The first time I met my wife—years before either of us knew we’d end up together—she was working behind a gas station counter when I recognized her in passing. One of the first things I asked her was, “What are you doing here?” Not contemptuously, mind you, but more out of curiosity. She replied, “I’m working to pay off my student loans, and then I want to organic farm.” That was back in 2011.

Four years later, we were living together, happily married, and working for the same school district. However, in lieu of the 2015–16 school year, we opted to travel around the United States through a work exchange called WWOOF-USA. WWOOF stands for Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms and is a relatively simple way to connect volunteer workers with organic farms in need of labor. Volunteers go unpaid but are compensated with room and board while picking up interesting and useful skills from the farms they visit (for as little as 2 weeks or as long as 2 years!).

As we drove through thirty-seven states and volunteered on six WWOOF farms, we documented our journey for our family back home by creating a blog called Growing Greener Pastures. The premise of this trip, like its title, represented our consciously choosing a more adventuresome, more fulfilling path for ourselves—despite leaving behind all the apparent luxuries and securities of conventional living. We found many exciting times and life lessons on the road, but mostly . . . we found ourselves.

* Those with a particular interest in H. P. Lovecraft will enjoy our posts from April 17th (Acts of Providence), April 19th (Lovecraft Lore), April 21st AM (Magic in Marblehead), April 21st PM (Exploring Essex County), and April 22th (A Delightful Detour). During this time, we embarked on a five-day tour of Lovecraftian sites—beginning in Providence, Rhode Island, and ending in northern Essex County, Massachusetts.