Survive!, How Is Idaho treating you!?

redwood22

redwood22

Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Messages
1,554
Ellie,

I figured maybe you guys might like enjoy answering more enjoyable questions for once! We on the east coast are sad to have lost you guys but I must admit Idaho and the pacific northwest calls to me, so I can understand the move. How has the move treated you guys? Do you like the new community? What was the hardest thing to adjust to? What is the best restaurant in Kellogg!? I figured a more enjoyable lighthearted thread that allows consumers to get to know you guys a little more would be a fun change of pace this time of year!

Cheers

Redwood
 
As a Pennylvanian, I have to admit that I was disappointed when you first announced a move to Idaho. But, my wife and I nearly moved there in the early 90s simply because of the pure beauty of the state. The only thing stopping us was that we had young children, and we wanted to be closer to extended family. I hope that the move has been a good one for S!, and I hope that it is fulfilling your dreams.
 
redwood22 said:
Ellie,

I figured maybe you guys might like enjoy answering more enjoyable questions for once! We on the east coast are sad to have lost you guys but I must admit Idaho and the pacific northwest calls to me, so I can understand the move. How has the move treated you guys? Do you like the new community? What was the hardest thing to adjust to? What is the best restaurant in Kellogg!? I figured a more enjoyable lighthearted thread that allows consumers to get to know you guys a little more would be a fun change of pace this time of year!

Cheers

Redwood
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We love North Idaho. The drive out here was rough at times but other than that it has been a great move. We are in a neat location in Kellogg because it is a small town, but we are only 30 minutes from a much larger city and an hour from the Spokane airport. It does mean that our internet is slow and we lost power for a few hours after the wind storm a couple weeks ago. The community is great. We were first in a small shop in the middle of uptown and people used to come in there to support the new local business. It was a few months of explaining to people that we aren't a knife shop and we sell over the internet. Even after moving off the main street, people thought for a while that we were yet another failed business. We were on the front page of the paper which helped spread the word, "SURVIVE! is Here to Stay" was the title. Everyone here has been very kind and supportive.

I grew up on the West and lived in North Idaho for a few months so I knew what I was getting into. Guy was pretty offended about the power being out for so long, he is used to the infrastructure on the East coast. He is also still getting used to how high we are, right now sunrise is around 7:30 with a sunset of 3:50. But the single hardest thing for both of us is definitely the fact that his grandmother is still in Gettysburg. We used to have Sunday dinners with her every week. Fortunately, she is planning on moving out here once we have a permanent location for her. That is our main motivation to work hard every day.

The restaurant question could lead to an essay, we are definitely into food. Fortunately, there aren't many around here. The best restaurant would be a tie between Moose Creek Grill and Casa de Oro. At the Moose everything is made from scratch, they have one of the best ribeye steaks. Casa de Oro is your typical Mexican restaurant except it is the best Mexican food any of us have had, ever. If you are just looking for a quick meal and a good beer you can't beat Hill Street Depot. They have rotating taps and some awesome specials. Last night's Hawaiian BBQ sandwich was delicious. Now if we expand into Coeur d'Alene... the list gets long. Is it lunch time yet?

The trails are pretty great.
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SURVIVE! Ellie said:
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I am glad the move seems to be going well (even with some hiccups). I tried to convince the wife we needed a change last yr, did not work... but my fascination with the idea persists. I also find the food in new places to be one of the coolest ways to get to know the area, who would have guessed the best Mexican would be in Idaho? I have lived in Texas and yet the best Mexican place i have been to was in Delaware (granted it's been a while). It's great to hear the community is supporting you guys, that's always good to hear and I am sure Guy's grandmother will love it out there once that move happens. Thanks for the window into behind the scenes life and please make sure you guys rest a little for the holidays!
 
That is absolutely a beautiful view! I'm glad to hear it's been a good move. We have family dinner after church on Sundays so I know how I would feel about moving away from that - glad to hear you'll be able to get Guy's Grandmother out there at some point.
Have you ever posted a "tour" of your workshop? If not, I'd love to see the setup. I really don't have a much of an idea of what that looks like or how day to day operations work for making knives.
 
When the sun sets at 10:00 and rises at 5:30 at the end of June, tell Guy to soak it all in in preparation for next winter.
 
SURVIVE! Ellie said:
...right now sunrise is around 7:30 with a sunset of 3:50.
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I lived in US Siberia (AKA Bismarck, ND) for 1.5 years. The extreme change in sunrise / sunset during the year took some getting used to. However, I found the second year to be MUCH easier than the first, and heard from others that one becomes totally used to it after the third year.

It is great to hear that you and Guy are enjoying your new home. I am not trying to start and E vs W battle here, but for hikers, climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts the western mountain states simply blow away the rest of the country. Add good Mexican food and craft beer into the mix, and it is hard to imagine why anyone lives anywhere else!

If you get a chance, post some pics of the new shop. I am sure that I am not alone in being interested about how it looks.
 
If I ever pull up roots and move it'll be back to North Idaho if the Good Lord is willing. You can ski Schweitzer, take the munchkins to Silverwood Theme Park, fish Lake Pend Oreille or Coeur d' Alene, chase whitetails, or just get lost in the hills. Beautiful country. It's changing/growing pretty quick nowadays, though. I guess the secret got out, lol.
 
ncrockclimb said:
I lived in US Siberia (AKA Bismarck, ND) for 1.5 years. The extreme change in sunrise / sunset during the year took some getting used to. However, I found the second year to be MUCH easier than the first, and heard from others that one becomes totally used to it after the third year.

It is great to hear that you and Guy are enjoying your new home. I am not trying to start and E vs W battle here, but for hikers, climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts the western mountain states simply blow away the rest of the country. Add good Mexican food and craft beer into the mix, and it is hard to imagine why anyone lives anywhere else!

If you get a chance, post some pics of the new shop. I am sure that I am not alone in being interested about how it looks.
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And yet here we are in Phoenix! :)

I've been thinking how nice it would be to live somewhere with 4 seasons, and a backyard that backs up to the woods. May have to move at some point.
 
xxwarderxx said:
And yet here we are in Phoenix! :)

I've been thinking how nice it would be to live somewhere with 4 seasons, and a backyard that backs up to the woods. May have to move at some point.
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LOL!

I miss the seasons in NC. However, it is hard to beat AZ in the winter... there is always a tradeoff.
 
AmericanAsApple3.14 said:
That is absolutely a beautiful view! I'm glad to hear it's been a good move. We have family dinner after church on Sundays so I know how I would feel about moving away from that - glad to hear you'll be able to get Guy's Grandmother out there at some point.
Have you ever posted a "tour" of your workshop? If not, I'd love to see the setup. I really don't have a much of an idea of what that looks like or how day to day operations work for making knives.
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Guy did this quick clip when we first moved to the new workshop: https://www.instagram.com/p/4rgd3fpbn2/?taken-by=surviveknives
We are a bit hesitant to go into more detail. Partially because this space is temporary until we are in a building we own, then partially because we are trying to keep some things more to ourselves. We like where we are headed and would like to reap some of the benefits before companies with more capabilities swoop in and make them faster than we can.

McVeyMac said:
When the sun sets at 10:00 and rises at 5:30 at the end of June, tell Guy to soak it all in in preparation for next winter.
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He definitely wasn't complaining about that. At least now the snow is falling, that does a lot to offset the gloom of short days.

Hard Knocks said:
If I ever pull up roots and move it'll be back to North Idaho if the Good Lord is willing. You can ski Schweitzer, take the munchkins to Silverwood Theme Park, fish Lake Pend Oreille or Coeur d' Alene, chase whitetails, or just get lost in the hills. Beautiful country. It's changing/growing pretty quick nowadays, though. I guess the secret got out, lol.
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It is definitely growing in the CdA area. There is a pass between here and there though, so the sprawl isn't heading this direction.
 
Was Survive! originally in PA? I've been interested in their knives for a while, but missed the preorders. Didn't know they were such a hot commodity. But when I was looking then/earlier I thought I saw that they were in PA. That, with the Peter's Heat Treat, was partly what brought them to my attention. Thanks to anyone who answers.

Edit: Looks like a beautiful new location, wherever you moved from. It's great that the locals are being supportive. I know from experience that isn't always the case. Good luck with everything!
 
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