We headed up to a place called Spruce Basin, about 45 minutes from Salida. At first, we were heading up a dirt road, nothing on either side and I didn't like it. It was like too many other properties we looked at that would have cows and horses as neighbors. We suddenly came upon a few houses. We saw a sign at one corner that said "Limited Winter Maintenance" and we were a bit skeptical. We saw a VW bug coming up behind us and they asked if they could help us find something. We asked about the plots that were for sale. Lynn and Linda Bates were really helpful. There is no electricity to any of these properties and everyone is on solar power. Lynn showed us his PV panels and setup. They had a plot plan that helped us locate the lots we were looking for, one was right next door to them and another was nearby. We checked out the lot next to them, 7 acres with pines and aspens, gently rolling terrain. We walked around the property for more than an hour.

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