountains! Not so damn crowded! Last year I drove through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The Gulf Coast states were amazing but the wide open spaces were missing. The Plains states are just not for me, not enough trees and where are the mountains? Minot North Dakota was Pretty but damn it was cold! Colorado has some gun laws I disagree with and New Mexico is to much like Texas in terms of heat and lack of trees. Northern Idaho and western Montana are amazing though! Before it's time to make our move we'll do some exploring around up there but I'm stoked for the possibilities up there!
With that I'm going to sit my tired sore self on the couch and read my book, I need a tractor!!!
I've traveled all 48 states, Yes your right the mountains are beautiful, but the regions you list get friggin' COLD. I'm talking mind numbing cold. Eastern Colorado is as flat as Kansas, grow LOTs of crops. Western Colorado is the rockies, beautiful, rugged and there may not be well water. And its the same thru the western Rockies, ground water is a hit and miss. Land we can afford is in the miss department. And while desolation/isolation seem like good ideas.....its not all it's cracked up to be.
ReplyDeleteThen look at tornadoes, earthquakes, and other natural catastrophes. Not to mention the freak snow storms, or hellish winds, or dust storms for days.
No, Texas is not the perfect location, but a few miles east over Dog Ridge hill is perfect ground, west of here, cotton, pecans, then.....nothing. East Texas has trees, lots of trees, and ticks, and poison snakes. skeeters as big as sparrows. Go south into the swamp lands, If you can stand the smell, and bad water. 1000 years of compost, swamp water. You could go to Arkansas, but you and Kara would have more teeth than the whole county you move to. :) Get up in the Ozarks, that's real nice country in Arkansas and Missouri. just not as far north as Branson. You probably don't want to go east of the Mississippi river, too many people. Not too much north of I40, East of I 25
Northern Louisiana is nice from Shreveport to Monroe, Still tolerable winters, good soil, But gas/oil cotton and cows keep land prices high. And look at the cost of commuting for supplys groceries, PVC for the hydroponics/aquaponics with a satellite dish you can get internet, for research and ordering stuff.