off the grid

Off the grid at Moonshine Kingdom

I've found that in the last few years of my life, I have been working at surrounding myself with people who inspire me. I learn from the different types of people I meet, making for a diverse group of connections in my life. 

Fate had it that I ran into some folks I followed on the internet while living on Galiano last winter, I stopped by a lookout off the road, and sure enough there was a group of people there who happened to be the one's I had been following, the owner's of the project known as Moonshine Kingdom. We chatted briefly, and shared a few interests in landcruisers and the gulf islands before parting ways... It wasn't until a couple of months ago when we reconnected to start planning a visit to the Kingdom. 

I got a few people on board... my friend Bourton, captain of the Ella Mackenzie, a famous tugboat from the early 1900's, Sara Harowitz and her boyfriend, Dustin from Montecristo Magazine and  Julia, my partner in crime. We set out mid-day on the tug to a dropped pin on Google Maps, cruising at about 8knots in the hot sun. 

We took an important stop near Lighthouse Park for a dip in the ocean to cool off, then finished the journey to Moonshine Kingdom. 

_MG_3087.jpg

It's always been a dream of mine to have a little property, a cabin, something to call my own... This is why I was so keen to check out this 1 acre property off the grid, and surely it did not disappoint. As soon we arrived, we were greeted with a rowboat with Kristyn on board, ready to shuttle us to land. We hopped on with all our gear and played rock-paper-scissors for sleeping accomodations...

Kristyn & Sophena are lucky to have a natural spring that provides fresh water to the property... they installed a gravity fed system that travels steeply down the rocky face behind their place, creating enough pressure to have on demand water all year round... also perfect for the outdoor shower and wood-fired hot tub. 

1B5A0266.jpg
1B5A0532.jpg
1B5A0358.jpg

There is little to no plastic on the property, a refreshing detail to discover, and as the sun disappeared, candles and gas lanterns lit the way along the property, creating a warm glow for the evening. The hot tub was a perfect place to burn cardboard, paper and wood, such simple systems, but all you really need.

We killed time listening to music and swimming in the day, and in the evening we spent time getting to know each other around some food, drinks and pie for desert. As the stars came out, we jumped in the ocean for a midnight dip with the phosphorescence glowing almost as bright as the stars. The water was cool but nice for swimming in the night, especially knowing we had a hot tub waiting to warm up the bones. 

1B5A0741.jpg
1B5A0874.jpg
1B5A1097.jpg
1B5A1025.jpg
1B5A1257.jpg
1B5A1264.jpg