Hola from Albuquerque, New Mexico!

Albuquerque was my first Harvest Hosts booking. It’s a service that matches businesses with RVers with a free spot to park overnight, with the understanding the RVer will spend around $30 at their business, whether it’s a restaurant or winery or brewery, or even a golf course. I booked at Starr Brothers restaurant in Albuquerque, and dined there (mac n cheese with pork belly was bomb!), but once I parked in the dirt field out back, I realized I wasn’t ready to camp completely off-grid yet. Cracker Barrel (where overnight RV parking is generally allowed with management consent) was down the road less than a mile, and they would be open first thing in the morning, with a bathroom to wash up. The dirt field felt too open and kind of a free-for-all, whereas Cracker Barrel had a couple trees and allotted parking spaces on pavement. I moved to CB and found a shady spot, and set up for the night. No regrets.

The response to my rig has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s a great ice-breaker. People are curious and approach me to ask questions, which in general I love. Having said that, I was eating breakfast inside the camper in Albuquerque, with the windows open for air flow, and a woman in the next car put her face up to the window and chatted with me through the screen. It was a pleasant exchange, but I felt vulnerable as she toured my space with her eyes, and asked questions about specific things she saw inside. That conversation ended when she headed into the restaurant. Then just a few minutes later, an employee came out the back to put trash in the dumpster. He complimented the rig and the second question he asked was, “How much?” Meaning, how much did the camper cost. I didn’t mind sharing, but it’s just funny how direct people are. “Cool rig; how much?” Well alrighty. I guess the ice is broken!

May 16, 2025

Teak and KitKat parked behind Cracker Barrel in Albuquerque, NM.