Our Favorite 2024 Harvest Hosts!
Last year was a major milestone in our lives. In mid-August, we sold our home in Olympia, purchased “Raven” our 2024 Tiffin Phaeton 40IH, and set out on the adventure of a lifetime! It has been an emotional journey, 128 nights on the road, 6,277 miles driven, 20 states explored, with countless new friendships made. The latter was most certainly needed as it’s not easy to leave behind loved ones and close friends knowing our travels back to our home state would be sporadic at best. Life is enriched through human connections and nurturing and establishing new friendships on the road was at the top of our must-do list. If you aren’t extroverted like we are this might prove difficult, however; there’s a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, inevitable through a membership with an organization known as Harvest Hosts. I won’t go into lengthy details - it only requires a quick perusal of the website to gain insight into membership. At the end of this blog I’ll add but a few tidbits to remember if you choose to dive into the experience. But first…our fav hosts….in no particular order…
GRUNER BROTHERS BREWING - CASPER, WYOMING
If you know us, you know we love a good brewery! Good food, good brews, and generally the ripe opportunity to meet wonderful folk unwinding after a long day. Gruner Brothers hit the right spot with scrumptious offerings and lively conversation. We found the parking area easy to navigate and mostly level but the best was the view!!! They really have a magnificent location to watch the fading sun paint the sky brilliant colors at sunset from the rooftop patio. The ‘Brothers’ in the Brewing name come from Ben and Daron Gruner - two of the most passionate people we’ve ever met about their craft. We had a wonderful tour of the brewery and spent a quiet, late evening absorbing the warm Wyoming sun while Kolohe our Travel Cat watched pronghorn in the field behind us. The next morning, we walked the paved path adjacent to the brewery towards town to get a bit of exercise before pushing on. Click the link above for more information - whether you’re on the road in an RV or just passing through - we highly recommend!
CRAZY Y FARM - GOTHENBERG, NEBRASKA
A night spent at Crazy Y Farm was unlike any experience we have had - right off the bat our host Theresa and Doug greeted us with warm farm hospitality! Doug asked us to follow him up the road to another entrance so that we were parked with the best view of farm happenings. I must say weaving our coach along the one-lane dirt farm road was FUN! Perhaps we CAN offroad after all :). After setting up we met in the “Hen House” a beautiful chicken house converted into part museum, part-farmers market. Inside, Theresa told us the amazing story of how the Crazy Y Farm came to be, the family first homesteading there in the 1870’s! We learned the farm is an 800-acre irrigation row crop farm which raises white and yellow corn for Frito-Lay, soybeans, field corn, and alfalfa. They also raise popcorn and Theresa quickly provided hot popcorn for us to munch as she entertained us with family history and farm happenings. I’ve never had so much fun learning about the types of corn and how its produced and harvested. We bought fresh popcorn (best stored in the freezer), homemade jams and we even picked fresh tomatoes off the vine! We toured the grounds, and enjoyed seeing the original 1870’s buildings, met the barn cats (and nearly took the kitten above with us but Kolohe said “no”), and spent a wonderful evening basking in the scents all around. If you could bottle that, you’d be a millionaire. We are truly blessed to have made the connection with this dynamic duo! Oh and the outhouse we parked next to? It’s original to the homestead - but no longer in use :).
We ended up spending two nights at the Historic South Union Shaker Village! I knew a bit about the Shaker lifestyle, mostly understanding that they excelled in furniture craftsmanship, but after watching the informational video in the visitor’s center and exploring the open buildings via self-guided tour, my mind was blown! The Shaker community at Bowling Green was established in 1802 and at it’s closure in 1922, the 6,000 acre communal religious sect boasted over two hundred buildings in the vast plantation. Dormitories, shops, outbuildings, barns and stables, a mill complex - all unparalleled in the region. We spent hours touring the buildings as there was much to take in! The custodians have placed information plaques throughout each room and lined the walls with rich history to absorb. It was fascinating to learn Shakers loved bright colors and women within the sect enjoyed leadership roles on equal footing as the men. Simply put, the grounds are paradise for the history and photography buff. The road into the village was an unlined one lane-ish road which could have been a bit sketchy if you meet another big-rig along its path, but it’s short, perhaps a half mile in length with minimal travel. We’d do it again in a heartbeat!!! I must show more photos of this glorious place…the Shakers were true artisans and entrepreneurs having invented numerous machines to aid in their lifestyle. I must have taken a 1,000 photos….check out their website by clicking the link above.
I can’t begin to articulate how special our encounter was with Elaine, the owner of Alive N’ Fuzzy Alpaca Farm in Bowling Green, Kentucky. She’s a true inspiration managing her 20-acre farm along with a thriving veterinarian practice all in her golden years! This lady just does not stop and if I ever have an ache or pain, I’ll channel my inner-Elaine and just go on with my day as she says ‘the farm has to be fed’. Elaine and Aaron quickly hit it off - joking back and forth and poking fun at each other in a wonderful, light-hearted fashion. Aaron is a great sport and always one to lend a hand to anyone and Elaine put him to work raking, feeding, and most importantly, washing her beloved shiny new tractor as it doesn’t get put into the barn until its all shined up. She is truly an alpaca expert and we learned a ton working alongside her to get the chores finished around these majestic creatures. Alpacas, Sebastopol Geese, Chickens, and a Horse rounded out the herd of her beloved animals. After chores were finished and the light grew dim, Elaine led us to her farm store and we quickly loaded up on yarn woven direct from the alpacas we got to meet! Elaine is truly a powerhouse, not only does she manage the farm and vet practice, but she donates her time to youth organizations providing tours and informational sessions tirelessly educating people on the beauty of the alpaca. We enjoyed listening to Elaine’s words of wisdom and our lives are that much better for having met such an energetic woman. We’ll most definitely be back to visit!
Nearing the end of 2024 we found ourselves at our final Harvest Host destination of the year half way between our previous stay in Palm Springs and ultimate Christmas destination, Las Vegas, Nevada. Our youngest son had flown to Palm Springs to join us on our journey and we wanted him to experience a Harvest Host. Enter in the perfect halfway point between the two cities - the Slash X Ranch Cafe. Reading online reviews of this unique establishment raving about the hospitality, excellent food and brews, and stunning night sky opportunities for stargazing, I was more than excited to book a ‘spot’. Little did I understand how LARGE their parking lot was until we arrived and found the place all to ourselves. A mecca for off roading adventures pushing 50 acres, the Slash X provides not only a location to service side by sides, buy gear and rent anything on four wheels - but the grounds provide a picturesque location for any event from weddings to retreats. We enjoyed amazing burgers and brews and even Kolohe the Travel Cat got to take a LONG walk in the largest sand box she’s ever seen (she had no idea what to do). The night skies were jaw-dropping, the twinkling stars like diamonds shining overhead. It was one of the quietest experiences we’ve had and everyone slept like logs including the cat! The Slash X Cafe site is under construction but check it out by clicking above.
As promised and if you made it through this far….here are our tidbits on ensuring a memorable Harvest Host experience:
2024 Harvest Host Social Etiquette asks that you spend at least $30 at the location (winery, brewery, golf course, museum, farm etc) If they don’t sell items you can simply Venmo or donate funds to the host. We found this easy to do and often spent a LOT more than a normal camping fee BUT the money you save on camp fees just adds to your entertainment budget! Win-Win!
Read as many reviews as you have the patience for on the website for a Harvest Host you’re interested in. If you doubt the ability to take your RV into the space, don’t! OR, like us, if you are close by why not drop by and check out the road in as well as the accommodations provided? When you read reviews you can easily tell those who might not have quite done their homework on choosing a site.
I look at satellite images of roadways in, the grounds themselves, and take into account the topography before deciding to push the button to secure a spot. Weather is always a consideration when trying something off the beaten path. Yes you can camp in a place like the hard packed sand at the Slash X Cafe in a hard rain but umpteenth times I’ve come across reviews of people complaining about mud at a farm. It’s a farm. Our weather is changing rapidly - if you want to keep your rig safe and save headaches, check the weather often.
Don’t expect Hosts to respond to you immediately. Even a few days time isn’t out of the ordinary - these are hardworking folk or establishments setting aside time in their normal workday to respond to emails. Some popular sites book fast so plan accordingly if you can and if it doesn’t work out one time, swing back around and try for another.
Cancellations - Hosts provide a ‘grade’ on you as much as you provide a review of them. Yes these host driven reviews of campers goes right into your file. Things happen, rigs break down, etc - just be courteous and notify your host ASAP if you need to cancel. Most are RVers just like us and completely understand!
Check out the official website here https://www.harvesthosts.com/
