About five years into our grand nomadic adventure, we began to plan how we would slow the pace just a little.  We’d been moving on every week or every two weeks roaming all over the western United States, often camping way out in the desert or forest away from all things human, and sometimes making what we call “utility stops” in RV parks to do laundry, take long showers and make new friends.  

This trek from canyon to prairie to mountain lake to desert vastness was deeply rewarding.  We have a sense of wringing every last ounce of wonder out of our days. Still we acknowledged that it would be comforting to have a home base or two, and take some time to wander in our minds a little more and wander on the planet just a little less.  We’ve both had many chapters in our lives and it was time for a new one.

The search began for a haven, a space of great quiet and peace where we could pause until our wanderlust climbed to critical mass again. 

At first we were just casually looking, checking out other people’s remote properties with what we dubbed “property envy.”  I’m not sure what tipped us over the edge to actual searching.  We looked when we were in the southern western states and we looked in the northern western states.  The thought was that it might be nice to pause in both locals, and concentrate our roaming for the fall and spring as we traveled between two properties.  After looking at many stunning, and some pretty barren desert properties, we finally concluded that access to water and rough roads made the southern option both more labor intensive and more costly than properties we were drawn to all along the Sierra Foothills. 

The very first time that we walked a property on Mt. Shasta, we were entranced with the beauty.  Mt. Shasta Forest Properties is a wonderland of 2.5 and 5 acre properties that start at around $20,000.  Depending on whether there’s a well, septic or any buildings, they go up from there.  

We dipped into Oregon and, even given the tax advantages over California, the land offerings there were considerably higher in price.  We then roamed south along the Sierras and found nothing comparable.  Sometimes, the lots were close to freeways or neighbors or power stations or towns without any history or charm.  We kept circling back and eventually were focused solely on properties on the slopes of the iconic Mt. Shasta.