We love Wallowa County. Both of us grew up as country kids, and even though we no longer classify as kids, we are more comfortable with dirt or grass under our feet than concrete or asphalt.
That said, when we decided to find a place of our own away from city life, it was not a casual decision. We spent over a decade looking over various areas when we were on vacation or traveling, and we had some great adventures in that time.
When we first stopped in the Wallowa Mountains, we loved it. The valley filled with farms, the rivers, the lake, but most of all, the mountains! They were beautiful. When you are on the flat, looking at the mountains, you are close enough to appreciate them, but realize how far away they really are. To our minds, it is what makes Wallowa County spectacular.
Once we made the decision that Wallowa County was the place, the search still took some time. We got in touch with Kirk Makin (wallowacountyrealestate.com/) and he spent a couple summers showing us around. I'm not certain how serious he thought we were at first, but we kept coming back. Finally, we found the right place for the next stage to start.
Our thanks to Kirk for working with us even when he probably thought we were never going to find anything we could agree on.
Once we purchased the place, we had to stop, take a breath, and decide 'What's Next?’ We had put so much focus on finding the right place, we were a bit hesitant to set a firm direction. We had 120 acres with a building permit, but nothing else. The property hadn't been cleaned up after the last time it was logged, and had not been maintained since then; there had been a fire that covered a corner of the property (1989? 1992?), and the new trees were growing like brush in that area. There were some public right of way roads that were maintained; however some of the other access roads were not.
We decided the short-term goals would be two-fold. We wanted to build, but that would be the later focus; we would develop the permit so it did not lapse, and we would focus on getting the forest healthy.
We enlisted the assistance of the Jerry & Sam Magera, a father and son team of foresters, who are absolutely amazing. I do not use that phrase lightly, but in this case, it is an accurate description.
For more information on their philosophy, look up the article in the Spring 2006 issue of American Forester:
'Economics of forest restoration: the case for careful logging is made by a father and son team that aims to leave things better than it found them'
This describes what they have done since starting work on our place. They work as a team, clearing the brush thinning by hand, and they are turning a messy area loaded with potential fire fuel into a strong and healthy forest, that is wonderful for wildlife as well as for our recreation.
Our first development for the future home site was the septic system; not much needs said about that. Now, we are putting in power (connecting to the grid will be significantly more expensive than providing our own power). After that, water will be the next challenge. We have quite a bit of a creek running through the property, but we dont want to (and shouldn't according to the regulations).
I did a water survey, and my best guess based on local prices, a well will cost close to $18,000. Part of the reason is the broken granite in the ground; it makes drilling difficult.
Slowly things are getting along; with power and septic, I don't mind trucking in my water for a while. The most important thing is the land is getting in shape; the creature comforts are developing more slowly.
Our long-term goals
Our long-term goals are to create a beautiful recreation spot that will recharge us and remind us why we love nature. Included in this is to generate a bit of revenue (being realistic that our management plan will not make us rich), and most important, have something of value our grandchildren can enjoy and hopefully manage when they have families of their own.
I would like nothing more than to have this place stay as beautiful as it was in my mind's eye the first time I saw it. Well, that and to have the grandkids and their kids and grandkids learn to love it like I live it.
No announcements at this time.