Canadian Adventure - Night One

Destination: Harvest Host camp site via the MV Coho Ferry

Sunday, August 24, 2025

Jeff and I are big fans of using Harvest Hosts for overnight stops along our journeys.

What is a Harvest Host, you ask? It is a membership organization, which allows overnight parking for RV travelers to spend one night for a nominal fee. Locations can be wineries, breweries, lama farms, farm stands etc. The beauty of using Harvest Hosts is the unique experiences they offer and the short term commitment.

Our Journey:

We plugged in the Underwood Retreat, a Harvest Host participant, into our GPS. From the ferry terminal the journey is right smack dab through Downtown Victoria, which can be heavy traffic at certain times of the day so plan accordingly. It was indeed a high volume time for us but we navigated through just fine. One big adjustment was the highway speeds in km/h and a limit of 56mph. A bonus versus in the U.S. is the amber warning lights telling you that the light is going to change, which were very accurate and helpful!

The Underwood Retreat is located just outside of Cobble Hill. We followed the route until the highways began to transition to country lanes, which was a good indicator to disconnect the toad. Good thing because the next few turns took us to lanes only wide enough for one way.

We arrived at a dark forested driveway with no signs or placards, which is not typical for most Harvest Host properties. Doing the sensible thing, rather than driving our 25' RV onto an unknown drive, we rang the host only for it to go to voicemail (travel hiccups!). Concerned we may be in the wrong location, Liz decided to check things out in the Honda. Once she confirmed that it was safe to proceed, we ventured on into the dark forested drive. Always a good idea to ensure not only the width of an unknown road but also the ability to turn around, if needed!

Our campsite was a small, somewhat level clearing in a very peaceful setting. There were no amenities, but it was a safe and quiet place to spend the night.

Our host arrived later and provided us and another camping couple with a tour of her magical forest (for a $30 fee).

Our Takeaway:

The campsite was secure and safe. Not having proper signage could have been an issue if we did not have a tow behind vehicle. Overall, a convenient stop along the journey.

Cheers! Jeff and Liz

Heading out tomorrow for day 2 - Campbell River, here we come!