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Sabba Estate Winery – Old Chatham, NY
Sabba Winery was an excellent Harvest Host stopover. It had it all! Music, art, a food truck, beautiful scenery, and a wonderful host to top it all off. The wide-open field welcomed our 5th wheel and four other Harvest Host members.
You find a fire pit, swing set, and various games on the kid and dog-friendly premise. Live music plays every weekend. If this isn’t a warm welcome and makes you want to stay for a while, I don’t know what is.
Our host was an engineer in NYC but dreamed of owning a winery. Dreams do come true! All the wines are produced on-site. As an avid metal sculptor, his works are scattered around the vineyard and are the designs for the wine labels.
Our wine tasting was delightful, and we purchased a bottle of red. I quickly put together a charcuterie board and returned to enjoy the music, food, and drink. We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the cool NY weather and relaxing.
Mitch was enjoying himself so much he didn’t take any video but below is a slideshow of some of the features of the winery.
Email: movebeyondordinary@gmail.com Instagram: movebeyondordinary
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Mystic, CT
Yes, this is the place where Mystic Pizza was filmed starring Cher. The shop owner probably thanks the movie creator since a line was outside the door the day we visited. Who doesn’t want to see a movie icon? It is a cute little town on the seaside with shops, restaurants, and many boats. We decided to eat at one of the many restaurants and had a wonderful evening meal, sharing a bottle of wine and enjoying each other’s company.
The primary purpose of this visit was to see my sister and her family on Long Island. Many seasoned RV travelers advised us not to navigate the bridges and roads one has to take to get onto the Island. The bridges are narrow (not our idea of fun), and the highways need repair. After traveling on bumpy roads, we never know how we will find the interior of our 5th wheel and if items fall out of the cabinets when opened.
We arrived with our 350 dually truck in tow to get on the ferry and take an hour and a half trip to get to Orient Point on the North Shore of Long Island. A pleasant day to take a boat ride, and the route is dubbed “Lighthouse tour,” as there are about six different ones along the way. We didn’t include any pictures because, at this point, everyone must be over my lighthouse addiction.
The weekend was comprised of visits to family and friends. It was a time to catch up and enjoy the laughs getting together brings. Time flew by too quickly, and it was time to say goodbye and catch the ferry back to Connecticut.
Email: movebeyondordinary@gmail.com Instagram: movebeyondordinary
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Sturbridge,Massachusetts
This campground had a small lake on its grounds. The kids swam, floated, dove into the lake, and had a blast. Not being a water person, I just admired it from a distance. There was even a coordinated golf cart parade for the Fourth of July.
Martha’s Vineyard, about two hours away, was a must on our list. A ferry ride is required to get to the island. We took our bikes to see as much of the island in a day. The ferry docks in Oak Bluff, the island’s most visited part and where the Gingerbread houses reside. Of course, stopping at East Chop Lighthouse is a must. I think my poor husband is exhausted from the many lighthouses I have dragged him to. Oak Bluff is also the home to the Flying Horses Carousel. It is the oldest operating one in America and was moved here in 1880 from NYC. We rode our bikes to the town of Edgartown. We were glad we brought our bikes as we zoomed past the cars at a standstill, trying to get around the island. It was a fun-filled day, and we enjoyed the ferry ride back.
Stockbridge is home to the Norman Rockwell Museum. This stop was not on our radar, but my brother-in-law encouraged us to visit if we had the opportunity. Glad we did. It was informative, and no one can deny the artistic genius of Norman Rockwell. My favorite was Thanksgiving, where family and a home-cooked meal were at the center of this portrait. Norman illustrated 363 covers of the Saturday Evening Post. The methodology he used to produce these drawings was enlightening. If you are ever in the vicinity, this is a must. On the way out, I spotted a sign for a nearby art show. The places that pop up are surprising when you don’t have a plan. The Butternut Ski Resort was a great venue to have an art show.
We ended the week by kayaking the Quinebaug River Water Trail. It was the first time this trip we could use the kayak. So glad the weather was beautiful.
Email: movebeyondordinary@gmail.com Instagram: movebeyondordinary
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Salisbury, Maine
When we stay at an RV park, we often travel to the towns we wish to visit. We take the truck if the distance is far, but if we can, we enjoy riding our bikes to venture out. Rose Beach RV resort was very close to the beach. After speaking with some of the guests, a suggestion was a visit to Rockport.
Rockport, MA, is located at the tip of Cape Ann Peninsula. I loved visiting here—lots of quaint shops, restaurants, and home of the infamous Motif 1. We walked through the town, searching for this building. It sits at the Bradley Wharf, and its claim to fame is “the most often painted building in America.” We almost missed it.
On another day, we took a long bike ride leading us to the town of Amesbury. Amesbury is small, and the day we went, it was relatively quiet. They had a general store that offered an old-fashioned soda counter and various merchandise. They also housed a vintage post office complete with individual brass boxes. I haven’t seen one of those in a while.
From there, we rode to Newburyport. This town was busy! As we entered the town center, we saw people strolling the sidewalks, stopping at an array of shops, or sitting in the town center people watching. We decided to join them, enjoying our smoothies, and now we became one of the many others watching the people go by. My favorite store was a shop selling various goods from England, and I ended up purchasing various English jams to use when I assemble my charcuterie boards
It was a great day for a long bike ride!
