Making Friends With Goats on Our Farm Stay in Ashland
Syd’s Story... For Kids!
“One of the stops on our summer road trip was a farm in Ashland. The farmers, Lanita, Amber, and Suzanne, showed us around the farmhouse we were staying in. In the morning, we would make pancakes from the fresh food they gave us. I loved doing chores on the farm. We also met a dog named Izzy. We loved to play fetch with her. My mom made a fire in our farmhouse fireplace and we roasted marshmallows. I also got to feed a baby goat named Judge Judy.”
Mom’s Notes and Practical Tips
...a #laterblog by Mom
Flipping through a magazine while the kids were at the dentist one morning, I came upon a feature about farm stays. To put it mildly, I was intrigued. By any measure, it would be fair to label me a lifelong "city dweller," though "suburbia" is probably a more accurate description of where I've spent the great majority of my 41 years.
After reading about a variety of farms that offer stays on their properties, I left the dentist's office with my interest piqued and began researching farms in both Northern California and Southern Oregon. I limited my search to this area because I was already in the midst of planning an epic two-week road trip that summer during which the kids and I would visit three separate national parks.
Ashland, Oregon was a stop I had already planned to make between our visits to Redwood National Park and Crater Lake. As it turned out, there was a ranch just outside of downtown Ashland that was the perfect fit for me and the kids.
That June, as we pulled into Willow-Witt Ranch, we were greeted by Izzy, the hardest working employee on the farm, who also happened to be a dog. Izzy quickly demanded a game of fetch with Sydney and Brevin, her willing playmates. Meanwhile, I poked my head into the main house to get us checked in.
A welcoming committee of one, Izzy had us smiling from the moment we stepped foot on the farm.
The ranch offers options for camping as well as stays in their cozy Farmhouse Studio or their larger, more secluded, Meadow House. For the three of us, the Farmhouse Studio was perfect. Situated in the heart of the farm, it had a small kitchen, two queen beds in a loft that overlooked the property, a full bath, a woodburning fireplace, and a sleeper sofa downstairs.
In the welcome binder that we were provided, I read that the farm is organic, off-grid, and powered by solar and micro-hydro power. Their goal is to use, reuse and recycle everything on the farm. As we learned throughout our visit, Willow-Witt Ranch is truly a model of sustainable integration of farm, forest and wetland management.
At check-in, we were told that farm chores would begin each day at 4:00 p.m. The kids were eager to join in. Their first task was to head into the chicken coop to collect any eggs that had been laid that day. After gathering the eggs, they were instructed on how to delicately clean them and place them in cartons for sale at the Ashland Farmers Market.
Next, we wandered out into the pasture and guided a herd of grazing adult goats back inside their barn. This was easier said than done as a few of them weren't particularly interested in staying on the path! After we ushered them into the barn, the kids delighted in tossing bales of hay down through the trap door to the hungry goats waiting below.
It was then time for the (human) kids to round up the (goat) kids and shepherd them in for their dinner of fresh goat's milk, produced by their mamas. The little ones were a handful and reminded us of puppies as they playfully jumped on us, ignored our commands, and shoved each other aside in their quest to consume every last drop of the milk we had brought with us. Syd took a liking to one particular goat named "Judge Judy," the smallest in the herd, and took it upon herself to bottle feed her so that she got enough to eat.
With the animals fed and housed, it was time for us to enjoy dinner in the farmhouse. We selected some basic ingredients from the farm store, which operates on an honor system, and headed back to our studio for dinner. It was such a simple pleasure to enjoy eggs, cheese, and goat's milk that had been produced in a responsible and humane way just steps from our dinner table that night.
It doesn't get much more organic than this!
We went to bed as the sun set on the farm, already aware that we were experiencing something so unique and extraordinary that we would never forget it.
You will think I'm joking when I say this, but we awoke the next morning to the rooster crowing! What could be more quintessentially "farm" than that? I made coffee for myself and breakfast for the kids and then it was time for the morning chores. This time, I let the kids head out with the farm staff on their own as I recognized an opportunity for them to grow their confidence and enjoy some independence. Plus, I could read my book in the sunlight while intermittently spying on them from my perch in the loft! Another unique quality of the farm, which I personally appreciated, is that both of the owners, Suzanne and Lanita, and most of the farm hands at Willow-Witt Ranch are women. All of them were wonderful role models for the kids, especially Syd, a girl who also loves to work hard and get her hands dirty!
With our chores completed, we made our way into downtown Ashland that afternoon to do some laundry and scope out the town. We had plans to spend two nights at the Ashland Creek Inn after we left our newfound friends at the farm.
Helping out around the ranch never lost its appeal for the kids and, with each round of chores they completed, I could see that they both felt more capable and comfortable. We could have easily stayed longer, but two nights were all we had time to squeeze in this time around.
Venturing outside of our comfort zone and down the dirt road to our farm stay was nothing short of transformative for both me and the kids. It was a completely novel experience that expanded our horizons in more ways than we could count. If you are considering a farm stay for your family, I urge you to do it. We had an amazing time and, even a year later, the kids still often speak of the vivid and fond memories they made during our time at Willow-Witt Ranch.
Want more? Read the Full Itinerary Here:
Our summer road trip, which included visits to three separate national parks, was full of breathtaking sights and adventures that took us out of our comfort zone. We expanded our horizons and gained a new appreciation for the natural wonders that exist close to home.