Agricultural Romance

The two daughters of the family I am staying with, Anna and Emily, are at home today. They are both married and live elsewhere but are home to pick up goats they will be showing this weekend at the Iowa State Fair. I found out Anna wrote a dissertation, titles Agricultural Romance, on the way the rural community is depicted and consumed in America by the suburban and urban communities. There is a copy of the paper here so I plan to read/skim it while I'm here. It seems like an interesting topic. I'll share any highlights with you.

Tomorrow I have the day off and will be going to Decorah, Iowa to visit a friend. Apparently they have a very cool seed store in Decorah, Seed Savers, and I will be visiting there and probably picking up a few seeds. If you want me to get anything for you, let me know by noon tomorrow. Since I will be out on the highway my phone should be working! I may also go for a short bike ride as well since I brought my bike and would like to get out in this beautiful part of the state!

Also, finished my book today, The Hangman's Daughter, by Oliver Potzsch. It's a historical fiction about a small town in 1650's Bavaria with witchcraft fever. It's part of series but I've just started the second book and it doesn't appear they need to be read in order. If you're looking for a fun read, I'd check it out!

Night!

Veggies Day 5:
Beets
Artichokes
Heart of Palm
Broccoli
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Carrots
Onions
Zucchini

Hay, Hay, and more Hay

Sorry for not posting yesterday, I was exhausted! I don't remember all of what we did yesterday but for some reason I was really tired. I know we finished up making the Chevre (or I finished watching the homeowners make the Chevre), tended the grapes, picked up hay and loaded it into the loft of the barn, and did evening chores with the animals.

Today we did more work with the grapes, I watered all morning, and then got a large load of hay this afternoon - about 120 bales. We had to go to a farmer's house to pick up the hay, load all the bales into the horse trailer and then unload and stack them into the barn loft when we got back. The hay bales are heavy, awkward to pick up, and very scratchy on the skin. After yesterday I learned to wear a long sleeve shirt when working with the hay, but then you get very hot. Better than having scratches all over your arms though. The hay is hard work but it's also nice to get to the end of the day and know you have a hard day's work under your belt. And we have another 150 or so bales to do tomorrow!

Tonight, for chores, me and Julien did them mostly independently. It was Julien's first night milking so he was a bit slow, as was I on my first few nights. I'm by no means and expert now but if a goat has good sized teats I can milk them pretty quickly. I did have one goat knock over a bucket tonight though and make quite a mess. Then it takes time to clean that up and the goats get antsy. We milk 4 goats at a time on the milking stand and so they all had to wait while we cleaned up the spilled milk. No crying over spilled milk though.

Question for those of you reading my blog: Do you know who Heidi is? Please comment yes/no on this blog post.

Here's why I'm asking - We were at the neighbor's today and she was showing us her entries for the fair. One of the categories she was entering in was Collectable Books/Novels. She had put together a collection of "Heidi" books. Doug, the farmer I am staying with, and Marge, the neighbor, were discussing how great of a display this was. I, not knowing why this was such a good collection, asked "Who's Heidi?" Doug and Marge were both extremely amazed that I didn't know who Heidi was so I'd love some feedback from others as to whether or not you know who Heidi is. No hints, sorry.

As a note - I have terrible reception on my phone where I am staying. If you have tried to call and/or text I may not have received it. E-mail is better, although with milking goats and hauling hay I have not had time to respond to those either.

Have a great night everyone and talk with you soon!

Veggies day 4:
Squash
Beets
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Carrots - cooked
Onions
Also - Dill, Raspberries, Blueberries,

Grapes and Goats

It's day 2 at Kara Kahl farm and the grapes need some attention. Doug (the farmer), Julien (the French WWOOFer), and I worked on the vineyard today. Doug put up bird netting around the mature grape plants, I did some staking of the younger plants, and Julien burnt weeds away from a few rows of grape vines. Doug and I also worked on weeding around the base of the younger plants, hoping to help remove the grass and the competition for resources so the plants can get a good base before winter.

While Doug and I were weeding, he explained to me that there are Rattle Snake and poisonous spiders in this part of the Minnesota. Had they told me that before I came I might not have elected to come here. I have learned that I should be able to survive a Rattle Snake bite, if I am bit, but that people are rarely bit by the snakes. Since I had already been tromping around in high grass before he told me this there isn't anything I can do now. Just hope I don't scare one before I leave.

After lunch we visited the neighbors, the Kitchen's, who also take WWOOFers but don't have anyone now. The wife, Marge, loves to cook and can and dry foods and they have 4 freezers full of food in their house. When we were there she served us zucchini cake. Right now she has more zucchini than she knows what to do with. As I'm writing this I've decided I should keep a vegetable diary since I'm eating more vegetables than I ever remember eating in one day.

Veggies on Day 1:
Kale
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Broccoli

Veggies on Day 2:
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Beets
Swiss Chard
Carrots (cooked - I hate raw carrots)
Onions
Potatoes
Peas and Pea Pods

All of these veggies are fresh out of the garden every day. I can see why people do this whole farming thing.

Today I also tried a few varieties of grapes right off the vine and had some more fresh berries.

Mary (the other farmer) started making a batch of cheese this morning. Tomorrow they will put it in a cheese cloth and let it drain and by tomorrow night I think it will be done. I can't believe how easy she made it look (I'm guessing it helps when you have an unlimited supply of "free" milk).

I also got some more face time in with the goats today. I milked 5 goats and then sat with the littlest kid today for a bit.

Tomorrow is hay day. I need some rest and it's getting late. Since I'm now caught up on past neglected blogs I can put more effort into the day's blog moving forward.

Night!

Kid Rock at the Buffalo Chip

So I know I'm behind posting pictures from our last day in Sturgis, concluding with Kid Rock at the Buffalo Chip, so here goes now, about a week late.

The concert at the Buffalo Chip was really good. Kid Rock did his usual amazing show and it was recorded for a special on CMT that will air next week. Kid Rock's set started at 10:30 and within a few minutes of him getting on stage a thunderstorm rolled through lasting about 30 minutes. The lightening was fun to watch since we were in the country and you could see for miles. Also, the storm worked to our advantage because it cleared a lot of the people out.

Last time we saw Kid Rock in Sturgis we stood in the same spot for about 7 hours so we could be in the 10th row (all tickets are general admission). This year we didn't do that and thus were no where near the front. After the thunderstorm, however, we got about half way to the stage. Then, enters Bubba.

My father and I met Bubba just as the storm cleared. Bubba was a big, tall (maybe 6' 4" or taller) man. Although I can't be certain, my guess would put Bubba in his late forties, early fifties - he has a daughter in college. When we met Bubba he looked at me and said "Let's go to the front." I'm sure my reply was something like "There's no room" or "I don't want to be in people's way." Bubba replied with, "You're a girl, no one's going to say no to you." And with that, our journey to the front row began.

Bubba and I worked our way towards the stage (my father stayed back near the bar). I would "excuse" my way through the crowd and Bubba would follow, discouraging any contentious attitudes I may have otherwise encountered. By the time Kid Rock left the stage we were maybe 8 rows back. We could've gotten closer had it not been for all the motorcycles and lawn chairs that were around. (In 2010 they went through and cleared all bikes and chairs out hours before the concert started, something they obviously didn't do this year).

When Kid Rock finally left the stage everyone wanted an encore, as always, and those bikes that were so close to the stage were the perfect noise maker to encourage the Kid's return. Below is a video of the bikers revving their engines. WARNING: the video is really loud, do not play it in a quite place. In the video note the fence in front of the bikes - that's the stage. Also note how close people are to the burning hot pipes of the bikes, doesn't seem super safe especially since most people had been drinking heavily.

After it was clear Kid Rock was noting coming out to play any more, Bubba and I parted ways and my dad and I headed to the car. While waiting to leave the campground, we were sitting in a line of cars behind a pick-up with 8 guys in the bed. When it was clear traffic wasn't moving anywhere I put the car in park and stood half way out of my door to take a picture of the guys (had some camera trouble and it didn't turn out well). We started chatting but because my father was still in the car he couldn't easily hear what was being said. After a few minutes one of the guys turns to me and asks, "Is that your Grandma with you?" to which I replied, "No... that's my father..." I then had to repeat this question and answer portion to my father which was met with laughter, from all parties involved.

Later, as we were driving through town we were going along side the truck and the guy who had only minutes earlier referred to my father as an 80 yrs. old women now asked my father if he could marry me. Although my dad is a pretty easy going guy he was not about to let that happen. Although we'll never see them again, I'm sure that comment will not be soon forgotten.

Here's a few random photos:

As you drive into the Chip there is a large area with flags for veterans. It is a very patriotic place.

The Chip about 6:00, before everyone arrives. We are standing up on the deck of a bar in the back of the concert area. Towards the left of the photo you can see a structure which is another bar. Near that structure is where we met Bubba and where me and Bubba left my dad behind as we headed towards the front.

The Chip about 10:00 pm. The Doobie Brothers are on stage and the place is filling up in anticipation of the headliner, and my future husband, Kid Rock. 

A couple shots of Mr. Rock.

Thanks for all the great memories, Sturgis! See you again soon!

Day 1 at Kara Kahl Farm

So I just got to my first farm today. I was so nervous when I left the Twin Cities I almost didn't come. After my first afternoon, however, I couldn't be happier that I'm here!

In my first afternoon I saw so many animals including 7 dogs, 2 cats, at least 10 chickens (including a few roosters) and 1 peacock. For goats they have 3 full grown bucks, 7 baby bucks, 15 kids, and 15 female goats. All of their goats are dairy goats then include two varieties, French Alpine and Swiss Toggenburg. Already today I feed the goats both hay and a food mixture including corn, oats, and some other item. I also milked 4 goats which they told me was a record for a WWOOFers first day! Yay!!

In the garden I helped tend to the grape vines by removing grapes with black rot and pruning back dead branches. I also helped to remove weeds around the vines and will continue with this tomorrow. I think we will also be setting up bird netting on the vines tomorrow as well.

Monday we are going to go pick up 160 bales of hay and use the hay elevator up to the barn loft. I'm so excited for my real farming experiences!

At this farm they also have a good sized vegetable garden with broccoli, eggplant, kale, beets, squash, brussel sprouts, asparagus, garlic, cabbage, swiss chard, tomatoes, corn, and likely more things I am forgetting here. We also picked fresh raspberries and blueberries and ate them right off the vine!

I will try to take pictures tomorrow of some of this so you guys can see.

Also for tomorrow - we are making cheese in the morning and I will be having my first glass of goat milk!! I'll take a video of that.

Talk to you all soon!

Wildlife

Here are the animals we encountered in the Badlands. I'm not sure what they all are but most were nothing I'd seen before in MN. Amazing that we were only a few hundred miles away but in a totally different ecosystem!

Having a snack next to the road. Tasty! A biker told us this is some kind of sheep but we weren't sure what.

A great vantage point to watch your heard and keep an eye out for approaching predators. 

A nice walk at dusk.  I think this is a deer, or something like it.

The males taking a break.

Why not stop for a snack while standing on a steep cliff? The baby must be hungry to nurse there of all places. 

Cute as can be, right? Apparently prairie dogs in the Badlands have the plague!

On our drive past a cattle ranch we saw a bull that had escaped the fenced in area. Not an animal you'd want to loose. We didn't know who to report it to - hopefully a local drove by and let the farmer know.

The bull in the foreground was outside the property, next to the road. It's amazing it got out and clearly didn't know how to get back in. 

Buffalo in the Black Hills. We came across a heard as they were crossing the road. This is the one time on the trip I was very happy to be in a car and not on a motorcycle. Apparently buffalo can run up to 30 mph and obviously are strong enough to knock over a bike. Yikes!

Custer State Park and the Black Hills

We spent Sunday and Monday night in Spearfish, SD just north of the Black Hills. Here are a few photos from our drives through the various highways in and around this part of South Dakota:

A tunnel on Needles Highway in the Black Hills. It's amazing a car can even fit through there. When we first tried to enter Needles Highway it was closed due to a motorcycle crash but reopened only shortly there after. We saw the bikes  that had been in the crash but they didn't look like they were in too bad of shape. Hopefully no one was badly injured.

Bridal Veil Falls in the Spearfish Canyon area of the Black Hills.

What a drive for a motorcycle!

Roughlock Falls in Spearfish Canyon.

I'm not sure the picture does this justice but this river could've come straight out of a Lord of the Rings movie.  I was just waiting for a hobbit to walk by.

The Badlands

So I finally figured out how to get my photos off my camera and onto my Mac so I can now show you a bit of my trip to South Dakota and the Sturgis Rally.

The first two nights in SD, Friday and Saturday, we stayed at the Circle View Guest Ranch. I would highly recommend staying there if you want to see the Badlands. The rooms are clean and the breakfast is great. You really feel a part of the host's family when you are there and the hosts take great care to learn about all their guests. At the ranch they had free range chickens, a goat, and two donkeys. This was a perfect introduction to farm animals and I learned just how friendly goats can be!

Each morning the bed and breakfast would serve eggs form their our chickens. I have never seen scrambled eggs as yellow as the ones I ate here - apparently due to their free-range diet.

Although the goat doesn't look too friendly here he did seem to thoroughly enjoy being around humans. He did chew on everything he could get into his mouth, including the shirt I'm wearing here.

Chewy seemed to enjoy licking my dad. Unfortunately my dad didn't find that experience as enjoyable as Chewy did.

 A couple photos from the Badlands. Although it looks arid, this part of the state had clearly gotten much more rain this summer than the last time we were in SD in 2010.

Sunset in the Badlands.

Inside a small cave formed from run-off water.

When we finally decided to leave the Badlands for the Black Hills we took the scenic route. What we thought would be a nice, but still relatively short, scenic drive through the southern part of the park turned into a 4 hour drive along dirt roads through Pine Ridge just to get to the edge of the Black Hills. The drive was beautiful but much longer than expected. In the end it took us about 8 hours of driving to get from Interior, SD to Spearfish, SD a distance of only 123 miles. The experience was great, but not one that I would repeat. Here's some of what we encountered in the first few hours of the drive:

Shepherd Mountain Table overlook in the southern Badlands. A must-see off the beaten path experience. When you're up there you can see miles in each direction - likely 30 - but can't really tell how high up you are as there is nothing you can use as reference point - no houses, cars, people, cattle. 

Off the side of the road to Shepherd Mountain Table.

Entering Pine Ridge.

A small, possibly abandoned church in Pine Ridge.

A sunflower farm. This is the second time in my life I've come across sunflower farms and I haven't ever seen something more beautiful. There were sunflowers as far as the eye could see. In my opinion there wouldn't be a better farm to live on. 

Driving over a river on HWY 2 west of Pine Ridge on our way to the Black Hills. 

The Road to Sturgis

After a full day of driving we made it to the Badlands. We are staying at a nice little B&B, Circle View Guest Ranch, outside Interior, SD. We got out this way about 6pm and then took a nice ride through the Badlans at dusk. We saw wild turkeys, something with horns - maybe antelope?, and something that looked like a deer. I have pictures but can't figure out how to get them off of my camera and onto my new computer. Once I figure that out I'll post some photos of the animals so you can see.

Tomorrow I'm sure we will take a longer drive through the Badlands and maybe go for a short hike. They are offering astronomy classes in the park tomorrow night which I think we'll take part in. I'll try to take more photos tomorrow and post those if possible as well.

Today I found out that there will be a second WWOOFer at the farm I'm going to outside La Crosse, a young man from France. I'm excited to make a new friend and have a contact in France in case I make it there during my world tour.

Okay, off to bed. Night!

After India...

So yesterday I met with Pankti, my friend who I'll be traveling India with, and we have adjusted our plan a bit. Originally we were going to go to India in the beginning of February but we've both had a change in timing. Pankti will be heading to India in mid-January and because of the cafe job I've landed in New Zealand I likely won't be joining her until the end of February or the beginning of March. We will then spend a couple of months in India and then head to Southeast Asis - likely Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia, in that order. Pankti has to be in Hawaii by mid July so we will be parting ways then. She'll be heading back to the States and I might jump over to Eastern Europe. Who knows how things will actually unfold but that's the tentative plan. I'll keep you posted.

In other news, I'm off to Sturgis tomorrow. We are leaving early, maybe 9:30am so we should be able to make it all the way West tomorrow and then we'll have a full day Saturday in the Badlands. We will likely be visiting the Badlands, the Black Hills, and Devil's Tower while we're out there. And of course, the Kid Rock concert on Monday night! I'll keep you posted of how it all unfolds. Oh and today I was at a garage sale and found a Harley blanket. I had to pick it up, who knows where we'll need to sit down on this trip and why not you a very situation appropriate blanket to rest on!

That's all for today. As always, if you have friends/family around the world that would like to meet an American, let me know. I always enjoy meeting people and would be very happy to have a few connections as I travel.