COBURG — Marie Bowers never thought she would spend her life working on a farm. But the 32-year-old woman — who graduated from college and started a career in the financial industry — has returned to her roots as a family farmer.

A couple of years ago, I spent almost two weeks out west just rambling around, visiting friends, etc. I flew into Portland, Oregon and started my trek south until I flew home from Fresno, California.