Getting back to the land

Regarding “A Big Little Dream” by Robert Smaus, Nov. 30: My wife and I bought 50 acres near Paso Robles/Lake San Antonio in January and have been having similar experiences.

We don’t have water (I’m planning a well in June) but utilities run near the property. Our property is 75% covered with oak trees and is rolling to steep.

We are hoping to move there within five years. We go to the land about every other week -- about three hours each way.

We bought a large tent (8 feet by 10 feet) that goes up in about a minute -- real nice -- and bought a king-size inflatable bed, so it is very comfortable. The night sky is unbelievable.

Last weekend was our last for this season as the sun went down about 5:30 p.m. and it started getting cold. Got in bed at 7 p.m. to get warm. Woke up about 4:30 a.m. It was cold -- about 24 degrees -- so we packed up fast and went to town for coffee.

Joseph Hladek

Thousand Oaks

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I have 40 acres in the Mojave Desert and built a little cabin, which took me much more time and money than I expected. The interior is 8 feet by 12 feet and only the exterior is complete. I went to countryplans.com and was surprised that they said they built a cabin in three weeks for less than $2,000. So far, my cabin has cost $3,700, and I’ve logged over 200 hours building by myself -- not to mention the driving time to and from the site.

John Bacon

Redondo Beach