Off the Grid, Homesteading (Rio Rancho, Taos: law, shop, buses)
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I've been out there several times... always armed and always during daylight hours.
Yes, it is absolutely lawless, it is dangerous and most people living out there are not mentally stable.
What takes you out there?
From the documentary it seems that some folks were very hostile to those with a camera, and thought they might be "Feds". I also found news reports on-line about a pot bust that went "wrong" out there.
I lived there for 2 years with my wife. It was splendid-tranquil, independent, and very far removed from suburbia. The views of the mountains are awe inspiring and there is no place like it I have heard of. We still own the house out there. Anybody interested in buying it for $125,000 ? We have a child now and the house does not suit a toddler.
We have been looking for a place to homestead off grid too. Our searches are bringing us to NW Arkansas, Idaho or Tennessee mountain areas.. Having water is very important if you are going to homestead. I think NM might be hard for that. The animals and crops will need TONS more then you will need yourself. Good luck on your search!!
I'm looking to purchase 2-5 acres of undeveloped land to start a simple homestead with a small farm and live entirely off the grid. I moved to Las Cruces specifically to look for land in Luna County, but after a year I'm realizing that whole county is a big turn-off due to land & building restrictions and I don't think it's the place for me. Apparently to build a house on your own land requires a septic system, and I don't want that. There's no comprehension of a composting toilet system there, because they've always used septic tanks and that's just the way it is. Case closed.
I love New Mexico, so I'm extending my search to other areas. I only have up to $10,000 to spend for a land purchase. I've recently learned about lots for sale in Cibola County and I might go up there and check it out. I realize it's much higher elevation than Southern NM with cold snowy winters and I can handle that provided I can arrange one basic necessity - water.
Is well-digging pretty much the only way of acquiring year-round water in New Mexico? It's so expensive and I don't even know if I can afford one. Has anyone else moved onto rural land and had a well put in? How much did it cost? Over and over I read the average well is 400 feet - that's crazy. Are there any undeveloped areas with access to a natural waterway - say, to start an irrigation canal?
Here in Southern NM we get dumped on during the monsoon season, so having a large cistern is a given. But that water only lasts so long. Is anyone living off-grid without a well? How?
I'm open to any area of New Mexico where there's a spot of land within my budget and the feasibility of getting water.
Am I insane and should I set my sights on another area of the country where the land is more fertile?
Thanks for any input.
If you only have 10 grand to spend, you'd better reconsider, drilling a water well will cost you at least that in New Mexico. Better look in Arkansas or some other southern state for less expensive land where water can be found at 110 feet below the surface.
It's interesting that people seem to get really offended by urban "sprawl" where the houses in cities such as Albuquerque just keep getting built over the "next hill."
OTOH, taking 2-3 acres of virgin, unspoiled desert or forest is somehow seen as environmentally responsible because you are living in nature or "off-grid" or some such hypocrisy.
In order to "live off the grid", a person needs several things, and doesn't necessarily need one.
To live away from people, you will need about 3-4 5 gallon fresh water containers for drinking water, canned goods, a tent ot van/car/camper/whatever, gas grill, and a porta potty is a necessity. Porta potties come in several sizes, ours is a 2.5 gallon model, and we use it when dry camping up by Magdelena.
Do your business in the porta potty which you'll pour aquakem into your porta-potty to degrade the waste, when it needs to be emptied, the National Forests and state parks have vault toilets or waste dump sites where you can dump your potty.
One of the things a person does not need is a spouse, because it is very difficult for a couple to dry camp/boondock, unless both people have similar likes and dislikes, and like dry camping. It's not for everybody, but people adapt well to solitude.
Yes, you can fall off the map, because I know of two people who have in my area. Incidently, neither two of the people I know are married and have no partner. One has been off the map since his stint in viet nam, he has not filed a federal or state tax return since leaving the army. I'm a male, but married. I could easily get lost if I were not.
My wife and I had considered moving to New Mexico for a teaching job. We felt the NW corner would have been great for getting off the grid..
Gets cold in the winter up there, don't it?
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