Boulder Mountain Living (yard, snakes, spiders)

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by EastwardBound

Do you really live in Colorado currently?

Sounds like a foreigner, if it is a genuine query in the first place.

Power cuts
Snow ploughing
Deers
Neighbour
House “sits on a nice land”
Other language-related clues.

[Hipchik]

"It will be a huge shift if we go live in mountains."
Yes it will be. Mountain living is not for everyone.

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by Nehab

I work and have to commute daily to Denver Downtown. Looking for public transport options like Bus. I am planning to do park and ride and catch a bus from boulder.

That would be an insane commute. How long are you planning to carry on with that?

Also, I expect there will be times when you won't be able to get home at the end of the day. Do you have friends in the city where you can crash for the night if needed?

[EastwardBound]

Originally Posted by Nehab

Ok May be its a lot of work living in a mountain house.
I will see what I can find out about fire score before taking a final decision.

Yes I live in Colorado. Its been 2 years. But The house we are looking at is rural
And different from the place I presently live in.

I live in city. No Wildlife , easy commute, pretty straightforward.
It will be a huge shift if we go live in mountains.
But we loved The location and although I know that there will be some challenges.
I guess that’s the price to pay to live in nature.

I am just trying to understand the extent of these challenges. So that we can
Take a suitable decision accordingly. Thanks for your answers.

I would think very carefully before having to undertake such a commute anytime, particularly in winter. The snow at that elevation will mostly melt quickly as it does at 5,000 feet, but you will have certain days where you won't be able to get out. Also, check the Internet connections before you buy if that's important. We have a place down south at 9,000 feet and we got lucky with our Internet, but it is very dependent on the specific location.

[alphacoyle]

Originally Posted by Nehab

Ok May be its a lot of work living in a mountain house.
I will see what I can find out about fire score before taking a final decision.

Yes I live in Colorado. Its been 2 years. But The house we are looking at is rural
And different from the place I presently live in.

I live in city. No Wildlife , easy commute, pretty straightforward.
It will be a huge shift if we go live in mountains.
But we loved The location and although I know that there will be some challenges.
I guess that’s the price to pay to live in nature.

I am just trying to understand the extent of these challenges. So that we can
Take a suitable decision accordingly. Thanks for your answers.

I would seriously consider renting somewhere around where you're thinking about first. I had similar idea, so moved to Nederland, lived there for a year to get an idea of it; easy commute back and forth Denver/Nederland; but past there, eh I drove taxi while in college so been all around those back roads, can get black iced and not cleared. Now it's been a long time since I was there so a lot has changed; there were some small converted motel efficiency ap'ts right by where the new post office is by the reservoir. I was interested in purchasing the Phoenix Mill Site and Lonestar land, right off Rollins Pass road where the ranger's house is there's a road that goes right to it; can see from google maps someone now has bought it and put some cabins on it which is nice. But as a taxi driver I used to take a fare to the casinos and one night coming back the roads had iced over, not maintained at night up past Rollinsville; no brakes, no guard rails; fortunatly I was able to get in the far left lane and let the car slide sideways around the turns--those Ford Crown Victoria's actually do pretty good in winter, low and wide--but I could have ended up sliding right off the mountain; something to keep in mind. I hiked, camped extensively up around there and never had issues with wildlife; worse are the coyotes, but they're more down in town, like Boulder to Westminster. Good luck.

[alphacoyle]

Needs a guard rail here: talked to county and they say guard rails detract from the view

[Neditate]

Originally Posted by alphacoyle

Needs a guard rail here: talked to county and they say guard rails detract from the view

I disagree w/you and agree with CDOT. I drive the Peak to Peak more often now since Boulder Canyon has been closed. That particular section does not "need" a guardrail.

CDOT has installed guardrails up and down the Peak to Peak over the years and in some places they do detract from the views. They also cause injury, loss of limbs and death to motorcyclists.

[mlulu23]

The comments on this video are worth reading too. I lived in Boulder for 8 yrs, and can tell you that bears, mountain lions, and snakes come right down into town as well. And large wolf spiders too that "have been mistaken for tarantulas". But I loved Boulder, just can't afford it.

Elk, and deer are NOT harmless. An elk killed a woman in her own yard during rutting season. They can become quite aggressive at that time. Do not approach.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlht...axYXS3yOYTSPuI

[mlulu23]

Originally Posted by LHS79

Boulder is not in the mountains.

Some houses are in the foothill areas.

Boulder County extends way up into the actual mountains. There are many mountain houses up there.

[mlulu23]

Originally Posted by EastwardBound

I would think very carefully before having to undertake such a commute anytime, particularly in winter. The snow at that elevation will mostly melt quickly as it does at 5,000 feet, but you will have certain days where you won't be able to get out. Also, check the Internet connections before you buy if that's important. We have a place down south at 9,000 feet and we got lucky with our Internet, but it is very dependent on the specific location.

Snow will melt unless it is a north, or east facing home meaning it will linger for weeks if not months. That is why we can still see snow up there in late spring, early summer, and even later. Look for a south facing home which will help. A west facing home would be the next best solar direction. But snow is part of the mountain living experience, both the good, and the bad. For wood heat be sure to get in a good supply of wood before winter ever hits. It can, and will snow in the fall up there also. You will need it if the power goes out. The house may be in a pretty setting, but you have to ask yourself why it's been on the market for so long. If you find out that you hate living up there, and want out you guys will also have a hard time selling it like they are. I'm aware this is a somewhat older thread, but maybe someone else will get something out of it.

Also with a power outage putting food outside to keep it cold will attract bears. Not a good idea unless you can construct a root cellar, or something similar to keep it secure. Bears can, and have broken into homes to get at food. Forest fires are a very real concern for mountain living especially with all the beetle killed trees that are so tinder dry. And you can't just run to the store if you need something. It can be a huge hassle, and requires lots of planning beforehand.