In the mid 1990’s, just before we bought land and began building the lodge, we camped in Excursion Inlet, a short distance from our current location. The owners of the property were personal friends. The Gordon’s had purchased an aluminum geodesic dome and placed it on the property. The dome was in a secure area and seemed to have repellant properties to some of the big game in the area. We didn’t see a single bear while camping using the dome (nor did we see any elephants, woolly mammoths, or mastodons, so you can see how effective at repelling it was!)
Even with the dome’s repellent magic it was not without problems. Each sections of the dome was bolted together, however, the seams were not water tight. The dome sat in a temperate rain forest, so as you would guess, the dome leaked when it rained. We tried to correct the problem by putting a sheet of plastic over the dome which solved the leaking problem but introduced a different one. The plastic sheet covering the dome eliminated all airflow and moisture condensed on the inside surface of the dome and started to drip onto the precious contents below – namely us! We opened the door to improve the airflow and the dripping problem went away but…then the mosquitoes and rodents came in. We sprayed for mosquitoes but because of the odor and airborne spray particles, we had to vacate the dome. I think the only living thing that could comfortably survive in the dome was the local mold.
In the end, we were forced to consider our alternatives. Was it worth not having to worry about bears, elephants, and woolly mammoths for the privilege of sleeping in a cold, drippy, mosquito infested swamp cooler? The next time you want to complain about living conditions at the lodge, remind me to tell you about the Geodesic Dome. The lodge is so much better!