Hours on the road: 3.5
Miles: 188.3
Playlist (of course I don’t own the rights)
- Disney’s On the Record
- P!nk – All I Know So Far: Setlist
Things I learned:
- It’s a good idea to have a team meeting with the Navigator. I recommend trying this BEFORE you leave, but since I forgot…. Major point of information: how are you both counting the lanes? I think the slow lane is lane 1. I’m not saying there’s a right or wrong way, but it’s helpful if you’re on the same page. Also: RV Trip Wizard is a magical app for planning your route, but the navigation part is a mess. Someone talk to Apple Maps or Waze and have them add a feature where I can tell them the size of what I’m driving so they can choose an appropriate route. (And if any of y’all are RV people with a suggestion of how to manage this problem – TELL ME YOUR WAYS in the comments.)
- It doesn’t matter if that dude is watching you set up your camper & you change your mind 3x about what’s the best way to hookup your white drinking hose vs your green water hose (I still don’t understand why we shouldn’t drink out of a green hose – this whole hose conversation is lost on me. I am a child of the 70s/80s – I drank out of a green garden hose more than a cup MOST summers of my young life. But, I digress….) – you know what you’re doing, Girl. These are YOUR connections. So just take your time, let him enjoy the show, and do the thing.
- Anything that was wet can probably become dry again. (Also: try to get the water out of the hose before you put it in the camper.) And, if you get the water hooked up and turn around to find there’s water pouring out of the side of the camper, don’t completely freak out! Just turn the water off….find the open relief valve in the water heater, close it, and try again! Then leave the door open, thank the universe for the sunshine, and try to turn that thing on again later. (30-ish minutes is long enough. No harm, no foul.)
Story Time…..
We have officially left home and set up our first ‘camp’. (Make no mistake: this is not primitive camping. I know the difference and I am DEFINITELY not a fan of that!) 3 out of 5 of us are acclimating: me – under a tree, the older bookend — under another tree, the younger bookend – at the playground. The other 2/5ths, & Molly, should be arriving any minute after moving the foster kittens (Bacon, Eggs, Pancake, & Waffles) to their vacation foster home (Thanks, Ostertag family!).
There’s a point in every launch sequence where it feels more likely that there will be NO launch and this trip was no different. Our departure was 4 hours late. The “things to do” list was growing faster than things were getting checked off. It was messy. BUT, it’s over. The things got done. The groceries are in the fridge. Everyone packed some clothes. If we forgot it, we can replace it.
The drive was uneventful and mostly peaceful except for the Penske truck at the end (why is it ALWAYS at the END of the drive??) who made me bring out my big girl voice because if you can’t yield in the space I made for you that’s twice the size of your truck, then I can’t help you! (See also: if you don’t know how to drive a big truck, don’t rent one.)
And then there’s bridges. Have you ever been driving down the freeway and you can tell you’re going over something cool, but you can’t ever see the bottom & don’t know what’s down there? Traveling in a bigger thing (that’s taller!) and you can see allllll the way to the bottom. Beautiful rivers, a few waterfalls, and even some train tracks. America is beautiful if you take time to see it.
And America. While we’re talking about your beauty, we need to talk briefly about your people. Today’s campground is a KOA (my favorite. Not because I have negative campground experience, but because they have a set list of features and amenities, so you always know what you’re going to get. At least a bit.) in NWish Pennsylvania. First of all, it’s at the back of a gated lake community. Think Atwood Lake (Tuscarawas County, Ohio) with an HOA or Lake Mohawk (Carroll County, Ohio) with a campground. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen until today. Also, the deer walk around like they own the place. (They probably do.) Our neighbors (all of them!) are some America-loving people – they’re wearing red, white, & blue, they’re igniting loud things, and they have ALL decorated the HECK out of their golf carts which created a candy-throwing parade! Alex was not impressed (Nationalism is not one of our family values). At least it was something else for gawking guy to watch while I was fighting with my hoses.
Adventuring Annas 
It’s a great start to a crazy adventure!! I’m looking forward to it even if you guys are driving to the wrong end of the US where I am not!
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Unofficial Deer Count: 13. (4 on the way in, 7 on the way to Ruby Tuesday in DuBois for dinner, and 2 on the way back). They just mosey across the road. Sam is right – they DO own the place!!
I also learned that all three of my boys know the words to “Red Solo Cup” by Toby Keith. Not sure if I should be proud or concerned…
Currently sitting outside watching fireworks with Molly with an ice cold Fresca. (Realizing that’s not the best beverage for fireworks, but it’ll do for night 1!
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