Profile information
Host rating
80 %
Last replied
26 Feb 2026
Reply rate
75.0 %
Usually responds within 13 days
Feedback
45
ID verified
Email verified
Badges (5)
Details
Description
Hello and welcome to our Workaway page! We are a family of four building our Earthship Hempcrete Homestead in the Arkansas River Valley, situated in the small town of Howard, Colorado. Our 40 acre property is at an elevation of 6800'-7200 feet where the weather is nice, the air is clean, and the scenery is breathtaking. We're so lucky to live here and we're excited to share it with you!
We're located 15 miles southeast of the super cool and hip town of Salida, CO. There you will find restaurants, shops, craft breweries, river walks, climbing walls, bike trails, and of course the Arkansas River! You can rent paddle boards, kayaks, rafts, and boogy boards to surf the river. Dry off and get a burger or tacos and house made chips at the Boathouse Cantina overlooking the River or you can't go wrong with a pizza from Amicas or Moonlight!
*No Pets*
We have a "Karakachan" Livestock Guard Dog who takes his job seriously and we dont want to add to his workload.
*PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION IS REQUIRED*
We can only host you if you have a vehicle. We're too far from town to take on the responsibility of travelers without transportation.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
House & pet sitting
Interests
Sustainability
Outdoor activities
Farming
Culture
Plant care
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Books
Animals
Beach
Cycling
Fitness
Yoga / Wellness
Winter sports
Water sports
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
If you are looking to make plans for Spring, Summer, or Fall 2026, please reach out and let me know. This is a great area for fishing, hiking, backpacking, camping, mountain biking, 4-wheeling, rafting, and kayaking. We're engulfed by the Colorado Culture here and we love it!
What's an Earthship? A passive solar, thermal mass home that is made of both natural and recycled materials (primarily earth-packed tires), designed by a revolutionary architect named Michael Reynold and there is an entire community in Taos, New Mexico. But no one has incorporated Hempcrete yet. So come see the worlds first Earthship Hempcrete hybrid home! Hempcrete is carbon negative, antimicrobial, and fireproof, just to name a few. It is the most amazing building material and Ive been dreaming about building with Hempcrete since 2010.
This is a great opportunity for individuals, couples, or families interested in pursuing a more self-sustaining lifestyle or anyone interested in alternative building techniques that can improve how homes are built and the impact they have on our environment. We hope this experience will inspire you and give you the skills you need to build your own self-sustaining home in the future!
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
-General Homestead chores
-Getting water to the goats/chickens
-Collecting chicken eggs
-Cleaning up around the property
-Meal preparation and cooking
-Running errands in Salida or Canon City.
-Taking trash and recyclables to Canon City.
-Fire mitigation
-Homestead and pet sitting
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
Really nice 12'x14' White Duck glamping tent with electricity.
There is a 5th wheel on the property with limited availability and hookups. Please ask if you need the 5th wheel.
We have a small manufactured home with electricity, running water, and Starlink internet. We currently live in this home with our two daughters. If you are camping your welcome to hang out at the picnic tables and connect to the wifi while enjoying the incredible view!
Showers are available inside and we hope to get an outdoor shower and outhouse built near the campsites asap.
What else ...
We back to thousands of acres of BLM with great access for hiking and exploring old mining trails by foot, ATV, or dirtbikes. 1 mile down our private road is the Arkansas River and some sweet little fishing holes. Vallie Bridge recreational site is 3 miles away. Rainbow trail access is just across the river. A professional downhill mnt biker lived here before us and built some epic trails and a mini BMX pump track so bring your bikes!
Turkey Rock recreational area is 5 miles down the road. This is a gold mine if you like the Colorado outdoors. Our elevation is just under 7k feet and the climate is a more alpine desert with Pinon pines, scrub oak, and rocky mnt juniper. The Sun in the Summer months can be a little intense so don't forget your straw hats and Sun protection!
On the other side of the river its big dense forests great for mushroom foraging and cooling off in an alpine lake. There's a hip mountain town located 15 miles away in Salida, CO with shops, restaurants, skate park, pizza and breweries, indoor and outdoor climbing walls, river walk, hot springs, parks, and of course river rafting, kayaking, and paddleboarding! There's a disc golf course in Poncha, I haven't had time to play there yet, I also have 1 basket at our property you can move around. This valley is considered the banana belt of CO and is also located in the second most concentrated area of 14ers in the world! We really are so lucky to live here and look forward to sharing it with you!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have Starlink satellite internet, which is reliable and fast enough to make video calls and stream video. There isn't wifi near the "mini campground" but theres wifi available at the house and you can schedule time in our 5th wheel if you need to make calls or need privacy to work. Or perhaps you'd enjoy a picnic table in the shade with a million dollar view as your office?
Space for parking camper vans
New campervan site leveled with power hookups. If you have 4x4 there's a lot of options but for 2wd and low clearance campers we'll have at least 2 sites.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
My animals / pets
Tars
Karakachan LGD
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (22)
Cassie and Scott couldn't of made our stay feel more comfortable, secure and it really felt like home- with their… read more
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(4.9)
Communication:
(5.0)
Cassie and Scott couldn't of made our stay feel more comfortable, secure and it really felt like home- with their… read more
Kennedy was wonderful with our young kids, and our older daughter even cried when she had to leave, which speaks volumes about the connection… read more
Leo was always respectful of our… read more
Is it possible to give someone 6 stars!? Because having Heath (Thomas) as part of our team for the past 5 months has been an absolute pleasure. From day one, he has embodied the very essence of a devoted workawayer, truly putting the "work" in workaway.
Heath's dedication and natural ability to care for the animals are commendable. He not… read more
They care about their Workawayers, give clear tasks and show appreciation when you do them. I loved working outdoors,whether it was feeding, building, cleaning or staining and the indoor tasks were fun and easy to… read more
I spend a lot of time with their daughters Astra and Bailey who are so lovely! Really well-raised and overall happy kids! We would spend great time outdoors and playing with all their crafts. I also helped around the house and with smaller tasks they wanted done, like… read more
Cassie and Scott remained great hosts throughout my 1 month stay. They are very welcoming and made me feel like I was part of their family. I truly enjoyed my time on the homestead.
I didn’t just leave that place with an awesome experience, but I feel… read more
