Our offer accepted on 28 acres in WA!

[Bud Smiley]

Well that is just beautiful. You've done well.

 

[Charlotte's Web]

Beautiful mountain views.   Wish it had a stream but...

Congratulations!
Back in the mid 70's I bought my acreage in the coastal redwoods, but figured all along I would likely relocate south of the border for retirement.  Too dicey there now for that.  For a while I thought, since I've got decades of VW camper adventure travel under my belt, that I'd get a small but comfy old Class C & head off for some full timing.
Now I wouldn't consider parting with my (now) well developed homestead & skills to full time.  Way I see things now, having a good, solid home base affords the best chance of riding out/surviving what may be down the pike.  I've been looking around my land for the logical place to develop a pretty woodsy but sunny RV site.  I'm basically off grid, so anybody who joins me here will need to be set up for that.  When I find the right person, who has previous rural homestead skills & wants to hunker down--there will be a spot waiting.  In the mean time, I'll use the pad for my own camper. 
Your new acreage looks gorgeous.  There's nothing like a bit of terra firma to call your own!
Best of luck & have fun,
Charlotte

 

[ArtW]

I've heard that in some areas you can sow native grasses and wild flowers and then not mow that area. If you have a HOA and they start belly acheing I think there is a county or state entity you can register with.  Maybe the local US Dept.of Agriculture office or a county ag. agent would know about this if you're interested.

Jewellann

Hahaha HOA? we don't even have building codes, there are folks here living in homes that are literally falling down, I didn't even get a building permit for the carport, though it is not rooted in the earth and so technically not a 'structure' lol
I might look into that, or I may make a mulchyard lol

 

[Headache]

Congrats! You are making me antsy to get out of here and get my little piece of scrub brush!

 

[MrNoodly]

28 acres sounds small...

If I were to buy land, all I'd need is something about the size of a typical campground site. A place to easily park the van, have a table and chair, and I'd be good. If I wanted to get fancy and splurge, I'd make it twice as large so I could have visitors. In other words, something like a Coyote Howls East site (which rents for less than $600/year) but in someplace less remote.

 

[IGBT]

Well, we closed on the property a few days ago and have been puttering around up there getting the saplings out of the road.  It is a really good road that winds through the property!  It is about a half a mile long and it seems they built it with large rock and then smaller rock, then crushed gravel on top.  They spent a ton of money on this road, I kind of feel bad for how cheap we got the property.  Oh well, I have been on the other end of that deal a few times before.

I was cutting down a couple of lodgepole pine yesterday that would be within fall radius of our first camp spot.   These are about 90 feet tall and 14 inch diameter.   I am only taking down a few but the forester told me I should have someone come in and take out all the lodgepole and sell them (maybe $4,000 to $6,000 back to us).  He said they are nearing 100 years old and their maximum age.   I worry that a logger will make a mess of things even if they don't damage the more valuable douglas fir and larch.

Still, these two lodgepole I cut down are an immense amount of wood.   I mean I could have many cords just from the two of them.  I think a wood stove is on the menu!   There are probably about 300 more lodgepole on the property of this size.

 

[abnorm]

Good News................When is the required/celebratory "Tribal Gathering" planned ?..............Har-Har

doug

 

[ClassyGlobal]

Awesome and congratulations. It is only small if you don't have enough for what YOU want it for. I think it is an awesome catch and based on your description it is nice location! Enjoy!!!

 

[caretaker]

be careful burning pine in a wood stove,,,,understand if you do you WILL have chimney fires, and the more efficient the wood stove the worst it will be,,,,and chimney fires get real hot

 

[IGBT]

I don't know too much about it all but found this:

"Lodgepole pine firewood is considered by many to be one of the better pines and softwoods for firewood. It can put out a fair amount of heat and will last a while. Lodgepole pine tends to be a slower growing and more dense pine with one of the higher BTU rating of the pines. It also has thin bark so when you get a cord of lodgepole, you are getting more wood and less bark. It is a good all around wood for wood stoves, fireplaces and outdoor fires."

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

be careful burning pine in a wood stove,,,,understand if you do you WILL have chimney fires, and the more efficient the wood stove the worst it will be,,,,and chimney fires get real hot

That's an old wives tale.  You can burn pine in woodstoves and fireplaces. Hardwoods burn longer and produce more heat (more btu's per cord of wood) thus the reason it's preferred. Pine burns hotter and gives you a better flame, ideally you mix the two and get the combo of better flames of the pine for ambiance and hardwood for more heat. All wood gives off creosote, not just pine, the reason people think you can't burn it in wood stoves and fireplaces. There have been studies done debunking this and even still a lot of industry professionals expel this common myth