Livability of the property and surrounding area:
This land is completely organic - no pesticides, herbicides, or other toxic products have been used here!
Raw Materials:
The property has scattered large Ponderosa pines and western oak, some of which are huge and extremely old. Smaller oaks provide ample firewood. Rocks and beautiful large boulders are abundant enough to provide outstanding building and landscape materials, and the soil is a sandy loam that is easy to work with and will grow anything. Good crushed gravel for roads and volcanic red rock for artistic effects are available locally, and there is even a nice gravel pit hidden from sight at the bottom corner of the property.
The Goldendale Area:
This area is famous for production of food and power, with grain crops and alfalfa covering the fields and rolling hills along with high-tech windmills and cattle, orchards and vineyards close and plentiful, herb farms (organic lavender, mint, etc.), the Yakima valley nearby which is world-renowned for its fruit and vegetables, and great fishing on the Columbia River with its huge hydro-electric dams. Goldendale has a hospital and a small airport.
Recreation in this area is diverse and year-round. The local observatory is only minutes away, reportedly the largest private telescope in North America that is free to the public. Nearby are the Maryhill Museum with the Rodin exhibit, and the full-size Stonehenge replica WWI veterans memorial which overlooks the Gorge. Within easy driving distance we have skiing and serious mountain-climbing, wind-surfing, sailing, camping, hiking, incredible hunting and fishing, hundreds of miles of wilderness horseback trails, famous rodeos and smaller local events, many museums, wineries and micro-breweries, sternwheeler riverboat cruises and scenic railroads, waterfalls (Multnoma Falls is 620 feet high), gold and gemstone mining, golf courses, antique car and touring bike clubs, auto and hydroplane racing, horse racing, both indoor concerts and the incredible outdoor Gorge Amphitheatre, scenery that vacationers travel across the world to see, and all of the local events and artisans for which small towns are known. If that is not enough, you always have any urban amenities you could occasionally want in Portland, Seattle, and Tri-Cities, and the drive to each of those is only a couple hours of easy freeway travel through the most outrageous scenery in the Northwest.
Our Ridge:
Wildlife is also diverse and many deer, quail, and wild turkeys live on the property full-time. Elk are occasional visitors. The south-facing slope on this property makes it ideal for self-sufficiency; it can produce both power and food easily, from gardens and solar panels on both the tiers and slopes, and from wind power along the westernmost ridge. The majority of the property is well protected from wind, and has a very sunny, mild microclimate which is one of the most pleasant in an area which is already very hospitable. The property is in open range area; there is a fenced pasture with four smaller pens for horses or other stock. We get four distinct seasons here, so outdoor recreation is always in full swing.
And - most important - the Water:
The well on this property is near the highest point, allowing for gravity-fed pressure if desired. It is 500 feet deep, into glacier water that is absolutely the best water you will ever find. The water level is steady at 150 feet, the output limited only by the size of your pump, which is currently 3 hp. One taste of this water, unfiltered and straight from the well, and you will realize the worth of this property.
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