TWO PEAKS Carson Estates A Commentary

Two Peaks or Cerros de los Taoses, is located approximately 25 miles NW of the town of Taos, New Mexico. Two Peaks consists primarily of Carson Estates - Units 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11 - and Ranchos de Taos Estates, a single unit. Carson Estates, along with others in the area such as Tres Piedras Estates, are mostly one square mile subdivisions of more than 2000 one quarter acre lots each. Each "Estate" (except Ranchos de Taos) is divided into several units meaning there is a total of more than 28,000 individual lots. Created in the early 1960s by land speculators, they predated any significant subdivision regulations. These lots were given away at the 1962, Seattle World's Fair to lure visitors to the Buick Pavilion. "Free! - your own New Mexico ranchette!" Little work was done to improve the subdivisions except for surveying and bulldozing of the roads and rights-of-way. For the next ten to 15 years or more the properties pretty much languished and most of the roads became overgrown with the return of the sagebrush. The neighborhood sheep and cattle ranches grazed the land, the roads were terrible and few people came. In the 1970s, a few intrepid settlers like "King" James & Emily Allison, Paul "Doc" Eberle, Ringsella Pingselli, Richard and Lisette Mason and Alan Dolph discovered the land bargains to be had on the Courthouse steps for back taxes. The roads remained horrible for many years and the early folks had a tough time part of the year. For the next 20 years the population grew slowly. In the 1990s the area was discovered by many more folks. A Rainbow Tribal Gathering near Taos in 1995, had a big effect on Two Peaks. As Taos increased in the tourist mythology the prices for land in more typical Taos terrain east of the Rio Grande Gorge increased also. Many people wanting to stay in Taos found the hardships west of the gorge to be a fair trade-off for the cheap land prices. It sure beats being homeless in LA. In the 1980s someone could buy a lot for $50 at the auction, throw up a shack, make a mess and then move on to greener pastures. It still happens with some regularity. Since 1995, the prices at auction and in private sales have increased considerably as has the population at any given time. Some people migrate in and out, especially seasonally. Many are fairly rooted to their haciendas. Though "straight" suburban houses (and code enforcement) creep ever closer, Taos real estate agents still largely shun the subdivisions. For the most part the subdivisions have no street names or homes addresses. This means UPS and all other service providers also shun the subdivisions. USPS even rejected a petition for cluster boxes signed by 35 residents pronouncing Carson Estates not to be in the USA. While cessation from the USA may not have legal weight, it does nothing to alleviate a 40 miles drive to the PO and $25 box rental. Emergency services can also be sketchy. The Census 2000 was not prepared to deal with the Carson Estates subdivisions and their lack of accurate maps. Therefore little concerted effort for an accurate head-count was attempted until the census was almost concluded. With the imminent change of Taos County commissioners from three to five, it was clear that a reasonable count of heads west of the Rio Grande Gorge was desirable. Complaints to the Census Bureau in DC filtered down to the regional office in Denver, then the NM office in Santa Fe. Eventually a scratch crew of last ditch enumerators was assembled. The final, if rough, blitz indicated a population of about 400 or more. As a result of this road maintenance has improved to some degree. Of course that only applies to the main roads. The many miles of tertiary roads/easements within the subdivisions are not maintained and continue to degrade with the increase in traffic. Taxes per undeveloped quarter acre lot have remained at $5 for several years. That may not seem like a great amount. However, when multiplied by some 28,000 lots, it is not insignificant considering the vast number of lots which are unoccupied. It is certainly considerably more tax per square mile than that which is collected on the surrounding ranch land. Demographically the typical Two Peaks resident is a thirty something anglo with little money driving a marginal vehicle. Part of the economic trade-off is the damage done to vehicles which must regularly commute. Carson (in general terms) has been described as the world's largest open air asylum. It seems to attract many with borderline personality disorders. Often the totally clueless try to establish a scene on their quarter acre with absurd and wasteful results. Some prospective homesteaders have dug humongous expensive holes then gone away. Fortunately, most of the wing-nuts eventually move on. Sadly, the talented people who achieve professional success often move too. The big issue is always the roads. A small number of residents resent any attempts to make the area more accessible to outsiders. They have gone so far as to threaten the road crews. Obviously these are not commuters or folks with children going to school daily. To live in Two Peaks one must be prepared to live "off the grid" for the foreseeable future. Batteries and photovoltaic panels are a fact of life. In the cell phone age land lines are unlikely to be extended to such places. A community well has just been dug a few miles away but hauling water is still required. Many of the more established houses have large rain-water cisterns which normally provide adequate washing water. Wireless internet came to much of the area early in 2005. From where this writer sits the views to the south and east are worth every penny. The only noise is the light Spring winds. Life in Two Peaks can be as mellow as the individual wishes...or not. ...Cheap Land with a 2 million dollar view! There have been many Two Peaks land sales on eBay the past year. Buying land sight-unseen on eBay has to be the ultimate pig-in-a-poke. These lots or groups of lots (used to) sell for about $2000 per lot. In most auctions one is bidding only on how much down-payment they are willing to pay - the actual price is fixed. Apparently Californians find the pig irresistible and the price irrelevant when compared to the present reality of California real estate. $3000 per quarter acre nowadays. A few years ago it was only $250. Legend has it that back in the 60's or 70s, Ralph Englestad, owner of Las Vegas' Imperial Palace and alleged Nazi aficionado, won the balance of unsold lots in a poker game. However, Russell Green says he talked to Ralph 3 times over the years and the real story is different. Ralph told Russell that he bought land all over the world through personal agents and Carson Estates, et al, were just some that he bought along the line. Over the years Englestad Enterprises sold the lots off piecemeal. In other words, often by the quarter-acre lot, for about $250 each. If someone moved onto their lot, and often the adjoing lots as well, it had the effect of making the surrounding lots very unattractive to buy. In effect, Engelstad's business plan...or lack thereof...was intrinsically self-defeating in the long run. About 2001, Ben Billings bought out Englestad's remaining lots and, where possible, attempted to form logical rectilinear groups of lots for sale. After awhile Ben got tired of the real estate gig and sold out to Stephens Western Properties, the current eBay seller. Occaisionally, other individuals sell single lots on eBay. Prices seem to be in the thousand dollar per lot range. However, for someone willing and able to make local contacts and even contact present owners, lots can be found for considerably less. When lots go to the occasional tax auction, they may sell for very little or, if bidding wars ensue, absurdly high prices. Prices can vary widely predicated on how many trees the property contains. Lots located in the North-East quarter of Unit 5, can bring high prices because of the fairly dense pinon and juniper growth. However, the bulk of the subdivisions are in a sea of sagebrush. The winds can be ferocious at times - especially in the Spring. July - September is the traditional "monsoon" or rainiest season, though Global Warming is changing things each year. Winters can be hard, however, 2005-6 was almost winterless - as far as snow has been concerned. Spring melt or heavy rains can result in impassable side roads for days at a time. The sometimes intolerable winds and high-desert climate (typically 10" of rain per year) make dust a major annoyance. This is especially true for high-tech toys. If the occasional dust devil hits one's house, dust can get into everything and carry possessions away never to be seen again. Private water wells are impractical being over 700' deep. A well could cost much more than all but the largest conglomeration of lots. The power required to pump such a well would be unrealistic off-the-grid except by a hated gasoline generator. The newly developed community well at the Rt. 64 turn will go far in alleviating water problems. The closest fire department is in Taos. Response time can exceed one hour...they arrive in time to spray the coals. The Taos County ambulance waits for a police escort in the mistaken belief that the Sheriff's Dept. has a greater knowledge of where to go. Attempts to overcome these discrepencies with GPS mapping have failed through local ambivalence, if not outright hostility, to the notion of being findable. In an age of decreasing privacy, within the Two Peaks community anarchy reigns. While the area may seem ripe for meth labs, members of the community would probably treat such an enterprise harshly and, perhaps, extralegally. While people do not get into each other's business, it would be difficult for a meth lab to remain anonymous for long. Fortunately producing meth freaks ultimately blow their own cool. The future of the West Bank of the Rio Grande in Taos County is difficult to predict. The East Bank is squeezed by growth and large tracts of Taos Pueblo land. If it were not for these thousands of unruly quarter acre lots, Taos would grow to the west. There would be more high-dollar estates on large tracts such as Lauren Hutton's spread a few miles to the south. Just what the godfathers of Taos development would prefer. The telephone and electric grid have seemingly stopped their once inexorible spread - at least to rural ghettos. That's fine by most of local opinion. Solar dependence is cool. It surely beats paying for PNM dependnce. Cell phone service gets better all the time. This internet connection from Taosnet is generally steller and has brought awesome new possibilities to living in the boondocks. One could do their business world-wide from a hovel in Two Peaks and go to Taos every two weeks. While this writer probably will not be in Two Peaks in twenty years, it remains fascinating to speculate on what Taos, and the West Bank of the Rio Grande specifically, may have come to in 2025. There is no question that Taos is growing and many of the poorest immigrants, the providers of services, will be compelled to live off grid in the country. Taosenos often talk about a by-pass and better access for tourists from the south. Many of those proposals involve new highways on the relatively unpopulated West Bank. Highway condemnation is one way to undo a few of the mistakes of past lax sudivision non-regulation. A four lane highway connecting Taos to Santa Fe and running through The West Bank (in general) wouild have a profound impact. I'll bet Lauren Hutton wouldn't like it either. Issues like global warming could have a profound effect on living in the high desert. As of May 2006, there has been little precipitation in NM since Fall of '05. There is little snow in the mountains. Run-off will effect water tables. Like other small towns, Taos pays a premium for gasoline and most other commodities. Self-sufficiency was an ideal that Taos - and America - lost 75 years ago. If the trucks ever stopped running places like Taos would remain viable for a couple days. In two weeks pets would be merely portable protein and in a month some of the fine citizens would be cannibals. In the best of times Taos is a tourist town with occasionally great skiing, pretentious art galleries, second homes of .com millionaires, and Julia Roberts. The flip side is 25% unemployment and natives who cannot compete. An old story is the locals who sold (mostly to Anglos) cheap, migrated to LA, quickly became disenchanted, returned to Taos and could not buy back in. That story, repeated often, caused much anger and violence forty years ago. Since then developers have gutted much of the traditional Taos culture. Forty years ago there were actually down-home stores on the Plaza which locals frequented. What's with a town plaza that the locals don't use much anymore? The Wal-Mart parking lot is the defacto Nuevo Plaza? But all these things are systemic in the world. Traditional towns are no more and have become merely film sets to attract tourist money. In 2006, a brother and sister from New York decided to make a so-called documentary about a few of the people in the neighborhood. It's really not an accurate view of anything. It will be interesting to see the effects of this documentary on the area.