Harvest Hosts Members Share Their Funniest Camping Stories

RV Life

From Cannons To Creepy Cats, Harvest Hosts Members Share Their Best Camping Stories

Regardless of age, we all love good camping stories. As kids, we remember spooky stories around the campfire. As adult RVers with a firmer grasp of the supernatural, spooky stories tend to revolve more around slides that won’t extend and leveling jacks that won’t come up than they do about things that go bump in the night.

RV LIFE recently partnered with Harvest Hosts to hear a few camping stories from Harvest Hosts members. The winners were awarded RV LIFE Pro subscriptions and Harvest Hosts membership extension. Here is a recap of those stories and more.

Of China Bombs and Corn Cannons

Our 1st place contest winner related the following story that is both frightening and humorous. Every RVer can relate to the fear, and relief, in this story.

Funniest Camping Stories 1st Place Winner

By now, everyone has probably heard of “China Bombs”—those tires that come with a brand new camper that most RV buyers feel you should change out before taking any long trips with your new RV. Well, we did not replace the brand new tires and were in the midst of our second long trip. As I was very aware of potential issues, I was very careful with maintaining correct pressures and monitoring the RV tires while traveling. I was also very wary and paranoid that something was going to go wrong.

As we were pulling into a Harvest Hosts winery for our one night stay, I was taking in the beautiful grounds while getting directions on where to park. Just as I pulled around to back into our spot, I heard a loud BOOM! Immediately, I jumped up and thought, “Dagnabit, we’ve just had a blow-out!” I hopped out to survey the damage, only to hear the winery Host say, “Let me shut that thing off for ya”. Apparently they have a corn cannon that blasts randomly to scare crows out of the field…..and RVers out of their shorts!

Wow! Feeling much happier, we got parked easily, had a great night tasting their wares, and got an excellent night’s sleep, uninterrupted by either blow-outs or corn cannons.

Donkey Quake Eddie

Our 2nd place winner in the RV LIFE & Harvest Hosts camping story contest relates their shaking tale of Eddie the donkey.

Funniest Camping Stories 2nd Place Winner

This past spring we arranged to stay at a Harvest Hosts farm location in South Carolina. The farm Hosts were gracious and welcoming. We were able to purchase well-made alpaca hats and socks from their gift shop. The highlight of the visit was touring the small farm, participating in a few “chores” by feeding the goats and alpacas, and enjoying the company and antics of a mini donkey named Eddie.

We settled in for the night, thankful for the crisp air and quiet country atmosphere. About 3 a.m., we were awakened by the vigorous rocking of our 24-ft. motorhome. I need to mention that my husband and I are earthquake magnets, having lived through large earthquakes in Chile, Turkey, Egypt, and Mexico. Did we really just attract an earthquake to South Carolina

After what seemed an eternity, the rocking paused and we discovered that Eddie was just in need of a good back scratch, which he was able to satisfy on the railing of the bike rack attached to the RV. We had a good laugh, our fears allayed for the time being.

I can’t say we were able to return to peaceful slumber, however. Eddie had discovered a good thing, and he returned numerous times to the bike rack to satisfy his need for a good scratch. It made for a funny memory, and we hope to be able to return again someday. This time we will come armed with some “anti-itch” cream for Eddie!

Cute, Creepy, or Just Curious

Cats are curious, and depending on your affinity for them, can also be creepy or cute. This Harvest Hosts Member shares their story about a vineyard cat that was all three.

Funniest Camping Stories 3rd Place Winner

My first time using Harvest Hosts was at a beautiful vineyard. The entire staff was kind and helpful, and even the cat greeted me when I arrived. With two cats of my own, I appreciated the additional attention for our feline Host.

With the onset of storms later that night, I pulled the RV under some cover, opened some windows, and prepared my window fan the best I could. During the night, it did get a bit humid and warm, and my two kitty travel companions slept under a second open window next to me. We fell asleep to the heat lightning show as we looked out our front windshield, overlooking the vineyard. I awoke suddenly to the low growl of my kitten and an amazing downpour of a thunderstorm. My little guy never growled like that, so I looked around, and with a flash of lightning, could see the vineyard cat at the open window!

I said, “Nope you can’t come in” as she greeted us by stepping inside. I gently pushed her back out and closed the window enough to keep her out. She pouted and then laid down on the back truck bed cover next to our window. I woke at sunrise to her still there. Super cute, but like a shadow, I couldn’t move my truck and trailer until the owners got her inside the wine tasting room. I think she wanted to come with us, but my two cats are enough, and I didn’t need another kitty stowing away with us. I snapped a picture of her, texted my husband good morning, and left for the road soon after. Very memorable, great wine, and a wonderful Host family as a first Harvest Hosts experience that I’ll never forget. Off to a great start!

Conclusion

It’s clear that Harvest Hosts Members are having some unique experiences. The only way to create those great memories is to get out there and hit the road.

Harvest Hosts Members are enjoying their camping stories even more by planning their RV trip ahead of time with RV LIFE Pro. By adding your Harvest Hosts locations to your RV LIFE Trip Wizard trip, you can build a complete trip and create an RV-safe route to get there. What will your next camping story be?

Looking to set out on a trip with Harvest Hosts? With over 7,000 unique locations inside of the Harvest Hosts network, there’s an adventure for everyone. Join now to save 15% off of your first year of membership with the code TRIPWIZARD.