Category: California

West Coast Wine and Food: Flavor Along the Pacific
Make a toast to the Pacific Coast!
Wine is produced in so many states in the U.S. — New York, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, and more. But say U.S. wine, and California and Oregon come to mind. And deservedly so.
California, of course, is the leading wine producer in the country and a giant in the international world of wine. In the north Coastal and inland areas, you’ll find Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma counties, all producing stellar vintages.
A Pinot Noir in a West Coast vineyard. Photo: Kym Ellis
Amazing wines, world-renowned restaurants, luxurious spas, and resorts — all can be found in Northern California wine country.
Central Coast Cool
The Coastal area of Santa Barbara also features cool area wines such as pinot noir and chardonnay, while Paso Robles is an up-and-coming but increasingly acclaimed region set inland on the east side of the Coastal Range of mountains. Warm weather prevails, and vineyards and olive groves sit side by side. Before it was known for wine, Paso Robles was celebrated for its hot springs.
Further inland and north are the wineries of the Central Valley and the Sierra foothills. Lodi in the north Central Valley has become known for its Zinfandels. The foothill wineries also produce Zins and Cabernet Sauvignon, but also many Spanish and Italian varietals. Foothill wineries tend to be smaller, family-owned and operated, and the towns date to the Gold Rush — so expect a fun, often quirky atmosphere and events.
Enjoying a Chardonnay in a West Coast vineyard. Photo: Ales Maze
All of the wine regions feature restaurants serving locally grown ingredients and locally sourced meats and seafood — plus local wine, of course. It is not hard to find a good meal almost anywhere in California and it doesn’t have to be fine dining.
Oregon Is for Oenophiles
One state north, Oregon is known for its Pinot Noirs. The Willamette Valley is at the center of the Pinot Noir production, with more than 80% of Oregon’s Pinot Noir grapes grown there. But, because of its cool climate, white wine lovers can find luscious Chardonnays and crisp Pinot Gris wines. And, since the Willamette is home to more than 700 wineries, there should be a wine to suit every wine drinker’s taste buds.
Sweet Cheeks Winery in Eugene, Oregon. Photo: Another Believer
McMinnville is a beautiful little town with great restaurants and an evening Farmers Market. Newberg is also in the heart of Pinot country and offers lots of wine tasting and dining options.
The Willamette Valley runs from Portland in the north to Eugene in the south along both sides of Interstate 5.
Further south, the Umpqua Valley and the Rogue Valley wine regions tend to have more varied climates due to a combination of mountainous, valley, and coastal areas. So, wine lovers can find wines from both cool- and warm-weather loving grapes and sample Pinot Noir, Merlot, Tempranillo, and Syrah. (We’ve even had delicious Barbera, Sangiovese, and Petite Sirah in Southern Oregon wineries.)
Washington Wines
And at the north end of the Pacific Coast wine states, sits Washington. While Washington may be the lesser-known Pacific Coast wine state, it actually is the second-largest producer of premium wine in the U.S. It boasts 21 unique growing regions that run from the eastern foothills of the Cascades into the high desert of Washington’s east. The area runs from Lake Chelan on the north and follows the Columbia River Valley south to the Oregon border, taking in Yakima Valley, Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, the Columbia Gorge, Horse Heaven Hills, and the Walla Walla Valley, among others.
Casks containing aging wine in Seven Hills Winery in Walla Walla, Washington. Photo: Joe Mabel
Cities in the area include Wenatchee, Yakima, Prosserlla, Walla, and the Tri-Cities of Richland, Pasco, and Kennewick, plus smaller cities such as West Richland and Benton. A visit to the Tri-Cities area, Prosser and Walla Walla, followed by a drive west along the Columbia River, will bring RVers to hundreds of wineries — producing Merlot, Syrah, and numerous highly-rated red blends.
In the far eastern corner of the Statella Walla, an old Western town, the charming downtown is full of good restaurants. It seems odd, sitting in an Old West town eating escargot and steak tartare but the food was delicious and spot on — as was the wine.
Prosser alone is home to dozens of wineries with welcoming tasting rooms and some with restaurants. The annual Spring Barrel Wine Tasting draws thousands of visitors the last weekend in April. It is crowded and noisy but fun – with numerous bands, food vendors, and lots of wine. It helps to be parked in an RV park and walk or use Lyft or Uber to get home from the festival. A hint: many of the wineries offer the same pricing and tasting the weekend before the festival, and you can talk to the vintners and barrel taste without the lines.
J. Bookwalter Winery in Richland, Washington. Photo: Dieter F.
Some of the tasting rooms at the wineries in the Tri-Cities are set in the hills above Richland. Many have good restaurants with outdoor seating, giving diners panoramic views over the valley and beautiful sunsets.
For wine lovers not wanting to venture far from the I-5 Corridor on the west side of the Cascades, the town of Woodinville near Bothell boasts more than 110 tasting rooms clustered into four “districts.” Some of the tasting rooms are at wineries, but many are just that – tasting rooms for wineries located elsewhere in the state, such as from Walla Walla, the Columbia River Valley, Prosser, and the Tri-Cities.
These RV parks and others will welcome wine tourists and have information on hand to help their guests discover their area’s best dining as well as wineries:
California
Rancho Los Coches RV Park, Lakeside
Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina, Newport Beach
Fountain of Youth Spa RV Resort, Niland
Pala Casino RV Resort, Pala
Campland On the Bay, San Diego
Mission Bay RV Resort, San Diego
Village Camp Truckee-Tahoe, Truckee
Oregon
Mill Casino RV Park, Coos Bay
Washington
Northern Quest RV Resort, Airway Heights
Angel of the Winds RV Resort, Arlington
Lake Pleasant RV Park, Bothell
Grant County Fairgrounds & RV Park, Moses Lake
Horn Rapids RV Resort, Richland

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2025-10-23
Agritourism and RVing: A Match Made on the Road
Remember that visit to a Petting Farm your kids enjoyed on their school field trip, before you heard about agritourism? Or how about those visits to the pumpkin patch and corn maze that became an annual fall tradition? And those wine tastings, followed by sitting at a table next to the vineyard, sipping your favorite vintage, and listening to music?
At the time, those were just activities enjoyed by many families as part of their routines.
Photo: Meritt Thomas
But they all fall under the umbrella of an exploding category called Agritourism – a path many farms, dairies, food processors, breweries, and wineries have taken to bring in extra income and share their products and passion with visitors, many of whom travel from state to state seeking such experiences.
And a perfect way to explore? By RV, of course!
Roadside stands selling produce or eggs, Farmers Markets, Pick-Your-Own berries or peaches — all are ways for travelers to interact with the people who provide our food and help them supplement their incomes.
We can’t possibly cover every state and every option, so here’s a sampling of places we know personally:
Artisanal cheese. Photo: Lee Milo
Pacific Northwest Picks
In our RV travels, we were surprised — don’t know why — to find some of the best Farmers Markets we’d ever been to in Oregon, in the wine country and on the coast, especially McMinnville’s and Newport’s.
The Rogue Valley in Oregon is home to several artisanal cheese makers, as is the Willamette Valley, where you can sometimes greet the cheese source in the milking barn as you walk to the tasting room. The Willamette, of course, is famous for Pinot Noir, but we also found good wines in Roseburg and the Umpqua River Valley.
Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Photo: Hiroko Nishimura
In neighboring Washington, Seattle’s Pike Place Market is famous and fun, but the neighborhood Farmer’s Markets — especially in the University District — were so much more intimate and engaging. Washington wine deserves your attention. On your way to the southeastern wine regions, drive through the Yakima Valley to see fields and fields of hops and orchards full of the famous Washington apples.
A wine event in Northern California. Photo: Oleksandr Gamaniuk
California Bounty
California is a mecca for wine, cheese — especially in the coastal hills north of San Francisco — and five-pound apple pies in Apple Valley east of Sacramento. Be sure to try some of the lesser-known wine regions near the coast and in the Sierra Nevada foothills, as well as Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, and Paso Robles. And the San Joaquin Valley is known for its peaches, apricots, almonds, olive oil, and fantastic Farmers Markets. Date lovers can head to Southern California and sample multiple varieties.
Arizona: Land of Plenty
In Tempe, Arizona, Hayden Flour Mills grows non-GMO ancient and heritage grains. They sell flours, pancake and cake mixes, and much, much more. They also hold classes and events.
In Apache Junction, Queen Creek Olive Mill produces and sells multiple flavors of olive oil and related gift items.
Generic potato chips with a key ingredient. Photo: Generica
Great Grains in VA
The Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia is not only home to distilleries, breweries, and wineries, but also to grain mills where visitors can take home freshly milled grain.
And, while it’s not exactly agritourism since it’s a producer, the Route 11 Potato Chip company Kettle cooks small-batch chips and offers tours, tastings, and sales of multiple flavors and sizes of bags. The factory was built to be green and uses the kettle heat for building heat and recycles its peelings into cattle feed. And, with the generous amounts of samples, the company hands out to visitors. It’s a very popular stop just off Interstate 81 in Mt. Jackson.
Photo: Charles Deluvio
Louisiana Yields Flavor
In New Iberia, Louisiana, the Conrad Rice Mill — on the National Register of Historic Places — is the oldest rice mill in the country and still produces rice that is sold in hand-tied burlap bags. You can take a tour and see the wooden mill parts working away, as they have for more than 100 years, watch a video about rice and rice milling, and buy rice and Cajun gift items.
Nearby, visit Avery Island and learn the story behind Tabasco Sauce — created by Edward McIlhenny in 1868. Tabasco still is family-owned, with the fifth generation carefully guarding the secret sauce recipe. And judging the peppers’ color to make sure they are at the perfect stage for harvesting. Tour the factory, watch the famous sauce come off the line with labels in 50-some languages, sample multiple flavors, and dine in the café. Drive the grounds and be careful of the gators sunning by the waterways.
Pumpkins for sale. Photo: Ginger Jordan
Agritourism, USA
And to states not mentioned, our apologies. There’s a space limit. But just about every state in the U.S. offers agritourism of some sort — from Florida to Maine and west along the Gulf Coast and up through the Midwest, Great Lakes region, and the Prairies. You can eat and drink your way across the country, having fun and helping the growers. You’ll meet a lot of interesting people along the way — we sure did.
Many agritourism stops offer RV parking, and you can also find a Good Sam park nearby to make multiple visits from a home base. Hours of operation can be found online. And,if you are staying at a park, ask the staff for help in finding nearby agritourism destinations.
Among the parks welcoming you are:
River Bend Resort in Forestville, California
Shenandoah Valley Campgrounds, Mt Jackson, Virginia (Very near Route 11 Potato Chips)
Angel of the Winds RV Resort in Arlington, Washington
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2025-10-21
Golden Village Palms: Luxury in SoCal’s Inland Empire
Nestled in the scenic San Jacinto Valley in Southern California’s Inland Empire, Golden Village Palms RV Resort gives its guests the ideal blend of city and nature. Lovers of urban attractions travel to Palm Springs and Temecula, while natural attractions like Diamond Valley Lake and the San Jacinto Mountains sit just a short distance away to the northeast.
Guests who prefer to stay in one place can relax and enjoy the views of the surrounding mountains. The cozy town of Hemet is home to sprawling parks and dynamic museums, making it a welcome home base.
Photo: Golden Village Palms RV Resort
With 700 spaces, Golden Village Palms provides luxurious amenities for guests seeking comfort and fun. The gated resort offers regular live entertainment as well as a ballroom and VIP suite for special events. Three pools entice guests to unwind in water, while epicureans can enjoy chef-driven cuisines, with poolside barbecues and continental breakfasts served every Friday. Hungry guests can drop into the Grill Restaurant, the Patio, Clubhouse Kitchen, and Chef’s Garden at the Outdoor Patio. Barbeque & Grills rounds out the offerings.
Stay in Comfort
RV accommodations range from Premium RV sites, with plenty of room for slides and 50-amp electricity, to Pull Thru Sites, which are extra long and accommodate longer motorhomes or trailer-truck combinations. All sites feature cement patios for relaxing, along with Wi-Fi.
The resort also offers an extensive laundry facility and propane services. Mail services, a guest library with book exchange, and trash pickup contribute to the high quality of life at the resort.
Photo: Golden Village Palms RV Resort
Travelers interested in long-term stays can purchase custom-built park models. These luxurious cottages, each with nearly 400 square feet of living space, accommodate snowbirds or year-round residents.
Whether you’re a full-time resident or a seasonal visitor, you can participate in vibrant, year-round activities. Rallies are welcome year-round, and the annual vintage trailer event, held in April, gives you a chance to marvel at the machines of yesterday. Pickleball fanatics can strut their stuff during one of the pickleball tournaments, and lovers of live entertainment can tap their toes to some of California’s top tribute bands.
Special events include a Halloween Dance Party, Harvest Feast and Thanksgiving Lunch, and a Winter Wonderland Breakfast. Other popular activities include water volleyball, sand volleyball, line dancing classes, mahjong, and poker.
California’s super bloom around Diamond Valley Lake. Photo: Rob Bertholf
Surrounding Attractions
About five miles from Golden Village Palms, Diamond Valley Lake offers 45 acres of tranquility. Because no boats are allowed on the water, the lake and surrounding landscape enjoy a calm atmosphere. Fishing is popular here, with bluegill, sunfish, rainbow trout, and both blue and channel catfish biting on lines. Get an equally potent dose of the natural world at the Western Science Center, with a hands-on fossil exhibit. Max, the gigantic mastodon that once roamed California.
Lovers of fine wine should make the 10-mile drive to Temecula, which features some of the state’s finest varietals of wine. Visitors can enjoy fabulous dinners at the underground wine caves of Oak Mountain Winery, or enjoy wine tastings at Temecula Hills Winery, Wilson Creek Winery, and more.
A display of Temecula wines. Photo: Prayitno
Just over 40 miles away, Palm Springs bustles with some of the state’s most exciting attractions. Ride the tramway that transports passengers 2.5 miles across Chino Canyon to the San Jacinto State Park. The car’s rotation ensures that every rider gets sweeping views of the unfolding panorama, including the towering cliffs of the canyon.
Ready to meet Mickey? A longer drive takes travelers to Anaheim, home to Disneyland, along with California Adventure. Explore magical worlds or take a seat on an adrenaline-pumping ride.
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2025-09-13
California Temporarily Pauses Ban on Sale of Gas Generators
California has made headlines in recent weeks thanks to some of its more controversial environmental regulations. For example, at the start of the year, the state’s Advanced Clean Trucks regulations kicked in, placing quotas on the sale of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) for RV and truck chassis manufacturers. That has led to some motorhomes and large trucks becoming unavailable while companies learn to navigate the new rules and meet ZEV standards. But recently, California’s Air Resource Board (CARB) backtracked on one proposed set of regulations by withdrawing a request to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval of the Advanced Clean Fleets rules, which looked to ban new diesel trucks and locomotives by 2036. Now, the organization has hit pause on another new set of regulations that banned the sale of gas generators.
Photo Credit: Pulsar
Late last week, CARB announced that it would temporarily lift its ban on the sale of portable gas generators, allowing consumers to purchase those devices through June 30, 2025. That means, over the next six months, generators that meet the EPA’s standards can be sold in the state, without having to meet the stricter California standards, which essentially required zero emissions. Those new regulatory standards went into effect in 2024 and also had an impact on the sale of tools like leaf blowers and lawnmowers.
The temporary pause on the regulations comes as a result of the Los Angeles wildfires, which to date have destroyed more than 16,000 homes and claimed the lives of over 30 people. The widespread damage from those fires has resulted in ongoing power outages, often lasting for days. And while large solar-powered battery banks from brands like EcoFlow, Jackery, and Bluetti can help keep the power on, those systems can be costly and time-consuming to deploy. Gas generators are quick and easy to set up and meet the temporary needs of most people, although they are somewhat noisy and produce emissions.
Photo Credit: Cummins
It is important to note that CARB defines a portable generator as one that produces 19 kilowatts of power or less. That means the units that are back on sale in the state are relatively small and compact, but will still provide power to those who need it. The board also lists a set of guidelines for manufacturers and retailers on its website.
Remember, CARB has not repealed its regulations on gas generators; it has only paused them in this time of emergency. If you find you need one of these devices, now is the time to grab one. Barring any unexpected circumstances, the ban will go back into effect on July 1, with these products once again disappearing from California store shelves.
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2025-01-29
California Ease Back on Some Planned Environmental Regulations
It seems California may be backing away from moving ahead with some of its recent regulations designed to curb vehicle emissions. According to the Associated Press, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) withdrew a request to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week that would have given it more latitude when it comes to cracking down on diesel-powered trains and semi-trucks. The move comes just as the Trump administration is set to take office, which will likely lead to a dramatic shift in national policy when it comes to protecting the environment and natural resources.
The regulations that CARB withdrew from EPA consideration were passed in 2023 with the expressed goal of banning the sale of new diesel locomotives and semi-trucks by 2036. With those rules, the state hoped to incentivize a move towards zero-emissions vehicles—or ZEVs—with electric trains and trucks replacing diesel models. A second set of regulations that looked to phase out all locomotive engines over 23 years old by 2030 was also withdrawn.
Photo Credit: Ceri Breeze/Getty
Because these regulations went beyond those set forth by the EPA itself, a waiver was required from that agency was required for California to proceed with its plans. Had President Biden won a second term, it is likely these new guidelines would have received the necessary approval. However, based on his first term in office, President Trump isn’t as likely to throw his support behind these environmental efforts, hence the reason the regulations were withdrawn from consideration.
To be clear, the regulations that CARB withdrew from EPA review have nothing to do with the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) which we covered extensively in a recent article. Those regulations were approved by the EPA in December and place restrictions on the use of diesel-powered truck chassis, which has a direct impact on RV manufacturers and RV dealers. Those rules officially went into effect on January 1 and remain in place as of this writing.
Photo Credit: Diesel Modules
That said, CARB’s willingness to be flexible in its approach to its regulations could be a good sign for the future. The board has repeatedly indicated that it wanted to work with RV manufacturers and other commercial entities to find a smart way forward that makes sense for everyone. At the end of the day, California is looking to protect the environment and promote ongoing business ventures at the same time. As noted in our previous article on this topic, it isn’t banning the sale of new RVs outright. Instead, it is trying to create a smarter, more sustainable way forward for everyone involved. Navigating that way forward remains a major challenge, however.
We’ll continue to keep a close eye on this topic and provide updates as they come our way.
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2025-01-20
Southern California Good Sam Road Trip
From beaches to mountains and deserts to theme parks, this six-stop road trip lets you experience all the highlights of SoCal. Begin in San Diego, a haven of surf and sun, then journey to Julian for gold mining history and delicious apple pie. Continue to Borrego Springs for desert hikes and metal sculptures, to Palm Springs to explore its mid-century architecture and to Anaheim for Disney magic. Cap off your trip with a coastal retreat at Newport’s beautiful harbors and shores.Click on the numbered icons to explore the Golden State most treasured destinations on this 299-mile adventure.

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2025-01-08