Monthly Archives: May 2021

We are back for a weeklong trip on the Winona Rider!  It’s our first real van-life adventure of the year. We are traveling with our good friends, Mike and Mary Frandsen and their dog Mojo who rented a sprinter van for the week.  Our trip this week is taking us to Lassen Volcanic National Park and the Avenue of the Giants in Northern California with stops in between along the way. Instead of blogging every day that we are in the van this year, we thought we would highlight the places we stay with Harvest Hosts. After all, we are experts now and it wouldn’t be nearly as amusing to our readers if we no longer had van mishaps…even though I am sure a few of those will happen from time to time.

First, a little information about Harvest Hosts to jog your memory.  Harvest Hosts is a membership program for RV owners that provides access to a network of wineries, farms, breweries, golf courses, museums and even an alpaca farm. We love staying at Harvest Hosts locations because we are able to get to know the owners, have a personal new experience, and there are usually only one or two RVs at a time visiting for the night.  Most of these places are small businesses and in a year that we all need to support small businesses get back on their feet, we thought we would highlight them.  Maybe if you happen to be in the area, you can visit them with or without an RV.

Our first Harvest Hosts location of the year was a place called Smiling Dogs Ranch in Kelseyville, CA near Clear Lake.  Their write-up said “Need to love dogs and wine” so, of course, we had to book a night there.  We were greeted by Scott and Susie and their dogs Coda and Gelato.  It was a bit chaotic at first with the dogs getting used to each other and barking and sniffing, as dogs will do.  They became fast friends once they got acquainted.  Scott served us a vast variety of wines that he makes with his vineyards on the property and grapes he buys from others in the Lake County area.  They all have adorable smiling dog labels and are named after many of their dogs, past and present.  Our favorite was Sophie’s Choice for obvious reasons.

Scott and Susie live on a little slice of heaven surrounded by grapevines, beautiful Italian Cypress Trees, and a multitude of birds and critters along with, of course, their smiling dogs.  We took a late afternoon walk amongst the vines to see all of the views and barbecued out by their barn for our dinner.  It’s a perfect place for a sunset and Sophie, Ralphie, and Mojo (the Frandsen’s new puppy) posed perfectly for the picture.

We slept like babies in the quiet of the vineyard and were awakened with a pot of fresh coffee.  Susie and Scott also roast their own coffee.  Susie served us banana muffins and even had a bouquet of flowers from her home for us and dog treats for the dogs.  Coda, the young Samoyed, was at our doorstep wondering if Sophie and Ralphie could come out and play.  They happily obliged and ran freely in their expansive grounds.  I think the dogs were the saddest of all when we had to pack up and leave.

If you are ever in the Clear Lake area, make a point to visit their Smiling Dogs Tasting Room on Main Street in Kelseyville…Or better yet, if you have an RV, make sure to book an overnight stay at Smiling Dog Ranch.  And don’t forget to bring your pups…They will thank you for it and it will put a smile on everyone’s faces.