Eco-Road Trip – Permaculture Skills Center & FrongSong Cohousing

Permaculture Skills Center & Frogsong Cohousing – Summary:

  • Who: Erik Ohlsen; Anila Roberts
  • What: Stumbled across the Permaculture Skills Center; Stopped by Cali Kind Clothing Co. tie-dye shop; Visited Frogsong Cohousing community
  • When: Wednesday, March 28
  • Where: Sebastopol, CA; Cotati, CA

Quick Resources:

My Route:

Planning my Eco-Inspired Road Trip Blog Post

 

My Travel Story:

Leaving Occidental Arts & Ecology Center (OAEC) that afternoon after volunteering in the plant nursery, I headed towards my second planned destination – FrogSong Cohousing Community in Cotati, CA.

However, I was unaware of how saturated the area was with permaculture, ecology and sustainability – not only in terms of businesses and organizations, but also as the local and cultural mindsets.

Which is how I coincidentally stumbled on the Permaculture Skills Center, which I had followed online while I was initially learning about permaculture, and its onsite partner company, Permaculture Artisans.

Continue Reading

Eco-Road Trip – Maitreya Mountain Village

Maitreya Mountain Village – Summary:

  • Who: Dan Schultz
  • What: Visited the Maitreya Mountain Village
  • When: Tuesday, March 27
  • Where: Gasquet, CA

Quick Resources:

My Route:

Planning my Eco-Inspired Road Trip Blog Post

 My Travel Story:

Waking up in my hammock from a freezing night with little sleep – I was up early and ready for my first ecovillage stop of the day at Maitreya Mountain Village (MMV), deep in the Siskiyou Mountains of California.

 

Continue Reading

Eco-Road Trip – Coastal Redwood Forests

Redwood Forests – Summary:

  • Who: N/A
  • What: Drove through Redwood Forests; Visited the Trees of Mystery tourist attraction; Stopped at the Legend of Bigfoot Gift Shop and Chainsaw-carvings
  • When: Tuesday, March 27
  • Where: Crescent City, CA; Klamath, CA; Garberville, CA

Quick Resources:

My Route:

Planning my Eco-Inspired Road Trip Blog Post

 

My Travel Story:

After leaving Maitreya Mountain Village that afternoon, I headed toward the great Redwood forests of Northern California. I drove southwest on the highway till I got to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and where I saw my first Redwood trees!

A replicated Redwood carved canoe in front of a mural – ideal for tourists!

This tourist display at the information station featured informational boards as well as a marked cutting from a Redwood indicating historical weather events.

Continue Reading

Eco-Road Trip – OSU Master Gardens & Grant’s Pass

OSU Master Gardens & Grant’s Pass – Summary:

  • Who: N/A
  • What: Visited the OSU Discovery Garden in Roseburg; Saw a movie, mural and the Family House in Grant’s Pass; Set up my hammock at Panther Flat Campgrounds in California
  • When: Monday, March 26
  • Where: Roseburg, OR / Grant’s Pass, OR / Del Norte County, California

Quick Resources:

My Route:

Planning my Eco-Inspired Road Trip Blog Post

My Travel Story:

I left Lost Valley Education & Event Center this morning – my home for the past 6-7 months – after saying my final goodbyes, hanging up a Texas flag in the community Lodge, and getting my car battery jumped (which was super stressful, but a huge relief once it started up!)

Continue Reading

Planning my Eco-Inspired Road Trip

This post outlines my Eco-Inspired Road Trip route from Eugene, Oregon, back to Dallas, Texas, including the initial destinations and sights I planned to see along the way, but didn’t manage to see all of them.

I’ve also included the websites I used as resources for planning my stops.

Trip Planning Resources & Websites

 

 

Google My Map – Initial Planning Map

*Note: I didn’t make all of the destinations listed, but I sure tried to!

Continue Reading

LV Residential Life – March Highlights Pt. 2

Before I left Lost Valley at the end of the month, I planned a few excursions in the area and around Portland, Oregon.

There was a SquareOne Village tiny house community, Emerald Village Eugene, grand opening for the public in Eugene, and I was really looking forward to seeing it! Most of the houses onsite were finished in terms of their exteriors, and several already had residents living in them. It was great to see a city supported, experimental community for the chronically homeless. The model they operated on was that after a rigorous interview process for residency, community members were given a fully furnished space and were required to pay a percentage of their personal income to cover costs. Many of the current residents relied on bicycles and public transportation for travel to their jobs, and some of them were married and dual incomes that helped them financially afford to get back on their feet.

Continue Reading