In January 1976, Darel and Linda partnered with Frank and Annette to purchase a forty-acre parcel on Mill Creek in Cherokee Park. The region is checker-boarded, with national forest in the black sections and private land in the red sections. The Mill Creek Association is now a gated community comprising roughly 70 lots on six sections in Cherokee Park.
Before we bought, Section 5 had not yet been subdivided into parcels. We helped to create a parcel that included a long stretch of Mill Creek.
Our parcel included a second canyon where we pitched our tent. We did not take the tent down all summer.
We bought a small travel trailer and built a dam to create a small pond.
Our tiny trailer served as our home away from home for several years, surviving a bear attack on the rear storage.
In June 1994 Darel and Linda became the sole owners when Frank and Annette decided to sell their share so that they could purchase a condo in Breckenridge.
For many years there had been talking about building something more permanent. One of the plans we considered was a simple structure from Sutherland Lumber Company.
On September 12, 2001, our poker group met at a beautiful log cabin near Redfeather. It was a fearful and depressing time with a blue sky completely clear of any aircraft. The cabin had been recently built, using a log kit from Pacific Log Homes.
By 2005, Linda and Darel were both retired and it was time to make our dream of a cabin a reality. In 2006, we signed a contract with Pacific Log Homes. Here is a sketch.
During the spring and summer, we built a new driveway, created a level spot, and laid forms for the foundation.
In the meantime, logs were shaped and fit together in Canada. The cabin was put together three times: at the original construction site in British Columbia, at the Denver Log Show, and finally at the permanent site at Mill Creek.
The Denver Log Show was in September, and the logs arrived at Mill Creek in early October. Note the tags on the ends of the logs that identify the location of each log.
Roof panels made from 4-foot by 20-foot sandwiches with a styrofoam filling went up quickly. A special platform made it easier and safer to add the metal roof. The cabin was completely enclosed by late December.
In 2007, we started finishing the interior. Interior walls used traditional framing. The basement floor required several loads of cement.
The well digger used a divining rod and 400 feet down he found water.
Plumbing included a six-inch utility wall, a single vent through the roof, and a septic tank.
A solar shed housed batteries and an inverter. Ditches created conduits for propane, electricity, and water.
Distinctive Stone finished the exterior basement walls.
Legally this is a landscape feature. Practically it is a structure to prevent erosion.
A fire pit provides warmth on a cool evening and a way to burn excess branches and bushes.
It took roughly three years and a couple of renewed permits, but eventually, everything got approved. It finally looked like a real cabin!
We hosted Thanksgiving at the cabin in 2008.
One summer our grandson’s Scout troop used our location for a retreat. They fished, set up their tents, cooked meals, and cleaned up afterward. They were not allowed to use cabin facilities but expressed an appreciation for our outhouse with its Dutch door.
Each year during Memorial Day weekend the association hosts a fishing contest for children of association members.
During Labor Day weekend Darel and Linda host a Hardy Party, full of food, games, and conversation.
Forest fires threaten the area and landowners seek preventive measures. Here we learned how to cut and stack limbs into teepee-shaped piles. Fire permits are allowed during the winter when there is sufficient snowfall.
Our EZGO has been a workhorse that allowed us to move rocks and firewood. More recently we added a Cub Cadet Challenger that can better maneuver the steep terrain.
During the Covid Pandemic, we built a new dock
and constructed a concrete wine bar.
Winter is a special time to visit Mill Creek. We try to keep the cabin warm enough to prevent freezing. Sometimes snowdrifts prevent access, but when we can visit Mill Creek in the winter, it can be rewarding.
We now have Directv and Starlink internet with remote photo and temperature sensing. Who would have thought in 1976 that such things would even be possible?
The joy of owning mountain property is sharing it with family and friends. Enjoy your visit.
