October 2019

Our Harvest Host debut. For those of you who are new to boondocking, the Harvest Host program is a fun way to get your feet wet. Members pay a modest membership fee to access a directory of establishments willing to host a “self contained” RVer for a night. We call ahead to make the arrangements, and then plan to arrive in time to enjoy the establishment’s offering and settle in.

The location might be a winery, brewery, museum, farm, golf course, etc. As a camper, you agree to go without amenities outside your vehicle for the night. No electric or water hook up, or outdoor cookstoves, showers, or lawn chairs. For those of us with batteries and other on board power systems, this is easy and a fun way to expand experiences.

Our first Harvest Host stop was at Hampton Roads Winery in Virginia. The winery is well off the beaten path at a beautifully restored Victorian-era horse farm surrounded by vineyards, a pond and woods. We pulled in late on a sunny fall afternoon, and after a great wine tasting, including the very interesting history of the property, we camped out in two over-sized Adirondack chairs, with a glass of wine, to watch the winery’s most curious attraction -goats.

Seriously, who would expect goats at a winery? Yet here we were, waiting for a dozen or so goats to climb their tower at sunset, and settle in for the night. The tower looks like a brick silo, with a narrow staircase winding its way up the side. The upward spiral has several openings that lead to small rooms, like mountainside apartments, for the goat sleeping quarters.

As the sunlight faded, without any prompting from anyone, the goats lined up and picked their way up the narrow stairs. Someone told me that goats love to climb; it’s in their nature. Perhaps it’s a habit left over from their days of living wild in the mountains. However, to see this at a winery not so very far from DC was unusual indeed.

We had a light dinner in our van, and found ourselves all alone on the property. The rosy evening light turned the fields shades of gold and purple as dew settled in on a quiet evening. Just us in our van and the goats in their tower, tucked in for the night.

By the time we rose in the morning, the goats had come back down the tower and returned to their paddock, ready to begin another day of whatever goats do.

We fixed an early cup of coffee and sipped as we strolled the vineyard. We packed up and were on our way before the staff arrived for the day. We’re looking forward to more Harvest Host adventures in our travels, although there may not be other wineries with goats.