Extending the Water Rights

Well, six years came and went pretty quickly after drilling the well.  In the meantime, the banks failed, the stock market crashed, and the land sat fallow.  We did have our master plan prepared, and the well drilled, so we applied to the State of Utah for an extension of time in which to perfect our water rights.  We now have until September 2016 to put our water rights to beneficial use.  Hopefully this time we can get crackin' and build the cabin before the water rights run out again.

Drilling the Well

Always gungho about a project, we decided to drill a well on the property even though were weren't going to build for some time.  Since the town was in the midst of losing its water rights, we purchased our water rights from the State of Utah.  For a $50 application fee and some paperwork, we were granted 6.14 acre feet of water for our little piece of paradise.  This is enough water to irrigate 1 acre of land and support one residential unit.  With our water rights in hand, we obtained a well permit, researched the water table issues, had the land water witched, and picked a spot to drill.  After 200' of drilling we hit about 10 gallons per minute of water.  Not the "motherload" as I was hoping, but sufficient water for our needs.  What a relief to know we have WATER.  Under Utah law, water rights are granted under a use it or lose it policy, so we had 6 years to put our water to beneficial use.

The Master Plan

It is always nice to dream.  I find it entertaining.  Always known for my "extra energy" (as I like to describe it since I was born before the terms ADD and ADHD came into vogue), having the land to think about and to plan for was great for me.  We hired our architect friend to prepare a "master plan" for the property so that when we did have the money to build something, we would know where everything should be located and preserved.  We spent some time on the land and mapped out the best views, the wind corridors, the sun patterns, and the vistas.  I even sent some soil samples to Utah State for analysis to see if the land would sustain my orchard and vineyard ideals.  Liz designed a great plan, detailing the house location, the driveways, the orchard layout, the vineyard and the dog run.  The master plan is done.  The waiting begins.

Finding a Lot

For the next 10 years I scanned the real estate listings for property in Castle Valley.  I drove through the valley on weekend visits.  I watched the prices go up and the houses go in.  Finally, in 2003, I made an offer on a reasonably priced lot located in the flats on the main drive.  It was perfect.  After a minor bidding war with another buyer, our offer was accepted and we had the LAND.

Stumbling Around

I first came across Castley Valley in about 1992. I had been out to Moab many times to ride the Slickrock trail and other great red rock country mountain bike rides. After a good day's ride, I liked to drive around exploring the area. It was on one of these afternoon exploration drives that I took the turnoff from Highway 128 and perused down into the swithbacks of Castle Valley Drive. I immediately fell in love with the surreal little valley with its sheer red cliffs and open spire vistas. The afternoon sun gleemed off the cheatgrass valley and swept into the aspen slopes of the La Sals. What an amazing place. It was love at first sight.