Finney Farm and Olympic National Park

From Vancouver we were on to Finney Farm, our first community visit (besides Dancing Rabbit). There really weren't an abundance of choices as far as intentional communities between Missouri and Washington. There were some in and around Vancouver, but most were either urban co-housing, a bit out there for our tastes (and I don't mean their physical location), or just too expensive to join.

Located in Skagit County Washington (about 2 hours drive Northeast of Seattle), this picturesque little community (on 105+ acres) was small in terms of population, but charming and welcoming. We arrived on July 4th, which worked out great, as they were having a community potluck and 4th of July celebration that evening. We got our tent all set up and a very quick tour (to be continued later), then it was time to eat. There are currently only 2 families that reside full time at Finney Farm, 4 adults and 4 kids (ranging in age from 3 - 17). The rest of the potluck attendees were friends of the farm or local neighbors. It was a fun and festive celebration. Most of the dinner dishes were vegan, some vegetarian, with one animal dish. A large bonfire and some loud and sparkly fireworks finished out the evening.

Now, for our impressions of Finney Farm. DISCLAIMER: The following are the opinions and impressions of Jeremiah and Rebekah, who visited this community for 2 days. If you are curious about Finney Farm, I suggest you visit. It's a beautiful place with wonderful people!

FINNEY FARM

The location is beautiful with the forest all throughout and Finney Creek running right through the property.

Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures at Finney Farm so I borrowed this one from their website.

They have a relatively good growing season, with a USDA hardiness zone of 7B (that's the same as N. Florida!). They had a good size vegetable garden with a variety of things growing, as well as a lovely herb garden. It's also close to several awesome national parks and within a few hours drive of Vancouver, Seattle and Portland. On the flip side, the area gets LOTS of rainy days and cool winter weather, which was hard to imagine while we were there in July.

The number of residents at the farm could be considered both a positive and a negative. On one hand it would allow you to get to know the other residents quite well. In fact, it would be more like living with extended family on a large homestead. There are, however, less people to interact with and if you have a disagreement with someone, it's a big deal as you have to work and live so closely with the few other people there. Such a small number would make consensus decision making much easier. The residents at Finney Farm seem to have a strong commitment to consensus decision making and non-violent communication. The small numbers mean there are less people to divide up the community and farm chores, which means each person has to pitch in more labor and in some cases more money.

There are no "required" cook shifts, everyone eats individually with occasional potluck dinners where everyone comes together to eat as a community. At the same time, since there isn't a food co-op or shared food, it could cost more to eat as a family.

Sharing of things like tools seemed to be important. They had a shared tool shed that, although a work in progress, showed they had put some thought and labor into common ownership.

Unlike some communities, Finney Farm residents have the freedom to own their own vehicle but, of course, there is always the option of creating a vehicle co-op if desired.

Because Finney Farm is not an income sharing community, there are minimal work requirements and more freedom to do what you want. This also means one would have to figure out ways to make a living. With their buy-in of $5,000 per person plus monthly dues, this would be a necessity. It would be cheap living compared to nearby Seattle but expensive compared to some other rural areas of the country.

The farm is on the grid but they use minimal electricity (maybe a tenth of the average American household). In a state like Washington, much of the grid electricity comes from hydro power, which is very sustainable. Due to the forest location, surrounding mountains, and many cloudy days, solar or wind power aren't very feasible anyway.

One nice plus of the farm, although we didn't get to try it, is their large sauna. They don't, however, have a bathhouse. Most people just either take a sauna, wash off in the creek, or take a sponge bath at the sink. The outhouse system was in need of some attention as well.

Overall we were impressed with Finney Farm but until we see other communities on our travels it's hard to say if it's absolutely the place for us.  

When we left Finney Farm we headed on to Olympic National Forest. It was a beautiful 3 hour drive, including a jaunt down Whidbey Island, through Deception Pass, and onto the ferry over to Port Townsend.

The ferry was so cool. We've only been on one other car ferry before, from St. Thomas to St. John in the US Virgin Islands. This was luxury compared to that. Everyone got out of their cars and walked upstairs to the passenger decks, where there were comfortable seats with windows to see the views, and an observation deck in the front, although it was a little chilly. We could see Mt. Rainier off in the distance, it was beautiful.

After our ½ hour ferry ride we arrived in Port Townsend and were on our way to the Olympic National Park.

The town of Port Townsend from the ferry

We found a picturesque spot to camp overnight in the Heart O' The Hills campground there.

We had originally thought we might stay more than one night but when we checked the weather the morning after we arrived, we realized it was going to be rainy and in the 40s that night with a high of 60 in the daytime. So, we opted to head on toward Seattle and spend the night at a cheap hotel in Tacoma instead. Luckily we found one for just over $40 – score!

The next morning we headed onto Seattle and to the home of Jennifer, a fantastic Couchsurfing host who made us feel right at home. In fact, she is an emergency veterinarian and worked several overnight shifts while we were in Seattle so we didn't see her much. She opened up her house to us and for that we are truly grateful. We were able to say “thanks” by helping her prepare her backyard garden so she could get some vegetables started. It was our pleasure!

Our next entry will cover our weekend in Seattle, so stay tuned...