Mid November and 9°c still!

I spotted this A-frame just outside the western end of the Presidentials in the whites a couple weeks ago.

Anyway, I’ve been on the road for about a month, exploring the White Mountains of New Hampshire and now, the backroads of rural Quebec in my Subaru. Recently, while wandering near Lac-Saint-Jean, I spotted alpacas out of the corner of my eye on a quiet country road. I pulled over, curious, and before I knew it, I was being welcomed onto a breathtaking hundred-acre property by a gracious local.

This place is basically out of a dream. An incredible display of Quebecois life for sure. He’s got emus, alpacas, cashmere goats, sheep, horses, and pheasants and a bunch more animals that he cares for very well. The land is beautifully managed, reflecting the care and stewardship of its owner Dany, and I just feel I’ve stumbled upon an inspiring example of authentic rural Quebec life. He’s been kind enough to let me stay here as I’ve taken an interest in his lifestyle , and I’m now filming a documentary about his life and work on this incredible land.

I’m sharing short clips from this experience on my YouTube channel, along with other highlights from my journey through these hidden corners of French Canada. If you’re into wilderness, rustic living, and stories from the road come you might enjoy what I’m building on my YouTube. I’m also sharing a bunch to my IG stories, so I included a link to that as well. Thanks folks. -Tal

https://youtube.com/@alpinepinecone?si=jmlgu7A8Z5DEvfjJ

https://www.instagram.com/greezy_fizeek/profilecard/?igsh=MW56c2Z0Zm5lZ2Zmcg==

Just a little 12x16 two-room cabin I built with friends, just finished the last bits yesterday. Two bunks (sleeps 4), solar powered lights, fan, outlets, kitchenette and dining area. So much fun to make!

https://youtube.com/@alpinepinecone?si=jmlgu7A8Z5DEvfjJ

https://www.instagram.com/greezy_fizeek/profilecard/?igsh=MW56c2Z0Zm5lZ2Zmcg==

I’ve been on the road for about a month, exploring the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the backroads of rural Quebec in my Subaru. Recently, while wandering near Lac-Saint-Jean, I spotted alpacas out of the corner of my eye on a quiet country road. I pulled over, curious, and before I knew it, I was being welcomed onto a breathtaking hundred-acre property by a gracious local.

This place is basically out of a dream. An incredible display of Quebecois life for sure. He’s got emus, alpacas, cashmere goats, sheep, horses, and pheasants and a bunch more animals that he cares for very well. The land is beautifully managed, reflecting the care and stewardship of its owner Dany, and I just feel I’ve stumbled upon an inspiring example of authentic rural Quebec life. He’s been kind enough to let me stay here as I’ve taken an interest in his lifestyle , and I’m now filming a documentary about his life and work on this incredible land.

I’m sharing short clips from this experience on my YouTube channel, along with other highlights from my journey through these hidden corners of French Canada. If you’re into wilderness, rustic living, and stories from the road come you might enjoy what I’m building on my YouTube. I’m also sharing a bunch to my IG stories, so I included a link to that as well. Thanks folks. -Tal

Pushing to get the cabin dried in before the snow flies. Snow in the hills. Got the stove installed last month, so looking forward to working on the interior this winter.

76' cabin I've been diy'ing for the last 6 months

We recently finished a full gut restoration of our 1980s Aframe and it snowed around 8" tonight so we got the wood stove going and are just hanging out

We have a basic cabin (electricity but no running water) and hunting land in central MN; about 2 hours from our home. We get up there 10-12 times per year, usually for 1-2 nights of hunting and/or mild trail/land/tree work. Currently we have a 20’ Conex container on the land that houses a side-by-side, and we have a 6’x12’ shed/outhouse that houses tools and miscellaneous items.

Contemplating building a 40x60 “garage” (or equivalent size; doesn’t have to be these exact dimensions) to house more trailers, Bobcat and toys and generally give us a better working arrangement than we have currently. I’ve been told that because the land in our area is rocky (true) it’s best to avoid a pole barn as the odds of hitting rock are too high. Therefore I should go with a concrete slab on the ground, then stick build on top of that, just like you would build a normal garage. We currently have a 60’ and 110’ pad of compacted class 5 rock that I’m assuming they can pour concrete on, but have yet to meet with a concrete guy so tbd. Electricity is on site and already run to the shed so I’m assuming it will be relatively easy to get power to the new garage (?). No desire to dig a well, septic or the like; will either keep the outhouse toilet in the existing shed, or might do some kind of composting unit in the new garage; tbd.

Goals of the new garage:

• Safely house trailers and toys. Tallest item to be stored is 8’ high. Don’t plan on having windows installed. We haven’t encountered any vandalism or break-ins in the 5 years we’ve owned the cabin/land, but the cabin is built like a brick sh*t house with steel plates over the windows (not fun to remove!) so my sense is any bad guys in the area just don’t bother. But with a new garage going up I’m sure it will get some attention, and it will reside on a county road so it’s not like it will be buried 50 acres deep away from prying eyes. Estimated we need 600 sf to cover the size of all stuff we want to store, so we’re going 4x bigger than that as we will need wiggle room and of course you always want more space!

• Be able to work on things out there when needed; out of the elements, with decent lighting and power. Won’t have running water; might dig a sandpoint well at some point.

• Might park our vehicles in there now and then; no long term storage…would only do this for a night or two.

• Maybe gut a deer annually.

• Store tools, firewood, and other miscellaneous items.

Question for the group: what do you suggest we think about or include in the build?

Wandering northbound through rural Quebec with a runty dog. https://youtu.be/B-p0Qqg0Twk

I’m currently wandering northbound through Quebec on an open-ended road trip, car camping, backpacking, discovering French Canadian culture etc. I’ve just started vlogging on YouTube for the first time and would love to share my journey with anyone interested.

While I’m a little trepidatious about being on camera, I’m super excited about where I am and what I’m finding that I’ve decided to jump into documenting it beyond the usual stills that I’ve done in years past. If you’re into exploring Canada’s wild beauty and French Canadian culture and are curious about what I’m finding along the way, you might enjoy what I’m starting to post to YouTube. Linked above is a short clip that I recorded this morning giving an overview of the area where I’ve been the past few days, as well as a bit of my travel history. Going forward I’m going to be editing in video I’m taking from all of these spaces along my path.

Basically, before this, I spent two and a half years during covid vanlifing with my dog, exploring the National Forests of Oregon, Washington, and northern California. We then took our wandering asses down to Mexico, where we explored for nearly a year, loved and lost and ultimately came back to the US. I’m super passionate about the outdoors and experiencing new places, and quite frankly don’t want to stop. So if you’re into travel stories and the beauty of just going wherever the road takes you, maybe you’ll like what I’m starting to post to YouTube. Thanks.