California (part II)
I just couldn’t stay away! I booked my flight to LAX the week after July 4. This time I’d be spending three weeks in California, so I decided to take part in a WWOOF experience.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the program – it’s a work exchange where individuals go to work on farms or homesteads in exchange for free lodging and food. Types of work can range from farming, to building, to chores or other types of manageable tasks. The experience can vary widely from farm to farm and work hours can range from two hours a day to eight hours a day. Needless to say, it’s important to read reviews to ensure the program you sign up for matches what you’re looking for.
Since this will be my first WWOOF experience I decided to look for something low-key, involving work I believed I could handle. I landed upon a Homestead in Humboldt County – close to the redwoods. The description read pretty manageable work mostly watering and harvesting fruits and vegetables. The Homestead was small and only had a few reviews, but of the reviews, everyone had great things to say. I decided to book one week and leave the remaining two weeks open ended to book as I go.
Altadena
I got into LAX and begin my journey north, first stopping in Altadena, two hours outside of LA, to hike in the San Gabriel Wilderness. This was a great way to begin my trip.
My first hike up Inspiration Point was quite manageable with beautiful scenery and an overlook of the greater Southern California area. The Mountain to be a private resort owned by the Cobb family where east coasters would come to vacation and experience what we would call a wellness retreat.
It was cool to see some of their remnants of the folks that visited decades ago.
Big Sur
After enjoying the hike I continued my journey north to spend some more time exploring Big Sur, as it had left such a magnificent impression on me a few weeks prior.
I ended up staying at an Inn in Monterey, as the accommodations options are few and far between around Big Sur proper.
The next morning I drove to Big Sur and set out on a hike around Carmel By The Sea. The hike was short around 5 miles but with a lot of elevation gain.
I enjoyed various changing scenery during the hike everything from redwood trees to fern canyons to desert sand, and finally, above the clouds for a magical sunrise.
I drove down the windy roads to Big Sur and took in the beautiful scenery after my rather strenuous hike.
I had seen a property earlier on realtor.com in Big Sur a five bedroom five bath home sitting on 40 acres for just under 1.5 million. This seem too good to be true so I had to check it out. I drove by the lot but wasn’t able to enter the private road so called the realtor only to find out that the artists home came with some pretty unique fine print. Essentially a squatter was living in the guest house for a “Life Estate” meaning there would be a 70-year-old man on the property until he passes away. Since 70 is the new 40 I figured it wasn’t worth waiting around to view the property.
Fairfax
I continued my adventure up to Fairfax just above San Francisco. I chose Fairfax because there seemed to be some decent hiking. I was so pleasantly surprised by this town. It’s a hub for mountain bikers and outdoor enthusiast like myself.
I was also pleased to see what looks like hippies that it moves from San Francisco as well as numerous vegan spots, health food stores, and homemade trinkets. I ended up booking an Airbnb and was so pleased with the experience. The owner of the Airbnb wasn’t home but informed me a friend would be there to greet me when I arrived. He was so kind and offered some local tips on hikes. The next day I woke up I set out on a 10 mile hike. I ended up getting slightly lost so what was supposed to be a 10 turned into 15 miles and a short swim but it was quite thrilling to say the least!
Mendocino
After completing my rather strenuous hike I continued my journey north to my next stop in Mendocino. I stayed at an Airbnb that was my first taste of off the grid Homestead life. I was greeted and shown around the property filled with fruit trees and interesting artwork.
The Airbnb owner informed me not to be frightened by the 8 o’clock howl – a tradition that seemed to be catching on across the more hipster towns of the western US. The howl was a nod to emergency workers who were risking their lives during the pandemic. Funny enough, I heard a lot of howling in Fairfax the previous night, but didn’t think much of it.
After learning about the ritual, I was so comforted hearing the howls across the Mendocino Forest. My Airbnb host showed me how it was done and I joined the fun.
I enjoyed a nice quiet night sleep with no distractions as there is no Internet or cellular service. It was really nice to read a book and go to bed early.
The next day I sent out to Carlotta. I decided to check out a hike at elk River before heading to the Homestead.
Driving through the redwood forest was just as much as magical as I had remembered from the weeks prior.
The Elk River Trail was desolate. I came across a couple of families but was mostly alone high up in the redwood trees.
Carlotta
I have to admit I was a little nervous about what the homestead experience would be like. How often would I be working, who else would be there, how would I like sleeping in a tent for a week?
As I pulled in the gate at the Homestead I was immediately greeted with a warm smile and a sweaty Rob toting a wheelbarrow. A cute girl walked out of a small cabin and greeted me with a smile – her name was Sarah. Sarah was the other woofer who had been there for three weeks. She was from San Diego and it was also her first WWOOF.
It was also Sarah’s first WWOOF so it provided much comfort that I wasn’t alone. Our first night Rob cooked a delicious vegan meal with fresh vegetables picked from the garden followed by a tour of the Homestead.
The lot was on 1 acre so any tasks would be quite manageable with two people. Tasks included watering every other day, harvesting fruits and vegetables and any odd jobs that his parents who lived across the street might need help with.
I set up my tent and finished the night with some chamomile tea picked fresh from Rob‘s porch. Rob had already shown so much kindness and generosity on the first day. Additionally he had some pretty interesting thoughts on politics religion and the world as we may or may not know it. I couldn’t wait to pick his brain and hear about all the stories and opinions he had.
I knew that because Rob was so adamant of not imposing his well on others he would be open minded and interested in exploring thoughts, ideas and varying opinions. The next day I woke up Sarah showed me the watering that needed to be done. We ate some delicious berries picked from the garden for breakfast.
After discussing with Rob my intentions for this trip, we came up with a plan that would ultimately provide so much more value than I could ever imagine. Rob loves to mentor and has a ton of genius ideas! Rob had over 15 years of experience in SAAS and other useful computer programming and entrepreneurship knowledge. He moved to the Homestead a year prior after living in San Diego and Hawaii before that. Recently divorced, I could tell he was starting a new chapter and excited to feel the sense of community that Sarah and I brought. That being said, he was extremely excited to share his ideas and act as a mentor. Rob has a very “yes and” mentality which is extremely encouraging when thinking of starting your own business and not knowing exactly where to go or where to start.
Most days after we finished our tasks around the house and Rob would mentor us in the afternoons. He developed a tool for branding which ultimately became invaluable. After exploring a few ideas we landed upon a wellness retreat idea which I had always wanted to start but never had the confidence or knew how to begin or where to go. He walked Sarah and I through the branding exercise, as she was interested in developing climbing pants specifically for women. It was really cool to go through the steps and iterate on ideas as well as develop a brand for what I hope to one day build.
Rob also took us took us on various adventures, one being to a local swimming home which was a beautiful stream with large boulders and amazing scenery. It was so fun to bring our lunch with us and enjoy a nice deep conversation in a beautiful setting.
After one week I couldn’t imagine leaving, as there was still so much that I wanted to learn from Rob.
I ended up staying 2 1/2 weeks and even that seemed like only a fraction of how long I could’ve stayed.
We learned about homesteading, living off the land, Rob‘s vision for a community he was building, bee keeping and food preservation from his parents as well as well as a beautiful outlook on life that Rob shared.
I even had a chance to hike around the area, as Saturday’s Rob observed Sabbath. I checked out Grasshopper Mountain and King’s Canyon which had the most elevation within a few hour’s drive.
I’d love to come back and see what he develops next. Almost in tears knowing I had to leave, but eventually I packed my car and headed out to Bend, Oregon.
Bend, Oregon
It was a 7 hour drive mostly through mountains and even through a random hailstorm!
When I arrived, I immediately noticed the friendly vibes and mountain culture. I woke up the next day and decided to hike very very steep climb for sunrise.
The mountain seemed to never end and finally reaching the top I experienced and bit of altitude sickness. It was gorgeous and there’s so many other hikes I would’ve love to stick around and enjoy.
Lake Tahoe
I had to get back to LAX in the next three days so I decided to journey south toward Mount Shasta and eventually Lake Tahoe for my next hiking adventure.
Sequoia National Forest
After Lake Tahoe, I decided to explore Sequoia National Forest. Sequoia was really magical. After driving an hour and a half deep into the park, I stumbled upon my first bear – luckily – I was in my car.
I noticed how wild camping was definitely something doable and Sequoia, however, I wasn’t sure that’s something I would pursue by myself after seeing the bear.
Los Angeles
My last day I decided to end my hiking adventures in the same Mountain range I started, the San Gabriel National Park. This time I hiked a portion of the PCT and climbed to the summit of Mount Baden Powell. The climb itself was manageable and extremely rewarding at the top.
The trip was such a success. I could not have asked for a better experience with WWOOF. Meeting Rob was the highlight of the trip and I know he has some great projects in his future. I’m excited to have gained a mentor, explore more of California and to get started on a few projects of my own.
