It is March in Washington – which means that RV season is upon us!
The last time we started our RV camping in March was in 2021 – when the Atlas was brand new. Since we had a mild winter this year we decided to head for the Oregon coast and get our 2026 camping season started early.
Before heading out on the road – there is a bit of preparation needed to get everything in the RV ready. The dewinterization process means getting rid of the RV antifreeze solution that I put in all of the plumbing in October when temperatures start to drop and can dip below freezing.
In addition to normal RV preparation like getting clothes put in the camper, replenishing dish soap and shampoo and replacing all of the batteries in remotes and the smoke detector – I always check over the mechanical parts of our RV.
While checking on the tire pressures in all six of the tires – I found one of the inside tires on the rear axle with a reading of “zero” PSI.
Not good.
I pumped it up enough to drive to Les Schwab – our local tire place – and sure enough I had run over a screw somewhere and punctured a hole in the tire. They removed the tire and fixed the leak – but it also served as an important reminder to carefully check all the mechanicals before we set out on each trip.
To really check everything out it is always good to spend a least one night in your driveway – or a local RV park – where you can thoroughly check out all of the systems. Instead of our rather steep driveway – we elected to get a nice level spot at a local RV Park.
After checking in on Thursday afternoon and getting hooked up to electricity and water – I was pleased that everything seemed to be in good working order! It was time to hit the road!
Once the camper was ready to go – a quick trip to Safeway to grab some food and we hit the road around 3:30 p.m. for McMinnville, Oregon for the annual McMinnville Food & Wine Festival at the Evergreen Aviation Museum.
It rained the entire drive from Richland to McMinnville – sometimes drizzling and sometimes pouring. We took our time and arrived safely at our campground around 8:45 p.m.
I originally found out about this food and wine festival in 2025 while watching a YouTube video of a couple who do a lot of camping in the Pacific Northwest – and when the 2026 festival announcement was made in late 2025 – bought tickets and snagged an RV spot at Olde Stone RV Resort.
This may be the nicest campground we have ever stayed in. The sites are concrete and really level, it is very clean and modern, and is easy to get into and out of.
Even better, Olde Stone RV Resort is about a quarter of a mile away from the Aviation Museum – so after a glass of wine (or 2) – you can just stumble back to your RV!
After a leisurely breakfast in the camper, we walked over to the Evergreen Aviation Museum and were among the first few people through the doors when the event started at 11:00 a.m.
Somewhere around 50 wineries have booths set up for tastings – along with distilleries, breweries, and food vendors. The festival booths are interspersed between various vintage airplanes and aviation displays. It is an impressive venue!
When you first arrive at the festival – they give you a wine glass and two tokens (each token is good for one wine tasting) – and then you circulate around and try various Oregon wines and food samples.
We tried a bunch of different Oregon Pinot Noirs – and of course we bought a few bottles to bring back and try with friends in Washington.
After a few hours at the festival – it was time to walk in a fairly straight line back to the RV for a well deserved afternoon nap!
The festival was fun and a great start to the 2026 RV camping season. We will certainly be back – and would recommend this campground to anyone who wants to have a home base in Oregon Wine Country!
Kirk’s Travelogue 