A Possibly Interesting True Story

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GanjaGuru

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I know a guy let's call him Buddy.
Buddy had just got divorced and had to move and started thinking about a radical change.
He had about $2,000, that's it. A dead-end job, his wife got most of his shit, and only 2 grand and a truck with a cab-over camper thingie to his name.
He and I did some research.
In many parts of the country there is BLM land. Camping is generally free. Most have 2-week limits. You can stay there 2 weeks but then have to leave and you can't come back for 2 weeks.
Luckily, many area's have BLM camgrounds close together.
Additionally, there are area's where you can basically stay forever. But you can't build any structures.
I suggested an area I knew of to Buddy on the edge of a desert, a remote place that was kinda "swampy" in the spring & early summer and had a reliable year-round water source.
He drove his truck out there and found a spot to park his camper near an ideal grow area in the middle of nowhere (it was spring).
And that's where he lived.
Rent and utility-free.
He had a radio/stereo, a tv/vcr, a fan and 2 lights and they all ran off solar panels. And a Coleman stove. A ice chest which he rarely used (ice is expensive).
Every few weeks he would drive to this little store to get supplies. He ate a lot of beans and pasta. He streched that 2 grand as much as possible.
He told me his main problem was boredom. Not much to do out in the desert with those limited resources. He read a lot, inc. books he had always wanted to read but never had the time. Now he had the time.
He was never an outdoors-type person. At first he hated the remoteness, but once the hum of the city faded from his brain he began to appreciate the solitude, the canopy of stars, the unique flora and fauna that included desert bighorn sheep, foxes, coyote's, bobcats, various reptiles, an occasion cougar, even a bear (!) and cacti exploding with color.
It also included tarantula's and scorpians which he found several times in his camper.
He met a few people who lived in campers/trailers in that area. None grew weed (as far as Buddy knew). He told me some were certifiably insane, which is probably why they lived alone in the desert.
There was a band of--well, maybe not exactly hippie's, maybe Gypsy's--but an extended "family" of about 25 adults & kids, who lived in four buses parked in a square shape. In the middle they had tables & chairs under tarps--a communal area. These people got money from who knows where (welfare?) but they lived like that full-time. That was their life. Their parents had lived like that so had their grandparents. Buddy told me there was some serious inbreeding going on over there.

With my help he was able to grow quite a bountiful crop. With the money he made he was able to put a down-payment on a house in a nice neighborhood close to a good growing area and get a fresh start on life.
And has continued to grow to this day (just talked to him yesterday) although most of his income these days comes from an internet business.

I guess the point of this is that you can live rent-free on BLM land, and because of it's usual remoteness is an ideal spot to grow.
 
thats a great story GG.:) i'm glad to see your friend made it back on his feet.:D i do find the hippie imbreeding thing a bit disturbing.:eek:
 

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