Off-grid living at our mountain ranch in southeast Tennessee, USA

Details

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  Description

  Our 50 acre, rustic ranch rests around 2,000 feet atop the pine, oak and maple covered, Mowbray Mountain, 45 minutes north of Chattanooga in Dunlap, Tennessee. The ranch is part of a local greenbelt, that prohibits clear cutting. A 2,000 acre, public land trust sits behind us, gifting us a vast expanse of uninhabited wilderness out our backdoor. We’re located near the sacred Cherokee Trail of Tears and Cumberland Trail, while 20 minutes away from a rural, country town. Our home runs off-grid relying on solar panel power and a well. The sun is our electric company and the aquifer our water company. Vegetable, herb and flower gardens accent the house, with the property showcasing humble waterfalls, a large pond with fish, creeks and even remnants of a moonshine still. Our labor of love tasks us with caring for our dear animal family. We have 2 horses, 1 pony, a mule, 2 donkeys and a rescued cow. In addition we have 5 cats and 2 dogs, not to mention a flock of chickens, some guinea fowl and a quail. Local flora and fauna flourish here. We live in a wild, edible mushroom utopia and often gather Chantrelles, chicken of the woods and other species right from our backyard to eat that day. We get regular visits from deer and turkeys, while hearing owls and coyotes at night, with the rare bear sighting now and then.
  
  Our homestead features its own well, garage, storage building, geodesic dome, while the main residence was built from trees on the property. We love living here. It’s lots of hard work, and a beautiful way to live in community. My husband Bill works full-time remotely, while I handle most of the day to day ranch duties.
  
  We embrace nurturing the land and a connection with nature and one another. Our home provides a swell setting for creatives, writers, painters, musicians and artists of all kinds. When we live our art, we become life artists. We enjoy yoga, mediation, spirituality, live music, campfires, philosophy, cultural exchange & interchange, cooking, eating, the occasional nip and having fun. We encourage co-creating and discovering sustainable, alternative building projects and ideas! We appreciate all input. We welcome people regardless of race, class, ethnicity, nationality, political or sexual identity. The wide ranging diversity of people who pass through the ranch, humbles us in realizing that we’re all humans, and all connected. Workaway helps us realize how much more we have in common than not. If you love the outdoors, animals, meeting new people from around the world, and southern culture, you’ll have an amazing time here.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Anyone interested in off-grid living, forest dwelling, permaculture, farm animal lovers and outdoor, nature lovers will learn tons here. If you wish to be entwined with nature, look no further. The closest city is Chattanooga which is famous for its outdoor activities (rock climbing, hiking, kayaking, paragliding, waterfalls, streams, lakes, fishing, etc.) it is a college town with great pubs and cafes.
  
  When we can, we love to go horseback riding and we can teach you how to ride. Additionally, we have a crew of local friends who can share all their love and wisdom of the surrounding vicinity, people and culture with you and teach you more about horses, moonshine, and the weirdest toothpicks you’ve ever heard of in your life among many other things.
  
  If you’re into southern culture and history, and especially country music, you’ll find yourself in paradise here. We often go to a local community center for a southern comfort food buffet and live bluegrass music. Once in a while, we also take a field trip to a nearby Mennonite community to stock up on provisions while watching horse drawn buggies breeze by. This is the United States tourists never see, only travelers do.
  
  We’re close to a lot of Civil War battlefields and historic sights. We’re only 2 miles from Paradise Falls (known as Furnace Rock by locals) recounted as a clandestine Confederate bullet production location by locals.
  
  There’s also a great farmers market in Chattanooga that we visit on Sundays, April to December. Every vendor is required to make or produce their wares in their house and by hand, so the market breeds originality, creativity and artistry without the tacky plastic vibe of tourist traps.
  
  Sherri’s son Taylor has his own business (unaffiliated with the ranch) and operates a booth at the Chattanooga farmer’s market. He sells floral artwork and exotic plants. Taylor is a great way to meet and greet local vendors and get a feel for Chattanooga’s artsy, crafty and eclectic vibe.
  
  Lastly, we never know who’s coming to visit us next, or where they’re from. We’ve hosted people from all around the world here in a short period of time, which offers a unique and diverse cross-cultural millieu that provides endless learning, wisdom, insight and laughs. So you may be enjoying your stay with foreigners you never imagined becoming friends with.

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  Help

  Above all, we need:
  
  Handymen & women
  People skilled in trades
  Builders
  
  We also have a keen interest in hosting some painters/muralists. We’d love to add more artistic flair to the ranch. Artistic inspiration and creativity is encouraged here.
  
  We also need help with the care of our horses, donkeys and cow. Organic gardening help for our blueberries, vegetables, and herbs. We need assistance land clearing, forest and rock harvesting for our own building projects, and general farm chores.
  
  We’re seeking fun, motivated, positive, caring, and open minded helpers, willing to learn new skills and share their knowledge too! We are happy to host responsible, honest, hard-working and adventure loving people.
  
  We’ve learned some things in our time here at the mountaintop ranch retreat. The ranch challenges you to become what you’re not, by “putting the nettle to the mettle.” That is to say, a person’s ability to respond to adversity in a playful and spirited way, will help them maximize their experience here and succeed. The ranch obliges some to leave the city and escape to the rural, to go from clean to dirty, etc. In light of this, we disregard gendered job roles. We totally love Mr. Moms and Rosie the Riveters. Men here cook and clean, while women split logs and throw hay bales. If you’re open to becoming a different person during your stay, we’ll love you.
  
  
  Off-grid living requires mental fortitude, responsibility, teamwork, accountability, courage, being teachable/trainable and above all, resilience. If you possess these traits, consider yourself invited.
  
  We maintain a robust balance between work and play. If we make play work, and work play, then we live in paradise because we can’t decipher between the two. We ask in return to please contribute more than you consume. Being off-grid, our resources (power & water) aren’t infinite. We generally don’t conform to urban protocols when it comes to power & water usage, as well as hygiene at times. If you’re the type of person who has to shower daily, leaves the water running while brushing teeth, or can’t turn a shower off while lathering, or can’t use an outhouse, you’ll be an awkward fit here.
  
  NOTE: We do not take guests traveling with dogs. Sorry. We love all our doggos to death, however, too many times, visiting dogs have attacked our chickens and guineas. We’ve lost a handful of our feathered friends already, and can’t lose anymore.
  
  We would prefer a 1week to six week stay. Due to training, needs of the farm, and gaining a general sense of how things flow here, a guest needs 10 to 14 days to get up to speed. The key is having at least 8 days of work here, not including weekends, to find the rhythm.
  
  If you are just passing thru, vans and motorhomes are welcome.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Spanish: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  Bill speaks a bit of Spanish, and would love to learn more!
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  Accommodation

  We are offer an upstairs, shared, mixed sex bunk room and bathroom in the central house. Living in close quarters means minimal privacy. We also have an outhouse.
  
  We have no HVAC here, so please don't expect air conditioning or heat, although our wood burning stove may have you sweating.
  
  We’ve hosted people who come and stay in their van, camper, tent or whatever. If we looked booked up, but you have your own accommodation, please hit us up. You’ll likely be able to come for a visit with no worries.
  
  All meals will be covered, super nutritious delicious food guaranteed. We are foodies! Despite living off-grid on a mountain, we eat like a Michelin starred restaurant. There will be no rice and beans here 3x/day. You won’t even have to buy your own protein. The quality of the food is a bit of a trick, because you want to work more to burn off excess calories. ;)
  
  Breakfast is usually on your own (sometimes we cook), lunch is cooked half of the time (the other half is sandwiches or leftovers) and dinner is almost always cooked. Sometimes we go out for dinner, like the bluegrass buffet. We enjoy reaping what we’ve sown, as we eat plenty of fresh, seasonal veggies from our garden. Pioneer woman, frontiersman and chuck wagon diets work well here to stay ranch strong.
  
  You'll have access to all the 50 acres to explore as you wish. You’re free to ride our horses, make use of the Honda 4 wheeler, paddle board, fish in the pond, hike the trails or take a nap in the hammock on the catio. The ranch also has fire pits, an outdoor shower and deck for you to enjoy the beautiful views, the sounds of nature, the stars, either alone or with friends.
  
  There is also lots to see and explore in the city of Chattanooga. The outdoorsman’s dream means beautiful hiking, swimming, kayaking, rock climbing fishing, etc. The city also boasts pubs, cafes and shopping.
  We often can give rides to town and plan excursions. We know an excellent Mexican grocery store in Chattanooga that makes the best salsa this side of the Rio Grande.

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  What else ...

  Rock City is close, as well as Paradise Falls. Paradise Falls has a giant cave and swimming hole only 2 miles away, which makes for a beautiful hike. Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain, and Raccoon Mountain are all within a 1 hour drive. There are plenty of caves around here if you’re into spelunking.
  
  Chattanooga is 40 minutes away. A progressive fun to explore college town with an aquarium, restaurants and museums . We are happy to give rides to town when we go. We want to make sure you have fun, and free time to explore and adventurize on your own.
  
  Please bring clothes that can get dirty, that are seasonally appropriate. It can get very hot and humid here as well as cold.
  
  Basic outdoor gear is helpful, like headlamps, flashlights, pocket knives, water bottle, etc.
  
  The ranch does wonders for sleeping and biorhythms. Most people sleep well here and often find themselves retiring at an earlier hour.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We have great high speed internet. This is our only connection to the grid. My husband Willard works from our home online. You are welcome to work in the living room, upstairs, or weather permitting, on our large porches.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have plenty of room for your camper/van .

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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