Tag Archives: farming

HI

Last Week on the Big Island

On our last week here, we were able to do a little bit of last minute exploring, spend some time with our friends Dani and Ricky, and work on another farm for a few days. 

Volcanoes 2.0

As our new friends had not been to see the lava, we had to take them. The word was that the lava flow we had witnessed last time had reached all the way to the coast. We hiked the 8+ mile trek with our friends and reached the spot. The road had been covered by the lava, and when we walked over toward the water, there were areas where we could feel the heat, and others where we could look through a crack in the ground and see orange. The lava was flowing underneath our feet! Again, this park is not how most parks are, with signs and rules everywhere, so a part of the adventure was you could misstep and lose a limb. 

Farm #2

We ended up spending the last few days at a dragonfruit farm! While Andrea and I are both keen on animals, plants are pretty great too, and if you have not tried dragonfruit, I highly recommend it. Sweet, just like our hosts. 

Here is the dragonfruit flower. Behold its beauty!

For more photos, check out @earth_ambassadors on Instagram!

HI

Oregon and Hawaii

My next adventure has been brewing for some time. I had many ideas in mind: other long-distance trails, careers to try, countries to visit. My girl, Andrea, and I decided on Hawaii. 

After settling on this idea, sometime in April, we decided the most logical way to start an adventure there was through WWOOFing. It is a worldwide organization where farms and potential farmers have profiles, and the profiles can be reviewed to decide on a good match. Most of the farms offer a work-for-stay program, and some even offer some of the harvest from the farm to supplement meals. This way, we decided, when we arrive, we will already have secured a place to stay, and rent will be covered. After applying to a few, we found one that stood out as our first WWOOF farm experience – a goat and chicken farm on the big island of Hawai’i. After talking with the owners on the farm a few times, we were ready to go. We sold and donated a bunch of our possessions and bought our tickets. 

We had arranged to stop in Oregon for a few days to visit my brother and to explore the state. Zack and Eleanor were both gracious hosts and took us to see some of their favorite spots in the state. 

It was both of our first time on the Pacific Ocean. This lookout was said to be the best on the whole coast, with a view of 70 miles on a clear day. 

Mary’s Peak, formerly Spirit Mountain, was an inspiring viewpoint. 



We hiked down to Salt Creek Falls, the second largest in Oregon, but I’m willing to say it was the first mistiest. 

After saying our goodbyes, we took the plane from Portland to Kona, Hawai’i. We got in super late and ended up stealth camping in Kona. In retrospect, this was more stressful than my ideal first day in paradise, especially considering the lack of grass here. In its place, lava rocks, tropical trees, and spiky shrubs. 

Welcome to a new way of living.