I have been begging my handsome hubby for a beach trip since before COVID. (Does anyone remember life pre-COVID?? The simplicity of travel, sight-seeing, eating out, etc…) But between the outside world going bonkers, a move to the country, working to start a homestead almost from scratch (we had a dilapidated chicken coop on the property,) and my hubby’s new job with lots of travel we never made it on that beach trip in the late summer of 2020.
Fast forward with me to the spring of 2022….. My handsome hubby shared some amazing news that he would be heading south and working at an airport that was right NEXT TO A BEACH!!!! Even the thought of driving almost 11 hours just a year prior would have been cause for a panic attack, but after much work on my diet and lifestyle, I could wrap my brain around this necessary drive to the beach! (Did I mention, the beach??)
Preparations for Travel
Leaving an sorta- homestead isn’t really easy, even when it isn’t full of large livestock or acres of farmland. It requires an ample amount of extra preparations that we’ve never dealt with while living in town. Let’s talk a bit about what needs to happen in order to leave a farm (on top of the obvious of personal packing!)
- Animals- First up, the animals we have like eating each day (don’t we all?!) This has to be addressed, either with auto-feeders or a human to do the work. We opted to do both, in hopes that this first trip away would be successful. We hired a teen to come over every other day, to fill the feeders, visit with the animals that prefer human interaction (Hello, Nala!) and inspect fencing of said animal who enjoys human interaction enough to escape more frequently than most goats.
Now, maybe this is another obvious thing, but the animals had to be a certain age before we could leave them for a short trip. We have acquired several dogs over the first few years of our homestead life, and they are finally big enough not to need round the clock visualization. (Or, so we hoped.) - Food- Making sure all that extra food is purchased and ready for the animals & their auto-feeders requires a trip to the feed store. I also like to get extra treats or bones to occupy the animals days without their favorite humans.
- Shelter- In the weeks leading up to the trip, we needed to address a few major areas of concern pertaining to animal housing. First up, the dogs were steadily escaping (well, one in particular. See #1) so we knew their fenced in space needed to be secured. This meant several afternoons walking fence lines, finding the holes and filling them with heavy materials, like large rocks, bricks or tree trunks. The dogs area also needed shading since the trees hadn’t fully grown in yet; and they needed rain protection. A make-shift “tent” was set-up in a sturdy but temporary fashion to tide them over for the short trip. With the dogs often escaping, we were also having problems losing the other animals we have around the property. Chickens and kittens were often hunted down and eaten in a quick bite. The chickens were moved into contained chicken tractors, and the kittens were moved into the original chicken coop. Every animal was in an isolated space within the exterior fencing, for super protection!
- Garden- Our growing season here in central Oklahoma is well over half the year, maybe closer to two-thirds of the year. This means plants are almost always in the ground or in seed-starting trays. The smaller the plant, the more attention is requires. Seedlings need a steady supply of the right amount of water and light for at least half of the day. And once the seedlings reach a certain size they need to be hardened off and transplanted to bigger pastures (or garden beds!)
So, as soon as we got the dates for the trip I began a mad dash for calculations of the seedlings growing, if I could start any new ones, getting certain things transplanted before the trip, etc.. Thankfully, with a growing tray that stores extra water and a grow light with an auto timer, a short trip is possible during the spring planting season. - House- This particular step has nothing to do with a homestead, but it is still a vital part of my personal travel preparations. Knowing that I will return home in several days, exhausted from a busy time of travel and adventure, with a mountain of laundry, I love to spend a day cleaning the entire house. From clean sheets, to a spot-free bathroom, I want it all done so when I open the front door, I am welcomed by a lovely space.
- Personal Packing- Food and clothing are huge parts of this step, and again has little to do with a homestead and much more to do with a regular part of travel. Not only do I bring snacks/food for the drive, I like to have as much available for us during our hotel stay. For our beach trip, this meant lunch foods for every day, since being so close to the coast meant fresh seafood for dinner!! (Even as much as I love preparing meals and saving money, nothing comes close to eating seafood at the beach!!! I grew up on the coast, and living in a land-locked state means I do not get enough fresh seafood in my diet!!)
A Video From our Trip
