Crater Lake, Oregon vacation property build thread - BASE CAMP ⛺️ (2 Viewers)

[Hojack]

Good fences make good neighbors. Lucky for you he put that one up on his dime. Some day, you'll likely be glad that the fence is there.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying your build thread!

Justin is a great neighbor and has dogs so the fence is nice. I’ll need to fence the rest of mine. I found out last night the 2 acre lots behind me are for sale and possibly the one to the north.

 

[kirvesmies]

Justin is a great neighbor and has dogs so the fence is nice. I’ll need to fence the rest of mine. I found out last night the 2 acre lots behind me are for sale and possibly the one to the north.

so, have you bought em yet? it's only another 14k don't know how i missed this thread. gonna be keepin' an eye on it for sure. congrats by the way
edit: make that 21k. dumb @$$ has got to learn to read every thing

 

[Hojack]

I just got email from my neighbor who own the lot to the north with the well that they agreed to sell the property for $11,000.

 

[Hojack]

@ferg-“You should keep aware of any adjacent lots that come up for sale. Keep your RE agent on the hook for you.”
It happened...
Earnest money is down on the 2 acres and hopefully papers will be ready by Monday with the acre lot and well.

 

[Rugy]

Very cool and keep the pics coming.
Good luck and stay safe.

 

[Hojack]

Papers signed on lot with the well today. That’s 4 separate 1+ acre lots making a rectangle between Banyon street and Cloudcap drive.
I’m hoping to head to the property Friday to test the well and install the manual hand pump. Figure I’ll set up lot 4 with well like a campground. Lot 5 the lot I bought last year has septic approval already so that’ll be the lot to build a cabin on. The lots on Cloudcap I’ve only driven by and seen from the backside of my property. Can’t wait to walk the whole thing now. Still cold there dipping into the 10s and low 20s. Afternoons have been 50s pushing 60. At the beginning of April there was fresh snow and it can freeze there any month of the year. Elevation is 4600’.

In the shadow of Crater Lake NP

There’s already a nice open campfire area.
This whole picture is the property.

 

[bkfj40]

Any idea why someone had the well out in and didn’t build a house? Were they using it for a camper? Congrats on the little piece of heaven!! My wife and I enjoyed our visit out to the park a few years ago.

 

[Hojack]

Any idea why someone had the well out in and didn’t build a house? Were they using it for a camper? Congrats on the little piece of heaven!! My wife and I enjoyed our visit out to the park a few years ago.

When I first went down to look for property in the area I brought a list of lots for sale. Driving around the area and found my first lot that wasn’t on the list. There are no addresses and so the sign placement was put on the driveway to the lot with the well. Oregon requires a drill well to be issued a well ID tag, basically a birth certificate showing when and how a well was drilled and by driller. I pulled the well ID tag and sent it to my realtor. She pulled the listing and found it matched the listing for sale.
My first trip to the property was to mark property lines and get the well going and dig septic test holes. The lot corner markers were relatively easy to locate. With lot dimensions,Travis and I started finding and staking the corners. As I was walking out the tape and passing the lot with we a rock hit my stomach realizing the well wasn’t drilled on my lot. Given the area with not addresses I realized it was quite possible.
Swallowing the realization the well was on the lot to the north I decided not to let it get me down. I finally had a property to get away to. We marked the property lines and dug our septic test holes.
Once I got back I started researching who owned the lot and perhaps they would want to sell it. I found it was owned by a women who’d recently lost her husband to cancer. I called the county and they said to send her a letter. I sent one and waited.
After a month of not hearing I began researching the husband and found his place of last employment. I decided to call and give it a chance. I got ahold of the boss/ owner who let me know they were best friends and he still saw his wife frequently. I sent him an email of my interest and a tentative offer. The ball got rolling and I got my realtor involved. As this was unfolding the 2 acres to the east on Cloudcap came up for sale. One lot touched my current lot and the other touched the lot of the lot with the well making a 4+ acre rectangle. I was able to quickly strike a deal on those 2 acres. The well lot closed yesterday.
I found out through it all that the past owners of my lot had the driller drill them a well but the well got drilled on the wrong lot. The driller said the owners showed him where to drill and they showed him the wrong lot. No matter how that went I now own it and will amend the well ID tag and change it to the correct lot.
This area has abundant groundwater filtered through the volcanic soil from Crater Lake. There is a ranch about a 1/2 mile away that has a 300’ well and produces 3400 gpm. Many wells are 20+ gpm 60’ deep for residential.
The next steps will be fun with a camping environment and developing the lots. I can’t wait to take my 60 series Landcruiser down there for campouts.

 

[Hojack]

Headed to the property Friday thru the weekend. Getting the well going. I think after that camping will be ready except really want to get my septic system installed.

Made it to the Crater Lake property

My buddy Travis at his lot

The new lot with the well

Setting up and pump hoist on the well.

The well driller set the PVC liner at ground level. I wanted the well outside of a building so needed to cut the liner lower for a pitless adapter. Decided to lift the liner and check the PVC screen.

Here’s the 10 slot screen

I brought 30 slot screen for better flow rate so decided to replace the screen while I was there.

Set the PVC liner and installed the submersible well pump with the kids.

Some fun camping pictures

And we have water

 

[Hojack]

Shock chlorinated the well before I left the property Friday night to allow the chlorine to sanitize the well til Saturday morning. Returned and pumped the chlorine out and also did a flow test.

Chlorine was still present.

Flow meter on wellhead with pressure gauge.
15 gpm at 70 psi.

Opened the valve wide open and it maxed my flow meter out. Probably 30 gpm.

Static was 20.5’ drewdown and stabilized at 40’ pumping 30 gpm.

Now the real work begins.
After testing well, pulled the submersible pump. Dug home with trackhoe and cut in pitless adapter holes for submersible and hand pump.

My dog Reload hard at work

Looking down the well with both pitless adapters installed.

Reinstalling the submersible pump with my daughter Harlee at the controls.

My son Ryder tailing in the hand pump pipe and rod.

A proud dad watching his kids work.
The 7/16” galvanized rod passing through the pitless adapter

Stainless steel tee with 1” rubber bleedback to drain water from hand pump stand to prevent it from freezing. When the hand pumps stops pumping the water drains back down the well.

Getting measurements for how much pipe to cut between bleedback tee and top of hand pump stand on top of well.

Installed hand pump stand.

Starting to run the water lines.

Today while making breaking decided a pine tree in the middle of the lot needed to be limbed up. Being a (little) OCD I grab the Stihl chainsaw and start climbing.

Reload was as happy as I was

 

[Hojack]

The well was all done. Next will be building a pumphouse with all the pvc lines and valves. Get power pulled from power pole at street and install a meter and breaker panel at the pumphouse. Tree I limbed is behind the well to the right.

Cleaning upmy buddy Travis’s lot with the mini excavator.

More and more slash piles...
Travis enjoying some time in the saddle

 

[bkfj40]

looking great!

 

[snobdds]

I guess it pays to be in the business...

 

[Hojack]

Heading down to the property to actually recreate with family and friends... I can’t wait! Still chilly in the mornings there.

 

[unclegit]

Man you're living my dream - I've been thinking of looking for something on the Washington side for tax reasons later in life.

Looks amazing and following the build to give me some ideas for the future !

 

[kirvesmies]

@Hojack , enjoy your time there dude. google rakovalkea for the chill morning solution

 

[gnob]

Very nice. Beautiful area

 

[Hojack]

@Hojack , enjoy your time there dude. google rakovalkea for the chill morning solution

It can get colder than -30F there in winter. Freezing temps in June are pretty chilly for 4500’ in elevation. I’m not even sure if it gets that cold in June in the Mile High City.

 

[kirvesmies]

@Hojack , i use that fire lay when i winter camp. mind you, my shelter is an open baker tent not an rtt. it's virtually maintenance free once it's burning properly. there is a bit of a learning curve to get that right. it does work very nicely.
jelly of your slice of get the h3ll outta dodge

 

[Hojack]

Need to update this thread. I’ve been better at keeping it up to date in the 60s forum on my build thread and forgot about this one.
We did a family campout in June.

Took my 04 Dodge 3500 and camper. Friends tent camped and my buddy Travis and family bought a newer trailer and camped in their lot was a kick in the pants time, no work, all play. I did setup a horseshoe pit. Found a nice rock climbing spot above the Williamson River.

Took families up to Crater Lake

Cooked a whole chicken over the fire

Hiked fished and explored Miller Lake