cabin

Off the grid at Moonshine Kingdom

I've found that in the last few years of my life, I have been working at surrounding myself with people who inspire me. I learn from the different types of people I meet, making for a diverse group of connections in my life. 

Fate had it that I ran into some folks I followed on the internet while living on Galiano last winter, I stopped by a lookout off the road, and sure enough there was a group of people there who happened to be the one's I had been following, the owner's of the project known as Moonshine Kingdom. We chatted briefly, and shared a few interests in landcruisers and the gulf islands before parting ways... It wasn't until a couple of months ago when we reconnected to start planning a visit to the Kingdom. 

I got a few people on board... my friend Bourton, captain of the Ella Mackenzie, a famous tugboat from the early 1900's, Sara Harowitz and her boyfriend, Dustin from Montecristo Magazine and  Julia, my partner in crime. We set out mid-day on the tug to a dropped pin on Google Maps, cruising at about 8knots in the hot sun. 

We took an important stop near Lighthouse Park for a dip in the ocean to cool off, then finished the journey to Moonshine Kingdom. 

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It's always been a dream of mine to have a little property, a cabin, something to call my own... This is why I was so keen to check out this 1 acre property off the grid, and surely it did not disappoint. As soon we arrived, we were greeted with a rowboat with Kristyn on board, ready to shuttle us to land. We hopped on with all our gear and played rock-paper-scissors for sleeping accomodations...

Kristyn & Sophena are lucky to have a natural spring that provides fresh water to the property... they installed a gravity fed system that travels steeply down the rocky face behind their place, creating enough pressure to have on demand water all year round... also perfect for the outdoor shower and wood-fired hot tub. 

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There is little to no plastic on the property, a refreshing detail to discover, and as the sun disappeared, candles and gas lanterns lit the way along the property, creating a warm glow for the evening. The hot tub was a perfect place to burn cardboard, paper and wood, such simple systems, but all you really need.

We killed time listening to music and swimming in the day, and in the evening we spent time getting to know each other around some food, drinks and pie for desert. As the stars came out, we jumped in the ocean for a midnight dip with the phosphorescence glowing almost as bright as the stars. The water was cool but nice for swimming in the night, especially knowing we had a hot tub waiting to warm up the bones. 

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3 months on Galiano Island

I started off 2017 with an eviction notice from our landlord in Vancouver. A common story in the city of 'renovictions.' We had only been there for a few months before the landlord decided to sell the unit we were living in under our feet. Instead of spending Christmas looming over finding another rental in the city, we opted to try something new.

We moved our things into a storage unit and January 1st, I packed up my truck and moved over to Galiano Island to live in a cabin for the winter. 

Lucky for me, a buddy of mine on the island has a beautiful cabin resort called Bodega Ridge. It's located on the quiet side of the island, surrounded by arbutus trees and just a block away from the ocean...

Over the 3 months on the island, I helped Jesse with some projects during the day, and spent my evenings by the woodstove reading books and sometimes watching the snow fall... A pretty dreamy place to spend cold winter nights.

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Winter can be really slow on the island, which can have it's up's and down's. I broke up the days by going out for hikes. My favourite happens to be Bodega Ridge Provincial Park, just behind the property. The views of the gulf islands from the top are amazing. 

If staying at a beautiful cabin for the winter wasn't good enough, I was so excited to dine out at Pilgrimme, one of Canada's top restaurants which happens to be in a quaint cabin style building tucked in the forest. I won't ruin the surprises for you, but if you go to Galiano... don't think twice about eating here and if there's room, book a stay at Bodega Ridge.

I hope to one day have my own cabin on Galiano, but for now, the journey continues as I am back on the road, living between my rooftop tent on my Toyota, at friend's places in the city or working with resorts along the way.