July 31 - DIY Homestead - The Transition to Self-Sustainability

July 31, 2022

Day 223 of the Adventure

Base Camp Coffee of the Day:  Lost up the Creek (Sumatra)

The waterfall down behind our cabin

When Sunday arrives here at camp, we usually slow down a bit, do our Sunday Morning Outdoor Breakfast and get a little bit mentally and physically recharged. I like to look back on the week and the things we did. When choosing to write about it, I feel a little like starting out with something like; "It's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon......" (Some of you will get that) Anyway, the most notable event this week has been rain. After a month and a half with nothing but hundred degree weather, we actually got some rain. It's still dripping out of the trees on me this morning, but I don't mind. 

Our "Camp Run-Amuck" story continues with the completion of one task this week. Most of you know that our cabin is about 80% Off-Grid with a couple of grid based circuits as back up if our solar plant ever fails. The two circuits that are tied into the power company were completed this week. Now we only have the bathroom and part of the kitchen to finish wiring for the solar connected power supply. We are currently using solar on almost everything in the cabin except where the electrical wires are not yet installed.  Our Off Grid experience is not a primitive one. We do have every normal convenience you would find in a typical home. It's just that most of it is powered by the sun. In a typical day, we use a small amount of grid power (unless it's been cloudy for a few days, then we use a little more) The two biggest reasons we connected to grid in the first place was our need to run some larger power tools that would have maxed out our solar plant. The second reason is that I'm still learning exactly what all the solar equipment can actually handle. Not having a complete understanding of its operations, I was more comfortable having some grid back up for a while anyway.

This brings me to one of the original purposes for Camp Run-Amuck. We wanted to document the entire process for finding a raw piece of land and what all it would take to turn it into a functioning, self-sufficient living space. There were times when I doubted it's affordability. It seemed for a while that EVERYTHING we did was costing more money than I had planned. Much of that had to do with the cost of building materials being so high just when we were beginning to build. A large part was also the amount of road-bed we needed to construct, which wouldn't have been nearly as bad if we had not wanted to build so far off the road and down into the woods. 

Now that much of the initial, critical outdoor work is done and the cabin is livable, expenses have dropped dramatically. I believe that I am ready to say that our project is beginning to have the characteristics of a self-sufficient home place. Enough so that I believe we can start demonstrating a "Road-Map" for getting from wherever you are, to living on the land. (If that's your goal) Our project was much more intense than it could have been, but we were working with a very tight deadline to be moved on to the property. Had that deadline not existed, the process would have been much more relaxing. All that being said, we really are going to try and slow things down some now and get a little more focused on the "How to make the transition" from fast paced life to simple, self sufficient living. We hope you choose to come along for the ride!

Carry On!

 Adventure Quote:  “Let us not become so cautious that we forget to live.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert

Click the following links to start your own adventure with us

Our Cabin build "Playlist" at Camp Run-Amuck

July 30 - DIY Homestead - Finding Your Tribe

July 30, 2022

Day 222 of the Adventure

Base Camp Coffee of the Day:

This morning's campfire is a pathetic one. I'm not sure that I have the patience for it's smoldering and general refusal to light and burn. Okay, the wood is wet and that's mostly my fault. We do not yet have a woodshed and I've been too lazy to drag out tarps to keep it covered. Right now, it's mostly all roots we've harvested from tree stumps dug from the ground around here and almost not worth the effort to keep dry. My secret is that I know Shelley will be back from her walk in a few minutes and she will be relentless at getting it going. But for now, here I am, trying to encourage it to burn. I suppose it's part of the reason you need your tribe for encouragement. The ones that will assure you that you're not completely crazy for attempting things no reasonably sane person would mess with. 

My last tribe (I suppose it's still my tribe) was that of fellow entrepreneurs. Those folks who supported your weird efforts when most of the "world", (code for friends and family) all thought you were crazy for pursuing your business ventures. Yeah, I've been through a couple of rounds of that. Now I'm beginning to adopt a new tribe. It's the people who will say. "Yes. It's okay for you to want to build a campfire in the rain!" and "Yes. It's okay for you to want to not hook your cabin to the power grid!" and things like' "Yes. It's okay for you to want to have goats!" (by the way, I'm not there with the goats yet or maybe ever, but I'm happy to let you know that "Yes, It's okay for you to want to have goats!") That's what your tribe does! They keep you believing in yourself no matter what outside forces or the weather has to say about it! Now........ If your tribe ever starts to think you've gone completely off the rails, then maybe you have. Or...... Maybe you need a new tribe. One with more "off the rails" thinking and experience. 

Either way, embrace your tribe. They are the ones that are truly pulling for you. If you're not part of one, find one that loves the same things you love and is doing the same things you are doing. Speaking from one tribe member to another, "It's okay to get tribal!"

Carry On 

I knew Shelley would get here and get the fire going!

 Adventure Quote:  “Fall in love with someone who tastes like adventure but looks like the calm, beautiful morning after a terrible storm” ― Nikita Gill

Click the following links to start your own adventure with us

Here's Some Cabin building

And a recent Outdoors Breakfast with us. 

Go ahead and subscribe to our YouTube Channels and the blog fo mor videos and stories from Camp Run-Amuck. 

Our Cabin build "Playlist" at Camp Run-Amuck

July 29 - DIY Homestead - Shelley is Tormenting the Fire Pit at 6am

July 29, 2022

Day 221 of the Adventure

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Highlander Grogg (Butterscotch/Rum flavors)

There she is, 6am working the fire pit area.

I'm not entirely sure exactly what it is Shelley is trying to do this morning. She said I was forbidden from starting a fire which doesn't agree with me that well. Something about leveling the fire pit. I assumed she meant the pile of ashes in the actual fire pit and I thought, "I can do that with a rake and just get on with the building of the morning fire". But no, whatever it is, it's much more involved because it seems the tractor will be needed. Although, when it comes to Shelley and her tractor, any task, big or small, can potentially require the use of the tractor. 

Our tractor is a 25hp Kubota diesel. Our neighbor refers to it as our "Toy". Well, of course it is! But it's one of the hardest working toys I've ever owned. We really did consider getting a larger one and believe it or not, cost really wasn't a factor. While comparing features and horsepower, the salesman happened to mention all of the emissions requirements of tractors greater than 25hp. (And all of the additional maintenance, upkeep and, to me, headaches, of caring for the emissions systems) It included things like the addition of DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) to the "burning off", or "purging" of the exhaust system, or whatever he was describing as a monthly routine. He rapidly lost me in the process of selling me on the benefits of more work. I looked at Shelley and declared, "I believe that 25hp tractor looks great!" (My take on the economics of purchasing a new tractor vs a used one)

Now, I'm not trying to sell anyone on a Kubota. I've known a lot of people who have owned them and they all say they are a strong little tractor. Perhaps having even more power than their small size would suggest. We chose a 25hp with an added backhoe attachment along with a bush hog, box blade and pallet fork. So far, it has not disappointed us in the least. It has dug two, four-foot deep, 500 foot long trenches through extremely hard ground. Pulled countless stumps from the ground. Dug two entire septic tank pits and all of the lateral lines. Leveled road-beds and building sites all over the property. Hauled firewood and the list just goes on. We've worn the entire first set of teeth completely off the backhoe bucket and had to install new ones. So, 25hp or not, our little toy tractor is a legitimate workhorse and has earned its keep and our respect. 

Well, I think I can now see what Shelley was up to. She levelled the area "around" the fire pit so the chairs would set more evenly. I'm okay with that......... On to the fire and the second cup of coffee!

Carry On!

 Adventure Quote:  “The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”

― Christopher McCandless

Click the following links to start your own adventure with us

Our Cabin build "Playlist" at Camp Run-Amuck

July 28 - DIY Homestead - Early Morning Campfire and Coffee

July 28, 2022

Day 220 of the Adventure

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: English Toffee (tastes just like it sounds) 

I think that one of life's most simple pleasures is coffee by an early morning campfire. I enjoy evening fires too, but on a scale of 1-10, morning fires rate about 9.5 and evening fires rate around 7.2. All good to be certain. I think the evening fires catch me a bit weary from the day and struggling to stay awake. Now if you were asking me about the rating of falling asleep by a fire, then the evening fires win hands down. That's just my take on campfires. This morning I'm slowly nursing a cup of coffee and a campfire that is being slightly reluctant from last night's rain. We needed rain but this one wasn't much more than enough to get the morning's firewood wet. Nevertheless, it's gaining ground and providing the all-important morning ambiance to my day. With rain in the forecast for the next several days, the firewood is not the only thing that will be struggling around here. I have a feeling our solar plant will be doing the same. Oddly enough, when we first installed it, we had about 5 days without sunshine. That was the last five days before the sun decided to dominate every single day with 100-degree heat and cloudless sky for a month and a half straight. Our solar plant has really never had to show what it's made of since we've been here. Now it will get it's chance. 

It's been 220 days since we closed on the property we call Camp Run-Amuck. The journey has been a fascinating one so far. It was less than 60 days ago that we had to be moved onto the property. There was really no urgent need to get here. There was only a critical need to be moved out of our temporary living space at a cabin at the treehouses. (You Know........ Guests arriving that day) Anyway, the three months preceding our move to the woods was frantic. My good friend John commented upon a visit down here as he looked at all the piles of rock, brush, half completed roads, trenches for utilities that were not installed yet and the start of foundation work....... "You got things going on all over the place down here!" Yep, couldn't argue with that! It wasn't that we just wanted to work on twenty plus random projects all at once. Our schedule was being dictated by availability of rock truck deliveries, deadlines for removal of a previously "un-approved" driveway entrance (not by us but the previous owner) Getting a road base installed so our trucks would quit sinking in the mud. Rain in general delaying projects. and so on and so on. 

But we're here, the cabin is livable albeit far from complete. We get to experience morning campfires with coffee almost every single morning, and..... many of our breakfasts are cooked outdoors on a camp stove or over a campfire. The common thread there is the word "Camp" which has always been one of our top five activities. I wish you a pleasant morning with just the right amount of caffeine (or slightly more)  

Carry On!

 Adventure Quote: “Until you step into the unknown, you don’t know what you’re made of.”

― Roy T. Bennett

Click the following links to start your own adventure with us

Our Cabin build "Playlist" at Camp Run-Amuck

July 27 - DIY Homestead - Shocking Shopping

July 27, 2022

Day 219 of the Adventure

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Woods (Colombia/Costa Rica blend)

Installment number 1 of replacement jars

Over the weekend, we had to make a run to town (home improvement store specifically) Upon leaving, we decided to run by a grocery store to pick up a few things. Shelley hit the grocery store while I ran in to a nearby small department store to look for a funnel, of all things. There were no funnels to be had, like many other items in the store, or should I say "Not" in the store. I gave up and decided to go and locate Shelley. I found her with a dozen or so items in her cart, already headed towards check-out. As I got close enough to hear, she glared at me in the eyes and declared; "I'm growing a garden!" I responded with "Do we need canning jars?"

The situation that prompted her frustration was the prices and lack of availability of things she had planned on buying. I'm not sure if the sweet corn had any bearing on her remarks, but twelve dollars per dozen ears was perhaps the last straw in the matter. Honestly, I've known, and we all have known, prices on everything have been going up. A lot of it, pretty drastically. In some ways, I suppose it's to be expected, but then again, I'm not sure it's the prices as much as it is the feeling of having no control when it comes to necessities such as groceries. Especially when there seems to be no logical reason for it.

The answer to, "Do we need canning jars" was answered with a prompt "Yes". A number of years ago, Shelley and I put up a very respectable pantry of canned goods off of a modest garden spiked with Rabbit droppings. I'd never seen such a harvest. Among all of the other goods put up was 78 pints of Salsa. Also included was a variety of other garden vegetables, eight to ten varieties of jams and jellies, and then the pickles.......... and more pickles.

I suppose that the timing of our move to the woods with "Self Sufficiency potential" is a great position to be in. Still, a garden is next year's business. Not to be dissuaded by the inconvenience of waiting until Spring and all the prep-work needing to be done. Today we picked up our first installment of replacement canning jars. Unfortunately, when we made our big move from Iowa to Missouri roughly 30 years ago, our stockpile of jars went goodbye.

So, the journey towards a fully stocked pantry has begun!

Carry On!

 Adventure Quote: “An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.”

― G.K. Chesterton

Click the following links to start your own adventure with us

Our Cabin build "Playlist" at Camp Run-Amuck

Day 1 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 2 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 3 of our Treasured Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

July 26 - DIY Homestead - A Brave New "Experiment?"

July 26, 2022

Day 218 of the Adventure

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: B-52 (Kahlua, Irish Cream, Amaretto flavors)

My Computer Stump

After moving out into the middle of the woods, things change. My favorite morning "office" used to be at the pool. It's a drive now to the pool so my new favorite office is the tree stump next to the fire. (I may need to add an additional stump for the coffee cup.  FIRST ORDER of "Office Business" today is a change in our titles. We have had resorts as a lifestyle focus for the past eleven years (and sill have the treehouses) but our personal focus has dramatically changed this year. 

When we began our real estate investing business, our lives became a "How To" story on that. We believed we had discovered an awesome vehicle for creating income and wanted to share it with everyone.  As we moved into resort ownership, we became a "How To" story on resort ownership and operations. We had discovered a new way of combining income with resort lifestyle and wanted to share it with everyone. As we edge closer to "Pre-Retirement" (or something like that)....... maybe......., we decided to begin simplifying life and create a more enjoyable, secluded and peaceful setting and lifestyle for ourselves. YES, I know, our videos look anything but simple, or peaceful. Maybe secluded, but not simple. Nevertheless, our new experiences at "Camp Run-Amuck" is becoming a "How To" of building a "Do-It-Yourself" homestead/off-grid type of lifestyle. One that's proving to be more relaxing and peaceful than really anything else we've ever done. 

As our focus had already shifted from the day-to-day resort business, so will the focus of this blog, as well as other media we've come to use over the years. With both the real estate investing as well as all the resorts we owned, there was always two common threads present in our decisions. The first was our willingness to step outside the box (and our comfort zone) and try something really different. The second common thread was all of the family and friends that looked at us with a skeptical, wary eye about our decision. Some even voiced their "concern" over whether we had driven the truck right over the edge of the cliff or not!

Our attraction to the simple lifestyle we are embarking on is not new. We've played with many of the ideas over the years including gardening, canning, building a greenhouse, sawmilling, camping off-grid in the woods and so on. (The list is bigger than you would probably believe) We see life now as an open canvas to pursue much of that on a larger and more meaningful scale. We know, in many respects, how to live a more frugal life and we know how to be an example to those maybe too afraid to take steps into the unknown. As we are currently experiencing unprecedented increases in costs across the board in everything, a self-sufficient mindset and lifestyle will be the answer to many (not all) but many people trying to make it comfortably through this season. We are okay being a small example of how to create "Do-It-Yourself" solutions in day-to-day life. Our intention in life has NEVER been to just survive. We believe there is room to thrive in no matter what the world throws at us. Even the things that are seemingly beyond our control. 

You are welcome to follow this journey. You can click on really any link on this page and find your way to something we are doing. I recommend the video links and subscribing to any of it. 

 Adventure Quote: “The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”

Click the following links to start your own adventure with us

The Day We Flipped Our Cement Mixer Over The Wall

Shooting A "Widow-Maker At Camp

Our Canyon Waterfall in the Springtime

Our Cabin build "Playlist" at Camp Run-Amuck

July 25 - Resort Adventures

July 25, 2022

Day 217 of the Adventure

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Woods (Guatemala)

Waking up at 2am and wishing morning would hurry up and get here is a strange experience. Especially on a Monday. It is so backwards to everything I "Lived" for nearly 25 years when Monday morning (and every other morning of the typical week) meant waking to an alarm clock to begin getting ready to head to the job. So much of my "Awake and Working" time was spent trying to figure out how to find a way to escape that routine. The "starting line" for that began about 20 years ago when we started our real estate investing business. At least then, the "wake up and get going" part was self motivated and self directed. But still was a lot of work. I have to say it was mostly enjoyable though. About 10 years ago when we bought our first of five resort properties, the work went from........ Work....... to work with benefits. I mostly enjoyed and looked forward to the start of a new day. Ironically, the resort business gave me reason to look forward to the Mondays through Thursdays, but begin to dread the Fridays through Sunday afternoons. Not because I disliked the guests who packed the resorts during the weekends. It was the 12-16 hour days that usually started about 6am for me and sometimes didn't end until I escaped into the house, turned out the lights and locked the doors around 10pm. 

Now, with the resorts gone (except for the treehouses) I'm learning that any and every morning is potentially something to look forward to. The exception to that is when I know in advance there is some unpleasant task awaiting me. Like driving to town for example. Or perhaps finishing up some random detail on the septic system installation. (It was easier before it was functioning. Now that it's working, it just needs to stay buried! Yes, today we need to pick up and install some sealant for the riser extensions) Any number of things can potentially disturb a perfect day, but for the most part, morning and whatever it brings with it are something to look forward to. That's the Camp Run-Amuck way.

In many ways over the past 20 years, we have tried to show examples of what life can look like if you have the courage (or perhaps, bad judgement) to step outside your comfort zone and pursue a dream. For Shelley and I, that dream was one of escaping our version of the rat race and chasing after a dream of life revolving around our love for the outdoors. Even our early business ventures which had very little to do with the outdoors was an important part of the journey. It gave us the all-important means to an escape. When you hear us encourage the pursuit of a dream, it's nothing more than a testament to what kind of an impact to your life adventure a strongly held dream can have.

 Adventure Quote: “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”

― Eleanor Roosevelt

Click the following links to start your own adventure with us

Our Cabin build "Playlist" at Camp Run-Amuck

Day 1 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 2 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 3 of our Treasured Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

July 24 - Resort Adventures

July 24, 2022

Day 216 of the Adventure

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Woods (Colombia/Costa Rica blend)

The saga of our "Solar Plant Crash" from Thursday night continues. As does my learning curve. The reason for the shut-down of the inverter/charger was as expected. Depleted batteries. That wasn't necessarily the problem. though. The inverter is designed on purpose to shut down when the battery charge gets low. The problem was that it would not come back on once it appeared to have been charged back up by the solar panels the following day. That was a concern. I mean, the whole point of having alternative energy is when there is a power outage. Or worse-case scenario, when there is a grid shut-down. So, what happens when your back up system shuts down and won't restart? As Burt Gummer would say........ "Back-Up, Back-Up system!" Our back up to the inverter/charger and solar panels and batteries is a generator. Back up to that is an additional back-up generator. (Are we reaching the point of ridiculous redundancy yet???) Yes and no. I had two generators anyway from our resort days which were the 1st back up and the 2nd back up......... Where was I going with all this?

Oh, yes. After trying most of the trouble-shooting recommendations, I called the supplier. After complicated verbal exchange of battery connections, I think we discovered that there is possibly two cables that need connected differently. Not that they aren't doing their job. They possibly (and I really mean "possibly") may be causing un-even charging. Which, when they are full or nearly full from regular use is not really a serious problem. When depleted to the point of shut-down, could potentially cause a delay, either short or long, in the charging of one or the other battery banks. (More on that later)

I was also informed that the Inverter would not respond to a generator plug in since it was not turning on, either automatically or manually. After thinking about it overnight, I couldn't see how that was possible. How else would you ever get it on if it won't start on its own and won't start when turned on manually. Something about that didn't make sense. I decided to plug it in to a generator and SHAZAM! It started right up. The read-out from the solar panel charge controller said enough volts were present to do the job. However, once the Inverter came on, it said voltage was still low. Which may explain an issue with the two battery banks charging unevenly. Maybe! Regardless, it is running again and once the sun hits the panels, everything should all be back to normal. 

Did I ever mention how I HATE learning curves??? Actually, I'm glad to be going through this one. I really do need to understand the operation of all of it if it's ever going to be a reliable main power source, or even a back-up power source.

 Adventure Quote: Don't let the expectations and ideas of others limit who you are. If you let others tell you who you are, you are living their reality — not yours.

Click the following links to start your own adventure with us

Our Cabin build "Playlist" at Camp Run-Amuck

Day 1 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 2 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 3 of our Treasured Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

July 23 - Resort Adventures

July 23, 2022

Day 215 of the Adventure

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: English Toffee (just like it sounds)

Our Black Jeep parked by the waterfall

It's not that noticeable yet but we are losing about a minute a day in sunrise time. The morning coffee and campfire ritual is getting a little harder to start as early as before (waiting for it to be light enough to actually see) In yesterday's post, I unfolded a little of our motives behind starting this next chapter of our journey. Moving towards retirement is a big part of this. I've always said that "retirement" for us probably won't look much different than working was. At 61, I'm beginning to have a change of heart over that. statement. Over the past few years, I've lost a lot of the enthusiasm I've always had for building, creating and pushing the boundaries of my imagination. I think most of that has been the result of us requiring so much from that energy to build out our business for the past 20 years or so. (If you're new to this story, here's an example of one of many treehouse cabins we've built over the past few years) The creative energy in my brain has not really diminished, it's just that my physical energy regarding the execution of that mental energy is having a hard time keeping up. 

Plenty of work left to be done

When Shelley and I discussed slowing things down a little, we also talked about doing something that still had purpose to it. I've never been the kind that would do anything just for the sake of "doing it". I could never, for example" retire and build birdhouses as a hobby. Yes, the local birds may love it, but unless I was on a mission to house all the birds in a ten square mile area, it would just be "busy-work for me. No, for me to "move towards retirement" purpose needs to be present. Which brings us to what we are calling "Camp Run-Amuck". (By the way, I doubt whether "Camp Run-Amuck" will remain our signature identity. It is fun for now but will likely change at some point) 

After a recent "Sunday Morning Breakfast in Camp" video, Shelley and I had a talk about this experience. We likened this whole process to an extended, perpetual campout. With that mindset, we've discovered that the tedious process of clearing woods, building roads, pulling stumps, installing things like septic systems and solar energy plants has become an exercise in creative adventure. That's just us coping with the early part of the "birthing" of a homestead "Homeplace". There are more things to do than there are hours in the day to do them. The purpose of this journey is entirely different. Yes, it provides us an outlet for our creativity and a very cool place to live life, but there's more to it than that. 

Over the years, we've experienced ourselves and watched friends and family experience the struggle of following a true dream of thriving in life. Not necessarily related to wealth or poverty, but simply struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. Never gaining a feeling of relief from the everyday grind to survive. We certainly have experienced that in our lives at times. We decided, as a purpose, to begin to create an environment of life that intentionally reduces the stress of those pressures. It's partly for ourselves, but also partly as an inspiration, or "Roadmap" for others to follow. So, I suppose that if we are to be successful in this adventure, it will only prove itself out by the number of people who begin to find a new purpose and vision for life. Learning and developing a new, more "self-sufficient' lifestyle for themselves. One that creates greater freedom from the pressure to survive until the next paycheck. 

I'll begin to unfold more of this in coming posts. Until then, most of our content will be YouTube based and we would appreciate your support simply through a "Subscribe" and an occasional "Share". You can do that through the various video links on the page here. I am also creating an email newsletter that a "Subscribe" through the sign up form on the right will connect you with. 

As we end our morning breakfast videos with; "Here's to having an Excellent Adventure, and may the stopping never start."

 Adventure Quote: "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to our courage"

Click the following links to start your own adventure with us

Our Cabin build "Playlist" at Camp Run-Amuck

Day 1 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 2 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 3 of our Treasured Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

July 22 - Resort Adventures

July 22, 2022

Day 214 of the Adventure

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost Up The Creek (Sumatra)

With 100 plus degree days, we've been trying to work outside when it's cooler in the morning. Going inside once the temps get miserable. The problem with that is by that time, neither of us feels much like working. Today we decided to simply stay inside. That worked so much better. The cabin became home when there were barely walls and a roof. We had extension cords for electrical wiring and no insulation anywhere. As the Summer heat increased, the need for insulation became a high priority. however, it that priority competed with several other priorities needing done both inside and out. So, a lot of our woodland playground is a makeshift exercise in living and life. Including our outdoor Kitchen. Yes, it's the one where we shoot our Sunday Morning Breakfast videos (Here's a link to the most recent one)

With all the "Unfinished" nature of our project, it's important to remember what we're doing and why. Self Sustainability is the banner under which Camp Run-Amuck was established. We are not the farmer type and certainly not survival preppers. We do however believe that life economics are becoming, and will continue to become progressively more difficult for most. I think the past couple of years has been a stark testament to that. We decided to begin this part of our journey/adventure as an experiment in self sufficiency. This simply defined is: "The ability to maintain oneself without outside aid, having confidence in one's abilities and value". That is painting with broad strokes, but still, a self-sufficient life may indeed make the difference for many between struggling or thriving in the odd new reality of our economy and the direction it seems to be headed. Our aim is to teach those skills, values and mindsets to any who are interested. Learning them in real life and in real time would have to be a pre-requisite to that goal.

So here we are, learning to live life simple, frugal and intentional. Even if no one else ever receives any benefit from our journey, we believe we will enjoy it for ourselves. The fact is, we already are. 

 Adventure Quote: “The journey matters more than the destination.”

Click the following links to start your own adventure with us

Our Cabin build "Playlist" at Camp Run-Amuck

Day 1 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 2 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 3 of our Treasured Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

July 21 - Resort Adventures

July 21, 2022

Day 213 of the Adventure

Base Camp Coffee of the Day:

We managed a "First" at Camp Run-Amuck today. We crashed our solar plant. I say crash, it was actually just a shut-down of the system. Our solar plant handles up to 6,000 watts of demand (Which is a lot) but only has a limited power storage for the time being. Until today, we weren't sure just how long it would last before a shut-down caused by depleted batteries. Tonight about 9:30, we found out. While working at my desk, a "thump" followed by darkness occurred.  Did I blow a breaker? This had not happened before. I went to switch on a light on another circuit and...... nothing. Then it dawned on me. While working on the cabin yesterday, we unplugged a power strip from a brown outlet and plugged it into a white outlet. A power strip that was running an A/C unit, our refrigerator, several lights, computers, etc. That was about 2pm. You may wonder why a brown vs white outlet would make a difference. In our cabin, the source of power is brown is Grid, white is Off-Grid. 

It's designed that way on purpose so we have the option to power things either way. In the hot weather, our two A/C units put a pretty heavy demand on the solar plant. Today it was powering both of them for actually quite a long time. A lot longer than I expected. I just had forgotten that I switched so much over to solar during the heat of a 103 degree day. And then forgot to switch it back when we were done working on that wall. Live and learn I guess. Once the switch was made back to a brown outlet, everything came back on that needed to be on. A/C's mostly. 

Those who are following our story and wonder about our hybrid off-grid set up (or are even critical of calling it off-grid because it's not purely off-grid) I only have this to offer, we are doing it the way we want to and having some grid power at our disposal when we want or need it is okay with us. I did get my first electric bill this month and it was a whopping $35. The sun is doing the heavy lifting for our electrical consumption right now, but having A/C at night when your solar plant crashed is priceless!

Have a great day........ Stay Cool!

 Adventure Quote: “Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure.” 

Click the following links to start your own adventure with us

Our Cabin build "Playlist" at Camp Run-Amuck

Day 1 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 2 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 3 of our Treasured Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

July 20 - Resort Adventures

July 20, 2022

Day 212 of the Adventure

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost up the Creek (Sumatra)

It's 6am where I am, and the day is beginning in front of a campfire with coffee in hand. So much has changed regarding our adventures over the past year and a half. Shelley and I both entered our 60's and the 2020 and 2021 resort seasons were so busy and frantic, we really began thinking of the next step of our journey. One perhaps with more free time and relaxation. What that's turned into is something we've been calling "Camp Run-Amuck". (My campfire pic this morning is a testament to the accuracy of the name) In reality though, our new adventure is combination of testing the "semi-retirement" life combined with an experiment in self sustainable living. 

What that has translated into is "Camp Run-Amuck". It began as a raw piece of land (roughly 12 acres) where we set out to discover if we could build an economically sustainable lifestyle. One with essential modern comforts, while still reflecting some of the pioneer spirit you would expect from going out into the woods and carving out a home place. So far, the experiment has been a fulfilling one. It has included the clearing of land where roads and buildings were to be built. Prepping the property for limited "On-Grid" and "Off-Grid" utilities. Building a utility control building as well as a small cabin and just moving life in a more "Comfortable Living" direction. 

The Fall and Winter brought mostly work and deadlines. Along with one complexion of our camp that included Autumn color followed by winter's.....somewhat bleak and barren representation. Springtime provided a burst of green (and more green) along with the reveal of hundreds of white dogwood trees blooming all along our hillsides. AND.... one exciting confirmation to us was the actual flowing of the stream through our little "Grand Canyon". 

So now I sit by an early morning fire, sipping coffee and listening to the sounds of the woods. It's supposed to be 102 degrees today but right now it's a balmy 79.  It's okay. Summer will pass too quickly for my liking, so I am soaking up as much of it as I can. I know I will enjoy the fall experience soon enough. My all time favorite poems is a Robert Frost work about snow in the woods. However, the last few lines of it pop into my head every morning when I walk out of our cabin at Camp Run-Amuck in the early morning twilight.........

The woods are lovely, dark and deep

But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before I sleep

And miles to go before I sleep

Join us on our journey to self sustainability. You at welcome along. 

 Adventure Quote: Here's to having an excellent adventure and may the stopping never start

Click the following links to start your own adventure with us

Our Cabin build "Playlist" at Camp Run-Amuck

Day 1 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 2 of our Treasures Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"

Day 3 of our Treasured Times Cruising "Adventure Charter"