Our New House!

 Some Gentle Readers have been asking me about our move to Fort Garland, from the Sedalia ranch we've been living at in the fifth wheel. So here you go -- more about our soon-to-be home there. 

You probably have guessed that Fort Garland is named for a military installation. A fort was established in 1858 in the San Luis Valley to protect settlers, travelers and deal with Indian battles (the Utes, specifically.)  Here it is -- plain, practical and pretty typical for Western forts. 

After the Utes were moved to reservations (not a bright chapter in the West's history), the fort was eventually abandoned in 1883. It's now a museum.

Most people don't have a clue where Fort Garland is -- simply because it's a mere spit in the road, compared to its much larger neighbors, La Veta, Walsenburg and Alamosa. It probably would have remained that way, had Malcolm Forbes not entered the picture. He bought up thousands of acres of land and built a lavish ranch for his family. Eventually the Forbes family started selling lots on 'Forbes Ranch,' turning the area into a gated community for upscalers. Many of these people used their cabins as a summer spot, with plenty of open space for hunting, as well as fishing at the nearby reservoir. 

(The HOAs in this area, by the way, are pretty stiff, although the Forbes Ranch version at least covers road maintenance and garbage pickup. Lots of rules, too -- and our fifth-wheel was NOT welcome, except for limited periods. But prices for the lots, many which still show damage from an extensive fire in 2018, are reasonable. Many, particularly on the lots where homes burned, also include well access and septic tanks. )

Forbes, Inc. also developed the Sangre de Cristo Ranches, and began selling lots in the early 1970s. They stopped in 2000, not long before 'our' house was built in 2003. Many of the houses, ours included, were brought in fully manufactured -- ours was put on a foundation, and a full basement added. (Also unusual in this area, based on the many properties we looked at. Usually it's just a crawlspace -- or a cement slab.) Our house does NOT have an HOA, which pleases us both. (HOAs, as many people have found out, can increase their rates and charge what they please -- and you have to pay it. This bothered us big-time, and definitely kept us from buying one of the Forbes Ranch properties.)

Bear in mind: we've been living in a 32-foot fifth wheel now for approx. 4 1/2 years. (We sold the Collins house in late September 2019.) Although it's been quite comfortable, and has let us go where we needed to (like Michigan and Arizona), a constant problem has been the lack of storage space. We don't have to worry about that any longer --

This place has three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a study, upstairs and downstairs living areas, with a kitchen and deck upstairs. Downstairs, there's access to a two-car garage area, plus a third that opens up to a workshop. (No more working on the car outside in the cold!) Several storage areas, PLUS a separate small barn that has storage in a crawlspace, as well as a full attic. 

Oh my. I am already drooling. 

                And a library!

The house and shed sit on a bit more than ten acres of trees and sage: typical Colorado landscape. (We've already gotten several jokes about shooting the annual deer/elk right off the deck. We could!) It's dry here, and the previous owner wasn't much for xeriscaping or sturdy perennials. (That's ok -- I know what to grow, and the Brick has promised me a greenhouse, eventually.)  It's dry and sandy, also typical for Colorado. Even better -- the house is surrounded by an open area. (Fire damage stays at a minimum - and insurance costs are less.) But forest is close by, as you can see from the photos. And it's topped with a lovely view of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range.

The back deck -- and easily a 60-mile or so view

We have our own well and septic field. Propane, which we intend to stretch -- since we also have a woodstove, plus a few cords ready for use. (We also plan to install a solar array.) Our neighbors aren't that far away, though not close by. (Okay with us.) The road is gravel, but it's regularly maintained by Costilla County. (Also okay.) It's only 10 min. drive down to the valley and Fort Garland (post office, realty, a dollar store -- a few restaurants, a small grocery), and another 20 miles to Alamosa, which pretty much has everything you'd desire, including a thrift shop (!!!) and Walmart.

Our kids are still in the Denver area. So is much of my work, and our friends from Castle Rock and parts nearby. Fortunately, Fort Garland is up to 3-4 hours away,  but not that much of a drive, considering it's mostly I-25 highway. My guess is that we'll be up north every 3 weeks or so, if not more. Which is about what we do now for trips to Denver, plus seeing our kids, anyways. 

            Master bedroom

The Brick and I have literally prayed this decision into being. We'd tried and tried with other houses to make it happen -- and the door kept slamming in our faces. The opposite happened to this house. To our surprise, we closed the contract --and had enough funds (and a good credit score) to make it work. I think this is where we're supposed to be next. 

We'll move in mid-November. Now, some photos. We'll be starting over as far as furniture goes -- but there are some nice bargains out there. We just have to wait until we have somewhere to store them. Fortunately, we have good friends who offered us furniture pieces...and are willing to wait a month for us to pick them up. 

Kitchen...

And the living room leading to the kitchen and dining area

Living room upstairs...

...and downstairs.