Anyone living in NE Prince of Whales? (Nome, Coffman Cove: RV park, rental)

[Metlakatla]

Craig is about an hour from Whale Pass by plane. Driving their is a different story.

Yeah, a lot of people go to Ketchikan on their shopping trips, but Thorne Bay has a pretty decent grocery store and Craig and Klawock both have full service supermarkets. I'm not sure it's worth it for households consisting of one or two people to make the trip to Ketch,; a lot of people do it simply to get off the island, though.

[msta999]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I can't tell you anything about power systems.

The winter weather out there is wilder than on the rest of the island, but there isn't any guarantee of annual snowfall. Some years get snow while others don't. I think the coldest I've ever seen it was about 3 degrees above zero. Average winter temps are fairly mild, though. Rain and windstorms are common; 100 mile an hour winds that would make national news if they occurred in other places are just a part of life of some parts of the island.

You already know about the fishing; Whale Pass has one of the best coho runs in the state. Plenty of deer if you like venison and there might be some moose on up in that area. POW supposedly has no moose, but people have reported seeing them on the northern part of the island. But I don't' think moose tags are available there. Lots of black bears around that area too but no grizzlies as far as I know.

Yes, the guy I stay'd with did say you wouldn't starve there, but he also said he gets a little tired of fish by spring. I saw plenty of deer and bear the 8 days I was there. I'd definitely want to have some chickens, maybe other small animals like rabbits or something, but then they will need to be fed. have to look into that some. Then I think any animals would need to be fenced in....

[Metlakatla]

Oh...rabbits....lol.. Someone in Whale Pass decided to raise rabbits several years ago, couldn't handle it, and dropped them off in Klawock...rabbits everywhere now.

[msta999]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Craig is about an hour from Whale Pass by plane. Driving their is a different story.

Yeah, a lot of people go to Ketchikan on their shopping trips, but Thorne Bay has a pretty decent grocery store and Craig and Klawock both have full service supermarkets. I'm not sure it's worth it for households consisting of one or two people to make the trip to Ketch,; a lot of people do it simply to get off the island, though.

I must have misunderstood him, but his wife was only gone a few hrs when she went to the store....maybe it wasn't Craig...... I know she drove, where ever she went. picked up groceries and some cigs for me.

[msta999]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Oh...rabbits....lol.. Someone in Whale Pass decided to raise rabbits several years ago, couldn't handle it, and dropped them off in Klawock...rabbits everywhere now.

Cool! Won't have to buy them then! That is funny. I can see it happening if you get too many and don't eat them.

[Metlakatla]

She probably went to Thorne Bay; it's much closer to Whale Pass than Craig.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by msta999

Cool! Won't have to buy them then! That is funny. I can see it happening if you get too many and don't eat them.

A lot of people would be happy if you helped yourself to some of the rabbits. The summer visitors think that they are cute, and I suppose they are, but there are so many of them that they have become nuisances.

[dcbrewmeister]

Originally Posted by msta999

I have been looking at using a battery bank for lights (led), tv and internet, then try to find a simple way to charge them. Use the generator for washing/drying cloths....not sure about what to do for hot water, probably just use electricity for that, if available. As for the house, it just depends.....If I buy land with a home on it or land to build. I have looked at log cabins, A Frames and stick built. Either way the more insulation/efficient the better.

Log cabins have "built in" insulation... and considering you will have to ship in supplies, would probably be the cheaper route.

Wind and solar... Solar will work for the longer summer days and wind for the shorter days - both complimenting each other. No matter which one, seek out DC appliances - Inverters "steal" power. 12v TV/DVD combos are out there... and aren't much more than the ones you get at Best Buy that run on AC power.

Buy the 12v charger for your laptop and forget a desktop PC altogether.

You can wash clothes with a very basic washer and gas dryer - BOTH need to be BASIC models, nothing with push button controls and/or electronics.

Gas fridge - better insulation and more efficient. Or use a freezer as a fridge - better insulation

Avoid electric HVAC systems like the plague - what are you going to do if the power goes out for days or even weeks at a time... At least have something as a back-up/supplemental heat source.

Gas hot water heater - forget electric, and insulate it - or go to a on-demand hot water heater... heating "stored" hot water is wasteful at best... and in reality, you don't use that much hot water... I'm living in my RV with a 5 gallon hot water heater and really only need to run it once a day - but I do shower at the facilities here.

Any electronic item that has a "status" light on it is stealing power... put everything on power strips and turn them off when not in use.

You will find you actually need less power than you really think you do - but it WILL require changes in your lifestyle.

[msta999]

Thanks, gave me some ideas I had not thought of.

[Dakster]

How do the rv washer/dryer combos workout? The ones that wash and then automatically dry your clothes. Granted they only handle a few clothes. Or are the really basic washer dryers still better?