An overnight test drive
- Karen Kuhl
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Location: Hammondsport, NY – Barrelhouse 6 Distillery
Temperature: 85°F (and climbing)
We opted for a quick overnight at a local-ish Harvest Host in the Finger Lakes. We chose Barrelhouse 6 near Hammondsport because it was the very first Harvest Host we ever stayed at, back in the summer of 2021. Now, four years later, we’re finally getting ready to hit the road full-time, and this little trip was meant to get our brains pointed in the right direction.
The drive up to Barrelhouse 6 included a very steep hill, which instantly made me think ahead to the Rockies. Skuhlie handled it and didn’t really struggle, but I couldn’t help wondering just how much more can she take? These are the little thoughts that pop up… all the things we don’t know yet.
Barrelhouse 6 is a distillery offering bourbon, gin, vodka, and moonshine. My favorite is the Middle Finger Moonshine—mostly because of the name and logo. It refers to Keuka Lake being the middle lake in the Finger Lakes region, and they ran off with the fun name. Don even squeezed in a couple of hours of work from their deck. The only downside is they don’t serve food, but we knew that ahead of time and grabbed lunch meat and bread from Aldi. We parked overnight in their main lot with a gorgeous long view of Keuka Lake. The evening turned perfectly cool, and I sat outside working on my paint-by-numbers while Don and I listened to The Longest Road by Caputo. As we settled in for the night, I couldn’t help but think how this stop felt like a small preview of what’s to come, a patchwork of views, flavors, and fleeting connections with people we’ll meet along the way.
Not being as hungover as we deserved to be, we felt productive and hung up our map. I picked up a piece designed for vinyl siding that turned out to be the perfect piece to hold the map on the wall, and it still allows us to slide it in and out. Then we headed home, inspired to make more adjustments to the bus.
Folks we met:
The Russians – I know, that’s a great opener, right? While I was inside ordering a round drinks, Don struck up a conversation with the table next to us. Lucky reminded them of a long-haired dachshund they once had and loved. They live in Brooklyn and were visiting the area.
The Neighbor – There was one other Harvest Hoster parked there, from Hershey, Pennsylvania. He was visiting a buddy and staying in his Mercedes van. He has AC. I’ll admit, I’m a little jealous as I sit here at 10 a.m. already sweating. Another thought for the road, will we regret only having fans?
The Locals – A couple who came over because the guy wanted to greet Lucky. We ended up chatting about their eight cats. Yes, eight! I had to ask about the litter box situation. Turns out they only have two, but they’re self-cleaning and designed for multiple cats. So… I guess it works?
The Couple – Visitors from Pennsylvania staying at the nearby KOA campground.
The Family – Little Kelly loved Lucky. Maybe a little too much. Lucky was patient and gracious with her nonstop pets, but wasn’t thrilled about the hug she tried to give. I saw it coming and intercepted before she got too cuddly.
Takeaways:
Even short overnight stops bring unexpected connections — from Russians in Brooklyn to locals with eight cats.
AC envy is going to be real. Fans might not cut it once we hit hotter regions… something to think about before the desert.
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