#wwoofthereitis

Please excuse our lateness, but once we began experimenting withnovel s’mores combinations last night, we simply couldn’t leave the fire to write a blog post.

That being said, yesterday’s activities were a bit different from those we have been doing. It was our day off, so after our delicious fruit-packed oatmeal we piled into Fran with a list of Kevin-and-Barb-approved caves and coffee shops to explore in nearby Ohio. Though it took about five tries to successfully maneuver Fran out of the driveway and we drove in the wrong direction for a few miles, we eventually got it right! We jammed to throwbacks and enjoyed views of farms on farms before making our fourth (but who was counting?) bathroom break at a local donut shop.

Fifteen minutes later we arrived at our first stop- Old Man’s Cave. It was a steep icy trek down, and some of us didn’t make it down without falling (Moriah). Harsh and Preston found great entertainment in quoting Donkey from Shrek as we explored the “NIIIICE boulders,” ice-covered bridges, stone steps, and breath-taking waterfalls. We were about to head out when we realized Megan was on the lamb, but after some search-and-rescue we found her sun-bathing in the cave’s corner. After exploring the icy landscape, we returned to trusty Fran and headed to Ash Cave. The views were equally as beautiful and we were able to get in some amateur rock climbing in as well (much to the dismay of the park rangers). We eventually ventured down to the stunning waterfall and took some quality group pictures, thanks to some friendly photographers nearby.

By this time in the day however, we realized that Moriah was running on low and was in desperate need of some coffee. We all loaded back into Fran and drove for over an hour to the hip city of Athens, OH. Upon arriving in Athens we headed to the delicious and locally famous Whit’s for some much needed caffeine, and more importantly, custard.  We spent the rest of our afternoon leisurely wandering, and eventually settled on dinner at Restaurant Salaam. After getting Moriah more coffee again (she has a serious addiction), we headed home to Kevin and Barb.

As we pulled into the now familiar driveway of Hurricane Run Farm, we were greeted by the warm sight of a massive bonfire. For the entire week, we had compiled any lose sticks or branches from pruning into a gigantic collection. Each day as the pile grew larger, our anticipation grew with it. Thus, we were thrilled to see our pile aflame when we rolled in. For the next hour or so, we fed the fire with sticks and toasted some marshmallows for s’mores. Lauren had the innovative idea to forgo the graham crackers for thin mints. Her reasoning for doing so: “at worst, it will still be pretty good.” After the fire settled down, we came back inside and let Moriah boss us around while we played Taboo. She was sneaky and played on both teams, so she could claim that she won no matter what. Well played Moriah, well played.  

Good news! The sun came out today!  After another enjoyable brunch prepared by Barb, we split up to conquer this morning’s duties. Beth and Moriah ventured off alone with four cans of spray paint to remark the tapped maple trees based on Kevin’s alphabetical/numerical labeling system. It was a fun hike, especially after Beth saved Moriah’s life (there was a river, ravine, and a fallen tree involved; the water tried to take her as one of its own again). Luckily, they arrived back safely. Meanwhile, Lauren and Megan assisted Ali in constructing wooden raised beds to later plant crops in. They hammered to the beat of 90’s tunes, and even though many nail casualties occurred, no fingers were lost. While all of this was happening, Preston and Harsh continued the strenuous job of pruning. They braved thorns and tall branches, but we can finally say that we can throw a cat through the apple trees.

We took a well-deserved break around 1 pm to enjoy some homemade hummus (by Barb) and some warm porch sunshine. Kevin’s dad Earl Dean stopped by, so we were able to meet yet another incredible Bradbury. He told us stories about his days in the Air Force when he was stationed in Panama, and other stories about the trips he and his wife have made over the years.

In the afternoon, we all switched up jobs. Megan stayed inside and Ali shared the mouthwatering bread recipe with her. They made a double batch in preparation for our excursion tomorrow (it’s a good thing, too, because we devoured an entire loaf not even an hour later). Everyone else put on their boots and headed out to the side yard to gather sticks (and small dead trees) for the lettuce bonfire planned for tomorrow night. There was lots of sawing, dragging, and throwing of sticks. We were also treated to a ride in Kevin’s truck down to the end of the windy driveway to get even thicker branches. Lettuce beds, prepare to be burned!

We took another quick break (during which the bread loaf magically disappeared along with the remnants of two jars of jelly). Moriah and Lauren started on another traditional Egyptian dinner while everyone else ventured out to fill up the bed of the truck with sticks once more. They also emptied two large sap barrels to be brought over to Ronnie’s. We then had another delicious traditional Egyptian meal courtesy of Moriah. While we waited for dinner, we discovered a side of Preston we wish we never had: apparently he doesn’t mess around when it comes to Catchphrase. We plan to end the night learning to make jam and if time allows, another round of Cards Against Humanity (maybe Harsh will stay up past 8 pm this time and be able to participate).

Six adventurous Wake Forest students decided to spend their spring break on a WWOOFing farm. What the heck is that you ask? WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities for Organic Farming. It is an international network of small farms focusing on sustainable and organic methods of agriculture. Our WWOOFing farm is called Hurricane Run Farm maintained by Kevin and Barb Bradbury (who we will hence forward refer to as our fearless leaders), a lovely couple who specialize in maple syrup, vegetables, fruits, bread, and granola. We were able to sample some of these tasty foods on our first day, but we had to get there first...

Spring forward? Whose got time for that? Not some of our WABbies (Moriah). After sleeping through six alarms (Moriah), we finally began our WWOOFin' journey to Otway, Ohio. We couldn't leave without our leader extraordinaire (Moriah), so we were glad she finally decided to wake up. 

We started our vantastic trip (this group is big on puns), by getting some much needed caffeine from Krankies (can I get a "Miel"???). Good vibes and kickin' music filled the beautiful machine we call Fran the Van. While some might be intimidated by a seven hour drive, this group knew that in a van named Fran, nothing could go wrong. We showed our appreciation for all things van by asking some local West Virginians on the side of the road to assist us in a van photo shoot (see below). It's one thing to be in the van, but it's another thing to be on top! All in all, the seven our drive was a piece of (organic) cake compared to locating the farm. With the lack of GPS and the help of some friendly Ohioans, it only took us two trips around the mountain and a seemingly endless drive up a half-mile driveway to make it to our home for the next week.

We were greeted by Barb outside of their beautiful home and immediately knew this was going to be one WWOOFin good week. She gave us a tour of their house and the barn that Kevin built by hand, where we also be sleeping this week. After letting us get settled, we ate the vegetarian chili and rice that she had prepared for us. To accompany this delicious meal, Kevin gave us a cool glass of sap? Apparently sap is a non-sticky clear substance that comes from the sugar maple trees in Kevin and Barb’s front yard, and you can drink it. We were surprised that it is actually quite refreshing, with a taste like a slightly sweetened water. We never thought we would find ourselves at a dinner table asking if someone could pass the sap, please. Oh yeah, and there were homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies on the table to finish off our dinner. Since we arrived in the evening (thanks Moriah), there wasn’t much work for us to do around the farm. Instead, we spent our time chatting with our fearless leaders about everything from their accomplished children to how you make maple syrup. Then, we took advantage of the recent snowfall and the great hills surrounding the farm by sledding down the mountainside to finish off our day.

On our schedule for tomorrow is maple syrup evaporating. We’ve been told the aroma is amazing and we can’t wait to let you know how it goes.

Geez, I'm such a tease...this must be taking forever. Believe me, it's better than reading it all at once ;)