Join members Colby and Mandalyn on an off-road adventure to the Honkey-Tonk Chalet and Stephenfield Provincial Park.
Despite having almost no social interactions within the last two months, my partner Mandalyn and I decided it was time to get away from it all and spend an impromptu long weekend-for-two at a friends cabin-in-the-woods.
Kinetic molecular theory: letting off steam.
At the heart of this journey was a need for a natural space that offered minimal distraction and enhanced focus for personal projects. For Mandlyn, this involved studying for a chemistry course needed for their Midwifery program at the University of Manitoba. For me, the goal was to tinker with a new set of camera lenses and expand my photography and videography practice.
So we booked car 51, loaded up the dual bike racks, filled our cooler with fresh veggies from our Fireweed Food Co-op CSA and headed off to the Honkey-Tonk Chalet: an off-grid, 400 square foot a-frame cabin just outside of Roseisle, Manitoba. This cosy abode features no running water, no electricity, a humanure composting toilet and impeccable lighting.
All Wheel Drive: Hyundai Kona
The Hyundai Kona is everything I want in an adventure car. The back seats fold down for transporting gear and coolers; pre-installed provincial park pass; dual bike racks on the roof for style points; bluetooth connection for broadway singalongs; two USB charging ports to minimize conflict; and last but not least: all wheel drive!
You see, the Honkey-Tonk Chalet is located off of a dirt road, through a farmers field, down a steep-muddy valley, along a meandering ATV trail, and rests upon stilts just above an old creek. Sure, we had to clear a couple of fallen poplars off the path from storms-gone-by, but once we popped into AWD the Kona tackled this treacherous terrain with the grace of a feral mongoose.
Honkey-Tonk Heaven
The Chalet is the perfect space to declutter the mind. There is no cell signal sending us constant reminders, no powered screens to keep us blue-lit until 1 am.
Forest-filtered sunlight fills the full-sized front windows during the day, while candlelight brightens up what’s left before bed. We spent the mornings chatting over fresh coffee while nibbling on fruit for breakfast. Each afternoon included photography, revising chemistry notes and the horrid skrelching of my amateur cornet skills.
Sure, there was also no flushing toilet, which for some may be a deal-breaker, but our sewer backed up two hours after we got home from this trip, so even the composting bucket-toilet felt like a luxury.
Lunch Break
Armed with a cast-iron pan, loads of snacks and a love of sandwiches, we nipped and nibbled our way through the weekend. We brought a big bag full of cherries, a loaf of crusty sourdough, some spicey sausages, a bit of bacon, and a bag of potatoes. We also brought milk: milk was a bad choice, but it was nice for the first day or so in our coffee.
It was nice to wake up with the sun and have the time to let your body call the shots:
“Coffee please, ooh and a slice of cucumber”, or “Are you thinking about a sandwich? Because I am.”
And when the heat of the day insisted, we made our daily trip to the beach.
Beach Day and Bike Trails
In the heat of the afternoon, we would mosey on down to Stephenfield Provincial Park to soak up some rays. Just 15 minutes from the HTC, Stephenfield features a short stretch of beach, yurt rentals, camping, walking and a network of walking and bike trails. Aside from the Sunday, where entry into the park was free, the beach was largely unoccupied. We rolled up with picnic blankets and snacks galore, ready for a day of vigorous study.
In all honesty, we did more drying off in the sun than rigorous study, but that is to be expected given the gorgeous weather we had all weekend.
Bringing it all home
Wrapping things up, I’d like to break down why I enjoy using Peg City Car Co-op for trips like this.
First, I have no interest in paying for the full cost of owning a car. Specifically, I mean the cost of maintenance, insurance, cleaning, up-fitting, parking, financing, fueling etc., that would be necessary to access a vehicle of this calibre.
I live centrally and bike most places, so I only need this type of vehicle for 2-3 trips per year. The cost of our trip to the Honkey-Tonk Chalte, in total, was less than a single month of vehicle insurance. So given that Peg City also covers the cost of purchasing and installing bike racks, park passes, cleaning and fuel for the trip, I’m already saving hundreds of dollars.
Looking at the big picture, last year I spent about $1,750 on carsharing in total, as opposed to the $6,000-$9,000 that the average Canadian pays annually to own and operate a compact private automobile. That’s big money. That’s like three years of savings, and you have a down payment on a house, kind of money.
Carsharing with Peg City is a breeze. I can book the vehicle I need when I need it. All I have to do is make sure the car is clean and fueled up for the next person and drop it off back in its spot. Done.
