Off-grid living on the Santa Rosa Plateau is not about living without — it is about living with. With the land, with the weather, with your animals, and with the satisfaction of knowing that most of what you need can come from your own hands and property. Here, self-sufficiency is not a dream; it is a lifestyle that many of us here have quietly mastered.
Morning: Power, Water, and Purpose
The day begins not with an alarm, but with sunlight. Solar panels catch the early rays, powering everything from the well pump to the refrigerator. A glance at the monitor tells you how much energy you’ll have to work with — a small, daily mindfulness that quickly becomes second nature.
Outside, the day truly begins. Animals call for attention — goats and horses waiting at the fence line, chickens eager to be let out to scratch for bugs and sun themselves. Feed, water, and a quick check of fencing or shelters are part of the rhythm. These chores are not burdens; they are grounding, giving shape and purpose to the day.
Before breakfast, you might collect eggs still warm from the nesting boxes or pick herbs for tea. Even a small kitchen garden provides abundance — greens, squash, tomatoes, and herbs that grow easily in the Plateau’s fertile soil and generous sun.
Midday: Living by Systems, Not Schedules
By late morning, the work shifts from tending animals to maintaining the systems that make off-grid life possible. You might clean solar panels, check the water tanks, or adjust irrigation timers. These small habits ensure your independence stays steady.
Most homes here rely on solar power combined with well water or rain catchment systems. Propane fuels stoves, backup generators, or water heaters, and efficient woodstoves provide winter warmth. Greywater is reused for landscaping, and composting turns what would be waste into rich soil for the garden.
Lunch might be gathered straight from the land — vegetables from the raised beds, eggs from the coop, or goat cheese made a few days before. Meals taste different when you’ve been part of their creation.
Afternoon: Care and Continuity
In the afternoon, the focus turns to the garden — pruning, watering, or harvesting depending on the season. The Plateau’s mild climate makes year-round growing possible with some planning. Many residents grow enough produce to feed their households and share the surplus with neighbors.
Animals, too, contribute to the system. Chickens provide eggs and pest control, goats or cows offer milk, and manure from the barn enriches garden beds. Every element supports another — the essence of true sustainability.
During summer, you might time your heavier chores early or late in the day to work with the weather. It is not about resisting nature but adapting to it. Living off the grid teaches that efficiency and awareness go hand in hand.
Evening: Reflection and Reward
As daylight fades, solar batteries hold the day’s power in reserve. The evening brings its own rhythm — gathering eggs, closing the coop, feeding horses one last time. Inside, lights glow softly from stored sunlight, and dinner is often a celebration of what the land provides: roasted vegetables, fresh herbs, home-canned preserves, maybe honey from your own hives.
The satisfaction is quiet but profound. When you live off the grid, you feel every part of the process — where your power comes from, how much water you use, and how food moves from soil to table. It is a connection that most modern life has lost.
Nearly Self-Sustainable — and Entirely Rewarding
On the Santa Rosa Plateau, it is entirely possible to live almost self-sufficiently. The land offers generous sun for energy, deep wells for water, and rich soil for food. With thoughtful systems — solar arrays, water catchments, composting, gardens, and livestock — families can reduce dependence on outside resources to a fraction of what is typical.
It takes planning, care, and effort, but the reward is freedom — the kind that hums quietly in the background while you sit on the porch at dusk, surrounded by the soft sounds of the land you depend on and that depends on you.
Living off the grid here is not about isolation — it is about abundance, awareness, and a life built on purpose. Each day is a collaboration between you, your land, your animals, and the sun itself. In return, you gain something rare: independence, peace, and the quiet confidence of knowing that the essentials of life are right outside your door.