My Adventures: Santa Fe, New Mexico - Living in a casita off-grid

I have wanted to try out off-grid living for a while. The concept was extremely interesting to me for its sustainability and the challenge of living with less. The place I found on Airbnb was completely off-grid. Solar panels is the only power source, the fridge and stove run on propane, and the source of water is rain. No air conditioning, no kitchen devices that have a heating element (sadly, that included my espresso maker). I wondered how they could have Internet there as the location was also remote on a 5-mile dirt road off the nearest highway. The hosts warned me that the dirt road would become muddy during the monsoon season, exactly when I was planning to stay, and I could need a 4 wheel drive. Indeed, multiple reviews stated getting stuck in the mud. With that said, the hosts reassured me that the road dries out quickly in the summer. Plus the internet was fiber optic with high speeds. Skeptical, yet pretty thrilled to have found this gem, I booked this place early this year.

I was nervous coming to the casita for the first time, but the weather has been drier than normal with no rain in the forecast. The road was completely fine during my first trip, although rather bumpy. Since I had to go slow, it took me 17 minutes. I arrived and parked at my designated spot at the bottom on the staircase that would lead me to the casita. The host met me and showed me around. She provided me with a fan that would become my best friend. The casita was warm, but it would warm up even more...

The casita was completely private and located in an area where all houses were made off-grid. That meant there was no noise from electric appliances, so the peace and quiet were pristine. Perhaps even more than I expected because the first night I had to run the fan just because it was so quiet I could hear my own breath.

Another interesting feature was that instead of the typical insulation in the walls there was straw that kept the house at 80 degrees when it was 97 outside. Hot, but not as hot as it could have been.

Viewing window inside the wall

View of the casita from the stairs

Back patio

Living room/kitchen

Kitchen

Bathroom

Hallway from bedroom to living room

Bedroom

I loved all the sunlight and floor to ceiling windows. Soon I found out that I had to close all the windows and shades during the day hours to keep the casita somewhat cool without air conditioning. It was pretty difficult when the temperatures reached 97 degrees F. While it was an outlier situation with such heat, it lasted several days. Overall, the temperature stayed in high 80s to low 90s most of the month. I can say that I will never take air conditioning for granted.

The lack of my espresso was a different story. I had to get used to another challenge of drinking coffee from a French press and without steamed oat milk. This was another luxury that I took for granted. The situation with a toaster (or rather lack of it) was a bit challenging as well. They provided a mesh plate for the stove on which you can toast your bread, but it turned burnt every single time. Good thing I typically like my bread burnt!

The forecast was sunny and hot throughout my stay, so the dirt road became an issue only once close to the end of the month when it rained heavily. Even with that I was able to follow other peoples tire tracks and safely get home.

Another challenge living in a rural environment is the bugs. Moths, to be exact. As soon as the sun set, they would come out attracted to any light source you could possibly have. It meant that 9 PM was my bedtime (or an audiobook listening time). That didn't turn out to be an issue as well as I typically go to be early and like to wake up around 6 AM.

In fact, the early mornings were my absolute favorites. The property was quite large with a hiking trail in the back. Trespassing on other properties was not an issue as well, so I could hike for a mile before turning back. I loved the cool air of the mornings, something that I got to experience only before 7 AM as with the sun came the heat. The views were spectacular.