Fun in the midnight sun, cultural exchange and help with our projects in Eagle River, Alaska, US

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: No minimum

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Taking good advantage of our short Alaskan summers, we will be working hard in the great outdoors. Lots to do and a small window of time to do it! We would LOVE some help on our two amazing bus/tiny home projects. This could include things such as painting and sanding, as well as general clean-up and gardening help. I love to make rock gardens, collect fossils, and putter around on the nearby lakes in my kayak. We have some heavy lifting, painting, and moving of clutter that would be fabulous to have a bit of assistance with!

    We can help you with your English, and would love to find someone to practice Japanese and/or Spanish with!

    Winters are long up here, so the best times for working on things (and enjoying the Alaskan experience) are May, June, July, and August. But for the hardy souls out there, we would love some help starting in April and it might extend into September. Accommodations are dry bus's turned into tiny homes. They are pretty fun! Shorter stays are welcome! You might get bored if you try to stay with us for too long but if you like the outdoors, Alaska is a beautiful place to wander the woods and mountains. Just remember to take proper precautions when hiking/camping!

    We are happy to offer some advice on making your journey and adventures safe up here in the great white north!

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Art Projects
    Language practice
    Elderly Companionship
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    My husband and I are both Alaska lovers, with a lot of knowledge about the area and some of the better sights to see. He is a computery geologist fellow who likes messing around with technology and photography. I enjoy working outside and doing "Artsy stuff" like beading, painting, stained glass, birch-bark basketry, garden art, and stuff like that.

    We have 3 adult children who are mainly out of the house and traveling the world themselves :-)

    We have 3 cats who are very much a part of our adventure.

    We are happy to help with English tutoring, computers, and would love to have some Japanese or Spanish tutoring in return.

    We will consider loaning out bikes and kayaks to experienced folks. I won't make any guarantees though. If you are not experienced in kayaking, but you can swim and are willing to wear a life preserver vest, then I will probably be happy to give some small lessons.

  • Help

    Help

    Restoration and rehabilitation on a unique vintage 1963 Blue Bird Bus/Home. Painting and scraping, tree house help, wood pile help, making rock gardens, etc. We also have a small 22 foot shuttle bus that is a fun work in progress.

    I am hoping to find an adventurous soul that would like to help me with projects in Chugiak, Alaska. If you like to putter around outside, then this is the place for you!

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    German: Beginner
    Spanish: Beginner
    Japanese: Beginner

    This host offers a language exchange
    We are happy to help with English language learning, and would love to learn some Spanish and Japanese :-)

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    We have a 42 foot bus conversion to a tiny home, and a smaller bus conversion in progress. These might be the accommodations, though they are both works in progress :-) It's not quite glamping, but I think they are pretty cool! Both accommodations are "dry", with access to a porta potty. Your are walking distance to a nice indoor pool with showers and such. There is also a great little gym with showers available for 10 dollars a month. One of the projects we possibly would be working on is getting on-site shower facilities available.

    As far as having outside gear like coats, sleeping bags, extra boots, etc, we have lots of stuff we would be happy to share if needed. We will also loan out tents, bikes, kayaks, and camping equipment as well if needed. We are on several acres of lighted ski trails for mountain biking and hiking, and right around the corner from the Sled Dog Associations Dog Park and a lovely little lake that's great to paddle across and visit the Cook Inlet. There are also easy walking trails around it.

    Our spaces are non-smoking, non drugs, and drama free. We are a family oriented safe neighborhood, and definitely not a party animal establishment!

    We are still being careful with the whole covid situation, and appreciate flexibility on this. We are all fully vaccinated, and hope visitors are also.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    There is a bus stop within walking distance (it doesn't pick up frequently, but you can get into Anchorage on it).

    You can bike to the town of Eagle River (We are happy to provide a bike and helmet). It has a nice library, supermarkets, gyms, restaurants, etc... It is about 3.5 miles from us.

    We border on lovely ski trails (hiking trails in summer) connected to a large high-school with a pool, track, and maybe even some tennis courts in the back. There is also a nice small lake a couple of miles away that is an easy biking distance. A great place to relax and get some nice bald eagle pictures if you are lucky.

    In Anchorage there are some nice museums, nature centers, zoo, animal conservation park, and mountains, glaciers, and bears (o my)! WE are the hub of the entire state of Alaska. We have over 195 kms of paved beautiful safe biking trails, with many more accross the state. We are one of the most bike trail friendly city's around! We have designated bike trails everywhere, which makes biking a fun and relatively safe option for folks.

    Anchorage is a nice sized city. Small enough to bike across, but big enough to have good stores (REI, Cabellas, Bass Pro Shop, etc...) We also have good thrift stores and a nice little university.

    Husband commutes to Anchorage daily and can assist with some dropping off to explore the town. We are about 15 miles from Anchorage, on the edge of the wild!

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    Up to 22 feet probably..... Not completely sure..... Chat with us.

  • Can possibly accept pets

    Can possibly accept pets

    All depends on the pet :-) and the situation. We are in a great area for animals to enjoy the ski trails and woods, but honestly it really depends on the animals manners. Generally speaking, no. That being said, we love animals ourselves..... So yeah. Maybe on an individual basis (with rules). Assistive Animals are always welcome!

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    Two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week, But we are super flexible, and can make things work for everyone.

Host ref number: 338723275328

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