Hopping Overnight Over to Hopland, CA
What we wanted was an overnight stop. Our ultimate goal was Fort Bragg, but we knew that it was going to be a windy, twisty, crazy road to get out there, so we figured we’d rest up somewhere close(ish) and just tackle it in the morning. The question was just…where?
The Whole Overnight Thing…..
The whole overnight thing is actually not something we do that often.
If we’re driving thro’ a place, even just randomly, we typically like to stop at least 2 days, just to relax a bit and space out the number of times we set-up and take-down the “beast”. It’s not that it’s really that hard to move, it’s just that there’s a certain amount of stuff you need to do every single time (e.g. put everything away, secure the wine-glasses, protect the beer and such) and we’re really basically just slo-mo travelers at heart. We learned that lesson the hard way our first year on the road.
In 2010 moved like Speedy Gonzales all year, stopping only a few days in each spot as we traveled coast to coast. By the time we reached the Atlantic we were so burned out we were veeeeery close to hanging up the RV keys. It was all too much!
The whole “we must see everything we can” mindset is a common mistake that happens to a lot of novice fulltime RVers. You don’t want to miss anything, so you try to go everywhere and plan routes that cover it all in the shortest time possible. It’s what you’d do if you were sightseeing on vacation, after all. But fulltime RVing is not vacationing. You’re living a lifestyle in which you just happen to change your backyard view every now and then. It’s a fundamental mind-switch that takes a while to sink in, at least it did for us.
Starting our 2nd year we slowed waaaay down, and that’s pretty much how we’ve traveled ever since. It’s nicer for the paws, nicer for us and…more importantly….it’s keeps us all sane(ish).
But every now and then we’ll still do an overnight, just to split up a drive (say) or to get some miles in towards wherever we really want to be. Most of our overnights have been Walmarts (perfectly fine places to stay) and we research them through overnightRVparking.com. But just last year we added Harvest Hosts and since we had such a good experience at our first stop in Paso Robles (just last month!) we decided we’d try it again.
Which is how we ended up in (of all places) Hopland, CA.
Hopland Is Hopping….In Wine!
This teeny little completely unknown spot (at least to us) does not, as you might expect, grow any hops but has followed the way of just about everything north of San Fran and entered the wine biz.
There’s less than 1000 people that live here, but there seem to be at least that many vineyards, none of which we’ve ever heard of. Plus there’s a cute little downtown with a very organic/wine-region/high-tasting twist, several restaurants and at least 3 tasting rooms. It’s super small, but it packs in a lot for it’s size.
The main Harvest Host location in this area is Jaxon Keys and since it was directly on our route, that’s where we decided to spend our overnight. It’s a friendly little spot, with a square, dirt RV parking area in the back, just over a small hill and far enough away from the main highway that you don’t really hear anything. Plus they have a very nice tasting room (with a view), they’re dog-friendly and they have some nice, short trails to walk around the vineyard.
We parked our two “beasts” and wandered over to the winery for a lovely tasting (nice wines, and some insanely pricey/fancy brandy which they (sadly) do not taste). It was cute and we liked it. Following our tasting we headed into town for a pizza dinner at Piazza De Campovida, a super-cozy downtown pizzeria with rustic-modern decor which was outstandingly tasty, and probably one of the best we’ve had since San Diego. Plus they have a most excellent craft beer and wine list. Well worth the visit.
So, how was our overnight experience overall? Quiet, nice, flavorful. Given this was only our second Harvest Hosts (ever) I can’t proclaim it a total success (yet), but we’re definitely warming to the program and I’m interested to try more of their spots as we travel East. The only problem of course, is that it’s never quite free. Despite the apparent free parking spot, we ended up buying $65 of wine which, for basic dry camping may be the most we’ve ever spent. I guess we’re just suckers for the good stuff? Still it was easy, and pleasant and prepped us nicely for the twisty, windy road the next day.
But that, my friends, is a story for another blog post…..
Related Posts:
Amazing that you almost hung up the keys after that first year. What made you stick with it? I know if I were sitting somewhere free, near good wine that I’d have to buy some. The location looked very relaxing.
Well partly we were already on the East Coast and had reservations for winter to see Paul’s family. So, we decided we’d ride out winter and then see how we felt. After 2 months of “sitting still” we felt MUCH better and ready to get on the road again, but this time at a MUCH slower rate. So, that’s how it all went down. If it weren’t for those winter plans and the ability to sit still for a while, it might all have gone very differently 🙂
Nina
It’s always interesting how decisions change direction. I imagine that most that RV that first year are going too fast most of the time. I even noticed that with myself last summer on just an 8 day trip. Yet I love driving so it’s hard to stop.
Yup it’s a VERY common thing. We’ve even known a few novice RVers who quit after the first year (or even before) because it was all too much (= too much change, too much travel, too much moving etc.). Most of the fulltime RVers I know who’ve stayed in the lifestyle long-term travel pretty slowly most of the time. There’s a few exceptions, but most go pretty slow and have months or even seasons of the year where they “sit still” and recoup. I think it makes a big difference.
Nina
Rest in a great location is always good. Then the itch to move begins I assume. I’ve always enjoyed reading about your boondocking spots along with the lighthouses in Oregon.
Looks like a nice spot, even if it cost a bit more than expected! We haven’t joined HH because I don’t think I’d be able to stay at a farm/winery and not feel more or less obligated to spend some $ at our hosts, whether I liked what they were selling or not….my problem, I know.
Two beasts….Paul’s dad is still with you I assume?
The “I must buy some wine” thing is definitely becoming a problem on our HH stays. I’m not clear it’s going to get any better either, so it may well become our MOST expensive membership LOL.
Yes, two beasts…ours and Paul’s dad. We’re still caravaning together.
Nina
Insert “Happy Face” here….
So interesting — I just wrote about our desire to slow things down after three years of full timing. And that’s even with our two-month summers on Lopez Island every year, and our extended stays in Apalachicola and in our hometown of Ashland, OR. Our problem seems to be with always wanting to do too much. We’re trying to reform ourselves. :-))
We’re still thinking about Harvest Hosts — looks like you found a beautiful spot. We always enjoy Hopland — next time you’re there, check out Real Goods — it’s a very cool straw bale store/showroom/garden complex devoted to sustainable living.
I keep wanting to pull the trigger on Harvest Hosts. Don’t get me wrong we love going to wineries, tasting different wines is so nice. But we just don’t buy a bottle of wine every time we go to a tasting. I just don’t want to feel obligated to buy a bottle
I think it’s a great idea for someone who wants to try and buy all kinds of different wines.
Cheers !
Look at it this way – at most of the HH wineries, you can buy a pretty cheap bottle. So if you spend $10 on a bottle of wine, even if you don’t like it – that’s much cheaper than an RV park and you get to spend the night in a beautiful spot. Then you can either use the wine for cooking – or give it away as a gift…lol. For what it’s worth, we’ve been HH members for 3 years and I can only think of one place where we really didn’t like the wine.
There’s definitely that temptation, although (like the Nealy’s said) you can typically pick up a cheaper bottle. I have to admit I’d feel weird staying and not buying anything. I’m sure that’s part of the draw (for wineries to be part of the program). They have almost guaranteed sales each time someone stays. So far we’ve been very happy to buy, but we’ll see how that holds up 🙂
Nina
We stayed at Jaxon Keys! They were so nice and let us stay 2 nights. The also gave Deas a tour of their crushing process. You got off much cheaper there than we did – we bought 2 cases of their wine, and joined their wine club. Which then meant that we visited most of the other 9 wineries in their “family”, and since we got a discount, bought much more wine. Definitely our most expensive HH stay ever!
Wow! You guys really went all out!! We were tempted by their wine club, but held back. Thankfully we have nowhere they can ship the wine, which “saved” us on that one. Back when we lived around here we were big wine club members and it most definitely racked up the $$. I’m glad we got off so “cheaply” LOL.
Nina
I really like the idea of the harvest host’s, and have looked into the membership. Your experiences look very nice, and hey, who doesn’t like wine?
Well we’re two for two now, so I’m definitely warming to the program. For “hard core” HH folks check out the Nealys (https://nealysonwheels.com). They’ve stayed at lots and have many of their experiences detailed on their blog.
Nina
I would wait to buy until you’re sure you’ll be going through an area that has some choices. Last year we bought the membership anticipating a particular stop in MT and then our plans changed so it ended up being a no-go. We didn’t pass another HH until almost a year later. So, we kinda wasted a year. I’m glad we’re making use of it now, but it definitely has areas where you have more choice than others.
Nina
Yep, its our most expensive membership too! 😉 We find breaking up the winery stays with a farm here and there helps. We have been to some great little farms with veggies, cheese, eggs and so on…$20, a lovely place to park and a full refrigerator. Those are the ones we pull away from thinking “what a bargain”! Oh, and I love that last picture of the winery seating. What a neat table!
We’re going to have to track down a farm next, just to get those costs in check 🙂
Nina
Sounds marvelous- we are winding up our western winter here in Moab then heading through Denver and Chicago before landing home in Buffalo for a couple of months. We’ll be heading west again later this summer because we want to get to the Olympic Peninsula in August /Sept. BUT I am taking inspiration from your slo-roll attitude- we’ll probably stay west through the winter. (Looking for Short term RV STORAGE in S. Cal or Las Vegas when we fly home for holidays. Any suggestion? Thanks
Ahhh, the Olympic Penunsula. We spent over a month there a few years back. It was lovely!
For RV Storage in S.CA check out Sam’s Family Spa in Desert Hot Springs. We’ve never stored there, but many of our friends have. It’s inexpensive and Palm Springs airport is only 20 mins away. I’m sure there are plenty of spots in Las Vegas too, but I’m just not familiar with that area.
Nina
We have been fulltime since 2011 and have realized slow is the way. We now travel on average 200 miles then stay between 2 and 30 days. Currently in Ohio slowing heading to Maine:) Safe travels…
Looks like a lovely little stop. As not all HH locations are wineries (we loved the cheese factory in Oregon) we like the uniqueness of their options. Since we would have stopped and bought cheese anyway, the overnight really was free 🙂 We love Fort Bragg, but haven’t taken the MH over those little narrow roads from Hwy 101. I’ll look forward to reading about how the beast does 🙂
Great wineries in Hopland for sure but one of the more iconic stops in the area is the Real Goods Solar Living Center.
It looks like after three years, I may turn out to be the lone exception. 😉 I like to keep moving, but then, that has been a prevalent trait all my life, one of “perpetual motion.” Maybe I am still getting caught up with “being on vacation” after all those years of Corporate Servitude!
Since I will most likley hit Ft. Bragg on my way up the coast behind you, I am looking forward (with trepidation?) to the windy road blog post…
So many memories. :-). Over 40 years ago I used to drive from the Napa Valley through Hopland on my way to visit a girl who lived a few miles up the road in Ukiah. (We’ll soon be celebrating 40 years of marriage.) Hopland did indeed have hops-from the early 1900s to the 1950s. Even in the 1970s there were still a few growing. Glad you enjoyed your overnight. Hope you had a safe passage to Ft. Bragg. We have driven those roads in a 32 ft Class A-and many times by car. It’s an experience. :-). Enjoy your time in “God’s Country.”
Ahhhh….a love story I can love 🙂 Interesting history on the hops too. We figured they must have grown them in the area. I guess it used to be all hops and sheep farms back in the day? Definitely lots of changes since then!
Nina
Do not take CA 1 north of Fort Bragg, in either direction. CA 20 is fairly twisty, but much better than the section of CA 1 between US 101 and Hardy is the worst we’ve driven. I was going toward FB not too long after leaving 101, in a series of sharp turns with big rocks near the road on the passenger side. On a sharp right I met a car coming the other way, too fast and well into my side of the road. My split second decision was to veer toward the rocks. One caught us, scraped most of the lower right side including breaking off an LP gas valve intended for barbequing. I had foolishly forgotten to close an internal valve, so we were venting LP into the outdoors as well as into the bay. We could not stop on the road, so had to drive several miles before there was any place to pull off the road. I ran back to close the internal valve and could smell a serious amount of gas in the bay. My dear wife has a strict procedure that we HAVE TO LOCK all bay doors before driving, and I pleaded with her that we needed to get going as soon as possible, to maximize venting the gas. We survived but would never go back on that road. (We have never driven CA 1 south of FB.)
What a story! And fear not. We have NO intentions of taking CA 1 either north or south of Fort Bragg. We’re well familiar with how crazy it is. We took Hwy 20 both ways.
Nina
Make that “…Hardy, which is…”
We took 128 to Hwy 1 south of Mendocino to get to Fort Bragg. Another crazy twisty road. But we got to stay at the fairgrounds in Boonville a mile from Anderson Valley Brewery.
We drove our 30′ motorhome north of Fort Bragg on 1. I went ahead in the car and radioed Jim of oncoming traffic so he was able to take both lanes on the tight curves when necessary. Logging trucks drive that road all the time so you could make it but it’s a slow go.
Nice tip on Anderson Valley Brewery. We considered taking 128, but settled on 20 in the end. Still twisty, but do-able. Definitely NO Hwy 1 for us!!
Nina
NO 1 north of Ft. Bragg beyond Westport! There are length restrictions posted-or used to be-been a few years. If you want to get the beast to Anderson Valley (beautiful in spring) you could unhitch the toad and drive both over Boonville Rd from 101 in Ukiah. You will have some twisting and climbing but, short of a helicopter ride, it’s something that can’t be avoided to get anywhere in the coastal range. Beautiful area for sure. (And, yes, back in the day there were lots of sheep ranches and logging.)
Back in 2011, I won a free year of harvest hosts and gave it away because I am not a wine drinker much….I know sacreligious…just don’t care for the taste if alcohol. But I would love the farms and the quiet a lot more than late night deliveries at Walmart. Guess i’d better find out why every one is interested in Fort Bragg. Being from the east, it means military base to me.
I’ll have a full post on Fort Bragg soon. There were 3 “bucket list” items for us there, and they definitely delivered!
HH does farms and museums too. The HH in the town we’re in today is a Maritime Museum.
Nina
The wineries do look like lovely locations to spend a night. Several bloggers use them and the views never disappoint. But, I do believe they are the most expensive overnight spots:) Tough to resist a good wine (if you are a wine drinker) and not feel guilty just walking out without buying something. Like Sue said, I would feel obligated especially if we happened to be the only tasters. But in reality one shouldn’t feel guilty. Afterall, you are only using their land. They don’t provide any hook ups. Our Walmart overnights get expensive, also, and they no view. We feel we should patronize the place we stay for free. Once again an expensive “free” night:) Oh, well, such is life on the road:) Can’t wait to hear about your trip along the coast!!!
In truth we end up spending $$ on our Walmart stays too. There’s usually at least a $50 grocery bill at the end of it.
Nina
I’ve driven from Michigan:
to San Jose in 40 hours
to Jasper Canada in 30 hours driving time with a stop in Edmonton to visit wife’s relatives
to Grand Teton/Yellowstone in 26 hours multiple times
to Florida in 24 – 28 hours depending on where we went and multiple times
whatever time it took to go to Atlantic City, Great Smokey National Park, New York City, Shenandoah National Park, and Washington D. C.
Washington DC to Yellowstone in 34 hours – went to a wedding in DC but was going to rain all week on the east coast and was tent camping. This was the trip that the wife said that she wanted a pop up camper.
The wife did very little of the driving time such as the San Jose trip was only 3 hours for her. On the way back I took the normal driving time wise.
For RVing I was thinking about having a rule about travelling in only one time zone if possible or just the closest part of the next time zone. This would reduce the number of hours driving and thus gas and vehicle maintenance budget wise. An exception would be to go to Alaska as I realize there are new time zones up there.
Wine picture makes me want to go up to Traverse City area to purchase some Michigan wine.
I guess if it works for you, it works for you. That’s waaay too much travel for me, but then again we’re not in this lifestyle to see everything in one go. We’re just traveling. stopping every now and then to visit spots as we go. We really prefer to settle down and get to know a place (at least for a little while) before moving on.
Nina
I guess that it was 30 hours to Edmonton with an additional 4 or so to Jasper.
Nina, I was just wondering if you can contact the Way Back Machine and to have your RV blog on that. I lost a RV blog link from another website (found it in mid March and lost it in early April LOL – put in my 150 RV hyperlink file) and that particular blog wasn’t on the Way Back Machine.
Thanks,
Ralph
I have no idea. Honestly never tried? I back-up my blog regularly, so I’ve always got a history somewhere, at least for me.
Nina
It was just an idea that I had to put the blog on the Way Back Machine so I wouldn’t have to take so many notes from your blog. The link that I lost had many mail service companies on there from several states besides the usual Big 3 RV states.
The first time I went to Yellowstone by myself (I was still single) I only had one week vacation time coming to me. So counting the Friday that I left it would have been a 10 day vacation. One day driving there with 3 days back left me only 6 days to enjoy the national parks and spent a day in Grand Teton. The best part of the trip was on the Ranger Conducted hike called Climb Through Time, which was suppose to be an all day hike but the ranger did it in only 4 hours. It took us up to the Petrified Forest on Specimen Ridge. I felt sorry for the seniors that did the hike since they didn’t bring water and food like I did so I shared some of mine. This hike isn’t conducted anymore by the rangers and in fact was cancelled the next year. I went back a second year since I was disappointed in the pictures that I took so I upgraded to a 35mm Nikon camera. It wouldn’t have made sense to drive there and back in 6 days for only 4 days in the park . So that is how I became accustomed to driving long distances on the front end of vacations. Full time Rving though I wouldn’t travel that far in one day since we will eventually get to our destination.