It's one lane and goes steeply down into a canyon.
With a lovely view
quickly turns to dirt.
Runs along the edge of a sizable creek---great fall colors.
On and On for some miles---to its end---AND THEN---AND THEN---THIS APPEARED.
It's abandoned---nary a soul around. I'm a little hesitant to investigate---Laurie gives me a one sentence lecture: "Life is too short not to be bold!" So we investigate.
She sees evidence that the dwellers here left suddenly.
This is what she saw: a buttered knife suddenly put down---long ago. Dead plants.
And a seemingly decent car---unmoved in years.
It's owner---a Vampire admirer.
We climbed the spiral staircase to the upper deck----were surprised to find that a coyote had been here--and marked his territory on the top step.
Laurie surveys the scene---notices that rope.
And with no hesitation---does this.
Clear to the top and looks in.
And saw this---a brilliant solution to the need for light in the dome. Each room has natural light and ventilation.
From the top I look across at million dollar homes---wondering how they access them.
A sizable creek runs down the canyon.
Laurie descending---quite athletic.
RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES: Bold people sometimes need to drag us along into adventure as Laurie dragged me this day. What a splendid mystery is this giant dome. Housing for many---beautifully engineered. Clearly an "enterprise of great pith and moment---gone awry". My mind flashed on the famous mystery of the Mary Celeste--an intact ship found floating off Spain with no one aboard. Evidence here suggested a sudden departure during breakfast. Perhaps a reader knows what happened here? Perhaps I will inquire further.
17 comments:
That third photo shows the sediment layers in the rock. When I notice the layers & give some thought to how it was made, how long that took and how long the erosion had to be going on to give us what we saw.
I realize that what we have today is not necessarily what we'll have tomorrow.
Nice find!
Super cool "house". Be careful though Randy, have you ever seen the movie "The Hills Have Eyes"?
Very interesting Randy. The vehicle tag was from 2005. Those water tanks around the building must be filled with accumulated rain water from somewhere and would supply water for quite a while if treated. Where was the entrance into the dome?
An acquaintance of mine has so much money from her mom that she buried 10k in the backyard of one of her properties right before the Y2K hysteria then she forgot where she buried it.
She only uses a plunger once then she throws it out.
There are so many people with old money and it makes them really strange.
Although this person is not a Dupont, if you ever pass through DE, you should ask around to hear some of the stories about the Duponts. If people aren't afraid to tell you.
Please do some digging (maybe county real estate records?) and let us know what you find. What a great mystery and incredible building. This is real "big picture" stuff!
What happened to these people is obvious--they knew too much! You could easily contact the local police and tell them you spotted an abandoned car and would like to know who it belongs to and have them run that tag.
I'm interested in buying this place. Can you give me an address. liamknuj99 at g mail dot co m
The King of Frugality is a beautiful person outside and inside. He always is helpful and kind to everyone. People love him. He is a good friend.
Really interesting find. I am guessing that this might be a foreclosure of someone's dream home. During the real estate downturn, we literally had folks in our neighborhood literally drop things and run, and by the looks of this place, that might have happened here. But who knows. Would be interested in the story behind this one.
It is 11,221 sq feet and the taxes are $5900 per year.
Address is 1791 Chavez Ranch Rd, Sedona, AZ
Owner
D L COTTAGE INDUSTRIES INC
Owner's Mailing Address
6914 E QUAIL TRACK DR
SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85262
Ain't the internet wonderful!
Finding a rapidly abandoned dwelling and an abandoned car with food stuffs left out is the stuff of murder mysteries. Does seem strange that the sudden departure is coupled with a locked up dwelling. Deepens the mystery.
I'd have done the same as Laurie once I determined that it was abandoned. If you aren't disturbing people, then it is fair game for curiosity.
Its not fair game for anyone. Its private property. Treat others as you would like to be treated.
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I'm impressed with Laurie's physical antics too but I hope both of you pulled -- HARD -- on that rope before ascending freestyle like that. If that rope were rotted near the top where you couldn't see it until it was too late, there wouldn't be time enough to scream "Oh S%#t!" prior to impact. Old bones take far too long to heal.
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sail4free
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Stay away. That looks like a drug "disappearance" of which there has been 20,000 in Mexico.
Sometimes they just shoot, or behead, or disappear - whatever gives the greater impression of impunity, I guess.
Stay away.
Bushman
Based on my earlier comment about the misplaced 10k, plungers and Duponts I'm guessing the owners get bored and leave. They'll just hire a team of cleaners to go in a week before when they decide to return.
I worked on this place in 2010 and saw the complete interior too. The woodwork inside was amazing but not yet complete. The dome had a bunch of cracks that were leaking and I was hired to just fill all the cracks just to get them thru the winter until they hired a GC to fix the structural issues. There was a guy that was living there while he worked on it and he mentioned that the large bladder that was filled with air to form the concrete lost power during the pour and that's what caused all the cracking but who knows if that's what really happened. The inside was pretty impressive with some cool wooden stairs and all. That rope to climb up was there when I was there.
Thank you Anonymous for the inside information. The mystery slowly unfolds. One day last year I went there--saw a car--stopped to get more details about the place. Was greeted by very hostile lady who began to yell at me-- I quickly drove away.
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