The Öko Box: land

One day when I was going down the road I ran into an old man named Bob Knob who invited me to come walking on his property, to see the "view from the top of the ridge"... (his real name is not Bob Knob but his real name totally ryhmes in that same way, making wish mine did too). So, for realz this time I was not trespassing, this place is not for sale nor was I uninvited... these facts though did not change the same basic feelings of mysteriousness, confusion, and excitement. The land was vast and the road winding, long and with many forks!
Bob Knob had explained to me to walk right through the gate, then walk up the road "till you get to the big tree in the road, then go up towards the ridge." These directions sounded easy 'nough and I bound through the gate with confidence... till I got the the very first fork in the road, big trees on either side and I had no clue which way to go.
I literally stood at the fork and closed my eyes and waited to feel a tug towards which way to go (this is how i follow my spirit instead of my mind.) The tug pulled to the dirt road and not the gravel side so up to the right I went!

THINGS I SAW :::::::::::::

Even though I had a hunch I was not going the "right way", I also didn't feel like it was "wrong" either, so i took in the smells, heat, shade, plants, trees through my nose and eyes and enjoyed the lack of knowing where the *F* i was going.

I saw streams....

I found apple trees!

And wild red bee balm !!!!

PLUS, evidence of wild animals....

Such as turkey feathers! (I love these feathers and keep a collection at my cabin...)

Really strange coyote scat.... except all the animal had eaten was pine needles and berries, i saw no sign of fur in the poop and was a bit baffled as to why? and IF it is indeed coyote poop?

TOTALLY LOST:::::::::::::

Eventually I realized I was totally lost and came upon a big mountain home where I noticed the left hand gravel road must have gone to also! I figured it was Bob Knob's house and went up to the door to say hello.... (so that i wasnt' the creepy person randomly walking around outside)....

Something about approaching a doorbell, in the middle of the woods, not expected, that seems utterly strange. I felt like I should give a rebel yell or whistle to announce myself --- if i hadn't already been watched walking up the dirt road.

I rang it. And heard a small dog barking like crazy, and eventually heard some people coming. When the older woman (who came down some stairs in some auto-electric chair) and younger old man answered the door I was totally thrown off because it was not Bob Knob, but it totally looked like him.

Bob Knob JR. !

Me and Bob Knob Jr. became instant friends - he told me about the coyote scat he had found and he told me the way to the top of the ridge.... the right way he said was to "go past the big tree in the middle of the road, up towards the ridge, stay on the gravel road until you see a picnic table..."

Bob Knob Jr also told me about a hidden old cabin (coming soon)!
*

I started back along the road up and up and up a long curvy abyss of forest, hiking in such a way that I was out of breath, my ears popped, and i had to stop in the road and eat a pear. I could tell though that i was close to the top and the space was beginning to open up.

I eventually saw on top a hill, the picnic table I'd been waiting for, and walked towards it like a bug to a bug light, nothing could have stopped me....

WOWSAS! Bob Knob Jr was not kidding when he said "it's the best view I've seen around here." The air, the sun, the vast beauty was astounding - it made me think about deep shit, and I listened to my mind ask deeper questions like "Who made this, how does this come to be, it's such a good idea...?!!??"

In the vast vast world, I am so tiny.

views of lives on other hills, views of the valley below, views of endless forest... (is this when I get the cue to sing 'The Hilllllssss are alive with the sound of MUzzzakkkkk"???)......

Patches of wildflowers.....

I sat down to take it all in and have a snack, cause it was one hell of a hike up there in the summer sun! A hike entirely worth every bead of sweat, every moment of lost uncertainty.

Turkey vultures flew overhead, coming close down while riding the wind that blows over the tops of the mountains...

WHEN IT WAS ALL (ALMOST) OVER :::::::

On my way back down, I found the big tree in the middle of the road! ha!

smooches XOXoxo

Read between the lines.
I (don't) trespass, in fact I (never) jump fences because of an overwhelming urge to just see remnants of lives lived, private yet abandoned places, land, plants and trees. Since I have (never had) a habit of trespassing and I know it is against the law I have found a way to see new things without ever doing something bad.... properties FOR SALE!

So here is a first in a series of "(Not) Trespassing" posts I'll be doing, showing the empty places no longer wanted (but for sale) that I find.... (if you are interested in any of these places to buy, please e-mail me privately because otherwise I am keeping their locations a secret.)
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You are at the gates of 1.2 MILLION dollars. I know, that is alot of money - and so my search goal was just to walk the well graveled road till I reached the inevitable McMansion, oogle over the things rich people buy and wish for their giant track of land (for conservation purposes) and then move along back home....

I wound up a road so much more level then my own driveway, seeing lovely wishie flowers, wildflowers, trees, and some flat spots of forest before it opened up to a cleared area- a scene made for a movie. Pond, sculptures, landscape, putting green, and lay back chairs with covers on them (which happen to look like cocoon coffin pods planted by aliens....) ......
But maybe it's just the part in the movie when the southern characters have the really nice wedding.

I got SUPER excited when i saw bunches of HUGE fish in the pond, stocked heavily with brown speckled trout and Kio ! I wanna put fish in my pond now :)

Moving along above the creek fed pond is the golf lover's putting green --- cause gawd knows ya don't wanna get outta practice while away from home (why anyone would live away from this place I have no idea!) Between the fish and all the dandelion greens, you could live in a tent right there all summer long.

I walked along toward my goal but something unexpected happened... MORE then once too....

FORKS in the ROAD(s)!!! Knowing how much it costs to put in a road I had no idea anyone on earth would put in not just 1 or 2, but 4 roads leading every which way on this 50 acres of land. So much so that when all was said in done I walked a good 3-4 miles total. I assumed the biggest main house was at the upmost top of the ridge, so first I chose to follow the highest path.

But part the way up I found this first ---->

Structure #1 :::: The BArn as BiG as a House

I was not entirely convinced this barn wasn't actually a house disguised as a barn - for one it is way bigger then my house I live in, the condition was spotless and flawless and my imagination wanted those big ole' barn door shutters to swing open to reveal BIG beautiful windows and glass doors, holding amazing personal treasures to peek at. I mean, the barn did have a direct TV satellite dish right next to it (see lower right corner)!!! And unless their horses are enjoying reruns of Mr.Ed up in there, it didn't really make sense to have that technology....

But Alas.... a back window revealed the view to a kill, as in kill joy --- nothing in there at all really. Not even Mr. Ed.

The WALK continues winding upward :::::

I will admit here my inner struggle at looking at million dollar properties. I have to continually take myself out of judgment, out of the rich VS poor thoughts - trying to not make lists of my likes and dislikes rather then do what I came for which is the sheer joy of exploring & discovering (um, for sale real estate that is... ehem.) As my search for the McMansion went on, my swimming memory of the 1.2 million dollars given in worth to this place, curiosity about the people who once bought and loved this place --- just when I wanted to hate rich people for no other reason then I can't afford to buy this land I came upon something uniting.

Pet graves. Everyone and everything became equal again.

I gave a nod of recognition and moved on and on and on AND ON (ya get tha' picture!) - the road was beginning to look less cared for, the middle had not been mowed. I was determined to find a house up on the ridge though... just like the old locals say "the rich out of towners build high as they can on a hill where the weather and wind is worse. Local folk know to build down in a cove where you are protected." So up I went following whims, stereotypes and the overgrown path...

At the top ----->

Structure #2 :::: Most Beautiful (and high voltage) Lookout Cabin On Earth

Just when ya think you know what you will find... something ordinary, something mundane yet new...
instead I found a treasure of a lookout tower/cabin that was so natural, so authentically built, so full of love, family, parties, joy and craftsmanship I seriously almost cried. It took my breath away to find something so down to earth, downright earthy and unexpected. It looked like it had been hand crafted by my very own dreams.

Only problem... shit was surrounded by a solar powered Electric FENCE!

So i walked around the steep edges, carefully taking each step so that if I slipped I wouldn't hit the electric fence. Even every piece of furniture looked as though gnomes of the forest, bears and creatures from fairy tales had made them... it felt only remotely human.

Taste of THE VIEW from the edge of the lookout :::::
I was proud. I walked way far to find this thing.

Revisiting old forks in the road on my way back down the mountain led me to....

STRUCTURE #3 :::: The Rustic Log Cabin

This one did not strike me as full of lovin' energy, but still had the authentic and cozy flare........ i knew it was still not the main house. And all the shades were pulled down.

Am I weird for being totally creeped out by this tiny handmade chair (below)? It is the perfect size for gremlins (the children and the monsters)!! Maybe it was cause i looked at the chair right after reading the odd "I love My Uncle" written on the chalk board -
ok, horror movie script writers go get started....

And now for the Fake Animals and Birds Expose' ::::::

Yippeeee ---> I got pictures of almost all the large fake creatures except for the the fake wooden bear which was detained behind the electric fence and lookout screen....

Which are Adorable or Creep-a-delic? You decide!

Structure #4 :::: Dat's NOT A MC Mansion House

The moment I was waiting for, the "Mc Mansion" I expected to find at the end of the long and winding road (not at the top of a mountain) was not a MC-Fugly giant house after all, but a roomy cape cod modern farm house... one that held some treasures that I was surprised to see through the spit shined glass windows.

Like handmade tic-tac-toe! (I sooo need to start making these!)

and a collection of all the things i LOVE to collect in nature... like someone read my mind, took my love of all things natural and put them in jars behind a glass wall where I could not touch them. Someone invaded my dreams and made it look scientific, untouchable and important. Beautiful.
Bones, skeletal leaves, feathers, unusual sticks, bee hives etc....