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1.STEP
Las Vegas Modena
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Las Vegas McCarran International Airport is the closest airport to the property. Catch a flight, go there and rent a car. We recommend renting an SUV, because the last part of the trip will make you deal with bumpy dirt roads and you have to drive through some washes.
Take Interstate 15 North to leave Las Vegas. Approximately 40 miles out of Las Vegas you turn onto 93 (North, northwest) the Street sign shows already Caliente. About an hour later and after passing a Salt Lake on your left, turn right on 317, direction Caliente. Don't stop in Caliente, stay on 317 and follow the sign for Panaca.
Once in Panaca you turn right and follow 319 until it is called U 56, when you cross the Utah border. A couple of miles further, the railroad already to your right, you will see a small sign announcing Modena. Slow down, turn right and drive on Main Street through the town. This will take you approximately 40 seconds, because Modena is very small. Even though the town seems to have a great spirit and long freight trains run through it every so often, more than 3/4 of the houses are abandoned and in pretty bad shape.
It takes about three hours to drive from Las Vegas to Modena
Leaving Las Vegas on I 15.
Be sure not to miss the I 15 and 93 intersection.
Driving on 93 is pretty straightforward. Look for the Salt Lake on the left-hand side.
About 20 minutes after you have crossed the Utah border you will see the sign for Modena.
In Modena you can find a good example on how to easily build a second floor on your house.
The abandoned Hotel is the tallest building in Modena.
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2.STEP
Modena - Dirt Road
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Stay on Main Street, cross the railroad tracks and keep following the road. It will lead you back to Highway 56. This detour through Modena makes it easy to find the next turn. After you get back on Highway 56, take the next possible road which leaves the Highway on the left side. This will happen after approximately 300 feet. Turn into it.
Take a moment to study the map. The next turns are easy to miss
The railroad crossing. Because freight trains can be very long you might have to add an extra 10 minutes waiting time to your schedule, in case a train comes by and you have to wait.
Crossing the tracks.
Soon you will be on the 56 again, just to turn left into the dirt road.
Without the described detour through Modena it would almost be impossible to discover the entrance to the dirt road
Drive slowly to look out for the dirtroad, there are no street signs and the road is slightly below street level.
Drive on this dirt road for about 5 minutes until you see the Union Pacific tracks.
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3.STEP
Dirt Road - Railroad - Heist
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If you chose the right dirt road it will lead you to the Union Pacific
Railroad and then will run parallel to the tracks. Follow the tracks until you reach "Heist", a gray little train utility hut, on your left. This will be the last visible building before you reach the property. Since wild horses can cross your way, drive carefully. After you pass "Heist", focus on the right side of the road. You will pass the remains of a trailer and shortly after that you will see the water hole.
If the dirt road you are using won’t lead you to the railroad after approximately 10 minutes of driving, it might be the wrong one.
Dirt road meets railroad.
The dirt road runs parallel to the tracks.
Heist looks pretty unspectacular but functions very well as a important point for your orientation.
The wild horses in the area are pretty skinny, because it did not rain since 6 years. Unfortunately there are rigorous, but probably appropriate penalties for feeding wild horses in the State of Utah.
The remains of the second closest neighbor of THEeTEAM land.
It will take you about 10 minutes to drive from Heist to the water hole. The total time of driving parallel to the tracks is about 30 minutes.
That is how the water hole looks like from the dirt road. Make a right turn and drive towards it.
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4. STEP
Water Hole - Pole
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Once you have reached the water hole, there are two ways to proceed. One is to wait for Clayton, who owns the waterhole (plus 250 acres of land with 50 cows in the area) and should appear shortly out of nowhere after your arrival. Tell him who you are, why you are on his property and where you want to go. Show him the map, which shows the waterhole in relation to THE eTEAM land. Clayton will follow the path of the cows and show you the way. In case Clayton does not appear, take your compass and map out the South East pole of the water hole.
A satellite picture from a major point of orientation, the water hole.
The water hole is really a water hole. The water gets piped there from a windmill operated well, which is about one mile away and belongs to Clayton.
That’s Clayton. In his hand he carries a GPS device, in his pocket is a calculator and on the seat next to him sits a rifle. Clayton says he does not like people, but we believe that once he meets some, he makes hearty exceptions.
After studying the maps and comparing the paths of the cows on the satellite images with his knowledge of the area, Clayton points out where the property is located.
Clayton’s guess of where the property is located differed only slightly from our measurements. Besides leading us to the spot, he explained each kind of vegetation on the property. Unfortunately most bushes, which are still growing after six years of drought, will kill cows and horses.
5. STEP
2270 ft SE => SE corner
Take four premeasured spools of string. Two should each be 1,000 ft long and the other two should each be 125 ft long. Attach the first of the 1000 ft strings to the SE pole of the water hole. Then, take your compass and walk straight southeast, unspooling the 1000ft reel of string as you go. Once the string is finished, knot the next 1000 ft string to it and keep walking SE. Repeat the procedure with the two 125 ft strings and measure the rest of the distance (20 feet) with a tape measure. It is easier if two people do this, as one can concentrate on walking and the other one can correct the directions. The point you will reach after 2270 feet will be the SE corner of THEeTEAM land.
Mark that corner with a unique sign, for example a gallon of water.
Strings, maps, compass, tape measure, boots, water…. Make sure you are prepared when you arrive.
Knot the string on the SE pole of the water hole.
Take your compass, point it towards SE. Look for an orientation point in in this direction and describe it to the person, who will unroll the string, as the aim, he or she should go for.
Always check on your maps and your "step by step flowchart" that you are doing the right step at the right time and that you are walking from the right spot into the right direction.
Always check and correct the direction the string unrolling person is walking to.
In order to be able to communicate between the pointer and the walker as the distance grows larger, use cell phones or walkie-talkies.
Knot the two 1000 feet strings together and search the area for an object, with which you can mark this point for later orientation. In our case the most noticeable thing we could find was the skull of a horse.
For more accuracy, the pointer and the walker should meet at the first knot. Then, keep proceeding.
Because the steadily running string through the walkers hands will produce heat, use a piece of strong plastic foil as a heat protection shield.
If you have followed all steps accurately this will be the SE corner of the lot.
Mark the spot.
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6. STEP
160 ft 343 Degrees NW => NE corner
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Collect the last 125 ft string you have used and go back to the marked SE corner. Start at this point to plot out the Acre by walking 343 Degrees NW until the end of the 125 ft string. Use the tape measure to measure the remaining 33 feet. In case you use one of the 33 feet long standard sized tape measures, add the remaining two feet by using your own two feet. The point you reach will be the NE corner of the lot. Mark this corner in the same way you did the previous one.
The North pointing arrow on the map is indicating the magnetic North, not the geographical North.
Collect the last 125 feet of string you have used.
Locate yourself at the SE corner and point 343 Degrees towards NW.
Before the walker will settle the next point, proof if the string goes in the right direction. If not, correct the position of the walker.
Mark the NE corner of the lot.
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7. STEP
331 ft 253 Degrees SW => NW corner
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To proceed with step 7, make sure you start from the previously located NE corner. Reuse the 125 ft string again and measure 250ft (125 and 125) while you are walking towards SW in a 253 Degree angle. The remaining 81ft have to be measured using the tape measure twice until its end (=66ft) and once until it indicates a distance of 15 feet from the previous intermediate spot. If you have followed the description accurately, you can now mark the NW corner of the lot. To maintain a visual consistency, we suggest, that you use the same markers for all four corners. In our case, we stayed with a gallon of water.
Make sure you print these detail maps, before you will go on your trip.
It is very helpful to laminate the print-outs. This way the maps will resist the windy and dusty weather conditions in the valley.
Four gallons of water will serve very good as corner markers and as well as an emergency water supply.
Don’t get lazy to correct the final corner position of the walker. One degree can make a big difference.
To measure one side of the lot takes approximately 10-15 minutes.
The NW corner of the land.
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8. STEP
160 ft 163 Degrees SE => SW corner
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Repeat step 6, but walk in the direction of 163 Degrees SE and start from the NW corner.
The final spot you will conquer will be the SW corner of the lot.
Mark the spot and have a look on the land.
Following the instructions on this map will guide you to the last corner of the lot.
Look for an orientation point in the distance.
Precision is a key element of this operation.
It helps if the walker has a good vision.
The walker carries the marker to the last corner.
Mark the spot.
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9. STEP
Verification
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If you want to verify that the measurements you have done are correct, start walking 331feet, 73 Degrees NE and you should hit the SE corner, your starting point.
If the discrepancy between this point and your original starting point (the SE corner) is too much and does not match your standards, repeat the measurements, starting at step 4 at the SE pole of the watering hole.
If the two points match or the distance between them is rather minor, you can enjoy the feeling of being on your own property and start thinking about the future.
Verification is crucial. For every future action you plan to do on the property, it is important to know, if you are on your property or on your neighbors.
Here it is: the land.
