Oregon At Last, Meat the Animals

Oregon At Last

The rest of the journey to Oregon was longer and much colder than we had expected. Thanks to generous traveling funds provided by friends and family, we were able to stay at a couple hotels after nerve-racking snowy mountain drives in the dark. Determined to camp despite the 20 degree cold, one night we found ourselves sleeping in the back of the truck in a sketchy park in the outskirts of Idaho Falls. By morning the condensation from our breath (despite both the topper windows being open!) had deflated my cozy down sleeping bag into a limp moist sack. I shivered in the darkness waiting for dawn, listening to trains rattling past us. Morning finally broke over the industrial landscape, we packed up quickly, brushed our teeth at a gas station, ate cereal off the tailgate, and twelve hours of driving later we finally pulled into Bend, Oregon. 

Snowy mountain pass, WY

I had always heard rumors that Bend is a great place to visit. It's a historic logging town, and reminded me of my hometown Stillwater, MN. There is a quaint river park, a downtown with shops (including an awesome candy store) and it was fun to finally explore a bit and discover what the hype was about. The highlights were Drake Park and Smith Rock State Park, just a half hour north from Bend.

Drake Park, Bend OR


Smith Rock State Park, Terrebonne OR

Meat the Animals 

On Sunday afternoon November 8th we arrived at Moomaw Family Farm in Oregon City, 10 miles from Portland. Amanda and Nathan Moomaw showed us the tiny trailer we would be living in and let us settle in while they finished the chores for the day. The camper is exactly 3 1/2 paces long (according to Reilly's stride) and has a distinct groovy vibe. 

Our tiny home

They stocked the pantry full of organic grains, whole milk, eggs, cheese, bread, homegrown meat, and some veggies. Usually at WWOOF farm stays, the hosts are expected to prepare meals for their volunteers. We have a bit more independent arrangement where they provide the ingredients, and we cook all our meals for ourselves. Good thing we know how to cook!

Collards & Bacon

The only downside to our little abode, is that the toilet is not hooked up to a sewage system. This means traveling through the rain out to the "composting" toilet which is a plywood hut with a wooden seat hovering over a rubbermaid bin. At first, I imagined a pit toilet, which is at most state parks or camping sites. I was wrong. It's very up close and personal. Our outhouse rules are as follows, "Use toilet as normal. Paper goes in as normal. Use wood shavings to flush." We must empty the bin when it becomes full into the compost pile. I was grossed out at first, but now after shoveling sheep shit for three days, poop doesn't bother me as much anymore. It's basically just a few steps away from soil, right?

Haley mucking poo

My unexpected favorite animal here is the sheep. It's mostly due to Franklin, The Chosen One, who has been allowed to live for 3 years. He follows humans around, has a collar, and is very affectionate and mischievous. Here he is pictured after stealing my hazelnut bucket:

Franklin the bucket head

They also raise rabbits, pigs, and chickens. Our daily responsibilities are to keep everyone fed and watered, along with the occasional mucking. The pigs follow you around and act like dogs with giant floppy ears, the rabbits are actually pretty cute, and the chickens are fun to catch.

I caught one!

Baby bunny

I really love it here so far taking care of the animals and reading books in our little trailer. Being on the road was rough, and it feels nice to have a place to settle down for a while- but in the depths of my soul there will always be a tug to keep moving. I am happy to call Oregon our home for now, and am excited to get into the actual city of Portland to explore. Crossing my fingers that the rain will give us a little break for a visit to the beach soon!

xo

haley