The San Luis Valley is a place that showcases some of the most extraordinary beauty Colorado
has to offer. The mountain views and natural geography are breathtaking, belying the fact that
the winter weather is forbiddingly cold and windy.
Author Ted Conover explores this dichotomy in his book, Cheap Land Colorado. The book’s title
comes from a Google search term used by people looking to relocate inexpensively. It’s a
tempting prospect, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the area.
The book examines the society and culture of off-gridders living in the “flats” or “prairie” in the
San Luis Valley. Conover immerses himself by living and working there, introducing the reader
to a rich cast of characters. “I like to shed light on a culture that people drive by without ever
really seeing,” he says.
No stranger to immersive journalism, Conover wrote his first book, Rolling Nowhere, straight
out of college. “I was taking an anthropology class, and I began to make the connection that
this type of research might be a way to explore a childhood fantasy of hopping a freight train.”
That led to a deep dive into who else hopped trains. His curiosity about the people and their
stories led to understanding the reasons people choose a certain way of living. The adage, learn
by doing, became his way of approaching work.
Arguably one of the most notable, contemporary narrative writers, Conover was raised in
Denver. He graduated from Manual High School.
Though Conover now lives and teaches in New York, Colorado is home. In the meantime,
Conover says the San Luis Valley is not a subject he’s ready to be done with. “I can really see
myself living more life there.”