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17 Oct 2024
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** NOTE** We are closed for Jul until mid Aug due to it being to hot to work, we start back up end Aug until end Oct/beginning early Nov.
Welcome to the 2024 Season. WE must first say this is not a paid position, we are unable to provide letters of employment to help gain access into Canada.
Danica and Ken, along with our 6 well trained indoor dogs, stay in this 5 bedroom house on a 160 acre ranch, nestled on top of a mountain. Being an international host is not new to us, over the last 12 yrs we have been a host family within the Workaway and Rotary International exchange programs. Our house is just shy of 4000 sqft, with great views out of every window. You will have a room with either two twin beds, a king size bed or a room with a queen bed, shared bathroom and the laundry room is just down the hall from your room. Oh, don't be surprised if you wake up to a Buffalo/Bison walking through the yard.. Yes, we live on a Buffalo Ranch. Once your day is done, lots of trails to go out on for a walk. We are an off grid house (Green energy), meaning we are powered by Solar panels, and heated with a wood stove. To walk in the house, you would never know our means of power, we have all the items living on the grid would have, minus a dishwasher and clothing dryer.
We have a saying, come as guests, leave as family. We have had many past visitors come back for coffee or dinner as they travel on to a different part of their journey. Pending the weather, we like to sit around the fire pit in the evening, roasting marshmallows and making smores or banana-boats... Don't be surprised to find other workaways at the fire as we have another house on the ranch that hosts as well. Meals at our home contain meat most of the time.
Daily chores will involve outdoor tasks, assist in completing a "lean to" , splitting(we have a machine for that)/stacking firewood, or clearing and once snow is on the ground - burning shrub piles. On rainy days, these do not happen often, there are some projects in the house that need to be finished along some house clean up and the best part, playing outside with the dogs.
We look forward to hearing from you.Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco ProjectsGardeningDIY and building projectsAnimal CareFarmstay helpHelp around the houseGeneral MaintenanceCultural exchange and learning opportunities
Our house is always active, they will be treated like a family member thus getting a true feel of a ranch lifestyle. On weekends they can relax and go for walks or use the house as a base and go travelling to other cities via the bus. When we go to Kamloops or Kelowna it is always offered if they would like to come up for the ride. In the evenings we can go out for drives around the lakes or just sit down and relax. With the other house on the ranch also hosting, there are many chances to get to meet other travelers and share stories and experiences.
the other ranch house on the propertyHelp
We are an active Buffalo Ranch, you will have the opportunity to see the animals daily, but your primary tasks will be other projects on the ranch. Don't worry, we have coveralls and lumber jackets to keep warm while outside. There will be days, pending weather, you will be outside helping collect the the winter firewood for the house. It will need to be split ( have a machine for that!) and stacked in the wood shed. The collecting of the wood will take you off the property, thus getting to see a bit more of the valley. Also, clearing deadfall(wood), under brush from over grown areas, piling up all the wood and under brush, then burning it off.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
There is one room on the lower level that can have either two single beds or one king size bed and there is a king size bed on the upper level. The 2 singles or 1 king with a window under the deck is the darker of the two rooms.
These room have access to shared bathroom and laundry room.What else ...
We live 15 miles from Merritt, at 1475 meters above sea level. One spouse works daily in town, allowing lots of opportunity to explore the Nicola Valley. Lot of great events go on in the Valley, from Music Fests, Rally Car Races, International Bull Riding and Rodeo events. Nicola Lake is less than a 10min drive from the house and with Kayaks at the house, heading to the water on a warm evening is a great escape. Merritt also has a bus terminal with daily trips to Kelowna, Kamloops and the Lower Mainland. Bussing can be found at E-BUS - and also Rider Express can be found at , if you are looking for a weekend getaway. Check out the Merritt.ca website to see what the area is like.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
You will need to travel a dirt/gravel road, mainly with an up hill pull.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
25hours a week, 2 days off
Feedback (24)
Danica, Ken and Keale are very welcoming.
I mainly helped chop and split wood and stock it for the winter.
The ranch is a really great place, peaceful, with a magnificent view.
I liked the campfire evenings, playing board games with Bernie and Isabel (even if I lost),… read more
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(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(4.7)
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(5.0)
Danica, Ken and Keale are very welcoming.
I mainly helped chop and split wood and stock it for the winter.
The ranch is a really great place, peaceful, with a magnificent view.
I liked the campfire evenings, playing board games with Bernie and Isabel (even if I lost),… read more
The ranch itself… read more
I spent a lot of my working time helping Danicas dad Bernie over the road working on his tractor and… read more
Wish him all the best in his future travel
The Ranch offers an incredible view on the mountains and is really relaxing and peaceful place.
We enjoyed our time with the whole family doing our job ( weeding, wood cutting, planting etc... ) and had interesting conversations during dinner and free time.
Thanks for all the… read more
Everybody was friendly, the food was really good and the work really wasn't hard.
It's rural up there, but there were lots of chances to go to town or to do some shopping.
I felt in love with the bisons and all the dogs.
The view from up there is incredibly beautful, everyday the same, but everyday… read more
I had a great time staying on the ranch. Super nice people and really easy going. Most days I was doing stuff on the ranch with Ken and helping build a deck. However I went along to the rodeo and to a number of hockey games which were amazing to watch.
Fantastic… read more
All the Best..
Oh and… read more
They live in what seemed like a remote part of the Nicola Valley with only one visible neighbour, the most amazing views, and sunrises.
The tasks given to us involved minor carpentry and maintenance, cleaning, bison feeding and forestry work. The… read more
We did some firewood. It was a hard work , but we never worked more than 5-6 hours a day.
The family is great and we felt like a member of it. They made all their possible for show us the beautiful… read more
At the beginning the communication was a bit… read more
I felt very welcome and taken care of by this great family!
The farm is on a mountain with beautiful surroundings and a stunning view. The 3 dogs are just great and accompanied me around on my walks through the woods.
And of course there are the buffalos you can watch when they come up to the houses in the evening to play,… read more
This family is just great, I felt so welcome and it was very easy for me to feel comfortable with them! They are all so awesome, willing to help (with organisations for my trip and everything), friendly, funny and so on. I really liked it to chat with them, I learned so much! There is a sign in the house, saying:… read more
We enjoyed our time with this warm and friendly family! During our stay all of the family members gave us the feeling to be part of their life. The accommodation was very nice and the food was always good! (We hope you will taste a real "currywurst" in Germany some day:)) The work was… read more
Thank you Ken and Dancia we absolutely loved our stay on the ranch in Merritt. The outdoor life is great up there with spectacular views all around. We stayed in the main house and waking up to buffalo at the window was unreal. The work was hard but we really enjoyed going out collecting logs and preparing the ranch for… read more