I grew up in a town called Cedaredge,CO. Map it. It is basically between Grand Junction and Montrose. There are a ton of little towns all around Ouray I could name for you and talk about. Let me know if there are any questions because this is really close to my roots.

I went to college with friends who lived in Montrose and whose family have been there over 100 years, if memory serves me correctly!

Very nice area and a nice place you can retire in and leave civilization behind you.

Stay away from any of the ski areas as the land cost skyrockets anywhere nearby.

Yeah, the one thing I want to avoid is owning land in "The place to be". I want to own land in "Where the h@!! is that?"

We are planning a late Spring trip to Ouray for maybe a week. I don't want to turn the trip into a land hunting expedition but I also wouldn't mind spending a day looking around. Maybe one of you guys could act as our guide so I don't drive around in circles.:D

Driving around in circles is bad enough, but when your wife is scared of heights and you are driving around in circles without gaurd rails.....;)

The one thing to pay close attention to when buying land in Southwest Colorado is water. The Southwest is a pretty arid climate so it is critically important to know what your source of water is going to be with any land you are considering.

When are you planning the trip in the spring? Depending on the winter snowpack accessing the mountains (for off-roading etc) is usually not easily done until late May to early June.

The entire region is great. Good luck, I hope you get to do it.

Rich

Good advice from our local Durango transplant & 911E TDC
photographer extraordinaire !

Shawn you may want to come out in early to mid June. By that time of the year the weather is pretty much sunshine & 99% of the back country trails & Jeep roads are open.
Let me know when you come out, we can hook up & I'd be happy to show you around the area.

Drop me a line before you go and I could point out some of the nicer towns to look at. Did you have a XX mile radius from Ouray or just Western CO in general?

Ouray is beautiful. Check out Carbondale.

I don't really need to be within any specific distance to Ouray. I just like the terrain. Probably anywhere in the San Juan mountains would do.

This whole deal is probably years off, but like someone said earlier... the search is half the fun!

while i was an air ambo lear captain i got stuck with a broken airplane and 'suffered' for nearly a week in grand junction.. ;) i wish i could be so lucky again today..loved the area.
ryan

Hooray for Ouray!
(never been there)

That's funny, Stella Artois has just ....

(I can't finish this at the moment I'm at work :D )

Stella!!!!!

Anyway, don't forget Alaska. I've been all over all the mountain states and Alaska, and nothing comes close to Alaska for the mountain man experience (and mountain woman, for that matter). Alaska is simply amazing. Check it out.

I will buy land in Alaska if you give me your Doka...;)

I bagged my woman 14 years ago so I have that covered. I think Alaska is just too far. It’s like another country. I would like to at least think that friends or family could drive out and see me. Probably is absolutely amazing up there though.

Shawn,

I will second (and third) Rich’s (Rich76_911s) comment about water.

I would not buy a piece of land without documented (and producing) water. Surface water doesn’t hack it. It comes and goes (and someone else may have prior claim). Shallow wells are equally subject to variation (and even legal challenge from surface water right owners). A deep well with good geologic documentation is about as good as you can get. Even that isn’t a “forever guarantee.”

There are situations where the only potable water is trucked in at enormous expense.

I’ll see if I can find some lay info on Water Law. This is as important (maybe more so), than title work.

Best,
Grady

grady..what you don't know.. ;) you sure you aren't my dad? i don't look like either of my folks.. ;) please? lol.
ryan

Ryan,

I appreciate your suggestion and I am flattered. I am very sure I don’t have any unintentional prodigy.

I encourage you to become a “Big Brother” or some other position as a responsible adult in the life of a 5-9 year old. I can tell you have the skills and ability. Everyone who intend to become a parent should do this. This is a wonderful addition to raising your own kids. It can also make THE difference in someone’s life. I can’t imagine anything more worthwhile. It is way too easy to make babies. It is far more difficult (but rewarding) raising kids to be responsible adults.

Sure, there are surprises like NV showing up after almost 20 years. I wouldn’t pass on that for a minute. Yes, it is an intrusion on my life. I wouldn’t pass on that for a minute.


Back to living in the Colorado High Country.


Best,
Grady

thanks, grady. :) i've actually been a 'stepdad' twice in my life to two very troubled teenage boys. both of them today are 28 and 30, respectively, and from last report doing quite well. i'd like to think that the positive reinforcement/steers i brought into their lives, being without their real fathers played a major role in their reversal of fortunes..both had spent time in juvenille, etc. i also had to be a father to my little brother, who today is 27. our father was out of the picture and he needed a dad more than a brother through about the first 18 years of his life. today we're brothers again. he's a fantastic young man, and when the chips have been down for me, he's actually been able to return the favor by being there for me..

yes, i don't see you as the type to steer away from adversity, but see it as an opoortunity to help and for personal growth as well. interesting how all of us on this board who have never met you, nonetheless recognize your obvious inherent goodness. this, and not your voluminous p-car acumen, is your obvious most important contribution..by miles and miles..
ryan

Probably coming out sometime in June. I think we will come out a couple times before we seriously start looking for land. I would love to roam around and see some of the other little towns in the Ouray vicinity.

Hopefully we don’t wait to long. My Mom bought 15 acres in KY in the Red River Gorge near Natural Bridge Park a few years ago. Now all around her are “Cabin Subdivisions”. We had thought about buying some land down there but now you can’t without being in an association and they try to get as many lots as they can which means it all looks like a trailer park for log cabins.

My wife and I went from Ft. Collins to L.A. when I worked for Suzuki M/C division--and then to Ouray in '89. My in-laws have lived there for 30 years and run two hotels in town. At the time it seemed like the place to decompress form S. California and look for a business to buy. We ultimately left and landed in Littleton. Several things come to mind on Ouray that may also apply to most Colorado rural communities that are in the resort geographies. Not in order, but the negatives for us;

Long winters. Ouray sun comes up very late and sets very early due to the box canyon location.

Lots of "blow thru" residents who try to squeeze out a living just to be close to climbing/skiing--there is a high flake factor that extends to the schools. Ouray has one of the highest divorce rates and school drug problems I have ever seen. It just did not work for us as our first daughter was at school age. Even the local county sheriff's office lost two key deputies to a meth lab scandal!

We still go to visit. The mountain biking/back-country skiing is great-the hot springs really add to both Winter @ Summer visits. Personally I would look at a larger community and just get there when you need to play. In Colorado the commutes are half the fun.

Good Luck,

Tom G.

How bad would the Red Mountain Pass be in May?

Early May you might have snow....this stretch of Hwy 550 is one of the most avalanche prone highways in the country., which usually means the hwy is closed or you are stuck up there for 2 hours while CDOT clears the slide.

Or you could have great weather...I have been on my road bike
(bicycle) on the top of Red Mtn in May before.

Colorado in the spring time is a roll of the dice, could be snow,
could be sunny & mid 70's.