April 25&26, 2026
Departing HRW by 8:15AM and hitting the road through the Berkshire & Taconic Hills was a really nice country ride. No highways and fast speeds, just moving along between 35 to 45 mph. We stopped in Canaan Connecticut to grab a few simple groceries and headed off to Norbrook Farm Brewery. We arrived at about 10:15AM and were greeted by 140 disc golfers. The parking area for RVs was jammed packed with cars and only one spot for us to fit…. next to the huge wood chipper pile. We set up, leveled up, and all set to enjoy the weekend by 10:30AM. By mid to late afternoon all the disc golfers had left and the parking area for RVs included us, a small airstream and on Sunday morning a very small class B parked in the area, so we had a ton of room. Rain came in by mid-day Saturday and rained through the night with temperatures dropping to 40F, so it was a chilly night.
Sunday morning rolled around for us by 5AM, so we started the generator to give the house battery a charge and to use the two 1500W space heaters to warm the place up. By 5:30AM the coach was toasty and breakfast was started. Scrambled eggs, sausage, cottage cheese and garlic bread (left over from home). Used the microwave to heat the sausage up, but between the stove, heaters and all the activity in the coach the temps climbed to 72 degrees by the time breakfast was over.
We spent Saturday afternoon at the brewery with Andy, Robin, Mike & Ellen. Wonderful visit with good beer and the full restaurant of NFB now in full play. In the past year so many improvements have been made to the brewery, well, it stunned us. A new restaurant seating / wine bar area was created from a storage room that the brewery had. The pavilion, which was just breaking ground the last time we came, is now about 80% complete. The pavilion was taken over by the disc golfers on Saturday. The huge fireplace in the pavilion was a welcome stop walking from our camper to the brewery.
Later in the afternoon, A.J. one of the employees of the brewery asked if everything was ok with our coach and where we parked. I responded, “yes, it’s great”. A.J. said, “I just wanted to make sure everything was good since on HH person complained there was no parking”. Lesson learned, the bigger your RV the fewer number of places to park. The RV that guy was towing was a massive 3-axle 5th wheel RV that had to be 45 feet long plus his very large truck pulling the thing. They got to park in the pavilion area, which was probably very convenient for them.
Monday morning was a bit chilly but the warmest of the weekend. While yesterdays temps rose to the mid-70’s the night time temps dropped to mid-40’s. The coach was 52 degrees this morning so decided to start the generator to charge up the battery and run the furnace (which I did in the wrong sequence). Furnace draws significant power from the battery (for the circulating fan), so when I attempted to start the generator it was a no go! Had to start the engine, which charges the house battery too, and then got the generator started. All the nuances of coach life one must remember.
NFB never a bad visit. Great host, great site, good beer, good food.
April 24, 2026
Official season start is today! Skittles, one of our three cats, decided to stay behind. She spotted her siblings getting scooped up and put into crates and ran away and hid somewhere in the house. We search for 30 minutes but eventually gave up and left her behind. Our neighbor texted us a few hours later and said she spotted Skittles basking in the sun drenched window. So she is “Home Alone”.
Blue skies and 60 degree temps made for a pleasant trip to Home Range Winery. We stopped at Long View RV in Windsor Connecticut to fill up the propane tank which is something we do about once per year. We last filled the propane in March 2025 on our way to Georgia.
Peter & Susan at HRW are great hosts but since we’ve stayed here in the past we were aware of their hospitality. A cold spring forced HRW to open a bit later than in past years, so today the winery was closed, however Peter & Susan were great hosts. We toured the property and got to meet Wesley the dog, Goats, Chickens and take in the fresh air.
A chilly evening with no clouds gave way to temperatures hovering around 35 degrees. 4:15AM came early today with the really chilly indoor temperature of the coach at 43 degrees!! We installed a very accurate voltage monitor since the stock meter from the factory is useless. Today, for the first time, we were able to analyze our battery consumption. After 17 hours boondocked ae used 27% of our battery. We do have a generator and solar panels, but only use them if we really have to.
April 12, 2026
Two years ago this day was our maiden voyage with Coachella Birdie and we stayed at “Big Elm Brewery” and “Norbrook Farm Brewery” during this two day shake down test. We did this trip without the cats but just with our two dogs. We learned a bunch, like making sure to bring extra water. While at Norbrook we ran out of water. It was bitter cold and snowing in the hills of Colebrook. We were fortunate that the Norbrook owner allowed us access to an outside faucet so we could fill up some 3 gallon jugs to fill the coach with enough water for the night. We were chilly and ran the furnace and generator a few times to stay warm through the night. Taking the dogs out at night made us appreciate the solitude of camping; no sounds and complete darkness.
Last year on this date we were in New Jersey on our last night stay of our southern US trip. On that trip we spent time with family in South Carolina and George and met up with Friends along the way. It was rainy and wet our last night and the fears of getting stuck in the muddy driveway of the establishment brought back memories of getting stuck in a field in April 2024. But we made it home from this trip safe and sound.
And here we are, April 12, 2026 and still stationary at our home in Connecticut. It has been an unseasonably chilly spring, in my opinion, with temperatures last night hovering at 32 degrees! The sun is bright in the sky this morning without any clouds and temperatures are on the rise. I de-winterized the coach two weeks ago since the weather forecasts called for no freezing temperatures. Since de-winterizing we’ve seen 25 degree mornings which prompted me to turn on heaters in the coach to prevent things from freezing.
We will be sanitizing the waterlines, perhaps even today since temps are to be in the low 60’s. We’ve packed most of our clothes we need and have most food loaded for our first trip in less than two weeks. Some final prepping will need to be done like leveling and loading the fridge and letting in run a few days before leaving. Making a stop to fill the propane tank. Rechecking tire pressures and ensuring all the tools are loaded.
April 2026
April is just two days away, and thankfully, the sub-freezing temperatures of winter and early spring are behind us. De-winterization of the coach was completed yesterday, and so far, all the workings of the coach are functioning well.
Our shake-down trip is just a few weeks away, and it will probably still be a little chilly at night. We will have to fill up with propane on our way to our first stop, which is Home Range Winery in Canaan, New York. We stayed with these folks in the fall of ’24. It was frosty the next morning, and I’m sure Aprill will present a similar experience. Peter & Susan, the hosts, were great and presented Thelma & Louise their own little dog toy memento of our stay (a little stuffed lobster and beaver). The ‘beaver’ continues to be one of Thelma’s favorite stuffed toys (although it is looking pretty tattered).
I came across a nice video detailing the winery that was established a few years ago. This video captures the atmosphere of this small, tucked-away winery in Canaan, New York.
Nice video capturing the atmosphere of HRW in Canaan, New York.
As in past years, once on the road, we will have a ‘daily’ blog of our adventures so folks can tag along for the ride. This year will be a mostly New England area adventure year with Thelma, Louise, Caramel, Skittles, and Snickers along for the ride. – R&S
March 2026
Will winter weather ever stop? Very cold New England winter this year and a super snowy February. Just when we thought we were past the snowy weather received three accumulating snowstorms in the past ten days. ARGH!!! But according to the weather channel, the second week of March has sixty-degree weather in our forecast! This will be welcome. Need to dig Coachella Birdy out and get her out for her yearly maintenance.
The scheduled trips this season now include Lake George, New York. We will be camping with close friends at the Lake George RV park. Later in the year, we will be adding Lone Oak Campground to our local trips. This year, as we’ve mentioned, we are sticking close to New England with trips to CT, VT, ME, MA, and NY. Our western trip in ’24 and southern trip in ’25 were exciting, and now it’s time to experience home. We will have a shake-down trip in April to ensure all is running properly before our longer trips.
February 2026
We are getting close to seeing dirt rather than just snow. Temperatures have risen over the past week, and most of the snow on the coach has melted away. Hopefully, I’ll get to move it out so some yearly maintenance can be done.
Wow! Temperatures here in Connecticut have been bone-chilling for the past few weeks. The lowest overnight temp was -5F, temps we have not seen in a number of years. Top that off with 16 inches of snow dropped on us just before the cold snap, and spells lots of snow sticking around for a while and on sunny days just creating a ton of ice all over the place. I make it a habit to start the coach every month to keep the engine battery topped off, and the generator I start and let run for 30 minutes to an hour every week to keep the carb cleaned out. Last week, the temps were so cold the steps wouldn’t work, and the generator would not start. Today, the temps approached 26F by 9:30AM, so I thought I’d give another try starting things up.
I clicked the remote door lock and “no dice.” The engine battery was dead, which explains why the steps would not work last week. I flipped the parallel switch on, which couples the house battery with the engine battery, and with a bit of difficulty, the engine cranked over. I let the engine run for 30 minutes, which helped to bring the inside temperature up to a balmy 50 degrees. The generator took two tries to start, but finally it fired up and ran it for 90 minutes at half load.
Today’s outcome was better than I thought. I was ready to purchase a new motor for the steps, but I just needed to have the battery charged up for the engine (may not be out of the woods with the battery). The battery voltage was 3.3V, so damage may have been done. I was ready to purchase a WEN 4500W portable generator if I couldn’t get the coach generator running, but very happy, no need to spend that money (yet). The coach gen is a Cummings generator and is very finicky; its carburetor is its weak spot.
Two more months of idleness before the season kicks off with us. The coach will be heading to the shop later this month to have the engine starter looked at. With 81k miles and hearing the starter stick sometimes, I think it’s better just to replace the starter than risk being stranded somewhere. Oil change, lube job, and inspection of Ball and U-Joints are on the short list of work to be done. I may have the leveling jacks’ fluid level inspected, but I will have to leave instructions for the garage on that process.
January 2026
2026 rang in, and goodbye to 2025. It is hard to believe we will be starting our 3rd season owning a Class C motorhome. 2023 was a short year and was spent mostly getting the RV roadworthy for the long 2024 season. 2024 saw us travel west to Wyoming, and 2025 had our adventures take us south to Georgia. 2026 will keep us close to New England and experiencing our neighboring states. Coachella has had some extensive updates since taking ownership, including revamped brakes and replacing all hydraulic and cooling lines, new tires, new roof, new A/C, improved leveling system, remounted water heater, new rear camera, and many other small improvements, including a weekly maintenance regimen for the generator.
This year, we are taking a slower approach, starting the season with the first shake-down trip happening late April. The plans are 2 or 3 Harvest Home sites: Home Range Winery, Big Elm Brewery, and Norbrook Farm Brewery. All three of these establishments are within 100 miles of our home and will be post-hard freeze warnings, so running water in the coach will be possible. Big Elm is a ‘perhaps’ since the business and property are up for sale, so we can’t make any long-range planning. If Big Elm is a no-go, then we will spend two nights at Norbrook Farm Brewery.
May will be a two-plus week trip on the road on the heels of shake down trip. We will be mixing some Harvest Host sites with RV / Campground stays. On the list of stops will be
- Vermont Distillers
- Prouty Beach Campground
- Sugar Ridge RV Village
- Pine Hollow Campground
- Skyline Beer Company
June is unscheduled at the moment, but we are thinking of Skyridge Campground in Torrington, while July is scheduled as;
- Cracker Barrel
- Boothbay Craft Brewery
- Bar Harbor Campground
- Gracepoint Church
- Skyview Minuteman Campground
August too is unscheduled, but perhaps the eastern New York area and October is still open at the moment.
October 2025
2025 is coming to a close, easily felt by the brisk fall mornings and the trees are beginning to drop their leaves. The coach has been put to bed for winter hibernation and will await the spring for yet another year of travels. For 2026 our initial plans were to head south to New Orleans and Texas but some health issues popped up in 2025 and helped to realize how fragile health can be. Being close to home with our local doctors and hospitals prompted us to limit our travels to the Northeast.
Our plans are coming out something like this:
We do have a local week-long stay at Sky Ridge RV park planned for August and several weekend get away trips to our local brew establishments.
Coachella 