Temporary Power

The temporary power post and an extra water spigot has been installed at the top of the cul-de-sac.  I like the location of the boulders around the facilties to create a protective barrier.

Electric System

The most expensive part of the infrastructure was the electrical. We thought this would be the easy part since we had power lines right on our lot along Pope Lane. Unfortunately, you have to get the power from the lines to the ground first. And deal with the power company. It was like pulling teeth to get the power company to come out to the lot and give us an estimate on what had to be done and how much it was going to cost. In the end, we were able to tie into our neighbor's transformer and only had to pay the power company a hook up fee. But we still had to run over 200 feet of electrical lines to the meter base out by the road and then another 300 feet of line up to the house site. Oh, and we had to run another 300 feet of electrical lines out to the well site to run the pump! We are just glad to have it all hooked up.

Spigot

As part of the water system, they put in this great orange spigot.  We now have actual access to our own water...well, almost...as soon as the concrete dries and the trench is backfilled.  And, it is only January!

Trenches

In order to get the water from the well site to the cabin, we had to dig some pretty deep and long trenches.  I think it was about 300 feet of trenching from the well to the cabin for the water lines.  Electrical lines were run from the cabin back to the well in the same trench to power the well pump.  We also had them drop the phone and internet lines into this trench, which will eventually go out to the northeast corner of the lot and tie into the phone company facilities along Castle Valley Drive. I like this photo which really adds perspective to the significant trenching that had to be done.

Pressure Tank

As part of the water system, we had an 86 gallon pressure tank installed.  The tank is located in a pit dug into the ground to avoid freezing.  The system and fittings look pristine at this stage.  I'm sure the pit will soon be filled with tarantulas, scorpions and other frightening desert creatures, but for now, it looks beautiful.

Water System

The well site is located in the eastern corner of the lot about 100' in from each property line.  We had to install a pressure tank system out by the well site and then run the water lines to the cabin site. It took a lot of trenching since the well was in the lower eastern corner of the lot and the cabin site is up in the upper western corner of the lot. The pressure tank sytem looks great. They dug a big pit and installed the system about six feet down to keep it below freezing level.  Water sytems specifications include: 1 HP 10 GPM submersible pump, 12 awg pump wire, 86 gallon pressure tank, frost free hydrant, 5x5 galvanized well pit with used lid.

We Have Water !!!

Before installing the water system facilities, they hooked a pump up to a generator to see what kind of water we had in the well.  As mentioned before, we had the well drilled years ago and it has just been sitting there rusting in the sun ever since.  We were a little nervous to check the water since there appeared to be a "bend" in the casing and maybe some "collapse" of the surrounding formations during the drilling process.  These are not comforting words to water well neophytes.  Alas, all worries were dissipated as the roaring hum of the generator pumped out deliciously cold water.  The water isn't crystal clear, but we are hoping it will clear with use.  Looks like our slice of heaven will have plenty of water to keep us happy and self-sufficient for years to come. 

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.