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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2017 23:39
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I sold my beautiful Oregon parcel on the creek just east of Crater Lake - in the shadow of Mount Scott. Took the equity, paid off some bills, and had enough left to bid on a county auction parce for 14k. I flipped that for 32k. And, just purchased this parcel out in Summer Lake, OR for 22k. It's 32 acres with only two Russian Olive trees on it. People think Oregon is all trees and green, but half of it is desert. So, I'm really only in to this lot right now for 4500. I have cash to install a well, estimated at 5-6k. The big reason I bought this parcel is despite the desert, the aquifer is excellent in this area. The neighbors well is 110 feet and does 30 GPM. The other neighbor went down to 300 feet and pumps 1000 GPM. I took my Kubota down today and started pushing in a lane through the sage. I'm drawing inspiration from all you posters here for off grid. I'll be off the grid, so need to figure out the power for the well. It's big wide open, so thinking about employing the wind.
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Ontario lakeside
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2017 00:08
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beautiful country.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2017 09:07
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Badger, eastern Washington is the same way. Anything east of the cascades is high desert. The range creates a rain shadow. Hey, you probably have 300+ days of sunshine a year, no obstructions (except those two trees) and perfect combo for solar power.
Looks like a fun place to take my KTM 300XCW for a spin out there.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2017 09:27
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Congratulations on your wide open spaces.
There are a lot of solar powered well pumps available now that ranchers use to water cows in remote locations. But with your wind and water not deep, I wonder if a plain old wind mill would be a good choice.
The hand water pumps they have now will easily pull water from 100-200 feet depth.
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2017 10:05
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I'm researching windmills now. The old fashion windmill pumps 24/7, right? Is there a control so waters not spilling needlessly?
I asked my driller if it's feasible to plumb the well with a hand pump and electric one (to be hooked to generator). He said plausible, but there are some cons associated with it. He didn't elaborate though.
Also, in the show Yukonmen, Stan has a cabin with a hand pump well inside! I've not seen this before but would assume this might be best for a super shallow sand point type well.
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2017 10:08
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Yeah, you can dirt bike up Diablo Mountain and cross country to Lake Albert. And, I can ride out the door up onto Winter Rim and get into the aspens and Sycan Marsh. Kind of a unique spot, green 10 miles west and vast and stark east.
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RiverCabin
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2017 13:39
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Quoting: BadgersHollow The old fashion windmill pumps 24/7, right? Is there a control so waters not spilling needlessly?
Nope. If you are talking about the traditional farm windmill, they have a cable and lever which disengages the pumping action at the head of the windmill. At least this is my experience with an original Aermotor that I helped my father install.
Aermotor still makes windmills over 100 years later but they are not cheap. https://aermotorwindmill.com/
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RiverCabin
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2017 13:44
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Quoting: BadgersHollow I asked my driller if it's feasible to plumb the well with a hand pump and electric one (to be hooked to generator). He said plausible, but there are some cons associated with it. He didn't elaborate though.
No, it's not a big deal to have both a hand pump and electric pump so long as the casing is big enough. It can get expensive. I know because this is my current project at my cabin. It can get expensive fast however as deep water hand pumps are not cheap. See bisonpumps.com and simplepump.com for examples. Youtube has many videos showing installs in existing wells.
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ColdFlame
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# Posted: 20 Mar 2017 10:09
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Engineer775 (Practical Preppers) on YouTube has a few videos on Solar Water Pumping - In fact he just did a follow up on one of his solar water pumping installations yesterday (March 19th, 2017). This particular installation was pumping to a 1000 gallon cistern and providing water to the property from the cistern. He just added a second 1000 gallon cistern to provide additional capacity. That was all from one solar panel (he has two installed there, but does explain what the second panel does towards the end of the video).
I think the biggest thing to consider would be the need to have an efficient pump.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 21 Mar 2017 15:20
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Badger.we wondered where u went to.
i hear those russian olive trees are very invasive and u cant get rid of them.
did u plant them or were they already on your land when u purchased it?
maybe the person who planted those trees were thinking of getting some trees on the property?
u can eat the fruit when its very ripe.
how exciting.
i want to do that too.
move onto a place with more land.our area is so full of people.
and they are all crazy.
well i guess we will make do and just try to buy up more land around us so we can have more space.
good for u.love u did this.
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2017 02:13
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The land was zoned A2. I petitioned the county for a conditional use permit. I submitted the application, paid 425 bucks, and appeared before the amazingly personable county commissioners and they granted me the right to build - all legal and everything. Thus was quite the victory as the land is now more valuable. Now I can proceed to the hard work. Dreams of a little desert oasis.
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2017 02:16
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I'm off grid. The neighbor is super nice. Always good to listen to the locals with history. I'm all ears any time I get around the old timers. Any ways, the sun and wind are resources out here, as far as power. So I shall investigate wind and solar. Kind of neat to learn as you go and cobble a little spot in the earth into an abode
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2017 02:18
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There are literally two spindly trees on the 32 acre. So they don't have a chance to take over. I bought some aspens, but need to get a watering situation figured out. I was able to buy a 225 gallon water tank on Craigslist for 70 bucks. It's basically new. So thinking about rigging a drip irrigation for the weekdays while I'm away.
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Borrego
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2017 10:07
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We have some good friends over by Wagontire...beautiful country, lots of cowboys and cattle which I didn't expect, thought Oregon was all like Portland 
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2017 11:58
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Most of OR is vast and dry. They call Wagontire and southeast the Oregon Outback. The irony is that there is often good water in our aquifers. A town called Christmas Valley was a real estate farse back in the 60 and 70s. People from CA bought cheap land up here sight unseen thinking about the green Oregon. Only to realize that they'd just purchased barren wasteland. Ranchers found the water though and now are making millions on the alfalfa.
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2017 12:00
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Cabingal3, I really looked for another piece over by Sand Creek. Those lots north to highway 58. But everyone that seemed perfect had what seemed to be a turd neighbor. So, I sacrificed the trees and deep snow for open range.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2017 01:29
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BadgersHollow.smart move.
enjoy all that wonderful space.sounds like u have some pretty good ideas for your new place.
that was interesting information on Christmas Valley.
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 13 May 2017 17:36
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I got the well dug yesterday. 126 feet down into the desert sagebrush. Static water line is 50 feet down and I'm getting 15 GPM plus of good, pure water. Enough for a small cabin, I think. Now I just need to research pump options (off the grid).
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 13 May 2017 17:38
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I helped the driller out quite a bit (he was 73 years old). He charged me 4800 bucks. I felt like that was very reasonable, considering how remote my place is. If anyone needs a well dug in south central Oregon, call Art Fry. The man was a professional and a wealth of knowledge.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 13 May 2017 21:04
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thats very cheap BadgersHollow.thats an amazing price.
wow.thanks for this name.
thats not too deep considering its in sagebrush land.
good luck on the pump.
we have an above ground pump cause it was all we could do.
we have a pump house and we have to put some heat inside the pump house on frozen nites.
it works wonderfully.
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 13 May 2017 23:30
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He's drilling at mount Scott meadows next week. Make sure no one runs off with his gear. He's a good man!
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 17 Jun 2017 04:33
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Dang, through it on craigslist and my land sold in two days. Doubled my money in 2 months. So, I'm back in the market for a small cabin get away spot in Oregon. Also, looking towards the Kenai peninsula now too - decisions, decisions - so many beautiful places in North America.
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Ken Robbins
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# Posted: 6 Aug 2017 16:12
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Quoting: BadgersHollow Also, looking towards the Kenai peninsula now too
I'm building on the peninsula now, you probably won't like it (terrible place full of trees, wildlife, great fishing and such).
I tell folks "terrible place, you wouldn't like it" but I think I can't have it all to myself regardless of how hard I try. I have never found any place better except a few other spots in AK and we have a great well driller too.
Lower priced property is tough to come by though, at least that is reasonably workable. There is a great variety of land types on the peninsula, you should be able to find about any feature you want except the desert motif. Take a look at Kenny Lakes and McCarthy area in the Wrangell-St.Alias park area. That's my next goal, a tiny trappers cabin over that way.
Ken
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 18 Aug 2017 04:15
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Thanks for the reply Ken. I just found another parcel at the base of Crater Lake. 5 acres, with well and electricity. Zoned residential too! It backs to a hundred acre common land that has a few little lakes. I just paid 37K cash, which was a pretty good deal for Central Oregon. I still have my eye on the Kenai with a possible job interview in Soldotna coming up. But, this was too good of a deal to pass up and the Kenai job is still just a maybe. Either way, it is good to have options.
I visited Kenai last fall and fell in love.
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2017 19:52
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The parcel at the base of Mount Scott in Oregon is coming along. No one can understand the labor involved in just prepping the land for a build until one does it themselves. This fall, I have been busy pushing a lane in, dropping timber for a clearing, and burning brush.
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2017 19:53
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Common land ponds
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2017 20:12
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beautiful BadgersHollow.
we are looking to buy some new to us land .at least ten acres.
so we are saving our pennies and in the spring will venture out.
good luck .
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2017 20:24
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Will you sell and move out of the high desert pine forest? The other side of 97 is pretty damn nice. Same geography, but good people on 5 acre lots. There's some cheap land down in the flats of Lake county. But no trees. I'm thinking of buying a parcel down there too. Then in retirement balance between the resources of the forest and a more 4h set up in a valley (for gardens, chickens, pig, maybe a cow).
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Gary O
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2017 20:36
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Quoting: BadgersHollow Common land ponds
....so, are you in the same area you were?
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2017 21:00
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Yes, circled all the way back around as there is no place quite like it for the price. At the sand creek store, take a right and head toward the mountain.
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