Another newbie searching for "like-minded" people

Hi I found this site about a month ago and have been avidly reading thru many of the forums. I have found many similar minded individuals but none seemingly interested in the area I am. This being southern Colorado or maybe northern Arizona. I like the foothills to the Sangre De Cristo mountains. High altitude, rolling terrain, and lots of SUNSHINE! This I need, being a sun loving Leo. I am currently living in a suburb west of Cleveland Ohio.( cold rainy mouldy yuck) I am planning to move west after my kids graduate high school next year. I have relatives living outside of Denver CO, and may stay with them for a short time.
Ok as for the like minded individuals, I am interested in starting a permaculture, food forest farm and growing it into a sustaining, organic, holistic community! (oh let me rephrase that more like planning, scheming, planning, sketching, planning,.......) WEll hope you get the idea? A few details: 1) 5-40 acres (would like more can only afford 5) 2) huge huge fan of Sepp Holzer and hugelkultur 3)plan to build undergound 4)Fact I am 56 and reasonably fit. Age does not matter to me just want don't want to do it alone. Is there anyone out there who would be willing to join me? ps Watch the Thrive movie, its on utube haven't seen it mentioned here yet and it relates big time!!!

Hi Lyla, what about the Sangre De Christo Mountains interests you? I'm in Vermont, and like it here, but single again. I'm 57 (!) and a woodworker. Will checkout the Thrive movie.

Hi Mark Went camping there a couple of summers ago. Drove from Lake Trinidad to Durango camping along the way. Beautiful fell in love. I'm originally from cloudy Cleveland. I have lived in Long Island NY, San Diego CA, and now am back in Ohio. I have driven across the country from NY to CA several times and have been through many states. I personally need lots of sunshine to be happy. Colorado has that and more....but I have considered northern New Mexico or northern Arizona. My goal is to buy 5 (or more)acres and build a food forest, pond, hugelkulture gardens, underground home, I just don't want to do it alone. Oh and my family think I'm nuts!

Wow, you have been around the country! I'm from cloudy grey Indiana, so I know what you say is true ... Also a Leo - with Scorpio rising, so playing in puddles in the rain is nice for me. I grew rice here in Springfield 2 - 3 yrs ago, and had a 20 x 50' puddle to play in. A friend lives in Albuquerque, and in 2001 I visited and picked up a Permaculture Magazine with an article about making tiny dams in the tiny arroyos at the top of the watershed, and working their way down the hill making more and larger dams, and it really changed the land ... Maybe it had been overgrazed like most of the land out there. I was tempted to do the same (make dams) but thought I could afford Oregon land {ha!}. The place I bought here in Chester had a 5 acre Beaver pond on it, which was so rich, but then the Beavers were trapped. Several years later, a very ambitious Beaver tried again, but was washed out repeatedly, finally by Irene. I read that there was Beaver all over the West, even up high in the Rockies, before Europeans ... well, can you imagine?

hello just saw that you commented about me over on another topic. thought probably be better to reply over here on your thread though

i have 10+ years experience with raising goats. my family used to have 6 milk does, 2 bucks, and in kidding season varied from about 3 to 18 kid goats. and since we only left babies with mom first three days and then milked and bottle fed after that... not sure exactly what i would call it hahaha. well if nothing else i learned alot of what not to do and what i want if i get a place to start from scratch.

i currently have 2 milk goats, 6 guinea pigs (have a topic about those if ya want a look-see anybody), and rabbits for meat. rabbits currently 1 buck, 7 does, and 6 kits (kits= baby rabbit) and one of the does is due any day now.
oh, and the goats are due about mid-march.

here in the southeast ohio. so i'm a couple hours east of cleveland.

really not sure what else to post so just ask away if ya wish. haha.

Omg, you're in Ohio. I live 20 mins west of Cleveland would love to meet and see your goats. What kind are they? I have looked into several breeds nigerian dwarf, nubians, but don't know anyone who raises them. I'm interested in milk goats. I read your post on the guinea pigs. very interesting I have been looking into raising them also. What are your ideas on starting from scratch. I have a definite plan and am proceding with step 1 in the spring. Check out my other posts. too tired to outline it right now. Hope to chat soon.
Lyla

Howdy Lyla, Not sure what your budget is but have you seen this web site?

http://www.landwatch.com/Colorado_land_for_sale/Saguache_County

There are some pretty good deals , even some with homes already built. On the left hand side of the page you can narrow the search results based on price and lot size etc.

Howdy Wyomiles, My budget is minimal. Yes I browse landwatch.com/Colorado almost daily. My time frame is next spring when I expect to have enough for 5 acres myself. However with the water rights being what they are, more like 35 acres are needed for a farm use well. may only be able to get a domestic (household) use permit with 5 acres. I am fervently hoping to be able to convince 6 or more other permies to join me in this venture. I have several other posts with more details, but in a nutshell the basic plot is to create a self sustaining, permaculture food forest and garden, farm community with individuals having similar goals. Ahhh difficult yes impossible no.
Lyla

What are you doing for water? In March I met several people in New Mexico and we stayed at the Earthship village. You should visit if you plan to build underground. I was really impressed with how comfortable and warm it was in the earthship. On the last nite there it was 4 degrees and blowing light snow outside and my bedroom stayed a balmy 70 degrees! totally passive solar. Anyways we then traveled down south of the Zuni reservation to look at property. The land is wooded and has nice south facing slope. We have put a bid on 16 acers. Hoping to build a farm community. Keep in touch I hope to be back out there in August. lylamoore56@yahoo.com

having spent time in all of these areas you are thinking about... the earthship colony outside taos included ....I wouldn't recommend that you go live in any of these places, especially alone.
earthships are indeed a fine design...thermal mass is great. but the workmanship is so bad and they won't allow selfbuilt there, so if you want to builone, buy your own land to do it.
san luis area looks great, but thieving, cattle mutilating locals like to drive out "newcomers" just like anywhere near rez land.
northern Arizona is great; as long as you are Mormon or wealthy enough to be independent of them.
Hawai'i has the best weather on the planet, whether you want to grow food or stay in the sun.

We have bought 17 acres just west of Fence Lake New Mexico! Plan to make a trip in August to get to know the land and layout a permaculture design. Building will begin next spring. So anyone interested in helping build a permaculture farm from the ground up let me know.

Congrats lyla on your purchase.
For anyone else looking at the Saguache area, definitely visit there during all seasons before purchasing. It is very dry and hot in summer and windy all year with lots of snow in winter. A very harsh climate. I have friends who have in the past or do currently live there. Also there was some concern over water issues... (gonna have to remember exact details)

I was originally looking in southern colorado however my aunt warned me about the extremely harsh climate there! And the water concerns there are more severe with restictions on use and wells. So where do you live? Also a concern of mine when searching for property were the locations of nuclear sites, waste dump sites, etc....this was a well researched decision. We will let you know in a year or so how the farm is thriving.
Oh Jonesy how do you know I'm not Indian or Mormon.

Lyla --- Congratulations on your land purchase. You're on your way, no turning back now! You may not remember I mentioned a few weeks back (about the time I joined this fascinating forum) that I was hoping to move to your neck of the woods --- northern New Mexico or Arizona --- within the next year or two. Unlike you, however, I intend to buy a home plus land (5 acres or more, ideally) rather than build from scratch. If you don't mind me asking, will you have to work to support yourself as you go, or have you saved enough to live on so you can work on building up the new homestead full-time? Personally, I've been saving very aggressively so I can pay cash for the new place and have enough to live on while I create a garden and raise a few chickens to feed myself. I also have some hazy ideas for finding some sort of niche market in which to make a bit of pin money. Anyway, congrats again on taking that all-important first step. Please keep posting.

Thank You. No, I have not managed to save much just enough to get myself there. I will have to work at least part time. I have been busy raising children who are young adults now. I have always wanted to build. My father was a carpenter and old school. He gave his drafting tools to my brother cause girls dont do that sort of thing. So even though he is gone now I still seem to need to prove that I can. I have a lot of ideas I want to try and cant wait to get started.

By the way Jones, the earthship that we stayed in was exceptionally well crafted. I was impressed with how even and beautiful the interior walls were as well as how comfortable the temperature remained despite the cold, windy March weather we had. However whatever I build, I will build myself! Also can not imagine why I would want to build in middle of nothing but desert north of Taos. Taos on the other hand is a beautiful artist's town.

I'm a 31yr old single mom of 3 traveling through Colorado near 4 corners and looking for a traveling partner and eventually a place to call home. I also drawn to the region of CO that you are and intend to make my way over there. It would be great to make a new friend. Let me know how your adventure is going and when you plan on coming out this way!

Congrats on the land purchase Lyla! I hope you find what you are looking for and post in the 'greening the desert' forum. Pictures are always nice.

Best of luck!