Farming in the high desert

Holland Ranch is a small certified organic farm in Palmdale, CA, about an hour northeast of Los Angeles. It's not an isolated rural piece of land like the name would imply, the neighbors are right next door and the gardens are bordered with chain link fences- which are lodged with tufts of tumbleweed. Joshua trees dot the fields like watchmen, complete with ravens perched on top making their eerie woodblock calls.

Since the farm is so small (and organic), most things must be done by hand rather than with machinery or chemicals. In these two weeks, Reilly and I have spent our time removing plant debris from last season, collecting potatoes and carrots that were left in the ground, cleaning garlic heads for storage, and moving compost onto new fields. Their soil here is essentially sand, and needs more plant matter and nutrients for healthier plants. Their growing season is also much much longer than in Minnesota! In the middle of December, they can plant garlic for harvest in March.

Eric and Cheri Holland are our WWOOF hosts, and are truly good-hearted people. They live on the farm and cook dinner for us each night (creamy sausage pasta with homemade tomato sauce, chicken and dumpling soup, steak with buttery mashed potatoes and broccoli...YUM) We stay in a trailer next to the house which is cozy and stocked with breakfast and lunch items. The previous farm we stayed at provided all ingredients, but we were expected to cook for ourselves each night. It has been a welcome change to have someone cook for us!

Another thing I really have loved about this farm is that we can use the guest bathroom inside the house. It has a real western flushing toilet and a glorious shower stall with plenty of hot water. We were also welcome to use their laundry! I have gotten into a ritual of taking a hot shower after working (we are expected to work 5 hours each day, with Sundays off) and then lazing about in the trailer while I wait for supper. The work load here has definitely been more demanding than the last farm, and it's not unusual to feel sore afterwards.

With our days off, we explored a section of the Pacific Crest Trail (a thru-hiking trail that runs from Mexico to Canada, along the western coast of the United States) and Death Valley National Park. They were both beautiful, and we had gorgeous weather for both visits.

It's been really nice staying here, especially when we first arrived and it was 60's and sunny every day! But as it gets colder and Christmas approaches, we are both eager to get home and spend time with our families. We will stay until a week after New Years in the Midwest- then our next stop will be a farm in Arizona (the one we had lined up just cancelled on us yesterday!... So we will need to work out a new plan). For now, let's enjoy the holidays together :)

Much love,
Haley













Death Valley National Park

Darwin Falls, a desert spring oasis

Mesquite Flat sand dunes

San Fran and Sequoia National Park

We started our drive to California on Thanksgiving day, and ate a lonely interstate meal at a franchise next to the motel for supper. We were hungry and missing our families that night, but the next morning San Fransisco rose out of the ocean like Atlantis, beckoning us and glittering cheerfully on the water.

As we stepped out of the car, the air somehow seemed lighter- and my mind felt more clear. Not to mention the warm sunny weather was a stark difference from Oregon! My good friend Theresa, whom I met while studying abroad in Spain, was a wonderful host. She greeted us with homemade soup, took us for a hike to the top of Mt. Davidson, and then around to all the best dive bars in her neighborhood for our first night in town.

View of downtown San Fransisco from Mt. Davidson

Breakfast Club

Sunset at Golden Gate Park

The morning after our arrival, Reilly and I explored the city while Theresa worked in the lab. We hopped on an electric bus next to Theresa's apartment and started off towards Haight Street, an old hippie cultural center- regretfully transforming into a tourist trap. We visited the famed Amoeba Records, bought a bunch of delicious sandwich ingredients at an organic market, then walked to Golden Gate Park to have a picnic (I love how "exotic" fruits here are local! Fresh pomegranates are the best). We used the same $2.25 ticket to use the public transit all day, everywhere in the city.

The next day Theresa accompanied us to the best spots we had not covered yet, we weaved through Chinatown, perused the City Lights bookstore, climbed a tower with a view of both bridges, strolled across the wharf (sampled free Ghirardelli chocolate!) and with weary feet took a long bus ride home.

Chinatown dried fishes

The legendary City Lights Bookstore

It was painful to leave such a charming city and the company of good friends, but after a long goodbye we set out for our next unknown destination. Our Adventure Atlas led us to a campsite down a long drive off of Highway 1, tucked into some mountains. The morning after was gorgeous, driving along the coast, with an endless view of the ocean. We stopped several times to hike down to the water, put our feet in the sand, hunt for sand dollars, and even got to see some wildlife!

 

That night we found a campsite at Morro Strand State Beach, and found out that sleeping on beaches can be very windy and that sand can come through tent screens very easily- but it was worth it for the view.

Mountainside Campsite

Elephant seals

At breakfast we decided to leave the coast and backtrack a bit so that we could visit Sequoia National Park. We drove right through the central valley with clementine orchards as far as the eye can see, farm stands advertising almonds, pistachios, and olives for sale, and signs that read "Is it a waste of water to grow FOOD?!" We arrived at the park with enough daylight to visit a few giant sequoias and capture a glorious sunset of the valley cradled between mountain ranges.

Driving back to the campsite, we saw a baby black bear run across the road! It was the first live bear I have seen in the wild. That night, I made sure to pack away all of our food into the lockers provided, and read the safety material the ranger gave us (for future notice, scare black bears away with loud noises and make yourself look big). We had a cozy campfire, drank tea, and read our books quietly while keeping one eye on the fox circling the campsite.

 

Can you find Reilly?

Central Valley Sunset

Mule deer

Morning hike

Sequoia National Park was one of my favorite places to visit, it was wild and expansive- the ancient trees and human history of the place had energy and made me feel peaceful and alive. There are definitely more opportunities to explore in this wilderness, and I hope that I can return soon. Maybe for an extended backpacking trip! Some day... For now, it's back to farming.