On the Block: 600+ Acres in Kentucky and Tennessee

Five tracts in Western Tennessee and Kentucky totaling more than 600 acres will be auctioned on October 27. In addition to a considerable recreational component, the tracts are heavily timbered. According to Roebuck Auctions founder John Roebuck, these tracts are ideal investment opportunities that feature great hunting. A past president of the National Auctioneers Association, Roebuck has spent more than three decades in the auctioneering profession.

The breakdown on the tracts by location is as follows:

• 243± acres in McNairy County, Tennessee
• 195± acres in Hardeman County, Tennessee
• 9± acres in Hardeman County, Tennessee
• 58± acres in Hardin County, Tennessee
• 103± Acres in Calloway County, Kentucky

More details on the tracts, which will be auctioned by Roebuck Auctions on Thursday, October 27, is available HERE.

Date:  Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 6:07 p.m. CDT

Location:
Selmer Airport Hanger (SZY)
2282 Airport Rd
Selmer, TN 38375

Roebuck Auctions
(901) 763-2825

Sold! Texas’s Camp Cooley Ranch

SEPTEMBER 6 UPDATE:

Camp Cooley Ranch sold at auction for $28.5 million to Circle X Land and Cattle Company August 4. Twenty-two qualified bidders, along with their families, attorneys, lenders, and consultants, attended the auction, which was held at the Robertson County ranch. The $28.5 million sale price included surface and mineral/royalty interests. All equipment and personal property was offered through a separate transaction.

According to Bernard Uechtritz of Great Estates Ranches, Camp Cooley ranks as one of the most beautiful ranches in the nation, thanks to its topography, abundant waters, and multi-million-dollars of improvements. “In the cattle industry, Camp Cooley is a major brand name,” he said. Uechtritz coordinated the extensive marketing campaign leading up to the auction; the auction itself was overseen by Hall and Hall Auctions.

Read more details HERE.

JULY 25 UPDATE:

In the midst of a statewide drought that is crippling Texas farms and ranches, Camp Cooley Ranch continues to thrive.

“Camp Cooley is an oasis,” says Bernard Uechtritz during a telephone conversation from the headquarters of the Central Texas ranch. “Every other ranch I’ve seen over the last few weeks has browned up, but not Camp Cooley. It continues to irrigate, to fertilize, and to bale hay. Take a look at that aerial video at Camp Cooley.com. We shot that two weeks ago, and everything was still green. Still is. Name another ranch in Texas that is baling hay in late July.” According to Uechtritz, Camp Cooley Ranch has a year round carrying capacity of 4,000 head, and as recently as two weeks ago was running 4,700 head.

As the August 4 auction deadline approaches, Uechtritz reports that multiple stalking horse bids have been received for specific assets as well as for the entire ranch. “The action has been terrific. We’ve easily had 20-plus parties tour the ranch and given it a serious look,” Uechtritz says.

Leading the list has been a large number of cattle companies that recognize Camp Cooley’s turnkey potential. “Readers of The Land Report would immediately recognize the names of many of these famous ranch operators. These guys know what a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity Camp Cooley presents,” Uechtritz says. Other parties who have toured the ranch have eyed the mineral rights, the water rights, royalty revenues, the hunting preserve, and the possibility of developing a wetlands mitigation bank.

“Watching the interest build around Camp Cooley has been extremely exciting for Hall and Hall,” Scott Shuman says, head of Hall and Hall’s Auction Division. “When you get a property with the history and the potential of Camp Cooley and combine it with such close proximity to major metropolitan areas such as Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio, it’s bound to generate a ton of interest. And we’re definitely seeing that. I expect the pace to pick up even more as the auction date approaches.”

Buyer’s registration forms and bidder’s packets for the invitational auction are being released on Friday, July 22. Bidders must pre-qualify and be invited to attend the August 4th auction, which is presently scheduled to take place at Camp Cooley Ranch. Through the protected buyer process that was approved by the court, there is also the possibility of a private treaty sale prior to the August 4 auction.

Learn more HERE.

JULY 15 POST:

A Texas icon goes on the block this August as Camp Cooley Ranch is to be auctioned off by Hall and Hall Auctions. At 10,600± acres, Camp Cooley is one of the largest properties in close proximity to Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio. A sophisticated multi‐level turnkey cattle and commercial hay operation, Camp Cooley generated more than $700,000 in grazing revenues, more than $1.5 million from commercial hay operations, and more than $1.4 million in gas royalties in 2010. In addition, there are considerable untapped revenue streams associated with existing gas and water rights. Located in the heart of the Lone Star State near Franklin, Camp Cooley will be auctioned by Hall and Hall as a single tract on August 4, 2011.

Download a comprehensive presentation with complete details via PDF HERE, or take a tour online at Camp Cooley.com.

LOCATION

Camp Cooley Ranch is located in Robertson County in the heart of Central Texas and is bounded by the Navasota River to the east. Approximate drive times are as follows: Bryan-College Station, 30 minutes; Austin, 90 minutes; Houston, two+ hours; Dallas, two+ hours; San Antonio, three hours.

HISTORY

The ranch takes its name from the Civil War

Houston entrepreneur Bert Wheeler assembled Camp Cooley from dozens of neighboring tracts. As Camp Cooley’s renown grew, Wheeler hosted such Texas luminaries as John Connally and Lyndon Johnson.

Under current owner Klaus Birkel, Camp Cooley Genetics has become one of the country’s best known seedstock cattle operation, running up to 4,500 cow/calf pairs and as many as 2,000 bulls.

ASSETS

Ranch headquarters is a 8,590-square-foot lakeside main residence. Improvements include a 15-suite executive office complex, meeting rooms, and security and communication systems to monitor the ranch.

The entire ranch is served by a computer-monitored water well system, including all residences, barns, workshops, a multi‐use sale pavilion, and the breeding and cattle workstations. There are approximately 84 miles of roads in place on Camp Cooley.

Camp Cooley boasts rolling terrain that boasts numerous lakes, abundant woodlands, as well as wetlands that are ideal for development as a mitigation bank. The ranch’s 1,000‐acre exotic game preserve is among the oldest in the state and could be increased in size.

OPPORTUNITY

Qualified bids need to be submitted by Wednesday, July 27 at 5 p.m. (CST). For more information on this auction, contact Bernard Uechtritz at (214) 608-8567 or Scott Shuman at (800) 829-8747.

For Sale: Canadian River Ranch

Anyone familiar with the history of the American West knows the legend and lore that surrounds the historic XIT Ranch, whose 3 million acres encompassed the bulk of the western edge of the Texas Panhandle. The Canadian River Ranch covers some 111 square miles of the old XIT, including substantial frontage on both sides of its namesake, the Canadian River. The ranch’s varied topography rises from wide river bottoms to iconic mesas, but throughout its history it has been operated as a commercial cattle outfit.

Located 65 miles northwest of Amarillo, the ranch can also be accessed via a paved 4,500-foot land strip situated close to the headquarters. The ranch’s 7,000-square-foot, 6-bedroom, 6½-bathroom lodge is just one of many well maintained improvements, which include a ranch manager’s house, pilot’s quarters, barns, pens, and housing for the hands.

These 71,059 acres combine to form one of the largest contiguous land holdings inthe Texas Panhandle. The ranch is watered by 26 miles of the Canadian River. Not surprisingly, the Canadian River Ranch boasts exceptional hunting. Two state record mule deer have been recently harvested, and elk, bear, and mountain lion have also been sighted.

$33.753 million ($475 per acre)
(806) 763-5331
www.chassmiddleton.com

For Sale: Elk Song

My journey to Elk Song began with a dream: a dream cut short by an old war injury. The dream belonged to my grandfather, who owned a fine sub-irrigated sandhill cattle ranch in Eastern Colorado that I cheated for more than 25 years, cheated against beef in favor of a waterfowl and upland bird paradise. Population growth and pressure to turn it into an irrigated farm dictated that I walk away from the only home I had ever known and seek a new world.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROSS SEYFRIED
PUBLISHED SUMMER 2011

Several years of searching led me to the Blue Mountains in Eastern Oregon and another dream; one tarnished by abuse but not without hope. I found a magnificent raw canvas, canvas smeared with overgrazing and unreasonable logging, but it was a canvas that begged for a gentle hand that might return it to its pre-European glory. My dream began the day after Thanksgiving some 15 years ago with a pre-dawn ride over a goat-trail road that topped a ridge and offered a vista of several miles. Before me I saw four broad open ridges. Each was cut by dark timber, and all were covered with elk. I had just found 7,000 acres crisscrossed by 12 miles of flowing streams and cloaked with 4,000 acres of timber. That was the good news.

The bad news was that down low a substantial portion of the riparian areas resembled dirt ditches. Overgrazing had taken a terrible toll. Higher up, half of the timber had been plundered in the most irresponsible way. And the native elk herd? It had been savagely overhunted. No matter how hard I looked, I could find no branch-antlered bulls. The small forest folk were also missing. What to do? The first thing I did was buy the property. Then I brought my son on board to help. I had hunted much of the western United States and a good bit of the rest of the world, and I had never seen any- thing that approached the majesty of this ranch, even in its abused state. To the east, it was four miles to a hospital, a four-year university, grocery stores, and an interstate. To the west, one could ride a horse 100 miles and not cross a highway. My next step was the logging contract: stop the greedy plunder that cut all of the good and left only a little bad timber. I forced the logging company to implement the sort of sustainable practices it preached in its advertisements but failed to follow on my land. It would log in a sustainable and responsible manner. Doing this would leave significant stands of high-quality timber and millions of young, healthy trees for the future. Now it was time to face my cattle dilemma.

A good number of locals and even some game department personnel believe that “if you take the cows off, the elk will leave.” According to this old saw, livestock eat bad grasses and leave the good for the elk. After nearly 50 years as a cattle rancher, I have yet to encounter the Hereford that chooses to abide by this theory. Thus, no cattle grazed on our mountain that first spring. Elk numbers soared. Many hundreds of cow elk had wee spotted calves that scampered in the tall grass and wildflowers that reached their mamas’ bellies. To say that the elk were delighted with the absence of the bovines is an understatement. These happy elk were the most vocal I had ever heard; their sounds resembled humpback whales and created the soul, and name, of Elk Song. That fall dozens of rifles were silenced. I am not anti-hunting. I am a licensed guide and professional hunter. But the boys of Elk Song needed a break. When autumn returned we saw a few four-point bulls. A year later we thrilled when we saw a six-point. At the end of the third year, the September rut was a sight to behold. Instead of the occasional squeal of a yearling spike, dozens of deep bugles echoed across the ranch. The nearly perfect grazing habits of the elk allowed native grasses and forbs to repopulate and the general condition of the range to greatly improve. The entire ecosystem began to thrive. Black bears fattened on the berries in hawthorn thickets in the creek bottoms. Coyote returned. Snowshoe hares and red digger squirrels enticed eagles. The occasional cougar track suggested all was well. Grass and sedges returned and gave the wild rainbows shelter and more insects. On the fourth summer we brought in 175 cow-calf pairs to graze. They came in May and left in mid-June while all of the grass was green. This kept the cattle from destroying the riparian areas in late summer. Domestic cattle have a place in paradise, but they don’t rule Elk Song.

After 15 years we are almost there, almost at a state of pure wildness. Now we almost do not notice a big six-point bull. Most days we see dozens of them along with bear, deer, turkey, grouse, rabbit, squirrel, coyote, cougar, and trout. One evening last September, we counted 200 cow elk on a ridge. There were 43 six- and seven-point bulls with them, and the bugles and screams of a hundred more bulls echoed out of the canyons and thickets. Yes, the timber is still young, but it is thick and wonderful. Elk Song is indeed wild, and ever evolving toward 200 years ago. And now it is time for change once again. To the many who question our sanity for leaving the paradise that is Elk Song I say it is not by choice, but to bring an end to hostilities caused by a family member. It is time to pass the torch, to allow another to hold the reins and experience the wonder of Elk Song. We will begin again, returning to our roots on the Great Plains where waterfowl and upland birds thrive, and find another canvas on which to create wildness once more.

Elk Song’s 7,198 acres are listed with Oregon Land and Wildlife for $8.585 million.
For more information, contact:

Tim O’Neil
www.landandwildlife.com
(541) 480-3682

On the Block: Oklahoma’s Bird Creek Ranch

UPDATE: Bird Creek Ranch sold as one parcel for $1.995 million ($1,304/acre) at public auction in Tulsa on May 23. The 1,530-acre holding was offered in 11 tracts ranging from 20 to 320 acres. More than 70 individuals attended the auction with 36 registering as bidders.

“The local real estate community seemed to be impressed with the outcome of the auction and many registered bidders expected the land to sell for under $1,000 per acre,” said Scott Shuman. “As a result of the auction we have now been asked to look at several other parcels of land for potential auctions. It was a great way to introduce the auction division of Hall and Hall.”

ORIGINAL POST: Hall and Hall Auctions will open the bidding on Bird Creek Ranch Monday afternoon, May 23, at one p.m (CST). The ranch’s 1,530± acres, which are located just minutes from downtown Tulsa, will be offered in 11 tracts ranging from 20 to 320 acres. All tracts have extensive frontage on paved Tulsa County roads. The southeast side of the property borders Bird Creek.

“Bird Creek is ideal for the investor seeking to increase his or her portfolio, or a local farm operator expanding an operation,” says Scott Shuman, who heads up Hall and Hall Auctions. “For the hunter or outdoor enthusiast, this property offers a tremendous opportunity.”

The multi-parcel method of sale will be used to allow ranchers, farmers, investors, hunters, and outdoor enthusiasts to bid on individual tracts or the combination of tracts that best suits their needs.

Scott Shuman
Hall and Hall
(800) 829-8747

 

For Sale: New Mexico’s Southern Cross Ranch

The Southern Cross controls over 70 square miles of the finest trophy elk habitat in North America: a total of 47,309 acres of which 33,514 are deeded. On this trophy property in western New Mexico, geography, genetics, and habitat combine to create an ecosystem that produces some of the largest bull elk anywhere. The Southern Cross is renowned for amazing numbers of 350- to 400-class bulls.

The Southern Cross has been superbly managed to maintain its status as one of America’s premier hunting destinations. A spectacular 6,000-square-foot log lodge is the centerpiece of the ranch. With six bedrooms, five and one half baths, and wraparound deck, the lodge treats guests luxuriously. A caretaker’s house, corrals, barn and meat cooler completes the outstanding facilities on the ranch. Southern Cross Ranch was recently allotted 49 bull elk tags and 14 cow elk tags.

Straddling both sides of the Continental Divide, the Southern Cross ranges in elevation from 7,300 to 8,200 feet, which makes it ideally situated for supporting thousands of acres of pinion pine and alligator juniper forest, interspersed with grassy meadows. Parts of the eastern portion of the ranch adjoin the Cibola National Forest. Much of the ranch’s terrain is rolling, and a good network of ranch roads provides vehicular access throughout. With wildlife and livestock management in mind, dozens of water sources have been developed throughout the ranch, utilizing both wind and solar power.

The Southern Cross is best known for its elk hunting, but its superb mule deer and antelope hunting are also available. As a combination cattle/hunting ranch or a hunting resort alone, the potential for this spectacular piece of western New Mexico may be unmatched anywhere in the United States. With excellent year-round access, the “land of giants” is located only 2.5 hours from Albuquerque and 3.5 hours from Santa Fe.

Dave Harrigan / Hunter Harrigan
www.harriganland.com
(800) 524-1818

America’s Top Brokerages and Auction Houses: Farmers National Company

Farmers National Company was begun in 1929—historically not a banner year for starting new businesses, but over 80 years have passed and the company is thriving. Originally, the company’s core business was farm management, and today it’s the largest, fastest-growing and most successful farm management company in the U.S. The full-service real estate company offers traditional listing services as well as auction services.

Where: Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Operates in 23 states, covering a wide swath of the middle of the country. Its newest office was just added in Washington state.

Why: “We completed nearly 200 successful auctions of over 41,000 acres in 2010,” say Lee Vermeer, VP of Real Estate Operations. The sheer reach of Farmers and impressive closed sale numbers are overwhelming.

Wow: “Farmers National Company has sold over 2,600 farms and ranches and completed 750 successful auctions, resulting in over $1.25 billion in sales in the last four years,” says Vermeer. “We have over 200 licensed agents, all of whom can offer full auction services.”

Farmers National Company
$135 million (2010 auction revenues)
www.farmersnational.com

Joe Montana: The Land Report Interview

At Villa Montana, Joe Montana does not talk about football. At all. Meet the man on his Sonoma County getaway and all he talks about are his wife, their two girls and two boys, and the memories they share on their breathtaking 503-acre estate. And Italy. The one thing the guy will not stop talking about is Italy.

“If you can believe it, some idiot drove across the Ponte Vecchio in his rent car,” Montana says. As his face lights up in a contagious smile, it’s clear that the idiot Montana is referring to would be the four-time Super Bowl winner himself.

“I’m looking at my GPS, and it said to get back to the villa where Jennifer and I were staying I needed to turn right. The pillars weren’t up on the Ponte Vecchio, so I follow the GPS and I turn right,” he says. And with that, the Hall of Famer etched his name in the history books yet again by driving across one of the most celebrated landmarks in all of Florence.

“I get to the other side, and this cop has his hands up” – Montana raises both hands in a mock “Have you lost your mind?” sort of look – “and he gives me a tongue lashing in Italian. I didn’t understand a single word he said, but I knew exactly what he was saying.”

Stories like this and his amazing wine country estate are two of the new chapters in his life that have been written since he hung up his helmet and retired from the NFL in 1995. With his football career behind him, kids and family became his life, which is why Villa Montana turned into such an important project for him and his wife.

Conveniently located just an hour and a half north of San Francisco, the ranch became the family’s great getaway. Cookouts and campouts quickly replaced practices and game days. Acres and acres of rolling hills were explored. So, too, were the year-round creeks that wind their way through the hollows and the draws that crease the terrain.

A full-size basketball court was built for Nate and Nick, and Alexandra, Elizabeth, and Jennifer got their own professional-grade equestrian center, complete with 17 heated stalls. A skeet shooting range was built in a secluded pasture. Naturally, Joe was the only member of the family who engaged in all of the above. Although he’s in his mid-50s now, his boundless energy is readily apparent. The natural athlete makes time to work out four or five times a week.

Building Villa Montana was an epic undertaking, a monumental, three-year labor of love for Joe and Jennifer. Joe’s mother was born in Italy. He treasures these strong ties, and during his playing days the couple brought back only memories from their trips overseas. “Actually, the truth is on every trip I always brought back a few extra pounds. Jen is one of the lucky few who can eat anything she wants and actually lose weight. Different story with me,” he says.

The couple built a home in Atherton, a Bay area community south of San Francisco, and they infused it with their shared love of all things Italian. By the time they decided to embark on Villa Montana, they were old pros in the Tuscan tradition. When their Atherton builder got a call about a villa that was being torn down, he and Jennifer were on the first flight out of San Francisco. Not long afterwards, hand-hewn beams, Baroque wood portals, and artifact Italian fireplaces were en route to Northern California.

By the time the Montanas broke ground on their new country home, it was clear that a masterpiece was in the works. Although the house itself is almost 10,000 square feet, its three bedrooms and the adjacent studio where Jennifer likes to paint offer an intimacy that personalizes it in a family-friendly way. That’s especially obvious in the kitchen, which may well be the busiest intersection on the property.

Throughout the main residence, a fascinating array of old and new presents itself: hand-worked iron elements and flat-screen TVs, ancient stone floors, and a state-of-the-art outdoor grill. In the massive great room, the 22-foot-tall ceiling compels your gaze upward and outside to stunning views of Mount Saint Helena, the tallest point in the Mayacamas. Beneath the imposing massif, a tapestry of vineyards and pastures unfolds across Knights Valley, one of Sonoma’s original American Viticultural Areas.

Despite its artistic feel, Villa Montana is user-friendly, built with an active, energetic family in mind. An endless array of patios, terraces, and courtyards encircle the villa and give it a great indoor-outdoor feel. A bocce court, a swimming pool, and a Jacuzzi can all be found in close proximity to one another just a few steps from the kitchen. Drain spouts emerge from hand-plastered walls. Potted plants and crawling vines bring color to pale stone. It’s wonderfully relaxing, which is ultimately the most inviting—and appealing—aspect to Villa Montana. It’s definitely made for entertaining: two people, 20, or 200.

Unfortunately, Villa Montana sits in silent splendor much of the time these days. No longer can Nate and Nick be found playing on its hills. Nate has just moved to Bozeman where he will play ball for Montana, and Nick is a Washington Husky. With Alexandra and Elizabeth in San Francisco and Los Angeles, their papa admits that his days on the ranch have dwindled to a shadow of their former number. “Jennifer and I are too busy chasing our kids to give this property the time it deserves,” he says.

With that in mind, the Montanas have listed Villa Montana with Avram Goldman and Tim Hayden at Pacific Union International’s Sonoma and St. Helena offices for $35 million.

“It’s a Picasso,” Goldman says. “A rare jewel. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The antiquities and artwork make you feel like you’ve come upon a 500-year-old Tuscan villa. Yet it has every convenience and amenity imaginable. I’ve been in real estate more than three decades, and I promise you that you would be hard-pressed to find a home like this anywhere, Italy included.”

In addition to the 9,700-square-foot villa, the ranch includes a pool and spa, a guest house, a caretaker’s residence, a gym, an equestrian center, a basketball court, a bocce court, the skeet shooting range, and an olive farm. As Joe puts it, “It’s time someone else started making memories here.”

Learn more about Villa Montana HERE.

 

For Sale: Colorado’s Dallenbach Ranch

Spring 2011 Pricing Update: Colorado’s 130-acre Dallenbach Ranch now offered for $21 million.

The year was 1973, and Wally Dallenbach’s racing career had shifted into high gear. Thanks to back-to-back-to-back wins for Patrick Racing on the Indy car circuit, he had the opportunity to fulfill his dream of buying a piece of property in Colorado. And as Peppy Dallenbach points out, it was definitely her husband’s dream, not hers. “I was perfectly happy back home in New Brunswick where our families lived,” she says.

Years before, however, Wally had promised himself that he and Peppy would make the Rocky Mountains their home. The seed had been planted in 1960 on their honeymoon when the couple made a stop in Aspen. “It was all hippies and dogs back then,” Wally says. The New Jersey native was already making a name for himself as a drag racer and a stock car racer; his open cockpit racing days were still to come. But already he knew that he had fallen for the small-town charm and scenic beauty that can be found a short drive down just about every road that crisscrosses the Colorado Rockies.

It would take more than a decade to fulfill that promise, but he finally closed on a beautiful old homestead just outside of Basalt in 1974. Thanks to more than half a mile of frontage on both sides of the Frying Pan River, a dozen cabins dotted its 100-plus acres. Known to anglers as the Wooden Handle, the breathtaking encampment had also served as base camp for hikers and hunters who roamed the millions of acres of the White River National Forest bordering the property.

“Growing up on the ranch was like growing up in Disney World,” says Wally Dallenbach Jr. Like his father and his brother, he pursued a career in racing, and his training ground was the mountains and valleys surround his family’s ranch.

“We rode dirt bikes in the summertime. We rode snowmobiles in the winter time. There was everything a kid could want to do. It was a great place for my sister and brother and I to grow up,” he says.

In the 1970s, Basalt was nowhere near the cosmopolitan getaway is has since become. Paul Dallenbach recalls “a whopping 400 people” living there when the family first arrived, and going to Basalt High School had nowhere near the cachet of archrival Aspen High School. “That’s all right,” he says. “We beat them in every sport they played.”

Like many overachievers, Wally brought his work home. In his case, it took the form of a Honda 350. One summer day, he loaded Wally Jr. on the back of that dirt bike, and the two took off for a great old mining town called Ouray. The next day father and son went over Engineer Pass to Lake City. If this sounds like too much fun, now you know where the Colorado 500 got its start. Since 1976, the charity ride has raised more than $1 million for the Red Cross, area schools, churches, and hospitals, and countless other beneficiaries. A Who’s Who in racing has showed up to ride, including Parnelli Jones, Rick Mears, Roger Mears, Roger Penske, a whole host of Unsers, and of course all the Dallenbachs.

A disappointing number of sports stars plow their money into poor investments. Not Wally Dallenbach. In the early 1970s, the legendary Indy car racer took his winnings from the California 500 and bought an absolutely stunning piece of property along the banks of Colorado’s Frying Pan River just outside Basalt. In the 35 years since then, Wally and his wife, Peppy, not only raised a family but they also bettered the lives of thousands of Coloradoans through their own amazing race, the Colorado 500.

After 180 Indy car races, Wally’s career behind the wheel took a sharp turn; for the next 23 years he would serve as CART’s chief steward. Since his retirement in 2003, he and Peppy spend as much time as possible following the fortunes of their grandchildren. Although Paul and his wife, Dana, are right next door in Basalt, Wally Jr.’s family is in Texas and Colleen’s is in Indianapolis. Convenient airport connections have become a top priority.

With that in mind, the Dallenbachs decided to sell the ranch. Mark Weida, a suspension specialist who has worked on racing cars for 30 years, introduced the couple to Chip Lenihan, a great wit who proudly describes himself as “the last Republican mayor of Telluride.” In addition to being a longtime ranch broker, Lenihan had another equally important qualification. He is an avid fly-fisherman.

The Fay Ranches broker sees enormous upside. “The right investor can acquire this incredible piece of property and then recoup a substantial percentage of the purchase price with a conservation easement,” he says.

Another big plus is the ranch’s Eagle County setting.  “You’re right next door to Pitkin County, which is probably the most restrictive county in the Colorado. Everything from subdivision to structure size is strictly controlled through the county planning process. Eagle County also has a comprehensive planning department, but it is much more private property rights-oriented and much more smart growth-oriented,” he says.

One final attribute stands out. Says Lenihan, “It’s the lower part of the Frying Pan, so you’ve actually got a mix of trout that migrate up from the Roaring Fork. There are all sorts of little shallows and ripples, and there’s one deep pool that’s always good for a 20-incher.”

Try putting a price on that.

Take a tour of this one-of-a-kind property HERE.

For Sale: Georgia’s Chinquapin Plantation

With six ponds, a kennel, and multiple dwellings in the Red Hills Plantation Belt, Georgia’s Chinquapin Plantation is a superb Thomasville-area estate with 1,318 acres that include more than five miles of the Ochlocknee River. Located approximately four miles from downtown Thomasville, neighbors include Greenwood Plantation and Labrah Plantation.

The 18,000-square-foot residence was constructed in 1910 for Standard Oil heir John Archbold and includes 7 bedrooms and 6.5 baths. A guest house stands adjacent to the main residence and six tenant houses can also be found on the property.

Originally listed for $28 million, it is now available at a 50+ discount and is an ideal candidate for a conservation easement.

$12.9 million
(850) 508-2999
www.Chinquapin-Plantation.com

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