The Creek

The Creek
This creek wraps itself around the 38 acres of lower camp and defines the border. Acres of hills, lowlands, a bluff, and a meadow. Up from the creek a bit the camp continues with 20 acres of high ridge leading to over 100 acres of deep pine forest, brooks, and marsh.All of it lies in the middle of a 1200 acre woods. Walk north and you're in 6 million Adirondack acres. Bring a camera, you might just see moose, bear, coyote or deer here. Cross the creek and you're in my mini-camp, with guest cabin and road access.

Harnessing the elements: my attempts at off-grid power

So I've gotten away from it all. No distractions, appointments or blaring radios and TV's...and... No power! Now I'm all for some rest and relaxation, but it's hard to live without at least some creature comforts, if not necessities. Hot water, lights at night. A water pump. That means electricity. Bringing power to the camp would mean crossing town land, the creek, and a hundred yards of my own forest. It would also mean a lot of money.

Since early on, I've been intrigued with a number of options, and thanks to bulletin board sites where others share similar problems, and solutions, I've learned alot. At first I was convinced that the power of the creek running just steps from my cabin site could provide that power. This was frustrating on a variety of levels. Next, I looked at solar. Too bad there aren't many hours of direct sun up north, especially in deep forest. Pricey too. Lastly, there was wind. I've been experimenting on a wind turbine for the last two months and I'll post the photos here shortly.
All this water flowing past.... Ah, the possibilities...

I've come to the realization that I will need to use a combination of at least wind and sun if I'm going to be able to get enough power for even the essentials. The time and energy spent thinking these things through has proven to be a lesson in everything from mathematics, to physics, engineering, green energy, electrical systems, and even welding. It's been great fun. One of the fringe benefits of having bought this camp.
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