Eco-Road Trip – Occidental Arts & Ecology Center

Occidental Arts & Ecology Center (OAEC) – Summary:

  • Who: N/A
  • What: Visited OAEC, worked in the plant nursery and ate with the volunteers
  • When: Wednesday, March 28
  • Where: Occidental, CA

Quick Resources:

My Route:

Planning my Eco-Inspired Road Trip Blog Post

 

My Travel Story:

My day started off by heading over to the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center (OAEC), an 80-acre research, demonstration, education, advocacy and community-organizing center in West Sonoma County, California that develops strategies for regional-scale community resilience and the restoration of biological and cultural diversity.

I managed to schedule my visit on one of OAEC’s work volunteer days, which is how I got to visit OAEC for free – by helping label plants in the nursery for an upcoming sale to the public.

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Eco-Road Trip – Russian House #1

Russian House #1 – Summary:

  • Who: Bruce Schmidt; Tatiana Urusova
  • What: Drove to the coast and stopped at tourist shops; Visited the Russian House #1
  • When: Wednesday, March 28
  • Where: Jenner, CA

Quick Resources:

My Route:

Planning my Eco-Inspired Road Trip Blog Post

 

My Travel Story:

After leaving FrogSong Cohousing Community in Cotati, CA, I drove back to the Pacific coastline, leisurely taking my time because my hostess for Russian House # 1, Tatiana Urusova, wouldn’t be back until later that night to show me around.

“Russian house#1 is a restaurant with healthy Russian fusion food. It’s a cultural center and PostNonClassical Science Center, built for human development.” — RH#1 Facebook Page

 

So I piddled around on my drive and stopped at Harbor View Gifts & Goodies, where there was a nearby saltwater taffy shop and a view of the bay where I took pictures.

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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.

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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.

 

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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.

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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!)

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