August 23, 2021

On August 20th we left West Virgina and found a farm to boondock with through Harvest Hosts. It was our first time using this app or boon docking so we really didn’t know what to expect. The drive took longer than we realized so we arrived just as it was beginning to get dark. Our hosts met us out back on their ATV where the farm began. It was called Bent Limb farm and they primarily had Alpacas, but there were also goats, giant pigs, chickens, geese, turkeys, and rabbits. Some of the goats were also of the fainting variety, but we didn’t want to be jerks and frighten them just to see them fall over. There was a store that sold alpaca yarn and meats they raised. The owner said we could stay as long as wanted. We were concerned about heading home right away as there was a hurricane predicted on the east coast in a day or two. I offered to help out at the farm and it just so happened that the morning after we arrived was their scheduled monthly volunteer day at the farm.

The next day we got up early so we could get to work with the other volunteers who had already started. We worked hard and it was hot. We cleaned out rabbit cages and moved and set them up in a new spot in the barn for most of the morning. Luke got to use a flame thrower to burn all the crap and fur off the cages and stands and he loved it. All of the other volunteers were wonderful people to work with and they fed us the most delicious lunch after in their farmhouse. Everyone made fun of me for taking a whole trough of Italian Wedding soup. They also made us BLTs with their farm raised bacon.

The batteries this camper came with are not good enough to keep us going for long. They allowed us to hook up to their water, but there is no electricity for us to hook up. We ran the generator each day and didn’t want to leave the dogs alone in the camper for long as it was hot out so we stuck around the farm most of the time while staying here. We will explore Pennsylvania some other time

We stayed with this family through August 24th and had a great dinner with them one night and I helped with farm chores a few more times such as feeding the animals and introducing baby chicks to their coop. I saved a young chicken who was stuck in the feeder with a leg sticking out and almost went unnoticed when we dumped in the new food. The largest pig they have here is 700 lbs and it is not safe to get in the pen with them unless you know what you’re doing, but I loved the farm life for the few days we were here. We also loved the people and their philosophy on farming and life.

This is what it’s about for me. The people and experiences that we meet and have. They teach us things and enrich our lives. They offer new perspectives and ideas about things. I absolutely love it. Somehow, it took us until now to discover Winnebago Man on YouTube. If you haven’t seen his video yet, stop what you’re doing right now and watch it. You’re welcome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDQQfBrSUs0&t=14s