Tuesday, July 30, 2013

We have arrived




 We have arrived in Alaska. After a 4,200 mile journey. What a adventure it was. My husband drove the tiny house towed by a U-Haul. I drove the truck towing the solar system and the plow. It was suppose to take a total o 4 days. It ended up taking a total of over a week. All due to a accident we got into right after we crossed the border into Canada. Upon entering the border, we went over a snow drift that turned out to be 4 inches of ice. I did a 360 and landed almost sideways in the snow. The house the same. The accident involved 6 other cars. Thank God no one was hurt. I have to credit the tow company. Removing the U-Haul and the truck from the waist deep snow should have cost thousands. Instead it cost $800. We did rest that night and continued on the journey. The tiny house did received some damage due to the accident. The frame was damaged. After strapping it together several times in the Yukon we carried on. Driving the Alaska highway was in experience of a lifetime. Really crappy rodes carved onto the side of a mountain is the best way to describe it. I am terrified of heights. So its something I will avoid with all my life for the future. We probably changed a tire every 45 miles. Plus it was zero degrees out and a snow storm in APRIL! So on top of driving the tiny house damaged, towing on the side of the mountain, the ground was cover with slippery slushy snow. The positive side of the trail, it was so beautiful. I saw every type of animal I can imagine. Wild horses for me was the highlight. We stayed in the house the entire way. I highly recommend that everyone take a large trip across the country. It really shows you that your so small in such a large world.

 We have been in Alaska for several months now. We are 100% off the grid. We have put the 250 water gallon in the tree. It is gravity feed into the house. With hours and hours of sunlight we have constant power. The vegetables in the garden grew at a very fast rate. Everyone is adjusting to the wonderful weather. We see moose every week. This is the happiest my family has every been. I highly suggest everyone take their family at some point and move away. We love Alaska. It is a place were so many people think outside the box and do as they please. No one has given us crazy eyes because of the house we live in. Matter of fact most people live like this up here!



Some things I have learned in the couple months I'd like to list.

-Do not put your tiny house in the backyard of someone you don't particular get a long with. They won't respect your privacy and space.
-Write your list of daily needs your not willing to part with prior to build.
-People will have nothing but negative things to say about everything.
-Don't let others idea of your life define your decision.
-Canada needs better plow standards.
-Living off the grid has it challenges, but its awesome.
-You know your family, live it for them.
-God is great have faith in him.

Here are some pictures.






























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20 comments:

  1. Amazing adventure. Congratulations on your courage to live as you like!

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  2. What a wonderful adventure. Your description of it brought back some good memories for me. Back in the late 60's at the age of 29, I packed up all my belongings along with my two retreivers in a camper on the back of a pick-up truck and set off on my own to drive from upstate New York to Alaska where I had a job teaching school. It was a very good part of my life.

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  3. Welcome to Alaska! I've been up here 10 years, and had the good sense to fly :) though hubby and his friends drove down to get me and the friends drove back up with my belongings while we were on our honeymoon. This year has been weird weather wise, even for Alaska, so I have no idea what to tell you to expect from this winter. :) We haven't gone off grid just yet, though my oldest step daughter and her family are looking at it if they can get the remote property they are hoping to get, and if they do, we might put up a small cabin for when we visit them out there.. living here is an adventure and certainly is different then anywhere else i've ever been. enjoy it!

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  4. Congratulations.

    You might enjoy "One Man's Wilderness" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke and http://www.amazon.com/One-Mans-Wilderness-Alaskan-Odyssey/dp/0882405136

    Videos at http://www.dickproenneke.com/ (and I have no skin in this game... but PBS ran one during a fundraiser and it's pretty well done)

    Good wishes and great success to you folks.

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  5. I love your home! I love Alaska. My uncle lives in Palmer and my cousins live in Anchorage. My family and I are planning to move from North Carolina to Vermont (somewhere in the Northeast Kingdom) in the future. We're also planning to live in tiny off the grid homes.

    I don't know if you can answer any questions, but if you're willing & able to I'd like to know how much money do I need for a move? And just of sheer curiosity I was wondering why you decided to move from New Hampshire to Alaska? Not trying to be nosy I've just noticed quite a few people from Vermont, New Hampshire, & Maine making a move to Alaska and wondered why.

    I wish you guys all the luck in the world!

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    1. I have no idea how much it would cost you to move overseas. I was lucky that I could drive here. I did tons of research before we made any desions. People from New England tend to have more of an adventure spirit.

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  6. Congratulations! And I truly understand the hardship of driving to Alaska while towing stuff. My husband and I just moved to southeast Alaska. Shorter drive, 2000 miles, with two ferries. Driving from New Hampshire. Wow is all I can say. So, again, congratulations and enjoy the reward of Alaska after so much work. donnaconover@rocketmail.com

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  7. hey where are you located? I am in Soldotna on the Kenai Peninsula...(single mom)

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  8. Your family's adventure is inspiring! Good luck.

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  9. What will you do in the winter for (solar) power, due to lack of sun, shorter days??

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    1. I was wondering the same thing. I also wondered how you keep your water from freezing? I am just a crazy curious person :)

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  10. Hello! Welcome to Alaska! I hope you continue to update your blog. I found you on the Tiny House Blog. I live between Wasilla and Meadow Lakes at Vine and Hollywood in a 135 sq ft dry cabin on my dads property. Feel free to contact me if you want. Id love to talk to someone else living the Tiny Cabin lifestyle. :)

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    1. I actually live in Meadow Lakes. I frequent the R&R laundry mat lot a lot. I have a fb as well . Victoria Whitcher.

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  11. Victoria and David,
    Impressive house and journey! But I have a question: In the in-transit pictures, your house has a flat roof. Set-up, it's a tall gable...and one of the on-site construction pics shows a pneumatic thingie to help keep one side of the roof up. I wonder if you could explain your roof construction, since it seems to allow a taller house than the 13.5' we're told is the max for road travel, while also providing more height for a loft. If so: huzzah!
    P.S. As a former NH resident -- Keene, West. Lebanon, Concord, Durham (all Paradise in their own way) -- I hope you find as much happiness in Alaska. Cheers! Pete

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  12. Victoria,

    If you ever publish a book or the floor plans (or when the patent comes in on the roof) I would like to purchases any or all of it. This is amazing.

    I am sorry about your losses and rejoice in what you have accomplished.

    It is good to see someone doing, not just dreaming.

    Kate

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  13. Lovely. Glad to see your dream home coming true. Hope mine will soon enough..Personally, I recently joined the Tiny House Movement and am enjoying every bit of it.

    p:s: You can share all your Tiny house living pics from your building process to plans used, for the benefit of others just joining our movement

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  14. Delighted that I found your site, fantastic info. I will bookmark and try to visit more frequently.

    Florida moving companies

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  15. I'm unable to access my blog.

    In 2016 my husband passed away. So we no longer live tiny.

    He went on to become a Green Beret.

    SSG Whitcher David 2016 7th Special Forces Group

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