Bunkhouse Livin’

I’ve been around the block a few times when it comes to communal housing and I never know what to expect.  Group situations can easily be some of the best times of your life (like SCA New Hampshire Corps’ magical cabins) or it could be simply mediocre.  If luck isn’t on your side, it could be straight up awful.  

Currently I’m staying in a government bunkhouse which is conveniently located in the same compound as the office and various shops and garages.  It has the capacity to house 12 seasonal workers in six bedrooms with two beds per room.  The beds have the option of being bunked to create more space but I left mine separate.  

A sleeping bag, flannel/vest pillow, and bed sheet. I’m all set.

This summer we had six folks in the bunkhouse, five men and myself.  Three were Minnesota natives while another was from Illinois and a the fifth a Coloradan.  We all happen to be students at various stages in our college try with most of us graduating this upcoming spring.  I lucked out this year with a seasonals all the chill side and hardly any conflicts to speak of.  Although we all purchased and cooked our own meals, occasionally we would go to the local watering hole, The Pond, or into Bemidji for dinner.  

For entertainment there’s a ridiculous amount of movie watching.  I’m thankful that no one is a huge fan of horror or thrillers since I’m easily spooked.  

The Princess Bride

There’s also a massive amount of fishing which entails a filleting process whenever they boys return from a trip.  Fishing trips normally took place after work during on a weekday so I generally opted out since my bedtime was earlier than most.

Not even close to catch limit.

Art (foreground) is a filleting pro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With six seasonals working in different departments, our bedtimes and morning alarms were staggered.  Lets just say the walls in the bunkhouse are excessively thin but I tend to be a heavy sleeper.  The problem was falling asleep in the first place. 

This hallway gets spooky at night when you’re alone.

Communal living is great because you have an automatic social circle (or just as easily, people you don’t get along with).  Asides from random dinners together or trips to the grocery stores, we’ll help celebrate someone’s 21st birthday on a work night.  

We lost count of drinks. Happy birthday, Ben!

Plenty of naps take place in quiet Blackduck.

Zack atop a picnic bench because ticks.

A decent amount of baking as well.

Even saving a kitten left on the highway shoulder!  

The capture and relocation of a woodchuck.  

Root beer keg for what seemed like endless floats.

Lee starting the wild bunkhouse kegger.

The fields across Highway 71 sport magnificent sunsets that my photograph doesn’t do justice.  

 

 

 

It’s just me and Lee now.  My days are numbered and I’ll be leaving Blackduck in less than two weeks.  I haven’t started counting down by days but the day that I bus back down to Minneapolis will be seem like a surprise sure enough.  Things are quieter than they’ve already been, we were never much of a rowdy group.  This season with Jarrod, Art, Ben, Lee, and Zack has been a relaxed one and that’s an interesting way to have experienced my summer.  

Living room

My food cabinet in a state of disarray.

One of two bathrooms.

July hail storm.

My room

Trusty backpack and chacos.

Where’s Home?

The question is asked of me more often than not.  Living in areas where the population tends to be a homogenous group usually prompts people to wonder about origin.  My automatic answer is Washington.  However I’m of the belief that home can be more than one place.

Home is without a doubt the mountain rich lands of the Northwest with its evergreen forests and enchanting rivers.  It’s also the idyllic woods of New Hampshire in a restored CCC camp, a house right by a Rhode Island pond, and currently the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota.  My work leads me to new places and so I am uprooted, only to leave part of myself when the time comes to leave yet again.  In the fall it’ll be Bellingham for the third time.   

Memories ranging in emotions and feelings are created in all these places.  They are forever etched into my heart.  At times I’ve both lost myself and found who I am, forever building on my identity.  I meet amazing folks and our paths go separate ways but it’s when I least expect it that they might just cross again.  Life is a constant adventure filled with surprises. 

Flying into Minneapolis

With every bagged packed, flight flown, and road trip taken the phrase ‘home is where the heart is’ becomes even more true.  Although I automatically think of the bunkhouse when I hear the word ‘home’ while living in Minnesota I know that one day when the seasonal/nomadic life becomes tiresome (a possibility I have a hard time considering), in the end Washington is where I belong.  I can’t fathom not being surrounded by the Cascades and the Olympics with the Salish Sea always within walking or biking distance.  Western red cedars rise majestically while Douglas fir makes up much of our forests.  The steppes, deserts, and grasslands East of the Cascades are gorgeous in their own rights.  The weather is temperate and the summers are beyond spectacular.  These are a few of the many reasons why my heart belongs in Washington. 

Three and a half weeks in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and I’m feeling fairly settled in.  My pal E. Cook even hooked me up with a sweet birthday gift to help with the transition. 

Care package makes my (birth)day

Minnesota nice is an accurate term as the people here are good and kind.  Everyone in the office and bunkhouse has been grand to work or live with. 

Spectacular sunsets

The Bunkhouse!

While I call Minnesota home I’ll be sporadically blogging about working for the US Forest Service as a pathways intern (timber).  Writing’s never been my strong suit so expect more pictures than words once I figure that out.  I also really enjoy snail mail shoot me a message if you would like my address.  Additionally this is my first summer not with the SCA in three years.  If you’re looking for a road trip take note- 4 out of 6 folks will be leaving the bunkhouse mid-August and I’ll be here until mid-September so it’ll be pretty quiet.  Feel free to visit!