Well, we bid farewell to our final THS sitter last week, and this week we begin our trek across the country in our 33 ft Class C motorhome, with a plug-in hybrid SUV towed behind us to make it easy to get out and explore once we set up our ‘base camp’. Our dog is her happy-go-lucky self, and our cats adapted much faster to the RV this time than our prior month long trip. Already treating it like home, with our girl cat meowing her royal orders at me near mealtimes
I started this thread to drop in some updates here and there. Here is our RV, named Karma, and our towed car, named Little Buddy (I think it’s bad luck to not name cars haha).
Our first two stops are quick overnights en route to Flagstaff, Arizona.
We are using a platform called Harvest Hosts, which operates in the US and (I believe) Canada. Similar to THS, members pay a flat fee to the platform as either a host or a guest (we are a guest). Hosts are either wineries, breweries, farms, or any small business with enough parking to offer to an RV for a safe overnight stop.
We’ve had some fantastic stays and tonight is a repeat stay at a restaurant near a small airfield. Really good food, and nice and quiet overnight for a restful sleep. Unlike THS, Harvest Hosts quantifies the exchange - guests are strongly suggested to spend a minimum of USD 30 per night in exchange for our ‘free’ overnight accomodations.
We love this program and have had some great stays - including a lavender farm in the mid-west and our now favorite winery. Tomorrow nights Harvest Host is a distillery that has won some awards for their concoctions, so we’re looking forward to that one too!
I love the idea of harvest hosts. We have a similar set up in Australia where rural pubs often have space for campers etc at a low cost with the expectation you will have a meal there or at least a drink. Some small towns have similar areas set up on a minimal donation basis.
Will look forward to your updates, travel safe.
@Felinelover Thank you for posting your adventures. We look forward to your many stories and updates. Such exciting times ahead. I just love the names Karma & Little Buddy. Safe travels.
I can’t imagine towing a car behind such a big motorhome. Wouldn’t the bicycles be enough for you to go exploring? It must cost you a fortune in diesel. What an adventure though, and how lovely to be taking the pets along. Do you have a blog or YouTube channel?
No the bicycles would definitely not be enough, especially in poor weather. The places we will go are just too big, and bikes aren’t the most practical form of transportation for hauling groceries or pets around town with us. The tow bar attachment is excellent and rated for 7500 lbs, though our car weighs in at 4,000 so we really don’t even feel it back there. But it was scary the first time I towed until I got used to it! Our motorhome takes gas not diesel and it’s not exactly fuel efficient but that’s why we disconnect and use the tow car to explore. The motorhome is really base camp.
My pup has an Instagram that we post our adventures to most frequently, DM if you’d like a link
Also another big reason to tow a car - we may encounter situations where we need to evacuate the motorhome for severe weather or mechanical breakdown. Evacuating two adult humans, two cats, and a 70 lb dog is not practical on bikes
Your adventure would do well on YouTube. So much to share. House and pet sitting, Harvest Host adventures as I know each Harvest Host location can be so different from the last one, your pets, travel, etc.
