Nothing is really happening on the cabin front. I wish I could say otherwise. Well… maybe not nothing. Another part arrived for the sawmill yesterday. With this and a few more adjustments to the wiring and alternator it should be fully functional. Just in time for the guy who knows how to run it to leave on a run to Seattle to pick up a trailer for his boss. I’m hoping I can arrange to have him pick up subflooring that has become scarce up here. It might be cheaper down there too.
So besides some maybe progress toward having progress on the cabin, I am in the middle of the first real week of my shuttle driver job. I’ve brought a dozen people up the hill and most of them back down. I’ve been working out what routines make sense to keep track of what I’m doing and who I’m picking up and where I’m taking them. And I’m getting better at the where and what when it comes to supplies that I need to pick up. So far I’ve tackled a couple of long lists. The only place that hasn’t worked quite as expected is Costco, and that’s only because the payment card I was given is a MC which Costco does not accept. We’ve made it work so far.
Today was fun because I picked up eight people who I brought up earlier in the week. Riding back into town I didn’t have to carry the conversation. They were all chatting about their experiences and how it did or didn’t live up to their expectations. I only had to ask questions a couple of times to keep the conversation going.
Six of the eight were going back in to the same hotel. The remaining two wanted to see the Santa Claus House in North Pole. We had just enough time to get there, let them explore for ten minutes, and get back to the airport in time for their flight. They didn’t have time for shopping, but I think it made their trip! Already I can see that this kind of thing is going to be more fun than anything I ever did driving transit. I get to be a small part of people’s escape and I get to make it just a little bit better. I think a few months of this will go a long way towards healing my sanity after Trimet.
My only concern is what it will be like in the snow. My drive in to work will be easy. It’s mostly flat. I just have to allow extra time. My drive up to Basecamp involves an 1100 ft gain in elevation. Most of that is up and down and up again. And curves. I know they are so much better about keeping the roads clear up here. Often you’ll see bare pavement. But there are a few places that I can see being tricky when it’s slick. I’ve been told that once the temp drops to 15° or lower tires can grip. I just want to feel it. There’s a difference between knowing the idea that it’ll be okay and living the idea that it’ll be okay. But there’s no point in worrying too early so I try to let it go.
Winter is getting closer. The green is slipping quickly into gold. You can feel the weather shifting. We all know it won’t be long. I just hope everything is ready by the time it comes.
Yesterday was my birthday. Hooray for completing another trip around the sun! I spent my day getting groceries and refilling our gas and water jugs. I did make a couple of other stops. Clay got a shiny new ID tag for if he goes exploring. And he also got a new toy that he won’t share with the other dogs. It’s a lot like when Clay came to live with us and Bruno wouldn’t share. What goes around comes around I guess. I also treated myself to a coffee drink, commenting that it was my birthday treat. The barista was disappointed that grocery shopping was the extent of my plans for the day. But honestly, that’s enough for now. I’m happy to be up here. It’s enough that I’m doing things for me. New job, new cabin (eventually), new way of life. That’s plenty of excitement for me.
Groot is plotting how to steal the toy and hide it in the woods.
Another stop I made was at the local sawmill to ask for a quote on plywood and roofing. When the sawmill is up and running I will have plenty of lumber of whatever size we choose, but plywood for the walls, roof, and floor is not something we can make. It’s in line with what I expected. I just don’t want a pile of materials to be delivered only to wait in the rain for the sawmill to be up. Believe me, when this all starts moving for real I will be so excited.
Until the cabin is up this is where I’m staying. When it was just me it worked for me to stay in my friends cabin. But there wasn’t really room for my son. My friend had opportunity and reason to buy this trailer from a coworker and we get to benefit. It’s over 30′ and has a shower stall. There’s no hookup so water for cooking and drinking has to be brought in from town. Water for washing either dishes or people comes from the creek by 5 gallon bucket. Electricity comes from the generator.
Every morning starts the same. I wake up and get up because I need to. On my way back from the outhouse I fill and restart the generator so we can have coffee. Then breakfast and figure out what is happening for the day. Sometimes I also fill the bucket from the creek to wash dishes. As long as we’re beside the running water I might as well take advantage.
Like I said, it was raining again this morning. I woke up with the thought that I understand reluctant dogs a little better. That sounds odd and perhaps a little crude. But listening to fat, heavy raindrops on the roof really makes you ponder how bad you need to go out to the outhouse. Can I hold out until the rain stops? It would help if the outhouse had a roof. It’s really unpleasant to get soaked while you’re trying to do your business. I don’t blame dogs for not wanting to go out in the rain.
So what’s next? There’s a few more parts that need to be swapped out on the sawmill. A few more places where rust needs to be persuaded to let go. It had a full maintenance checkup a couple of years ago and was in great condition, but sitting in the weather for two or three winters did it no favors. Still, I think this is the week. At some point the rain will quit holding us back. We’ll have to get to it because we can already see the shift in the weather towards winter. I’d rather work in rain than snow.
I guess it’s been 3 weeks since I last posted. A few things have happened and others have not. Last post was about using a chainsaw mill to carve 12″ x 12″ x 30′ beams for my cabin to sit on. We finished those and got them set up on pier blocks.
Lifting and leveling the support under the beams. A child could use that bottle jack. They are surprisingly easy to work for how much they can lift. Leveling the beams across the 20′ gap. The level is sitting at floor height.
The plan was to finish and set up the beams, then bring the sawmill on site to make my pile of logs into lumber. All the sawmill needed was a new battery and some greasing of the moving parts and maybe a bit of attention to a bit of wiring… And then he found that the alternator wasn’t producing power. And a motor that is supposed to raise and lower the blade to adjust thickness didn’t work. Even though he had the factory go through the entire thing before bringing it up here, 2 years of weather had taken its toll. So he talked to the local service guy (he’s just a couple hundred miles away in Anchorage) and got a replacement motor ordered. It came. It was the wrong motor and wouldn’t work. Another week went by and the right part came in and now I hear that the sawmill is up and running. We might be making lumber today. Yay!
The other thing that has happened is that I officially started my new job. 20-some miles north of Fairbanks is Borealis Basecamp. They are an off-grid eco-lodge that features individual domes as guest houses. These domes have acrylic panels as part of the roof and provide an unparalleled view of the sky, which is often filled with the aurora borealis. I’m their shuttle driver. So if you fly in to stay there I’m the one who would pick you up from the airport and drive you up to the site. The hour long drive gives me a chance to geek out over all the best stuff in the area and it gives me a chance to go on some deep dives into history and atmosphere science.
I get to drive a pretty, new Mercedes Sprinter van. I plan to keep it pretty all winter.
As the shuttle driver I also haul supplies up and occasionally I’ll do a Walmart run. Occasionally? Yesterday I had to go in three times. But I’m sure that won’t be the norm. I’ll be operating out of their shop in town so I only have to drive half the distance in my own vehicle. My place is 25 miles south of Fairbanks. Can’t get away from the commute, but at least the traffic is better!
Three and a half miles gravel road from the highway. But the isolation is worth it, and the view is better.
I’m sure I’ll get better pics of the domes at some point. I haven’t had much leisure time up there yet, but I fully intend to go up for some aurora viewing soon.
So, cabin came to a halt for a bit, but we should start to see progress this week. The RV we are using is functional, but not quite what we want to spend winter in. My truck has an appointment to get set up for winter. I hear that -30° is hard on vehicles and don’t want to lose my Blue. A couple of friends are looking at the trees and predicting an early winter. I just want to get walls, a roof, and insulation in before the snow flies. Oh, and a Toyo. Gotta have reliable heat for that insulation to keep in.
I think that’s it for now. There are some smaller things, like how we bought a new generator earlier than expected because of the lightning strike. Or how the dog hates getting out of bed more every day. There have been hikes, picnics at the lake, visits to the gold dredge, and a dozen other little things. It’s easy to slip into daily life and let the details fly past. If I get in enough of a habit of recording the big things then maybe those small details will get recorded as well.
Oh, before I forget. I don’t yet know how to add links, but if you go search YouTube for Borealis Basecamp there are a couple of really cool videos. One is a Timberland ad, but it really captures the beauty of the place and the harshness of winter. The other is by a guy named Joel and shows the guest side of the experience. They’re worth a few minutes of your time.
Last Saturday was a good day. Not only was it a birthday for one of the kids in the family I’ve been staying with, but my dog and my truck arrived just in time for us to pick up my son from the airport. Then the next day they picked up an RV from storage and parked it on a cleared spot across the creek. So now Chris and I have our own space and the old generator until we get the cabin made. We say it’ll be a month but with the way things have gone so far I’m not holding my breath.
Chris and Clay, posing on the future ridge beam.
Another thing that came up from Oregon was a longer bar and a ripping chain for the saw. Lance has a bracket that’s made to slide along a 2×6 board with a chainsaw clamped to it. We’re using that to turn three logs into two beams to support the cabin and one to support the roof. 12″x12″x30′ beams are no joke. It’s going to get interesting when we have to move them into place on our pier blocks and footers.
Starting the first cut. 2*12 to give width, 2*6 to slide the saw along. When the first cut is done you spin the lumber around and do the other side. Then you roll the log and do it again. Chris gets some time with the saw.
While Lance was working with the saw, Chris and Zechy got the roof on the outhouse. That’s closer to completion, though for now we still have to head for the bushes. It shouldn’t be much longer before we can go up the stairs and close the door.
We have another day of sunshine and heat. The rain is paused so access is good. When we quit last night we had two beams cut with one longer beam to go. I’m ready. Maybe by tomorrow I can post that the beams are set in place.
There has been very little progress on anything. It has been raining. It was dry until the evening the excavator got back on my driveway. Then it poured for several days straight. It still hasn’t been completely dry for a single day since. Even so, the slopes along the sides got smoothed back and ditches were put in. That made a better path for the water to drain away. We walked it on Thursday and it hasn’t washed out this time. Yay! That feels like a bit of traction, even if I can’t drive a 2wd up there while it’s wet.
Wet, mucky, rutted, but not washed out this time.
While he had the excavator there he dragged out three logs that will become foundation beams and a ridge beam. We would have gotten them milled except for the lack of the proper chain for the chainsaw. It was out of stock up here. So I bought a plane ticket to Portland. The person with a passport is going to load up some things from Oregon and drive them up. He’ll see about getting what he needs to cut logs while he’s down there.
This is where the cabin will be…if I can get all the materials there.
So I wait. I’ve been doing some part time work helping a house cleaner. I interviewed for a job as a shuttle driver for a luxury destination with views of the northern lights. I’ll probably take that for winter. My truck and things and dog should arrive later this week. My son should be here in a week as well. Then maybe we can kick all of this into gear. I can’t wait to get my cabin built.
My mailbox!
I did get one thing accomplished this week. I installed my mailbox. I might not have a house but I have a house number. I visited the post office and was told to put it in by the main road on the left of the grouping. So there it is. Ready for mail. Mail helps establish residency so I can get my license switched over. I find that slightly ironic that I can establish a residence without a house. I have an appointment to take all the knowledge tests next week. Hopefully I’ll have my Alaska class B by the end of the week.
Whenever people talk about living off-grid they think about solar power or wind power or some other magical source of electricity. Or maybe they imagine living like the pioneers did. I guess those are doable, but never underestimate the power of a generator. Just go camping for a week and tell me you don’t miss things like fans or lights, or a reliable way to charge your cellphone so you can share to social media or post to your blog.
The family I’m staying with has been off-grid for 5 years. They use an outhouse year round. They bring their water home either in 5-gallon jugs or 55-gallon drums. In summer the wash water comes from the creek. And even though there is a power line accessible a few hundred feet from the house they have their power supplies by a trusty Honda 2200 generator.
Being off-grid usually brings to mind a primitive cabin far into the wilderness. And in a way the life is a bit simpler. There’s no worry about riots here. It’s more likely you would be trampled by a moose. But these kids are far from deprived. They’ve been blowing through video games all week. The 9 and 11 year olds learned how to tame and breed animals in ARK while the 17 year old is beating bosses in Ori.
The generator powers lights when needed (with the sun literally up 24/7 there’s not much need now) and fans, TV and Xbox, an air conditioner, instapot, phone chargers, etc. In winter it keeps the oil heater running. All the kids except for the 3 year old know how to restart it when it runs out of gas. The older ones know how to troubleshoot and fix it when fuel isn’t the problem. The quickest way to wake up the house is for the generator to die.
When I get my cabin built I’ll take my friend’s advice and get a Honda. I asked about the ones we walked past in Costco and she says she’s tried them but they just don’t hold up to the constant use that they put it through. They’ll last a few months where her Honda generators will last for a year or more of constant use with proper maintenance. Of course I would like to add a battery bank so my electronics don’t die every time the generator runs out of gas. We’ll see how that goes. It would be nice to have some leeway.
Having said all this and knowing more, does it seem silly that I’m intimidated by generators? I am. I want to learn how to manage them and service them and maintain them because I know that’s a valuable skill. But I’m intimidated by them. Even so, I took the first step today. When I went out “around the corner” I heard the generator stop. If I waited I know one of the kids would show up and refill it and get it back on. I decided not to be ridiculous. I was right there.
It’s just like a lawnmower, really. Open the tank, take the cap off the gas can. Put in the funnel and pour gas until full then close it up again. Give it a bit of choke and pull the starter cord. When it starts running let off the choke and walk away. Easy. Now bring on the small engine repair lessons. If it’s worth doing it’s worth doing right and I don’t relish the idea of having one die at -°30.
I think today is the second day with no rain in the last two weeks. I keep getting told how unusual this is, but it’s still keeping me from working on my property. The runoff avoided a couple of the culverts and eroded big holes. We need to get the excavator back out there to redo some of the road before I can even bring materials to make my cabin. We have the sawmill available, but cannot put it in place to cut lumber. It’s all held up by the damaged driveway.
Erosion on the driveway that must be repaired.
Another blockage to progress has reared its not so ugly head. The person who knows how to operate the excavator and sawmill has been called back to work. He hauls diesel fuel up to Deadhorse on Prudhoe Bay to keep vehicles moving on the oilfields. When oil prices dropped they shut down some of the operations, but now prices have come back enough that they won’t lose money by working so they need fuel again. He’s back to work, running loads north from Fairbanks and coming back for more. I got to ride with him on a trip last week.
It’s 500 miles to Prudhoe Bay, crossing two mountain ranges and a lot of wilderness on gravel roads that are bumpy at their best.
We got started in the evening. My friend had just returned from a trip to Valdez and back, bringing a load of a different fuel up. He took a break and fueled up his truck. His daughter gave me a ride into town with a stop at Walmart for some snacks and drinks. We had to wait for his buddy to arrive and fuel up so it was about 11pm when they went to fill the tankers with their loads. We headed out of Fairbanks at about midnight, only to run into trouble on the first hill north of town. The other truck was misfiring and losing power. The guys debated for a while and ended up heading back to the yard to hook up another truck and leave the bad one for the mechanic. I went to sleep somewhere along the way and didn’t wake up until we were bouncing along the Elliot Highway.
Here’s what I very quickly learned about highways built this far north. Gravel is your friend. Asphalt is not! With the freeze/thaw cycles the roadway will heave and slump. Asphalt ends up having ripples in it that will bounce and jounce you and try to throw you out of your seat. Gravel can be the same, but it’s easy to run a grader over it to smooth out the surface again. I quickly learned to cringe when we came across asphalt and relax for gravel.
The Dalton Highway starts on gravel. I was awake enough to get out of the truck and stretch my legs for a bit before deciding the mosquitoes were too thick. I’m pretty sure there’s a photo of me in front of the sign, just not on my camera. I got my pic of it the next day on the way south. The highway was finished in the fall of 1974 to facilitate the building and servicing of the Alaska Pipeline and oilfields. The pipeline runs parallel to the highway and can be seen from the road for the most part. The farthest north section uses the pipeline miles as mile markers.
I slept off and on as far as Coldfoot, which is at about the midpoint. It was originally a camp where supplies were staged. When construction was finished and the supply camp was no longer needed a guy took the leftover pallet materials and made a building for a saloon and cafe. Now it’s a good place to stop for food and fuel and to take a nap or get a shower. The guys slept for a few hours while I got to eat and explore and sit to watch the show I had downloaded while I still had service.
I forget the name of this mountain, but every angle was different. I wish I could have caught the light shining on it like liquid gold. Going up The Shelf. Looking up the valley to the left of the road. It’s easy to lose sense of scale up here.
I took a lot of pictures. Not many of them were good. It’s hard to get a good shot while cruising down a bumpy road with rain on the windshield. The scenery is impressive and I hear that the wildlife is too. I didn’t get to see any of the wildlife though, except for a few caribou just outside of Deadhorse.
I got to hear a lot of stories too. Various spots have distinct names, some for the nature of the challenge, some for events, some for people. Names like Beaver Slide, Surprise hill, Oil Spill, and others that I can’t remember. I got to hear stories about wrecks and near misses. And I got to hear about drivers who lost their lives to the highway. Anyone who drives this road successfully will have wrecks and mechanical failures. The code of the highway will not allow for anyone to pass by another driver who is stranded. They all know that they might be the one with whatever part or tool or bit of knowledge needed to get the other back up and running. They also know that they might be the next one in need. The highway and the weather can be unforgiving.
11 pm as we approach Deadhorse. The sun is nowhere near the horizon and never went lower. And these caribou were the most wildlife I saw on the entire trip. Leaving Deadhorse. Heading south to the mountains again.
Deadhorse is not a normal town. Every lot is leased by one company or another. There are no houses. There are equipment yards, wellheads, shops, and hotels that look like mobile homes stacked end to end and three or four stories tall. Nothing was open when we were there, not just because of the hour but because of quarantine restrictions. Nobody needs an outbreak so far from civilization. It would interfere with productivity, among other things. We parked in the yard where the fuel was to be delivered, ate food that we had brought with us, and took turns sleeping in the back while the other day and watched videos on the phone or iPad. The sun was just as high in the sky at 11pm as it was at 3 or 5am. The only change was which side of the sky it filled. Midnight sun, indeed.
Fuel got unloaded, some minor maintenance on trailer brakes was done, and we were heading south by 9am. Apparently the level of road grit experienced can be bad for fittings. You have to know where to keep it clean. Heading toward Atigun Pass we passed a few cyclists. One was northbound on his own, another two were southbound. Both drivers were as courteous to the cyclists as they were to other traffic. If you can, slow down to 25 mph or slower to avoid throwing gravel and breaking windshields. I heard plenty of grumbling about tourists. The cyclists were referred to as “Meals on Wheels” by the guy who almost ran over a bear to keep her from prying his truck open to get to his food. One can only hope that the cyclists were well prepared and carrying more than bear spray.
It took almost 24 hours to make the trip north due to load, mechanical trouble, and rest breaks. The trip back took 12 hours. I managed to stay awake for most of it. I’ll admit that sleep is my favorite cure for motion sickness. I chose to nap through one of the roughest sections of road. I had to brace myself while I dozed, but it was better than bouncing around in the seat.
We only stopped a few times going south. Lunch, bathroom break, once for the dogs, and once for a paving crew on the Elliot Highway. For miles we drove through swarming dragonflies the size of my hand. They didn’t show up in the video I tried to take of them, but they covered the grill of the truck. I can only guess that they were hunting mosquitoes.
Rough roads and lack of sleep aside, I am so glad I tagged along on this trip. I got to see things in person that very few people get to see. I would gladly go again. I want to see it all in sunlight. I want to see the moose and bears and musk ox that hid from me this time. I only have one limitation. After hearing all the stories I don’t think I want to ride along in winter. I don’t know if I can handle that. Yet.
This is not my driveway. Mine is worse. I’m looking out the driveway of my friends place where I’m staying while they help me get my place started. And it’s a mudhole. When driving out with a pickup you have to have enough speed to not bog down. When going out in their Prius you have to know where to put the wheels to miss the deepest ruts. If the water wasn’t there it wouldn’t be so bad, but it’s been raining. And raining. And raining some more.
It has been raining every day since Friday. Saturday was lovely until the later evening when it poured down and it hasn’t stopped since. I’ve been told that this is a bit unusual. Not that they don’t get rain in June, but they don’t usually see so much for so many days in a row. Fairbanks is in the interior and most of the rain will drop going over the mountains by the coast. Comparing Anchorage to Fairbanks weather-wise is like comparing Portland to Bend. Marine air makes the weather warmer and wetter and Fairbanks doesn’t get any marine air.
Usually I don’t mind the rain, but at the moment there is an excavator sitting on my property that cannot be used because of how wet it is. It would cause more damage to my driveway than benefit. We rented it for a week and got 8 of our 40 hours of run time in before the rain shut us down. It’s due to go back today, but we had to go in and ask if we could hang on to it for a bit longer in the hopes that the rain will stop and the mud will dry out enough to get some of those hours used up. We now have until Friday morning. The rain might let up on Wednesday afternoon. Fingers crossed, right?
Trees that came from the area cleared at the end of my driveway. Measured, trimmed, and stacked, ready to become lumber.
In the time we did put in on the machine this is what got done. The pad at the end of the driveway got smoothed and leveled. The place we want to build is leveled and the second site is also leveled and compacted with an access road down that a 2WD truck managed to navigate down and back up.
Then the pile of trees that came down from the area of my property that was cleared for driveway and build site got trimmed, measured, and stacked. By the start of next month my friend should be able to bring his sawmill over and we can get some lumber from that pile. I was pricing lumber that we need to build and while this might be more complicated than just going to Home Depot it’s also going to save me a lot of money. Lumber is expensive! Especially when you need to plan for enough insulation to get through winter at -°30 or colder. I want to be cozy when it’s ugly outside.
While Lance was using the excavator I had a project of my own. Being off grid means no running water or flush toilets. I plan to put in septic at some point, but until then I need an outhouse. This is a design he’s wanted to make for a while now for his family, but I’m lucky enough to get the trial run on it. It’s a little cabin of its own with a 300 gallon tank in it. The idea is to insulate it well with the scraps of closed-cell foam he’s collected, then run a small heater under the floor to keep the waste from completely freezing and building up stalagmites in winter. Trust me when I say I don’t want to deal with those stalagmites.
I made more progress on the outhouse than is shown in the photo above. There are stairs and a floor. I also got roof beams in, but by the time I was done with them it was late on Thursday evening and I was tripping over air. I didn’t think combining tools and ladders with physical exhaustion was a good idea so we called it. And the rain began as we drove home. All that is left on the outhouse project is a roof, install the door, and add a seat and vent. It shouldn’t take long once I can get back up there.
So that’s where we stand for now. Waiting for the rain to stop. Waiting for other things to come together so we can move forward. Finding other productive things to do while we wait. I still believe I’ll have a roof up by August. At least I hope I will. But I also need to start looking for work. I have savings but I need an income too, sooner than later. My 14 days is almost up. I’m obviously not sick with the virus. I can get out there. I’ll keep you posted.
I was raised to believe in Sabbath rest. Six days to labor and the seventh day to rest. I haven’t followed that teaching for a long time. Life got too full and everything demanded attention all the time. There was never enough time to do what needed to be done. Thinking back to Trimet days, I remember advice given to drivers that were new to the Extra Board. “You can work the board or the board will work you.” The same goes for life but we never think about it that way.
In the last three months since I left Trimet I have started to get back to a calmer mode of life. I hope to continue the trend. I want to make Sabbath part of that calmness. Whether I attend church or not, I would like to have a day set aside for nothing but a spiritual recharge. I know I’m in good company to make that happen. I had a very energetic invitation to church this morning that I think I’ll decline, with a promise to join next week. I need a few hours of quiet.
A couple of quarters will fill the jugs.
Yesterday was kinda full. My friend Missi stayed home from work to finish recovering from a migraine and the meds made her loopy so I got to drive and help her focus on her list. We dropped trash at the transfer station, filled the water jugs, got gas for the generator, and a dozen other errands. It took all day, but I’m starting to get the lay of the land. It helps to be the driver.
The day ended with grilled cheese sandwiches for 10.
I haven’t started work on my property yet. We did go out there after I arrived on Thursday, just so I could see what there was to work with. We have some plans and ideas. There are some really great logs that came down with the making of the driveway and my friend’s husband has a sawmill to make lumber. We just have to get out there to get started. That will be another post. Today I’m going to rest.
I’m not in Oregon anymore. I’m sitting in a dry cabin a bit south of Fairbanks, Alaska. I slept through the not-dark of night to the hum of a generator that kept the fan going. When it stopped at one point the whine of mosquitoes replaced it. I don’t mind the generator sounds.
So why am I in Fairbanks? I can blame a friend and a former job. A couple of years ago a flare up of lower back pain made me rethink my life. I knew that my days as a bus driver needed to come to an end. My friend Missi started talking to me about how much she loves life up here and how I should visit. In January of last year I did just that. I had a week of vacation and bought a plane ticket to see just how bad it could be living in a cabin that relies on a generator for electricity to run the oil heater. Could I handle using an outhouse when it’s -25°? It turns out that I can.
On that visit I found that I loved it. This place is beautiful. I went ahead and looked to see what land went for and I found a piece of raw land that I could afford and that I can do something with. One of my boys got more excited by the idea than I was and committed to working with me so I bought it. Last June he came up with me to see the property and walk the easement where a quarter mile driveway needed to go. He loved it too.
I have a plan. Last year I bought the property and my friend’s husband made me a driveway. This year on the list is to make at least one cabin and settle in and find work. I’m up here now and getting ready get started. I hope to post my progress regularly.
I had a whole bunch more I wanted to write, but everyone has been wanting to talk to me. The day is getting planned and it’s time to get moving. By Sunday I hope to have more to share. Building a new life includes more than just making a cabin. I need to find a place in the community too.
