CTW Construction Zone

There's simply no easy way to say this ... enclosed trailers are over rated!

Looking for a way to transport our tools from the garage to the job site and to keep our tools somewhat out of the elements we've build a CTW. The average DIYer is probably not familiar with the CTW concept. Essentially we took our well abused utility trailer and transformed it into a CTW.

Wait ... What the hell is a CTW you ask?? Sorry, its a technical term for "Chuck ... The Wagon". All naming rights are reserved.

Although I had assistance in building the CTW I promised Wayne that I would not mention his name. This is what happens when engineers are waiting to start their construction. Stay tuned ... this could get worse.

On the trailer we have the gas powered air compressor, generator, and job box which contains supplies and the chargers for cordless tools. Later I will add my saws and stands. The plywood side provides sound deflection but also a convenient place for hanging air hoses, cords, and tools. The major tools are held in place with cleats to keep them from moving when on the move. The entire setup is removable from the trailer. Needless to say I had all this stuff in the garage and the only hardware purchased was the U clamps.

The next modification is to include a second level where we can put a rocking chair for my wife. Trust me ... she's really looking forward to the upcoming parade!

The purpose of the CTW (aka "Chuck") is intended to reduce our setup and tear down time. Rather than running for tools 6,000 times in a weekend we hope to reduce that down to say 1,000 trips!

Enjoy!!

15 Years Later

This was our property on the first day we saw it.  We had been looking for a retreat to buy together for a few months, and our realtor called us about this “rustic, remote… really remote place… and well she just didn’t want to not tell us about it… it might be a long shot.”  I was getting ready to go to an intensive continuing education course at Columbia University, and we didn’t think we had the time to drive the 4+ hours just to see this long-shot wilderness tract.  I called my brother, Mark.  He lives on the North Shore, and drives highway 61 frequently for work (shout out to North Shore Federal Credit Union!).  So I asked him if he had any interest in stopping by this property sometime in the next couple weeks to check it out for us.  He did.  That day.  And he called us.  His words were something like, “I think you better come up here.”

We bought it.  We’ve loved it ever since.

Some people think we’re crazy.  Some wonder with amazement how it is (and WHY it is) that we hang out up there with no running water, no electricity, no cell phone coverage.  The first day we looked at the property, we never even stepped foot into the rustic hunting shack at the end of the 1 mile driveway – I suppose we thought it was a tear down, so why bother. It’s the lake and the woods that grabbed our hearts immediately.  That first day, I stood on one piece of the 20 acres and said, “this is the cabin site.” And you know what?  It is indeed where we are building our cabin 15+ years later.

Perhaps over the course of following us on this journey of building our cabin you’ll glimpse the how and the why behind this heaven-on-earth place.  It’s definitely not that for everyone, but it is for us.  Pancore is beautiful no matter the season.  It’s peaceful. It fills me with a sense of awe about God and the wonder of God’s creation. It forces me to unplug. Mark and I are so good at just "being" together, and we do it best there. There are old growth white pine on the property that make me dizzy when I crane my neck to see the top of the canopy they provide.  There’s one down by our dock that on the kids' first trip up, they couldn’t get their 8 arms around. I wish I had a picture of that, but it’s firmly planted in my memory, always recalling itself when I walk by that big old tree.

That rustic hunting shack?  You can see a picture of it in the previous blog post Mark wrote. And it has provided us with 15 years of quaint shelter (there’s both a wood stove for heat, and an old porcelain stove/oven for cooking).  Room for 6 to sleep and play games and just be together. We have no plans to tear it down.  It wouldn’t be the same without it.

So we’re still waiting for the land to dry out enough to get the heavy equipment in to excavate (we got inches of rain there last week).  But soon the adventure will begin.

Building Nordhjem

Our journey began nearly 16 years ago when we purchased remote lake shore property in northern MN. We wanted a quiet, remote, pristine getaway and we found what we were looking for right in the middle of Superior National Forest. We purchased a 20 acre parcel on the south side of an environmental, spring fed, designated trout lake. (Motors are not allowed on environmental lakes).

The property is not for the timid. Our driveway is just short of a mile long. We have enjoyed a small shelter on the property with wood heat, no electricity, and no water for the past 16 years. When there is no snow we drive into our shelter. During the winter we strap on snow shoes and pull a pulk sled with our gear.  Fall is beautiful but true solitude is found in the dead of winter when the snow is piled high and the surrounding forest falls quiet.

The forest around us has towering old growth white pines, red pine, white cedar, spruce, balsam, birch, and poplar. We planted another 1200 white and red pine plus a wildlife mix but Mother Nature thrives without our assistance.

We've decided it's time for us to build our small cabin. The goal is to have some contractor help along the way for major tasks such as excavation and foundation work but from there we "hope" to build the cabin ourselves with help from friends and family. We are not experienced contractors but we do have previous building knowledge from building decks, garages, and finishing multiple homes. Essentially we know which end of the hammer to use, and to date, nothing we have built has ever fallen down (that we are aware of).

We have our contractors for excavation and ICF foundation work. We have our Land Use Permit. We have 3 bids for material. Final cabin plans are cooling from the printer ...

READY, SET, ... RAIN!

We've had so much rain the last 3 weeks that our start date is pushing out towards the end of June.

Stay tuned as we share updates along our journey.

La Shaque Winter 2015 & Dock spring photo