It has really been a crazy year on the farm. Lots of ups and downs but mostly lots of work. I wanted the family to get out and camp this year, but spring chores can be up to 8 hours a day. It just isn't feasible to leave under those conditions, especially when most of the chores revolve around caring for vulnerable, young animals. It's so easy to miss when they start heading down hill! It's just not responsible to leave them in someone else's care for more than a day, unless one is lucky enough to have an experienced animal care giver.
So we worked hard this year but didn't really get a chance to build any good memories as a family. Lucky for us, the campgrounds clear out in the fall. Since we homeschool year-round, we have a lot of flexibility when it comes to school vacations. So, we booked a family getaway with Homegrown Hideaways! We rented the teepee for one-night, late fall, with the plan to hike Anglin Falls the next day.
Let me tell you about the glories of Homegrown Hideaways! It's owned by a family, just like us! It's situated on a small farm in the back country of Berea, Kentucky. If you love alternative buildings, this place has all kinds....treehouses, yurts, strawbale experimental, and simple wood shacks. LOL, and of course the tee pee! They have some outhouses, but also toilets with running water and showers. There is a community building where you can cook and eat if you are too tired to cook over an open fire, or if you need a place to escape the mosquitos in July!
Our children were so excited to try out the tee pee! When we arrived, we set to work finding downed wood and building a fire. The tee pee easily holds 10 people. It has a gravel floor but there is a vinyl mat that fits most sleeping bags. I would recommend a few more mats if you are bringing more than 4 children. 
Anyway, with a fire under way we cooked frozen pizza, chicken soup, and sausage over the open fire. Solar string lights come on at around 7/7:30 and give light inside until 9. We had a glorious time! The children declared the fire cooked pizza the best they had ever eaten.
The next day we made our way to Anglin Falls. The owners of Homegrown Hideaways highly recommended it and it did not disappoint. It was the perfect hike for a family with so many skill levels. The toddlers were able to transverse the entire hike without being carried, while the big boys moved ahead with walkie talkies.
The falls were not running due to this year's low rainfall, but the rocks at the end are just perfect. Not too dangerous for rambunctious boys, but enough adventure to get them excited about the outdoors. We climbed around and enjoyed the view for a bit and still made it back to the car without carrying toddlers, for the most part. The weather was beautiful, and it wasn't too busy. My kind of nature experience!
Then we headed home! For a family of our size, it was a fast and cheap getaway. I think we spent around $150 for the food we cooked, lodging, and gas. The best part was we didn't have to put up a tent and take it down and lug it around. I love tent camping, don't get me wrong! But for a one-night stay, it just takes too much time to set up and take down, pack and unpack. I think we could have saved $40 bucks if we had brought it, instead of staying in the teepee, but I think the tradeoff was worth it.
And hooray for time off with the family! Time is so short! While we get a lot of time together on the farm, its these little memories that give us a break and allow us to reframe, rethink, and redream about what life can be together. :-)
