Sand Dune Estates off Cole Creek Road, near Casper (Evansville: houses, buying) - Wyoming (WY) - City-Data Forum

NotTooImpressed · 06-24-2010, 07:34 AM

Anybody know much about that area? I am from out of state, but planning to check it out myself next month and, if things work out, eventually build a house there.

Any perspectives on the area would be appreciated. In particular, I worry if the dirt roads are passable in the rains and winters, and how bad the wind is... I know there's a wind farm nearby. No problems with the aesthetics, but practically does life change much with with a lot of wind?

I also found an internet piece about one resident refusing to clean up his property. Wondered if that was just a single story or the norm...

jody_wy · 06-24-2010, 09:49 AM

is that one of those 40 acre deals....40 acres maybe to a AUM, so if animal plan on buying hay

NotTooImpressed · 06-24-2010, 01:57 PM

Nope, no animals. Just a couple rural residential acres from a private seller.

WyoNewk · 06-24-2010, 08:20 PM

http://trib.com/news/local/article_7...ac50ef85e.html

"Many properties landed in the county's lap when developers in the energy boom of the early 1980s abandoned their projects in subdivisions including Oasis Estates, Sand Dune Estates....

And access to some properties in Oasis Estates, for example, is accomplished only by a four-wheel drive truck along unmaintained and barely passable public roads, he said.

The expense to repair the roads would negate any money the county would make by selling those lots...."

I don't have an answer, but I'd get one before investing if I were you.

K-FOX · 06-25-2010, 07:43 PM

I lived on the corner of Opal and Scorpion for 5 almost 6 years, only once did I have any trouble getting out in the winter. 3 feet of snow and 10 foot drifts! A 2 day blizzard did that! 4 wheel drive does help. Pink house on the corner with the tan and blue garage was my house. When I moved up there, there were only four families living out there in Sand Dune then people started buying lots and moving out there again. i still have friends that live out there. it use to be everyone was very friendly and knew each other, now I hear it's not that way anymore. I bet I can guess at the guy the paper was talking about!! It use to be that a few people in town bought the lots dirt cheap and stored old cars and machinery and such up there. I know the county was trying to enforce the cleanup of the lots, and most of the residents complied with the county.

You get use to the wind. i don't know where you are or where you are from, but you will either love Wyoming or you will hate Wyoming! There really is no in between. Just remember to have everything corraled or tied down or it will end up in Nebraska! A note on the water in that area. It is very alkaline and you may or may not get a good well, (you can always haul water. there is a water station at the bottom of Coal Creek rd). My well was 360' deep at 10 gal a min. My neighbors well in Oasis was 400' and they only had 3 gal a min. We were about half a mile apart. If you dig a well an RO system would be a good investment, I had one and it payed for its self pretty quickly by not havin' to haul water anymore. It also depends on where your lot is, that will tell you if you'll get water or not. Most everyone on the west side of Opal has good wells.Some lots on Desert Flower, Sand drift and a few on sunburst can't get water for nothin'. You can tell where the water is though, cause that's where the houses are!

If you have more questions let me know. Oh the rain doesn't bother the roads any, they are really very good dirt roads. Better then the dirt roads around here are!!! Just watch out for the pockets of sand! They may have fixed those by now though, but they use to eat cars!!! We towed out a couple of people a year that didn't know about them.

K-FOX

shadowwalker · 06-27-2010, 07:04 AM

I live out past Sand Dune Estates on Copperhead Drive and agree with all K-Fox says. The wind does blow and you can get snow drifts across the roads, but with traffic that usually doesn't block a road. I have a 420 foot well and RO system, I also recommend a Water softner for the hard water you'll have. My mother just bought 2 acres on Sand Drift Road out there and there seems to be good access to it.

NotTooImpressed · 06-27-2010, 08:32 AM

Hey, I feel really lucky two people from the area were kind enough to reply. Just sent a direct message to both of you. Looking forward to seeing the place next month!

K-FOX · 06-29-2010, 07:29 PM

Hi Shadowwalker, Glad you made it back. I know you've been back for a while now. I had intended to move back too but life it seems has different ideas for me right now. Maybe someday, I still miss Wyo! Wind and all.

One more bit of advise, don't cut down your sage brush, it will trap the snow and reduce the drifts on the road if you are on the west side of the road! The voice of experience here. And it will help keep the moisture in the ground longer.

K-FOX

shadowwalker · 07-06-2010, 06:55 PM

Thanks K-Fox, and your right about the natural snow drift protection. We also looked at the way the plant life was "leaning" and pointed a corner of our house into it. I really did help with the winds and drifting.

NotTooImpressed · 07-18-2010, 07:11 AM

Both excellent points, thanks again. I had not realized how useful sagebrush could be!

Also, if anyone has any recommendations for good carpenters in the Casper/Evansville area, please send them my way.