A chance to purchase half of Ben Lomand Mountain, totaling 1,716 acres, drew 100 people to an auction on Saturday. Overseen by Donald Hillis Realty, Hillis said there were also several online bidders and what started slow soon escalated.“Bidding got off to a slow start but once all the timber and all the land was regrouped that’s when it got exciting,” said Hillis. “The initial bid for all the timber and all the land was $622,200, then the internet bidder bid $650,000 and the race was on.”Bidding took almost an hour.