On that note, me and Loopoo live in the same general area, and I can attest that the area is still quite open for settlement. If you want, you can head up into the general area and set up a temporary camp until Loopoo is ready. In the meantime, the two of us have plenty of wheat, so if you need food we'd be able to provide it. There's plenty of trees, the wildlife isn't hostile when near our place, and I have some seeds I wouldn't mind lending to you.
If you're interested, I just recently marked my place on the Maplib, located
here. Just follow the map up to the place and find a decent spot nearby to settle for a bit. I'm not sure if Loopoo wants his place to be known about yet, so you'll have to talk to me in-game or via PM so I can tell you where.
A word of warning though: the animals can get a bit dangerous on the way up. Just travel alongside the river and you should be safe.
If you do come up, let me know and I'll throw some bread in the oven. Good luck.