Needed: One capable man, one old back-hoe, one heavy chain, and a friend or two. Stand by with a few braces, and...ta-d-a-a! Two walls went up today, and suddenly, I can visualize it! The Cabin at Many Moons is taking shape. This was even more exciting than pouring the foundation. Photos and captions below. (To … Continue reading How To Raise a Wall
If the foundation gives a thing strength, the frame gives it shape -- whether "the thing" is a cabin or a viewpoint. Quality matters more with some things than others. The people who shape one's viewpoint should have the highest possible quality, but the wood that shapes a cabin can be a step down from … Continue reading Framing Begins
After the pour came the grind. Whew! One more big step in creating the multi-function foundation for the Cabin at Many Moons. (To read about the pour, click here.) It's nerve-wracking but exciting. Before "the grind," the foundation was basic black. We wondered what we will see underneath. I'm told that beautiful stones will emerge, … Continue reading The Grind
Ditches are unremarkable -- except when filled with lupin, as they are right now on the roads around Keweenaw and Huron Bays. In fact, much of Michigan's Upper Peninsula is decorated by these stately blue/purple flowers -- sometimes punctuated by white or pink -- which belong to the legume family. (Think peas.) Cars stop on … Continue reading Ditches-full of Lupin!
It's kind of like a barn-raising. When you pour a concrete foundation here in the remote far-north, neighbors and relatives join in while the hostess provides drinks and food as a coordinated dance ensues: Pour. Spread. Level. Smooth. Repeat. We hired a few experts, but it was the "show-up-if-you-can" group effort that made it work. … Continue reading The Big Pour
And we're off on the next big adventure! We have a building permit and just passed the first plumbing inspection. With any luck, a 28x36 cabin will be erected at Camp Many Moons this year and will be habitable next year. This is almost as scary as starting on The Great Loop. (To read that … Continue reading The Build Begins
The word "camp" means different things to different people. Loners or groups? Tent or cabin? As with almost everything, the meaning you attach depends on one's personal experience. And the meaning is changing for me. For now, Camp Many Moons remains cabin-less. In the five years since I spent 50K for this 300-foot waterfront lot, … Continue reading Cabin-Less Camp
No, not in a car. On a snowmobile. Yup, stuck. It happens if you go off-trail into dense woods as the snow turns to mush. It happened to us. It started out fun. Two maneuverable little snowmobiles, heading out from Jeff's camp on a spring-like day with him in the lead. I grew up on … Continue reading Stuck in Snow
If snow-shoeing is walking on snow, cross-country skiing is gliding on it. If you're skilled, it's more like a kick-then-glide. (If you're really skilled, you also use a skating style. I mostly glide.) Nowadays, it's considered the best cardiovascular exercise because it works the entire body. In the past, it was considered a form of … Continue reading Gliding on Snow
The trick to walking on snow is the right footwear. When it's deep, snowshoes are the answer -- at least if you want to get into the woods. And why wouldn't you? Snow-shoeing is great for the body and the mind. My urban friends ask me why I come up here to the frozen north … Continue reading Walking on Snow
For Many Moons 