More thoughts on my living situation
A friend of mine who was a long time Yukon resident, and has been to my cabin, told me she thought that I was mis-representing my living situation, and that in doing so I was not being respectful of Yukoners who truely rough it, and/or live way out in the bush. Out of respect for her opinion, and given that for a number of years she lived and raised three small children 30+ miles out of Whitehorse in a cabin with no running water or electricity, and both heating and (I believe) cooking from a woodstove (I don't know if she had a phone,) I'm adding the following further description of my cabin and living situation.
My cabin is located about a 20 minute drive up the Alaska Highway from Whitehorse, and about 1000 feet up a gravel road from the highway. I share my lake view with about nine or ten neighbors, all of us living around one side of Echo Lake, which gives us all a wonderful view of the lake, the tree'd far side and the mountains to the South in the distance, and immediately to the West.
At 12' by 16' I'm pretty sure that my cabin is the smallest on the lake. Certainly there are at least 4 one and two story houses that are likely 2000 or more sq. feet. My neighbors do refer to my cabin as the "little cabin that use to be the Espresso shop." I love it for it's views, and compactness and the fact that I'm probably 35 feet from the lake.
Facilities-wise I have everything but running water and an indoor toilet. Heat comes from a propane stove, so, unlike my next door neighbor, I don't have to chop wood, and the cabin warms up at the flick of the thermostat when I come home in the evening. I have electricity, phone, and I have brought in DSL Highspeed Internet and installed a wireless LAN (just in case being 12 feet from the hardwired connection is too far.) :-)
As my friend (correctly) observed, I have made a lifestyle choice that reflects an interest in living in a smaller place, and trading lake views and access for the convenience of running water and a toilet indoors. And, as someone who works in town in an office each day, I have the option of "holding it," and using the toilets at work. I joined the local gym to use the shower facilities (and also use the gym about 3 - 5 times a week.)
There are an amazing number of people who live "off the grid" up here. Some, particularly in rural communities, do it out of necessity... some small communities might not have sewage systems, and / or may get their water delivered by a trailer truck. Some are professionals who have decided for any number of reasons, to choose a simpler, more basic lifestyle, out of principal, interest, or need. And some just live far enough from infrastructure that they have no option. And those situations can yield pretty fancy solutions at times, with wind powered turbine or solar electrical generation, satellite High Speed Internet, gravity fed water, wood-fired hot tubs and composting or "flash fry" toilets.
So by Yukon standards, I have a pretty cushy set-up. What I enjoy is thinking about my current trade-offs and decisions in light of our last house in Kansas, with its 2 1/2 baths, four bedrooms, etc. Living in the Espresso cabin has freed me to spend time (and money) to do other things, and it's hard to beat the view! When I shoehorned MacKenzie and Peter in last summer, they and I could be canoing or off on our mountain bikes right from my door. And little can compare with the memories of us sitting by a fire by the lake, roasting marshmallows in the evening, and listening to the call of the loon family as the lake water lapped at the shore.
So I hope this more detailed description of my living situation is a respectful response to my friends concerns. The majority of the Yukon population live in comfortable suburban style homes around Whitehorse. A lucky number have access to restored gold-rush era homes in Dawson City, or plush and cozy houses with spectacular views overlooking Marsh Lake or Lake Labarge. And some of us, by necessity or choice, live with a varying degree of tradeoff... sharing this beautiful part of the world.
My cabin is located about a 20 minute drive up the Alaska Highway from Whitehorse, and about 1000 feet up a gravel road from the highway. I share my lake view with about nine or ten neighbors, all of us living around one side of Echo Lake, which gives us all a wonderful view of the lake, the tree'd far side and the mountains to the South in the distance, and immediately to the West.
At 12' by 16' I'm pretty sure that my cabin is the smallest on the lake. Certainly there are at least 4 one and two story houses that are likely 2000 or more sq. feet. My neighbors do refer to my cabin as the "little cabin that use to be the Espresso shop." I love it for it's views, and compactness and the fact that I'm probably 35 feet from the lake.
Facilities-wise I have everything but running water and an indoor toilet. Heat comes from a propane stove, so, unlike my next door neighbor, I don't have to chop wood, and the cabin warms up at the flick of the thermostat when I come home in the evening. I have electricity, phone, and I have brought in DSL Highspeed Internet and installed a wireless LAN (just in case being 12 feet from the hardwired connection is too far.) :-)
As my friend (correctly) observed, I have made a lifestyle choice that reflects an interest in living in a smaller place, and trading lake views and access for the convenience of running water and a toilet indoors. And, as someone who works in town in an office each day, I have the option of "holding it," and using the toilets at work. I joined the local gym to use the shower facilities (and also use the gym about 3 - 5 times a week.)
There are an amazing number of people who live "off the grid" up here. Some, particularly in rural communities, do it out of necessity... some small communities might not have sewage systems, and / or may get their water delivered by a trailer truck. Some are professionals who have decided for any number of reasons, to choose a simpler, more basic lifestyle, out of principal, interest, or need. And some just live far enough from infrastructure that they have no option. And those situations can yield pretty fancy solutions at times, with wind powered turbine or solar electrical generation, satellite High Speed Internet, gravity fed water, wood-fired hot tubs and composting or "flash fry" toilets.
So by Yukon standards, I have a pretty cushy set-up. What I enjoy is thinking about my current trade-offs and decisions in light of our last house in Kansas, with its 2 1/2 baths, four bedrooms, etc. Living in the Espresso cabin has freed me to spend time (and money) to do other things, and it's hard to beat the view! When I shoehorned MacKenzie and Peter in last summer, they and I could be canoing or off on our mountain bikes right from my door. And little can compare with the memories of us sitting by a fire by the lake, roasting marshmallows in the evening, and listening to the call of the loon family as the lake water lapped at the shore.
So I hope this more detailed description of my living situation is a respectful response to my friends concerns. The majority of the Yukon population live in comfortable suburban style homes around Whitehorse. A lucky number have access to restored gold-rush era homes in Dawson City, or plush and cozy houses with spectacular views overlooking Marsh Lake or Lake Labarge. And some of us, by necessity or choice, live with a varying degree of tradeoff... sharing this beautiful part of the world.
posted by Peter Merrick Turner at 3:40 p.m.
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