Ultimate ski shack built near Birkie Trail

The ultimate "ski shack" stands just a mile from the Birkie Trail, down which owner Bill Gorham will race the American Birkebeiner for his 16th time next weekend. His wife, Marilyn, a recreational skier, will cheer him on.

He and his wife had their 3,000-square-foot dream cabin built after buying 10 wooded acres in 2000 near the Co. Hwy. OO trailhead, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports in this piece appearing in the newspaper's Home & Garden section.

While their digs includes a sauna, the place is off the grid without TV, cell phone service or Internet. Sounds ideal.