Off grid living in Weston Colorado.
If you have not seen the first post on our house sit here in Weston Colorado, CLICK HERE and go back and read it. It’s a quick read with plenty of cool pictures. Besides, this post will make a bit more sense if you do.
Our sleeping quarters. Best mattress I've ever slept on.
Off the grid kitchen in main house. Same as any other on the grid kitchen.
An off grid house with a...Lap-Pool? You bet.
Invertor and controllers manage the solar and keep the battery bank charged.
I wrote that last blog post article about 15 days into the 20 some odd days we were in Weston, a small town just outside of Trinidad Colorado. So what more could I say? For one, we managed to drive to Trinidad on every Saturday taking full advantage of the local Saturday Trinidad Farmers market. Nothing like we were used to back home, but as it compared to what we’ve seen since we’ve been on the road, it supplied us with what we needed so we took full advantage of it. Lots of veggies, baked goods and fresh eggs. But unlike some of the farmer's markets back home, anyone at the market selling produce wasn’t exactly local. We’re not sure why that is, but it’s scratched at my curiosity to the point where both Yvette and I are looking at the "why" of it all. The closest farm for produce seems to be about 3 hours away from Trinidad.
Checking out the vendors and farm offerings at the Trinidad Farmer's Market
And you would think in a town whose major by-gone industry was mining they would be thinking about alternative means to keep the area alive and thriving. Well, they did…sort of. Because of Trinidad’s location and the states some-what recent legalization laws, Trinidad has now been transformed as one of the hottest new places for recreational and medical marijuana. As of 2017, the town has been enjoying a tax revenue shot in the arm of $4.4 million dollars from local annual cannabis sales topping $44 million dollars. That’s 5.13% of the total sales statewide! And you know what they say? Location, location, location. Because of Trinidad’s proximity to New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, the number of dispensaries in town is high (sorry about the pun), 23 in fact. In a town with a population of less than 10,000, that's about one pot palace for every 352 people.
With mining all but gone like the DoDo, Marajuana is one of the main industries in the Trinidad Area. $44 million in sales annually.
To some degree, mining still exists here, here is Weston that is. A bit removed from Trinidad, Coal Bed Methane extraction seems to be fairly present outside of town. In some areas, extraction derricks, or wells, exist about every 40 acres. Fracking is alive and well in this part of Colorado. Wells normally lasting about 8-15 years can get new life with a bit of a jolt that fracking can deliver. And, now the local companies are experimenting with lateral drilling. Nothing new globally I guess, but in this part of the country, if you have methane under your property and you don’t own the mineral rights to it, no problem. The gas company can slip in next door and drill under you and relieve you of that “Gassy” feeling. When I noticed one of the gas companies service working on a derrick, I stopped and asked a whole bunch of questions about methane extraction. Very interesting subject. The bottom line, it’s energy, that we all use. It would be in all of our best interests to know where our energy comes from and how we extract it. It is always a good idea to learn about the local area wherever we are because I think it better helps us understand who we are. I think I can speak for both of us when I say we can’t help but leave a house-sit a bit more aware about that part of the country, more so than when we arrived. And this time was certainly not an exception.
Methane Derick,each site is a bit different. Exact equipment depends on water, presure, depth and location.
As usual, we spent the last few days preparing for our departure. And, as it would turn out, a family we house sat for in Rye Colorado earlier in the spring contacted us and asked if we would do a repeat visit. As it turned out, the start date would be the day we would leave our Weston house to sit, so we said yes. So on our final day, we said goodbye to our hosts Gordon and Angela and their charismatic dog Trinny. We enjoyed living off the grid for almost three weeks, and would happily return and do it all over again. So now on to Rye where we will house-sit for about a week before possibly heading east. Eastbound to our home state to visit family and friends. Stay tuned.