On our way to replanting our roots in Michigan!
We left California on December 25, 2019 and headed east. Neither of us had ever been on Route 66 so we decided to take some of that route home. If you want to read more about that trip click here.
After looking through several listings of both homes and land for sale there were a few empty lots that caught our eyes. The first lot was 18 acres and was mostly cleared in the middle. Unfortunately we were outbid on that piece of property. There was another 15 acre piece of land that we had checked out a few times before around the block. After pulling in and walking around, we were starting to envision where our house would be and it felt like home.
Our offer was accepted and we closed on the property on May 1, 2019. The property was originally listed as being only 14 acres, but upon a land survey we had completed it revealed that we had 15 acres! I guess you buy 14 and get one free!
The photo to the left is of me holding a NO TRESPASSING sign the day we closed. A huge storm had dumped a ton of rain all over Michigan the day before for a few days we had lake front property! All of these low spots will be fixed in time as we regrade the driveway and surrounding areas.
The property has been vacant since the 1990's, and is well known by many of the neighbors. At one point a developer had purchased the land and was planning on building a 27 home cul de sac. The stories started flowing in as soon as we started doing work. Neighbors have told us that it used to be a pig farm, then the lot was sold and purchased by a man that ran some type of auto shop. While we have been clearing the land we have pulled up several car tires and car parts, as well as many other household items. Almost as if our property was a dump of sort
Fast forward a tiny bit, we needed to install a gate at the front to keep people from driving around our lot. There was already a driveway established and nothing to keep people out besides signs. The day we arrived to install the gate, something seemed fishy. There were tire tracks in in the grass that we did not recognize. As I walked further down the driveway, I found a surprise behind the trees.
Someone had recently set up their own little cannabis farm! Not wanting anyone to lose out on their property, while also not wanting people to trespass on our property we decided the best route was to call the police. They quickly found the person who the cannabis belonged to and they were happy to come pick up their things and relocate them to another place! Being new in the neighborhood, we didn't want to cause problems as we are going to be here for awhile!
After the cannabis was relocated, Derrick and my bother Shane were able to continue putting in the new gate. We used some old telephone poles that were left on the property which saved us some money and are extremely sturdy. We purchased a cattle gate from Tractor Supply and hung it from the power poles.
There is still so much work to be done, 15 acres is a lot to manage but we are starting small and taking it one step at a time!