NARRATOR: In the Blue Ridge Mountains, with cash in hand,
Eustace is finally ready to make his down payment on the land
next door.
EUSTACE: Feels really good to get this last bit.
I've been struggling so hard so long all winter
long just to get this down payment.
Now I've got it.
NARRATOR: He spent three decades building
Turtle Island into a sanctuary, hidden
away from the outside world.
Now to protect it, he's racing to beat the competing
bidder to the punch.
EUSTACE: I'm heading straight over to Ronnie's
cause I've got to get this down payment in his hands.
Because I'm just really afraid somebody else might get it.
I can't have that.
What you say, Ronnie?
Hey how are you doing, Eustace?
EUSTACE: Doing all right. Good to see you.
Good, man.
Man, you got a nice spot for a garden here.
RONNIE: Thank you.
EUSTACE: That's like a million dollar view right there.
Beautiful, ain't it?
EUSTACE: Yeah buddy.
Speaking of money, I brought you something.
I appreciate you writing me that letter.
You haven't sold it yet, have you?
RONNIE: No. Man I'm glad you showed up.
EUSTACE: Well thank you.
And it's just real nice sort of like sense of relief like, OK.
It's happening. I'm doing it.
I got the money.
I'm handing it off.
The land is secure as long as I can
keep going with the payments.
RONNIE: So since we last spoke, you really been working,
ain't you? EUSTACE: Oh my gosh.
I've been selling hogs, cutting trees for people,
milling lumber, selling lumber.
Here's what I got to show for it.
I got the deposit here.
RONNIE: Wow.
Well thank you, man.
You're a man of your word.
EUSTACE: Yeah buddy.
NARRATOR: The $30,000 payment earmarks the land for Eustace.
But he will fully own it until he's paid off the balance.
RONNIE: I'm glad to have you getting it.
We'll keep that land wild.
RONNIE: Yes sir.
NARRATOR: It's a process that will take years of hard work.
But it's a small price to pay for the freedom to live free.
Thank you again. I really appreciate you.
Yes sir, Eustace. See you around, buddy.
EUSTACE: All right. Take care.
To me, there's a way too much over development in this world.
And I want to do at least my part in keeping some of it
wild.
NARRATOR: As dawn breaks over the Blue Ridge Mountains,
Eustace begins a new chapter at Turtle Island
by paying his respects to its fallen forefather.
Well buddy, I secured that land.
Yeah, we're going to keep it wild.
I knew you'd appreciate that.
Preston and I all of our life have enjoyed the wild land.
And it's just a commitment we've had in our entire adult life
to try to keep some of it clean and wild, preserved, taken care
of so that future generations can enjoy it,
and even just like, see what wild land looks like.
And so here's one more piece.
And I'm carrying on the tradition
and keeping the commitment and I feel
good about that achievement.
It's been hard without you.
We're keeping it going best we can.
Your son's been helping me out.
Joseph, James, Travis, all helping.
I appreciate you being here with us in spirit.
I'm missing Preston terribly.
But he wouldn't want me to give up.
So I'm just going to try to do the best
I can to honor our friendship.
If I want to survive, I got to keep going.
So I'm just going to keep forward thinking
and forward momentum and hopefully, we'll
just keep going with this vision and plan
and see it through til it works.