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Published: April 25th 2006
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Just after returning to the states, I was ready to head over to Eastern Washington and take my first peek at the new property and the cabin built on it. The cabin was located right outside a town with a population of 35, a museum, and 4 full time volunteers at this free museum. This was not, however, the only reason we were going up to the cabin. Luke and I were going up to see if the Federal government was going to grant a contract for the property in order to fund the cleanup of dead tree branches that served as a fire hazard. Also on the table was the possibility to get money from the federal government because the idiot who built the cabin built it close to the forest and thus created an artificial fire hazard. If it was deemed that the forest was to close to the cabin (A bit of fuzzy logic I know, talk about a lack of the chicken or the egg dilemma) then the feds were going to pay out to trim trees around it so as to keep the structure safe. That’s right, if you build a dwelling too close to the
forest for your own good, the government will pay you to keep the fire hazard low. So keep paying your taxes folks. Rural recreational property owners depend on you!
So, that is the setting for the trip up to Molson. Before going up, Luke had forgotten to drain the water filter in the pipe from the pump to the sink and thus, we were without running water for the whole stay! Spoilers warning: we cut it short and came home after just two days.
I like my shower in the morning! After arriving late and realizing that the snow had melted enough to actually drive all the way to the cabin (a real treat, we had braced ourselves for the possibility of having to walk all the way up) we went right to bed in preparation of the busy day to follow. At 8am, the fellow from the something like the national soil conservation service arrived and approved all of the grants. The process took the better part of the day, which also took us all around the 1,500 acre spread. A few of the roads were impassible, but overall, we were able to drive the majority of
the area.
The property does have an amazing number of varieties to it, a large lake, forest, grassland, arid slopes etc. Along with diversity of terrain, the land hosted numerous creatures: deer, elk, coyotes, cougars and a black bear. A great place, I just wish that it wasn’t a five hour drive away. We went to the ‘neighbors’ for dinner (a five minute drive). They were cattle ranchers, and were really excellent examples of the creativity that the life necessitates. Since the cattle don’t require full-time oversight nor provide a ‘full-time’ income, they have adjusted to multiple part-time operations to keep themselves busy.
For our last day, the only thing we had to do was meet with David, a Brooklyn born Jew who somehow made it over to Eastern Washington to work in the forestry industry. He had been identified by the previous owner as a good person to outsource to for the forestry contract stuff. One of the neighbors had sold some additional land to Luke after the initial sale, but had previously done extensive logging without so much as a dollar spent on cleanup. David’s job had been to clean up the area around the large
lake, which had been much larger than expected and was not completed yet. We met with him and checked progress, made a few adjustments and clarified some deadlines for other work. Before leaving, Luke and I went for a walk along a ridge that had a view of the mountains. He had purchased some great home sites. On a clear day, any number of locations along the ridge would have a gorgeous view towards the west. It was a great piece of property, I hope to spend many days here over the next few years.
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Maria
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Cabin???
Hi Pete. I just had to let u know how interesting and entertaining your postings are. Not only do I enjoy all your smart quick-witted comments when you describe all the places you have visited, but u also crack me up with all your funny almost sarcastic observations, truly hard not to laugh. Quick, question. What is the cabin story all about? Write more! I like it! P.S. Sorry but as you mention with the Irish, I don't really associate the word with any of the funny analogies you provide *wink*