Our journey from Michigan to Oregon is complete. Last month I talked about how we were going to travel for 22 days and camp under $22. This post we want to share actual numbers with you.
**We want to disclose that if we included a link to a property below, it is because we got their permission. We loved each place so much that we wanted to make sure we could spread the love within our blog and social media posts**
When we created our route on Roadtrippers we had a total of 12 stops, the 12th stop being our destination in Klamath Falls, Oregon. We found either a Boondockers Welcome or a Harvest Host to camp either a quick overnighter or stayed a few days to explore that particular area, at each stop. Both subscription sites worked very well for us. There was only one night that we had to actually PAY for camp and that was at a military installation FamCamp in Montana. That was only $25. The full hook ups gave us the opportunity to do laundry, dump and flush tanks, and fill our fresh tank. So it was well worth the 25 bucks.
Now, with our two subscription memberships, we are suggested to leave a gift if we stay with a Boondockers Welcome and we are required (at some locations) but recommended to purchase something from a Harvest Host location. Both of which are gestures of gratitude for allowing us to camp on their property for free. Originally I did not factor these purchases into our budget because I didn’t think of them as a fee for camping (like at a campground), why? I do not know *lol* because clearly it was equivalent to a camp fee.
We know that NOW!
Roadtrippers estimated we would spend $1013 in diesel, this is factoring in our vehicle type and MPG of 9. Now this was a very rough estimate but it gave us an idea on how much that was gonna hurt the pocketbook.
Our actual diesel cost was….. drum roll…….$1,876.04
Def costs (which we did not factor in beforehand) was $35.98 and unleaded fuel for our generator (another thing we didn’t factor in) was $83.60.
Totalling $1995.62
Average MPG 8.2
RoadTrippers estimated we would drive 3534 miles.
Actual:
Total miles towing the rig 4165
Total miles towing and detached 4822
*gulp*
Here is our list of stays, what we purchased or gave as a gift, and how we felt about each of them.
Ill start off by saying talking to each of these folks was by far the most pleasant conversations I’ve probably ever had. They were welcoming, polite, accommodating and ready for our visit. After I hung up, I immediately told Bill how awesome that was. I have never had an interaction with a campground reservation desk that was THAT great. I hung up excited to get to each stop and meet these hosts!!
Which subscription program: Harvest Hosts
Location: The Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Type of property: The Gourd Barn This is a home based business with a lot of space for multiple rigs, 44ft+ They have a huge field behind their business to accommodate many rigs.
Road conditions to property from Interstate: paved
How many nights: 1
Our cost/purchase: $25 for a handmade gourd hot air balloon.
Our thoughts: We were their 16th HH of the season. The owner of this barn was so kind. She shared the barns history and showed us her gourd studio. Her home, barn and property is beautiful. Our first night on our journey was a perfect one.
Generators welcome.
Which subscription program: Harvest Hosts
Location: The Western end of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Type of property: Northern Sun Winery They have multiple places to park rigs of all leng. Smaller rigs can park right in front or larger ones can go along side of the back vineyard and park in the field. Which is what we did. It was so peaceful and beautiful. A perfect hideaway.
Road conditions to property from Interstate: paved
How many nights: 1
Our cost/purchase: $34.79 for the wine tasting and a bottle of wine.
Our thoughts: We did a wine tasting and purchased two bottles of their delicious wine. This was our first vineyard visit ever and it was beautiful. We got a tour of their facility and was just in awe how this vineyard was started because of her husbands hobby! I was surprised they allow their RV visitors to just park in their front lawn. It was level and beautiful. We sat right in front of the vineyard and enjoyed a good thunderstorm after we grilled up some dinner.
Generators welcome.
Which subscription program: Boondockers Welcome
Location: Center City, Minnesota
Type of property: Family owned home and farm with a lot of space for big rigs, 44ft + They have an area cleared just on the south side of their home. Easily fit 2 large rigs.
Road conditions to property from Interstate: dirt/gravel
How many nights: 1
Our cost/gift: $0 We gave them a card.
Our thoughts: We were their 2nd boondocker since they joined the program. It wasn’t until the morning we were leaving, that we noticed they had a small petting zoo on the side of their home. The stay was so peaceful, we never knew there were so many animals within 500 feet of us. They were so kind and even gave us a jar of homemade crabapple jam, a dozen duck eggs and a dozen chicken eggs. It was amazing jam too!! Generators welcome.
Which subscription program: Harvest Hosts
Location: North Dakota
Type of property: 4e Winery They have multiple places to park rigs of all lengths. Smaller rigs can park right in front or larger ones can go along side of the back vineyard and park in the field. Which is what we did. It was so peaceful and beautiful. A perfect hideaway.
Road conditions to property from Interstate: dirt/gravel
How many nights: 2
Our cost/purchase: $81.82 for a tank top and 3 bottles of wine.
Our thoughts: We had a fun wine tasting with the owners and some locals, which was a great time. They also had a garden behind their vineyard and insisted we pick what vegetables we would like and allowed up to full up our fresh water tank. Their vegetables were some of the biggest we’ve ever seen. Whatever is in their soil must be magical because the squash we picked were monsters! We arrived on a Sunday when the winery was closed, so our stay was so quiet. It was amazing to see this little vineyard in the middle of NOTHING in North Dakota.
Generators welcome.
Which subscription program: Harvest Hosts
Location: Southeastern Montana
Type of property: Tongue River Winery We might not suggest large rigs here because the road going to the winery was a difficult one to maneuver around. We almost took out a tree making a left hand turn on their road. The road to the winery, once you got around that curve, was narrow but manageable and you can park right in the front parking lot. They allow big rigs but again, we probably wouldn't suggest it. It was pretty cozy and the lot was empty. We couldn't imagine what it would have been like had we arrived when the winery was open and operating.
Road conditions to property from Interstate: dirt/gravel
How many nights: 1
Our cost/purchase: $52.80 for 3 bottles of wine
Our thoughts: We had a fun wine tasting with the owner. Even Bill had some, which is shocking because he doesn’t like wine. She shared with us how wine is actually made and how you can turn almost any fruit into wine. All we knew is that I (Erin) just likes wine!!! They also had a small garden growing with various cherry tomatoes and hascaps. Delicious!
Generators welcome.
Which subscription program: Malmstrom AFB FamCamp
Location: Great Falls, Montana
Type of property: Military FamCamp
Road conditions to property from Interstate: paved
How many nights: 1
Our cost: $25 for full hookups
Our thoughts: We got to do laundry and flush tanks. This was also Erins birthday and the camp host and maintenance man sang Happy Birthday to her. It was very sweet.
Which subscription program: Boondockers Welcome
Location: Kalispell, Montana
Type of property: Family owned property and business with large areas for parking, 44ft. Some spots offer electric and water.
Road conditions to property from Interstate: dirt/gravel
How many nights: 4
Our cost/gift: $0 We gave them a bottle of wine we purchased at a previous winery and a card.
Our thoughts: This family was so welcoming and full of knowledge about the area. This was our stay to visit Glacier National Park. Erin learned little self defense and we all talked about the RV life, as they are very interested in doing the same. With this stop we gained new followers and friends. Another perk to this visit was that we got to meet fellow RVers from our Instagram social circle. This was our first RVer get-together at a local bar and grill and we are so happy we got the opportunity to connect!! Our RV community online is amazing and when you get the chance to meet any of them in person, is something you don’t want to miss out on.
**Between this last stop and the next, we came across The Garden of 1000 Buddhas. Who knew something like this would sit in the middle of no where in southern Montana.
Which subscription program: Harvest Hosts
Location: Eastern Idaho
Type of property: The Grand Teton Distillery They have a few large areas for parking, 44ft +
Road conditions to property from Interstate: paved
How many nights: 3
Our cost/purchase: $36.99 for a bottle of their cherry vodka and a gift for a friend.
Our thoughts: This distillery was impressive. Vodka from potatoes. Mind blown yet again. The owners were very kind, showing us their distillery and how they make their product. This visit was extra special too. Another family rolled in about an hour after we did. Much to our surprise they were also newly retired Coast Guard!! We bonded immediately. They had 2 children and a beautiful dog. We had a great time visiting with new friends and exploring the Grand Teton. Sadly we didn’t get to explore as much as we wanted to. Glaciers hike did a pretty number on Erins right knee, making it very hard to hike a great distance but we did manage to get 2 miles in. It was stunning! The smoke was very minimal the day we went to the park so we were very lucky. We will defiantly be planning another trip to Grand Teton National Park.
Which subscription program: Harvest Hosts
Location: Bellevue, Idaho
Type of property: Kraay's Market & Garden This property has a designated spot for a single rig, 44ft + They are kind enough to offer water and a regular outlet power plug.
Road conditions to property from Interstate: dirt/gravel
How many nights: 2
Our cost/purchase: $20 and a card for their generousity
Our thoughts: The drive to this location was very smooth. Idaho roads aren’t bad at all. The main street to their property is gravel and a bit rough but you won’t be on it too long before entering their driveway. They have created a spot with water and electric for us boondockers, which was very nice to have. We gave our generator a rest and was able to refill fresh water. Sherry and Larry were wonderful hosts. They offered their huge garden to us to harvest our own veggies. This location was quiet and very relaxing. We spent one day visiting Caters of the Moon National Park. That was a great experience. After our unexpected 10 mile hike at Glacier, Erins injured knee couldn’t handle more up and downhill hikes. Caters of the Moon had many trails to pick from and a handful of them are flat, which was very nice. We got to explore some lava caves too which was not only freaky but very impressive to see.
Which subscription program: Harvest Hosts
Location: South of Salt Lake City, Utah
Type of property: Business with large gravel area for multiple rigs, 44ft +
Road conditions to property from Interstate: paved
How many nights: 3
Our cost/purchase: roughly $75 in produce and sweet treats
Our thoughts: We have family in the Salt Lake City which was nice because the owners of this property allowed us to stay a couple nights verses just the one. There was plenty of space for additional rigs, but we remained alone the whole visit. Their store was huge and the items we purchased were delicious. Who doesn’t love farm fresh foods, homemade mixes and product, homemade ice cream, and candied apples!!
Which subscription program: Boondockers Welcome
Location: Spring Creek, Nevada
Type of property: Private home. The drive way is a half circle, not 100% level but it worked for us after a few adjustments. It is a residential but not horrible to maneuver in, 44ft max in our opinion.
Road conditions to property from Interstate: Once exiting the highway you will drive south through a large community. Although it is residential, it's wide enough to maneuver in without a problem. Some don't like driving through residental, so we wanted to mention it.
How many nights: 1
Our cost/gift: $0 We gave her a bottle of wine and a card
Our thoughts: We arrived late afternoon. Susan was a very welcoming host, helping guide us in. Knowing our route she advised us to take a different route due to the Burning Man taking place that weekend. Luckily we managed to drive around that and get to our destination without a problem.
So our total costs for our overnights was a grand total of $351.40
Divide that by 21 days and it averages about $16 a night for camp. That’s not too bad looking at it that way but going into this thinking we would camp FREE, makes it a bummer that it actually wasn’t. Lesson learned.
The one thing we did gain from this experiment was new friends and that is priceless :)
All in all, our experience with Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Hosts was a fantastic one. We meet new faces, experienced things we’ve never done before and drove away with a new sense of appreciation for a kind heart. Keep in mind, these hosts don’t get paid as a member of these programs, they gain nothing from opening up their home and property for us RVer’s. I mean, some Harvest Hosts have the requirement of purchase, but in our case, we weren’t expected to. Which only told us that they simply to meet new faces as well as offer a safe and fun place to rest and relax as we travel.
For that, we are so grateful.
**For those of you interested in becoming members of the 2 subscription sites, please follow our links above. We are affiliated with both of them and with Harvest Hosts you will get 10% off**