Today I'm on the move to St, Johns, AZ, the county seat for Apache County. I have a vandweller friend who's mother owns 2 adjacent 36 acre plots up there and has never seen them and I offered to check them out.
Since it's going to be a long drive I'm on the move early, deciding on Google's suggestion to head east into New Mexico and then north. Finally, heading west back into AZ and north to St Johns.
This will be about 3 hours without stops.
Above I'm driving over the mountains that separate both states.
After coming out of the mountain forest into NM I come to grass lined hills and very few other vehicles.
Past rains have left this road crossing wash wet and a slow pass by.
After traveling in New Mexico for a long time through very small towns, I'm crossing the mountains back into AZ.
Trees give way to short grazing grass as I head north.
Small towns like this were common on the ride with special signage for the local post office.
My second stop is the county Assessor's Office in St. Johns. My first stop was McDonalds.
The office gave me their copy of the plot plan showing the two parcels, side by side. I then asked for the street directions and there are none. They did give me the closest streets with caution about one being dirt but maintained.
I drove 50 miles north to get to the first side road that was tar. Then I turned on the main county dirt road all the way to the end.
Above is the picture of one of the cart roads that were built for the development between plots so many years ago.
I walked until I came upon this barbed wire cattle fence. The farmer up the road has put 3 parcels together and fenced it. I chose not to go further, knowing that I could as a dreaded right of way can be enforced. The vandweller mother's property is the width of one parcel to the other side of the fenced property.
In the plot plan above you can see the right of way by the separation of solid and dotted lines. This area of the grazing section has a wash going through it
There are two ways to cross the fenced parcels to access the parcels in question,with one being flatter than the other. Power is close by with the last pole one parcel away.
I documented my findings and sent the information and then discussed with the vandweller.
The property is only 5 miles from the US highway and 8 miles from I40, which makes it a nice accessible location.
A random car at the end of the road brought one neighbor out to find out what I was doing. He was pleasant having bought his property 30 years ago.
Two dogs paid no mind to me at the south side of their property line.
Since I was headed to northern AZ I put this extra step on the way. It was interesting to do the research.
Brent
macaloney@hotmail.com
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