When he died five years ago—a sudden heart attack that seemed to catch everyone by surprise, though I suspect my father knew something was coming and never told anyone—he left me the land. All of it. Every acre, every tree, every easement right and property boundary.
Including the private road that cut across the southwest corner—the quarter-mile stretch that connected Cedar Ridge Estates to Pine Hollow Road and was, in fact, the only feasible road access for that entire development.
Let me explain the geography because it matters to understanding what happened next.
My property sits in a valley. The land is relatively low elevation, protected, with decent access to the public roads. Cedar Ridge Estates sits on the ridge above me—higher elevation, better views of the valley and the mountains beyond, more expensive lots precisely because of those views.
When the developers built Cedar Ridge five years ago, they needed road access. Building a public road would have required county approval, right-of-way acquisitions, and significant construction costs. The only feasible route was across the corner of my land—a quarter-mile stretch connecting their development to Pine Hollow Road.
