Finding time to travel from Katy to Dos Arbolitos, our off-grid property in Big Bend, is not always easy — but it is necessary. This week I made a quick trip to our little slice of heaven in the Chihuahuan Desert. Only in Texas can you refer to a 10-hour one way trip as quick.

Because Dos Arbolitos is just shy of 600-miles from our front door, we have to make every trip count and get as much done as possible. The top two things on my list this week were to order our cabin and to do the site prep work on our property. Getting our cabin on the property is the next step in our unfolding off-grid adventure.

Cheryl and I decided to purchase a made-to-order Derksen cabin. After lots of research and personally walking in and out of lots of different models, we settled on what we wanted. Fortunately for us, Green Desert Living, a Derksen dealer located on Highway 118 between Alpine and Terlingua, is just a few miles from our property. Really nice and knowledgeable folks!
We ordered a 14 x 30 foot painted cabin from Green Desert Living. We added some bigger windows on what will be the East side of our cabin in order to enjoy the views of Nine Point Mesa and Black Hill. We also added the electrical package that will allow us to tie in to our solar panels. The metal roof will drain into seamless gutters that will channel rainfall into our water catchment container.

In order to get ready for delivery of our cabin in July, I had to take advantage of my time to do the site prep work. I could have paid a guy to bring in a dozer to clear the spot where we want to place our cabin. Instead, I opted to save some money by doing the work myself. Fortunately for me, a brief rain on Monday softened the ground just enough to make my land-clearing job just a little easier.

After a day and a half of hard work under the hot Chihuahuan Desert sun, I finished the task. The site is now cleared and accessible and fairly level. The front door of our cabin will face South toward Red Bluff. Once the cabin is on-site, then Cheryl and I will work to finish the inside a little at a time. Our goal is to make our little place cozy and comfortable.

We are excited about finally having a place that will allow us to stay on-site when we visit our property. This will make it possible for us to save money when we visit. The thought of getting to stay at Dos Arbolitos where we can cook our own meals, sleep in own bed (cots in the meantime), enjoy the magnificent views of the surrounding mesas and mountains, and look up into the most awe-inspiring sky at night is a really good feeling.

Cheryl and I are excited to watch things unfold in such a good way. We are grateful for the gift of Dos Arbolitos and hope to enjoy many good days there for years to come. Thanks for following our adventure.