Ready or not, here we come!
That was our rallying cry when we decided to take a few days before and after our niece’s first anniversary celebration in Michigan to try out our new and improving Ford Transit campervan. Pat has been working hard installing cabinets, electrical outlets, walls, and the second butcher block countertop. Although there is still a lot of work to do on the Paddy Wagon, it has come a long way since our first bare bones camping trip in August.
Before we left, we signed up for Harvest Hosts, which is an annual membership program that provides access to a network of wineries, farms, breweries, museums and other unique places for self-sufficient RVers to stay overnight. Once we registered, we could use an app that shows the location of thousands of participating venues across the country. Knowing that we would be traveling to Michigan, we made an itinerary and reached out to three places to request permission to stay overnight, and since each venue where we camped produced alcoholic beverages, the following is a recap of what we could also call:
Our Michigan Harvest Hosts Booze Cruise
First night – North Pier Brewing Company, Benton Harbor, MI
After a long day of driving, and stop in the middle of rural Ohio to pick up a travel size Berkey Water Filter system for the Paddy Wagon, we arrived at the North Pier Brewing Company with about 30 minutes to spare before they closed.
Although it is free for Harvest Host members to camp at a Host site, it is considered good manners for campers to patronize each visited site. No problem. When we travel, we delight in visiting local establishments to sample their fare anyway, so we left Maya in the van and popped into North Pier to order a few beers and a quesadilla. All delicious. My favorite part, though, was talking to the two heavily tattooed dudes who filled our glasses and chatted with us about the brewery and the beer. They were pleasant and friendly and made us feel welcome.
However, when I mused aloud if I should get large, colorful tattoos on my arms, too, Pat just frowned and gave me a look.
Party pooper.
We had parked the van across the street from the brewery in their large parking lot that butted up against a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, so this was our view when we opened the door in the morning.
After our morning coffee, we walked an easy mile to a beautiful Lake Michigan beach before we hit the road for our next destination.
Second night – Grand Rapids, MI
Our second night was not a camping night as we stayed in a pet-friendly hotel for the 5pm ceremony at a downtown event venue. The only van issue we had was finding parking for our high-top, long body vehicle, which was too tall to fit in a parking structure. The hotel clerk said we could park in the employee parking lot for $75, which rendered poor Pat nearly apoplectic. Fortunately there was a big, public outdoor parking lot two blocks away that allowed overnight parking for a much more reasonable $20. Whew!
It was a warm evening and I didn’t like leaving Maya in the van, but with plenty of water and two Maxx Air Fans on the ceiling constantly recirculating air through the van, she was fine.
Third night – Iron Fish Distillery, Thompsonville, MI
Next morning, we headed north toward the Huron Manistee National Forest, to find the Iron Fish Distillery. On the way, we stopped near Cadillac, Michigan to stretch our legs and go for an easy 3 mile hike on the Heritage Nature Trail.
Afterward, we parked beside Cadillac Lake next to some fishermen, and pulled out a few North Pier brews we bought two nights before to go with the pretzels and cheese. (I love our Truma refrigerator that sits in the pull-out drawer that Pat designed.) When rain threatened, we packed up and continued on. Eventually the GPS directed us to turn onto a dirt road, which slowed us down for a couple of miles.
It surprised us when, out in the middle of nowhere, we saw the Iron Fish Distillery, which looked like it was the most happening place in Western Michigan. From half a mile away, we saw dozens of cars parked on the property. Pulling into the unpaved lot, we noticed even more cars parked in the grassy field next to an “Event Parking” sign. A gigantic RV and a small campervan were parked along the line of thick neighboring forest, which is where management directed us to park as well.
We discovered the “Event” was a wedding in a big barn next to an open patio where customers sat at picnic tables to eat, drink and listen to live music, which, from where we were sitting, competed with the sounds of a deejay introducing the wedding party in the barn.
A kind young man seated us, and when we saw a cute puppy amongst the seated crowd, we hesitatingly asked if our dog could sit with us. I quickly told him we would put her back in the van if she misbehaved.
“If she misbehaves, I’LL leave,” the host quipped.
I was so grateful for the Iron Fish Distillery’s dog-friendliness.
Pat retrieved Maya and we ordered a flight of whiskey to taste and a delightful Margherita pizza to eat.
I don’t know what time the wedding-goers got back into their cars to find their way home down that bumpy dirt road, but we slept peacefully in our quiet spot next to the forest.
Fourth night – Dizzy Daisy Winery – Bad Axe, Michigan
For the past three days, my husband had been correcting me every time I called Lake Michigan the “ocean.” Having grown up on the west coast where the “Pacific Ocean” is really an “ocean,” and given the fact that Lake Michigan’s endless blue horizon certainly looks like an ocean to me, please forgive my confusion.
We rose early and drove to the Baldy Trailhead at the Arcadia Dunes CS Mott Nature Preserve to start hiking at dawn.
(Interesting irony: I grew up in Arcadia, California which sits at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, where the highest peak is named Mount Baldy.)
It was too foggy to see the water below the cliffs, but despite Pat’s patient corrections, I still kept calling it the “ocean.” Sorry, dear.
After our hike, we parked at a scenic overlook to cook breakfast in the van before we headed east to what Michiganders call the “Tip of the Thumb.”
The Dizzy Daisy Winery was also located on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. And again, we arrived late, just in time to sample their wines, and chat up the stoic farmer, who entered the wine business only 7 or 8 years ago and grows 40-plus varieties of grapes, some of which do and some of which don’t easily survive Michigan’s harsh winters.
Every wine we tasted was wonderful and we bought 6 bottles, which we carried back to the Paddy Wagon which was parked in a grassy field. Lots of farm cats were lolling about nearby, so we had to keep Maya distracted when we pulled out our camp chairs and enjoyed the farm ambience with our wine and fancy fruit and cheese plate.
Attention VAN LIFERS and RV-ERS:
If you haven’t joined Harvest Hosts, do it! It’s a wonderful way to camp. It takes a little pre-planning, but it is so worth it. We look forward to many more Harvest Host stays in our future Paddy Wagon travels.
