Since last I wrote

Reid and 3 of his boys came to see me in Manitou Springs for a couple of days (Sun-Tues).  We stayed in a quaint cottage, hiked the Garden of the gods, ate fudge, walked around town, drove up to Pike's Peak where we froze our tushes off and then picked up my younger brother Kent at the airport in Denver on Tuesday at noon. Kent wanted to look at property near Durango and Silverton CO so that's what we did as Reid took his boys on to Bryce Canyon and Disneyland and Google-land before taking them back to Houston.

We all had a late breakfast together in Golden CO and then parted ways.  Kent and I made it to Pagosa Springs the first night and stayed at a decent RV park there.  The next day, Kent and I met up with a realtor (Mitch) who showed us some property near the Purgatory ski resort.   Mitch recommended some National Park land that Kent and I could stay on for free--a place where Mitch actually got married.  It was a beautiful spot.  Mitch told us some stories about his encounters with a bear who came into his house and a mountain lion he met in his driveway so wild life was front of mind during our night of "roughing it".  

Dunno if it's fortunate or unfortunate, but we didn't run into any wild creatures other than a few field mice (luckily, they stayed in the field) and a bunny and some birds.  The stars were incredible.  There were no signs of civilization anywhere.  What a rare treat.  

We saw some more property on Friday and then headed eastwardly for a campground on lovely Lake Vallecito about 30 miles from Durango.  From there, we planned to drive south with the intention of camping at Ojo Caliente for the evening so I could get Kent to the Albequerque airport on Sunday at noon.  

On the way to NM, we stopped at a property for sale on the lake that included a house and 7 cabins.  We loved the view but thought the property would be way too expensive.  Turns out it's fairly affordable.  So, I drove back to Durango today so that I can meet up with the realtor tomorrow to see the property.  Kent and are are excited about the possibility of starting our own intentional community in cooler Colorado.  We'll see how that turns out.

It was great having Kent join me for a few days on my adventure.  I think he needs to get out of Houston more than I did.  He owns his own roofing company and summers are brutal.  While I consider him my sweet, little brother, he's getting too old for that kind of work in the hot, humid Houston summers. 

While I've loved having company on my journey, the Navi is rather small for more than one person--a good thing to know as I ponder how big of a place I need to live comfortably.  

One thing I forgot was that Reid and his boys and Kent and I drove up to Lyons CO to check out the WeeCasa hotel.  The wee houses were lovely on the inside---very well thought out and quite affordable but we all decided they were too small.  Good to know as I continue my search for a simpler life.