When my husband and I purchased this 35-acre lot, the plan was to move there, fix the land and live on it ourselves. But after camping, picnicing, and enjoying the wildlife there, we realized we wanted it to stay just the way it was. A place for camping with and enjoying nature with Wayward Collective. A place where the animals can continue to roam freely. Where desert life could remain undeveloped and sacred.
We didn’t want to flatten it into something new. We wanted to rise to meet what was already there. The curves of the wash, the quiet rustle of wings overhead, the way the stars look when the city lights are long behind you—none of it needed improvement. It just needed protection. And presence.
So we shifted our dream. This land wouldn’t be just for us. It would be a shared refuge for the willing and respectful—a place where nature could remain the main character, and we, quiet guests. Wayward Nature Preserve became our promise: to keep the wild intact, to live alongside it, and to create space for others who feel called to do the same.