The Pacific Northwest

Leaving the farm in southern Oregon we headed north and towards the ocean to spend the next week camping at several great little spots along the coast. By far, the best beach we have seen was Oswald Beach State Park. We stayed in the northern coast of Oregon for some time, just to be at this breathtakingly beautiful beach. It also didn’t hurt that the surf was good, so Ryan spent some time in the water while I walked the dogs through many of the park’s trails, dense with trees and life.

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After that we got into Washington where we stayed with Jim and Fran for a few nights. They are a kind couple we met while camping in California and we were invited to stay with them. They built their own passive solar house, something we very much interested in, so we picked their brain about that and enjoyed talking with them about their adventures as well. During the day, they showed us around town, so Ryan got to surf a local spot and we sampled a few local seafood restaurants. Jim does bubbling and showed us, with his special, precise mixture, just how big a bubble can get. Using specially made wands that he fashioned himself, we dipped them into the homemade solution and generated bubbles so big, the pictures really do not do them justice. We were so grateful to have stayed with you Jim & Fran thank you so much for everything!

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Then it was off to the Sea-Tac airport to pick up my sister, Terri. She flew in to stay with us for a week and explore Washington. We headed into the Olympic peninsula to camp for a few nights. During the day we went on some beautiful hikes, picking berries along the way and stopping at a waterfall for much of one afternoon. In Port Townsend we took the ferry to Whidbey Island, where we stopped for lunch overlooking beautiful Deceptions Pass. Heading north, we met up with Ryan’s parents, who flew into Washington that day, and all settled in to the house they rented for the week. From the rental house, we departed every morning to explore the area. We went hiking, rode ferries, saw spectacular views, and of course stopped for some ice cream. In the evenings we all sat on the deck, with its magnificent, mountain top view of the surrounding water and town far below. Since Jim sent us off with some bubble solution and special wands, we introduced everyone to the art of making giant bubbles, so we spent several nights entertaining ourselves with that.

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It was so great to be surrounded by family, especially considering it has been some time since we have really seen anyone that we knew. While traveling is great, it really is comforting seeing your family and we have certainly realized the importance of friends and family on this trip. You really can live wherever you want in the world, but without friends and family there to share it with you, it might not be worth having at all.

We had so much fun, thank you so much Terri, Brant and Patty for coming out to visit us and so much more.

“Man is a knot into which relationships are tied.”

~ Antoine de Saint

Tonya & Ryan

Work without love is slavery

On June 24^th we arrived at Tree of Life Permaculture Farm. Heather gave us a tour of the property and we met the rest of the family: James and the two children Esmeralda and Theodore. Their life is pretty simple here and is probably the closest to subsistence living that we have and possibly will ever experience. The farm provides close to 90% of the food they consume, the exception being salt and pepper and maybe some staples like flour or beans. This makes for great fresh food, but surprisingly simple meals because you only have what is in season and at that, what you have labored to grow and harvest. They also raise chickens, rabbits, ducks, geese, a pig, sheep, and cows, all for either meat or their contributing production of a staple item like eggs or milk. They sell the extra milk they have, providing their source of income.

 

For the first week of work we did many varying small tasks like moving gravel from a newly placed well pump site, weeding, and mending the soil for planting. We transplanted cucumbers and okra from the greenhouse, where they started, into the garden. In between each newly planted cucumber seedling, they had us place a large river rock because the rocks absorb the heat during the day and radiate the energy back out to the plants throughout the night. This is especially great for those cold sensative plants like cucumber. Ryan got to try out the scythe, which he used to harvest the rye grain that was dense and dry.  Once it was all chopped down we gathered it up in bundles, which we tied up and then set out to dry for at least a week. After it was given sufficient time to dry we laid it evenly, one bundle at a time, and threshed the stalks to release the grain. We did this with a garden hose and just lightly swung the hose so that it landed on the rye, knocking the grain from the seed head, where it landed on the sheet underneath. From there we removed the grain-less stalks, now straw, and then funneled the grain on the sheet into a bucket. It was a labor-some process, but for a plant that really requires no maintenance while growing, it wasn’t too bad of a pay-off.

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After that we spent several days working on deconstructing an old fence, then put a new one up with different parameters. We learned how to harvest fava beans, which grow in a pod, similar to other legumes, and are ready to harvest when they turn black, just before the seed pod splits open to release the seeds (fava beans) within. We were also able to help with the task of sheering the sheep, a process which involved, first “tackling” the sheep to the ground then proceeding to trim the dense, lanolin-thick wool with a pair of sheering scissors.

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Esmeralda, their ten year old daughter, has been teaching me about caring for bunnies, which they raise for meat. One rabbit was pregnant and gave birth to seven baby bunnies at the beginning of the week. The little bunnies are born blind and deaf and the mother pulls out her own fur to cover them inside of the kindling box provided by Esmeralda. Everyday when she feeds the rabbits, Esmeralda also checks on the babies to see if they are all still alive, apparently it is common for the mother to reject the whole brood if one or more of the babies die. Five dead bunnies have been found so far, usually indicated by the presence of flies in the cage, the other two are still surviving on.

(It is hard to make out, but here are the two baby bunnies, snuggled up next to each other)

In the afternoons play boardgames with Esmerelda or when it’s really hot (most days) we have been putting in our hours early in the morning and then after lunch we head over to the Rogue River to cool off. The water there is cold, but feels so refreshing in the heat. This is mostly to cool the dogs off, since there is no air conditioning here, they have a hard time keeping cool during this hottest part of the day. By the time we get back in the evening, the sun is hanging below the forest tree line, so it’s not so brutal.

On one of our days off, we traveled a few hours to Crater Lake National Park, home to the deepest lake in the nation. This lake is especially odd because it sits in a caldera, formed thousands of years ago when a volcano collapsed after an eruption. This formation process, plus the fact that it is fed solely by rain and snow, forms the lake into the cleanest water with the most intense blue color.

We have really enjoyed our stay here and have grown in some ways, especially in our new-found appreciation for this simpler way of life. We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to live with, learn from, and share so many joyful moments with this family (that includes you Debbie!). Somehow, when you’ve really enjoyed every moment of your work day, looking at every task and event with new, loving eyes, as if it was your first time experiencing it, you really can find the true meaning of happiness. Never have I felt such a pull to just be still, and present to the moment, instead of rushing to the next task.

“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it”
~ Gautama Buddha

From the mystic path,

Tonya & Ryan

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you

Thankfully, after camping for eight nights we were able to stay with our friends Natalie and Eric who live in Los Gatos, just south of San Francisco. So after we dropped Jeehoon off at the airport, we headed to their house, which is a cute little bungalow situated on the top of a hill in the midst of a horse ranch. It was so great to be able to catch up with them, wash some clothes, and just spend some time not in a tent, haha. Natalie and Eric are planning on wwoofing in the future and so we were able to share some of our experiences and advice with them and they told us about the joys of living “out west” and all of the great places we should check out. During the day we were

able to go visit Santa Cruz, where Ryan got to surf the infamous break, Steamer Lane, while I took the dogs to the dog beach. Then at night we sat around talking, eating and sampling Eric’s home made hard cider. Thank you so much Natalie and Eric for having us, it was great to recuperate and catch up!

Once we left Los Gatos, we headed to coastal northern California, where we took the scenic highway 101 drive. This drive took us meanderingly along the rocky coast, sporadically coming back inland through the dense, untouched redwoods before coming back to the misty skies and pounding waves of the pacific coast. After reaching several campgrounds that were full, we started to worry that we might be sleeping in the truck, we opted to check out a gloomy, trailer park that advertised tent campsites. Apparently we were the only campers who decided to do this and were able to camp directly on the beach, in a small alcove between two rock bluffs, all by ourselves. After spending two nights there, making campfires in the sand and falling asleep to the persistent crashing of waves on the shore, we headed north again to the next campground.

Oh and the dogs did not want to leave our little beach

 

The next campground was McKerricher State Park, much more developed than our previous lodging, which we were really ok with since they had showers! They also had a seal watching station, where we saw the plump, spotted harbor seals sunning themselves on the rocks. We were able to let the dogs run free on the seemingly deserted beach and even got some fresh made ice cream in town.

Again, we headed north, this time to Redwood National Park, where we camped among the hundreds of years old redwood trees. We went on several hikes and scenic drives, all of which eerily remind you of some scene from Jurassic Park because the trees are just so prehistorically huge, the only thing that could really dwarf them would be T-Rex.

We also saw Big Tree, which someone told us is the third tallest tree in the world. I’m not sure, but it was certainly the tallest tree I’ve ever seen, then again so were all of the trees in that dense, old-growth forest.

 

 

For the end to our week of camping, we stayed at Harris Beach S.P. on the coast of Oregon. Since it was situated close to the beach we were able to spend a lot of time by the water, letting the dogs play in the ice cold waves while we walked along the shore. The last few days we were there a rain front came in so we had some early evenings hanging out in the tent and spent a day at a coffee shop to escape the ice pelt of rain determined to totally soak us.

We were so happy to spend so much time camping, just enjoying being outside and having lots of free time. However, this has very much made us excited to get to working at our next farm, Tree of Life Permaculture Farm, in Oregon.

“We often miss opportunity because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work” ~ Thomas Edison

Tonya & Ryan

The clearest way into the universe is through a forest of wilderness.

Upon leaving Chino Valley our first stop was Las Vegas International Airport to pick up our friend Jeehoon. Then it was due west, to Death Valley, CA. As the name suggests it was brutal. Once you enter the park you begin to descend in elevation until you reach the welcome center, conveniently located at the lowest point in the United States, at 282 feet below sea level. Opening the car door, you are immediately flooded with what can only be described as sauna wind and I guess at 115°  you can’t really expect much less. So, we quickly made for our campsite, 6,000 feet up and every bit cooler. The next morning we quickly packed up before the heat set in and made it to our next destination Onion Valley.

Onion Valley was the perfect camping location, 9,000 feet up nestled between two mountain peaks. It is less of a destination than the national parks, but everybit as beautiful, with less people, and much to see and do. With access to John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon National Park we went on several hikes, including one which took us up over a peak, through rocks and snow, to a still, beautiful lake. We were the only ones around and we enjoyed the afternoon at our very own lake.

After Onion Valley, it was north to the Mammoth Lakes area. This popular recreation destination has several lakes, mountain trails, and a few nationally recognized monuments. We went on some awesome hikes that took us through dense woods up to rocky outcroppings with spectacular views. We also made a visit to Devils Postpile, a rare cliff of columnar basalt. Created by a lava flow some 100,000 years ago, the interior of it was later revealed as a giant glacier receded, scraping and polishing what is now exposed. Nearby, we hiked the 101-ft Rainbow Falls, where a rainbow literally forms at base of the waterfall. It was just beautiful.

After meandering through the aw-inspiring Sierra-Nevada mountain range, we decided to head into the San Francisco area, to be closer to the Airport and check out the city before we had to send Jeehoon off. Once we unpacked and set up a few things at China Camp State Park, we called it a night and started the next day early. We drove into San Francisco on the infamous Golden Gate bridge, but not before stopping and admiring it from afar, of course. Then after touring the town, we ate at the marina and walked the dogs on the beach. On the way back we stopped in the small town we were staying in to pick up a pizza and some rum to have our own little camping party for G’s last night with us.

 

We were so glad you got to come visit Jeehoon, we always have the best camping trips!

With that, here’s a quote from probably one of the best ever naturalist and preservationist, to whom we are grateful for many of our parks.

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.” ~ John Muir

Tonya and Ryan

Seeing red

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Last weekend we had the opportunity to go rock climbing, on real rocks! Both Ryan and I have never really been into rock climbing since we’ve really only ever done it indoors. The guy who is in charge of growing mushrooms here on the farm happens to know a lot about rock climbing so he took us wwoofers out to a local spot to show us the ropes. Hiking out with all of our gear, it seemed that there was nothing but flat desert, when all of a sudden a narrow canyon appeared below us. We repelled down the canyon side, one by one and then proceeded to climb the various routes that Peter directed us to, which were really nothing more than cracks running vertically up the entire face of the rock wall. This proved to be more challenging than indoor rock climbing, because the holds are not so obvious. We definitely like rock rock climbing.

Early in the week we got to learn a bit about mushroom cultivation. From mycelium generating on agar petri dishes all the way to harvesting the mushroom fruiting bodies, we followed Peter step by step to learn the somewhat complicated process involved in growing mushrooms. It was great because fungiculture has always been so mysterious, so this helped to shed some light and now we some-what know how to grow our own.

 

Wednesday Ryan and I took the day off to visit the Grand Canyon. Gazing out over the massive depths and rising peaks undulating across the canyon, it is easy to understand why it is considered one of the seven wonders of the world. With nearly 2 billion years of the earth’s geological history exposed by the carving of the Colorado River, every layer of rock reveals a new color and texture, giving the whole thing an unreal hue. The pictures truely do not do it justice.

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May 31st was my birthday so after a waffle breakfast Ryan and I headed to Sedona, apparently a must-see in Arizona. The drive there was on a small, beautiful road that winded through a mountain range. Sedona proved to be worth the visit, with its unmistakable red rock greeting you from the face of every mountain. We went for a hike at Devil’s Bridge, a rock formation that forms literally a bridge about 50 feet off the ground. On the way back to the farm we stopped in Jerome, another popular tourist destination. The town was nestled on the side of a mountain with houses and shops sprouting out of steep cliffs and we walked the main street, stopping at the awesome kaleidoscope store.

 

 

For the weekend we got to join Kate at the markets where we helped set up, explained our tomato knowledge to the customers and revisited simple arithmetic trying to count change.  The market was an awesome time.

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Spending three weeks at Chino Valley Farms was great for us; we got to learn so much from working and talking with Mike and Kate and of course made many friends along the way. Arizona is a beautiful state with lots of outdoor activities, great views and nice people so we are sad to leave, especially without being able to have done everything, but alas, we must continue on to our next adventure!

Thanks to Mike, Kate, and Elaine for all of your wisdom and wit.

Insistently itinerant,

Tonya & Ryan

 

A soilless culture

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On the 11th we arrived at Chino Valley Farms in Arizona. Before we retired to the trailer, which is to be our home for the next three weeks, we got a tour of the farm. This included several massive greenhouse which are home to over 8,000 strawberry plants, a few thousand tomato plants and various lettuces, all grown hydroponically. This farm is, by far, the largest farm we have had the opportunity to work on.

There are many large solar panels that are nestled between the buildings, allowing the property to produce enough energy to sustain the farm. There are also lots of dogs who patrol the farm and four other farm workers (wwoofers) staying here as well. Our hosts, Mike and Kate, are great conversationalists and have an awesome dynamic.

The next day we had a lazy day around the farm since it was Sunday, which was everyone’s day off. In the evening we had a BBQ dinner, which really felt like a party since there are so many people staying here.

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Monday we started work, our first project being to sort through some irrigation lines for the hydroponic system, then we assessed the strawberry plants and removed the ones that were dying or dead. Those were then replaced with new transplants, which were leftovers from last year. Apparently you can trim back a strawberry plant to just a small bud, uproot it, and freeze the whole plant. Since the strawberry is a perennial, the freezing causes the plant to go dormant, as if it were cold outside. Once it is exposed to warm weather, it ‘wakes up’ to start growing again.

The next day Ryan and I started a project that lasted us for the next few days. Mike wants to expand into more strawberry plants this season so the tables for the new plants needed to be constructed. We were set up with a laser level, which we learned to use, and began measuring, hammering, screwing and then remeasuring to get the table supports plum. This was important because the nature of hydroponics requires the tubes to have even flow of water, so everything has to be level.

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One afternoon we took the bikes they have here and went cruising down some slow roads with big hills. There we found a trail to explore as well.

Working at this farm has been great. Since everything is relatively organized we are able to work our five hours in the morning and are done by 11am. We have lunch and then the rest of the day is ours to explore. We went into the town of Prescott for an afternoon. Ryan was thinking about getting some legit hiking boots so we checked out some shops and then walked around the quaint downtown. They also have a descent sized telescope here, so we’ve spent a few evenings obsessing over the surface of the moon.  Now that we have the maneuvering figured out I want to look for some stars. Last weekend we went o hike Thumb Butte, a relatively famous hike for this area. This 2 mile hike brings you 2,000 feet up to a rocky outcropping with spectacular views.

For the past few days we have been doing a bit of spring cleaning. Since the summer is the busy season here in the valley, we are getting a lot of things ready, sorting, cleaning, etc. We had to use the bobcat to move the larger items, so we got to learn how to maneuver around while hauling pallets on the fork lift.

Easy and breezy,

Tonya & Ryan

New Mexico: Land of Enchantment

As the road stretched out before us, the day proved to be a long drive and western Texas proved to be everything we envisioned. That cactus that comes to mind when you think mid-west sparingly dots the roadside and the dried clay dirt swirls into small cyclones with each gust of wind. After long stretches of desert highway, I-10 brought us through El Paso, where we could literally see the slums of Mexico through a simple chain link fence. Turning north we made our way between the looming mountains which comprise the Organ mountain range. There we found our campground, Aguirre Springs, nestled on the east side of this extrusive rock. Since the long, winding drive took us rather high up, our campsite had spectacular views of the land below us.

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The next day we had to check out White Sands National Monument, one of the world’s great natural wonders. At the bottom of the Tularosa Basin lies 275 square miles of desert, consisting entirely of white gypsum sand. Gypsum is almost never found in the form of sand, however, the Basin has no water-run off, so these water-soluble crystals are trapped, forced to blow around haphazardly, constantly forming and reforming  dunes.

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Driving into the area you immediately feel as though you are approaching the seaside, with dunes of sand and sprigs of grass, the ocean must surely be over the next hill, right? Alas, over that hill of sand is… more sand, LOTS more sand. It’s a little bewildering and scary, until you remember you have a source of water and a vehicle. Driving further into the basin only proves to deliver larger dunes of sand. With the constant motion of the sand, the roads must be cleared daily with a plow and this somehow gives you the impression that the stark white sand is now snow, piled up high on either side of the road.

We found a spot at a picnic table where we ate lunch and then decided to try to surf these dunes of sand. After Ryan took the fins off his surf board, we hiked up the sinking sand of a dune nearby and tried to slide down the side. It was fun, but I guess we were expecting epic speeds and we were only sliding in sand after all.

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The next morning we packed up and started our drive to Chino Valley, Arizona. It was another long drive, but somehow this day was much easier. I think that it had something to do with the awesome views we saw. This was definitely one of the most beautiful drives we’ve been on, with so many hills, mountain top views, and  even drives through the hills with course rock exposed on either side. Before even making it to Chino Valley farms, we decided we love Arizona.

“Great things are done when men and mountains meet.” ~William Blake

Tonya & Ryan

Tenacious Texas

Driving through Texas is really the only way you can possibly comprehend the sheer size of the Lone star State. After passing through seemingly endless stretches of dry dirt dotted with mesquite trees and BBQ signs we finally made it to Nabuni Acres.

As you bump down the rocky driveway fifty some-odd orchard fruit trees stand on either side. A tour of the homestead included 17 acres of chickens, ducks, sheep, cows, a pig, and horse that pasture and roam around the yard at their leisure along with a small kitchen vegetable garden with the veggies of the season densely sprouted up in rows.

We spent the next few days doing odd chores around the house with our hosts Maury and Melissa. Since it was the weekend, the workload was considerably less and we spent our time watering the plants, chatting with neighbors, and chiseling away at the cellar hole Maury has started under the house.

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During the week Ryan and I installed an irrigation line in the orchard, which was a lot simpler than we expected it to be. Then we took a few days off to work on squaring away our next farms we are to travel to and visited Austin for the day.

Austin certainly proved to be a city worth visiting if you’re in Texas. We spent the day at a beautiful dog park where the dogs swam and tired themselves out before going to eat dinner an authentic tex-mex restaurant, along with some margaritas of course. Then we headed to the infamous Congress Blvd Bridge to see the thousands of bats descend on the river at sunset.

Once we were back to work at Nabuni we worked on stretching and securing a section of fence so the animals could pasture in a new area. One of the days, while moving a stack of pallets Ryan came upon a diamond back so Maury quickly killed it and we got to see how the rattler tasted all fried up for dinner. I must say, eating a snake sounds a lot worse than it actually is and, given the chance, I would probably eat it again. I think I would describe it as a rather bland taste, something like Tilapia, but with a chewy, stringy consistency, similar to string cheese. Not a bad combo. We also made buttermilk chess pie, a Texas original. In the evenings we spent our time relaxing on the porch, drinking beer and shooting various guns (including an AK-47!), after all we are in Texas.

Since Maury is an expert in  many Native American skills, Ryan decided to take advantage of this and learn to make his own bow while we were there. To make a bow, the traditional way, you start with Bodark, a specific type of tree. So Ryan spent 10 minutes here and there throughout the day and then a good amount of time in the evenings using a draw knife to shave away rings on the hunk of wood, year by year getting closer to the desired pith. Once the selected layer was revealed on both sides, he drew out his desired shape and began cutting away. Though the bow looks close to what he wants, it is far from being done…now comes the fine whittling,  shaving or sanding away fine layers to even the whole bow out.

  

Texas really is an unforgiving land, with its biting insects, venomous snakes, scorpions, and dry heat, all of which we experienced. For the experience, we are grateful, but are now positive we do not want to settle in this vast, dusty state.

All in all, we really did not work as much as we would have liked, but what we didn’t learn in practice, our hosts made up for in many conversations where Ryan and I carefully dissected their brains with our constant questions. Our hosts, Melissa and Maury made us feel very welcome and we are grateful to have been able to absorb some of their knowledge on everything from keyhole gardens and lasagna beds, to constructing a water bog filtration system and making home brewed beer. They really proved to be a wealth of information.

Thanks Maury and Melissa for putting up with our seemingly endless questions, may you always continue to be that wealth of knowledge for those around you!

“Live with what you have now
And make the best of what’s to come”

Tonya & Ryan

On the road again

The West Coast…our next frontier. After spending a few months in Florida, we packed up our things, along with the pups, and made for the west on Monday. Well, to be exact we headed north first, making a stop at our friend Megan’s, in Tallahassee, for two nights. When we pulled into the driveway we found her cute little duplex nestled in the dense trees of green and spring. That evening we sat around, sipping beer while fervently talking about our trip we have planned…Megan is a bit of an adventurista herself, so we poured over maps, and shared factoids on the different states we clump into the category of “out west.”

The next day Megan headed to work while Ryan and I explored a nearby park, with the dogs in-tow.  Upon entering Tom Brown park, the sign proclaimed “best park” and the winding road took us through tall trees, past a huge lake with a board walk, leading us to an enclosed dog park. We let the dogs tire themselves out and explored the park some more before heading back. When Megan got home from work we went back to the park to play some disc golf and eat our dinner, picnic-style, on one of the many rolling hills.

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Wednesday morning we packed up and truly started the trek west. To break up the drive a bit, we stopped for a night and camped at Tickfaw State Park in Louisiana. The park was probably nice, but we really only had time to set up camp and eat dinner before crawling into our sleeping bags after driving all day. The next morning was an equally long drive, but well worth it, considering we were arriving at our first farm, Nabuni Acres, in Lockhart, Texas!

Thanks Megan for an awesome time,

“Happy trails to you, until we meet again.”

Tonya & Ryan