Fourth of July week in Franklin County — rural Iowa hospitality with fireworks on the horizon. Petersen Place near Hampton, Iowa landed us in classic farm-country calm just before Independence Day. Corn high, flags ready, neighbors waving from pickup trucks — the Iowa we tell people about when they ask why we still live here. […]
The Minion Farm — Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Yellow mischief in Wisconsin dairy country — The Minion Farm is exactly as fun as it sounds on the label. Fond du Lac, Wisconsin expects cows and cheese curds. It might not expect a farm committed to Minion joy — but here we are, and The Minion Farm delivered grins before we unhitched. Kids would […]
Back to Rush Creek — Harvard, Illinois
Return visit to Rush Creek — because once wasn't enough and the Basecamp had miles left to burn. Some Hosts you visit once; some you bookmark. Rush Creek Distilling earned a return in May — same Harvard gravel, warmer air, longer daylight. The staff remembered the Airstream. That small recognition matters when you’re living mile […]
Rush Creek Distilling — Harvard, Illinois
Small-batch spirits in McHenry County — Harvard, Illinois, where the tasting room feels like a neighbor's barn done right. Rush Creek Distilling in Harvard, Illinois sits in that pleasant zone between Chicago sprawl and honest farmland. Our April arrival meant a tasting room warming up for weekend traffic and hosts happy to talk process with […]
Wildlife Haven — East Peoria, Illinois
Two nights among rescued creatures and quiet compassion — East Peoria taught us that some campgrounds have heartbeats. Wildlife Haven in East Peoria is not a winery, not a farm stand — it’s a sanctuary, and staying there via Harvest Hosts feels like pitching in just by showing up with respect. We booked two nights […]
Historic Route 66 — Atlanta, Illinois
Paul Bunyon still holds the hot dog. Atlanta, Illinois proves Route 66 kitsch is a love language. Atlanta, Illinois is the kind of town where a giant fiberglass Paul Bunyon holding a hot dog is not irony — it’s civic identity. Our Harvest Hosts stop at Historic Route 66 landed us steps from small-town Americana […]
Pontiac Revisited — Route 66 in November
Second time through Pontiac — fewer tourists, more locals, same neon love affair with the Mother Road. We’d been to Pontiac once already that fall; coming back in November felt like visiting a friend instead of sightseeing. The City of Pontiac Tourism Office Harvest Hosts spot was open again, the murals unchanged, the Route 66 […]
Pontiac, Illinois — Route 66 & Harvest Hosts
The tourism office let us park among Route 66 legends — murals, museums, and a Main Street that still believes in chrome. Pontiac, Illinois does not whisper its history — it paints it on brick walls and parks it under museum lights. Our Harvest Hosts spot through the City of Pontiac Tourism Office put the […]
Stone Cliff Winery — Dubuque, Iowa
Six days after our first Silver Trekker night, the Mississippi River bluffs served wine, river light, and a reminder that Iowa has cliffs — who knew? Osceola had been the handshake. Stone Cliff Winery, perched above the Mississippi in Dubuque, felt like the road saying, Good — you showed up again. We came in from […]
Revelton Distilling — Osceola, Iowa
Our first night out with Silver Trekker: polished aluminum, open road, and a tasting flight that tasted like permission to keep going. Every long journey has a first mile that feels different from all the rest. Ours started in Osceola, Iowa, with the Basecamp hitched behind us and a Harvest Hosts reservation at Revelton Distilling […]