Property in San Luis, CO - May 2007

In the fall of 2006, Greg and I bought 5 acres of land in south central Colorado just to the north and east of the town of San Luis. The property is on the El Poso River with roughly 400 feet of riverfront. The river is spring fed from two springs with the source located on an 81,000 acre ranch owned by the Forbes family who have donated the development rights to the Colorado Open Lands - a land preservation non-profit organization. Quite the tax write-off for the Forbes, and quite the preservation boon for those who love the area. There are three 5 acre lots up river from us before the road ends and becomes the Forbes property. The property across the river from us is designated open space.

Here is a picture of the property from an eagle's eye view:

The access road (Malcom Drive) is at the top of the photo. Our white truck can be seen just north of center. It is located along what will eventually be the driveway. In the lower left hand section of the photo, you can barely make out two tents - these are in roughly the location of the future cabin. The bottom of the photo is the river.

Here is a picture of the perspective cabin site:

Here is a picture of the view up the valley from the perspective cabin site:

Greg and I (with the much appreciated help from Caryn and Brandon) spent the best part of Memorial Day weekend clearing trees along what will be the roadcut into the property. Here are a series of photos along the roadcut:

Here's a photo from the river's edge looking down the valley:

A roughly 45 minute hike above the property along the river is a really beautiful waterfall. Here's a shot from there:

There is a hike up the mountain across the river to the spot were the eagle's eye photos were taken - roughly 90 minute hike. There is a wooden cross on top. The story of the cross is that it was located by the Spanish settlers - apparently a cross was located every 20 miles and a church was to be built at each location. True or false? It's a cool hike and view:

Hopefully, the roadcut will be finalized this year so that access is reasonable. Further improvements will proceed as time and funds allow. Stay tuned for updates.