We did it! We survived our maiden voyage!
But just barely. Wow. Wow a thousand times.
Seriously, it was touch and go a few times.
Day 1: 579 miles from Glasgow, KY to DuBoise, PA.
Day 2: 377 miles from DuBoise to Clinton, CT. (With a brief stop in Gilford for a Covid Swab.)
We never would have taken such a rushed drive on our first journey, but due to a travel nursing miscommunication, I found out too late that I needed to get my CoVid swab IN CT a full day before we had planned to even be in the state.
Goodness Gracious. Mercy Me. I do NOT deal well with being rushed. (I’m kind of like a mule that way…)
But no matter, we did it! Set up, slides out, feet up! Life is good!
THE GOOD:
- We made it. No accidents and no injuries to life, limb or property! Well, mostly…
- Wal-Mart in DuBois has a GREAT area for overnight parking right beside a McDonalds. Thanks, Wal-Mart! We REALLY appreciate you!
- Riverdale Farm Campsite is wonderful! It’s a nice gated campground with 2 ponds and super friendly staff! Nice and quiet. Very clean. My only complaint is no sewage, but they do have an easy to get to dumping station.
- The locals are very friendly and we already found our new favorite restaurant, The Brownstone House Family Restaurant. So delicious and amazing service!!! The porkchops with Bourbon Apple topping were divine and a much needed little taste of KY!
THE BAD:
- The roads in Ohio and Pennsylvania. WTH? Really? We have never driven on such bumpy lumpy roads, ever. Our poor RV was doing the Shake, Rattle, and Roll…
- We lost both back wheel covers because our tire people did not reinstall them correctly. If they replace them, I will give them big kudos and a nice plug for their business. If they don’t, it will be fodder for a new angry blog post for sure. GRRRR.
- Apparently our microwave doesn’t close tightly enough. On one of the many cloverleaf exits, the door opened, the glass microwave plate flew out and crashed against the dinette table, shattering the glass EVERYWHERE. Guess who didn’t think she needed a vacuum cleaner? Guess where the brooms were being held during moving? Yep. Picture me on my hands and knees, carefully picking glass off the floor while Rob is navigating the terrible roads in Ohio. UGH.
The Ugly:
- The Hudson River Bridge Toll service is a major ripoff at the Newburgh – Beacon Bridge. They charged us for 5 axles. 2 for the motorhome, 1 for the dolly, and 2 for the Cooper. A whopping $12.25. Ridiculous.
- Uhaul apparently has different service categories depending on where you are. Our Uhaul guy, Ken, in Kentucky is the best. (KC Trucks, Glagsgow, KY. For all your bed liners, towing and UHauling needs). UHaul in Guilford, CT? Their motto is “Pay us money and figure it out yourself.” When I asked him to help my husband with the chains under the car, the guy actually said “We don’t help anyone do anything unless you ask us to, and we charge extra for that.” WHAT? Also, destination fees are a thing if you didn’t schedule in advance to drop it off there. What? WOW. Thankfully we will not be needing tow dolly service in the future.
- Google Maps, you nearly got us killed. More than once. Your “fastest routes” nearly got us into major wrecks and had us on roads that are WAY too narrow for our wide body RV. We ended up having to reroute ourselves several times. Luckily, Rob is an experienced semi/delivery driver and knows how to get in and out of some seriously tight spots. The last straw was on our way to the campsite. We turned down a country road only to realize there was a 10′ 5″ railroad bridge ahead. Thankfully, some people stopped and helped us control traffic so Rob could back up and turn around. We didn’t want to have our rig opened up like a can of sardines! Before we move Big Mac again, we will be purchasing the Garmon 780. Sorry, Phil and Stacy, we will never doubt you again! If you haven’t followed them already, you should. They are experienced full time RVers who have great videos and general advice for living the full time RV life. Follow them at their website or on Youtube @ You, me, and the RV.
So that’s all for today. We are here, we are set up, and we are seriously ready for bed. The best part? No alarms in the morning. Check back with us next week for more adventures in New Haven!
Stay safe.
Wow, so much to take in!!!
It’s a steep learning curve, but if you do your homework you can make it LESS PAINFUL! 😀
That’s a lot. Good to know also. We are watching for $ to come down to get a pull behind.
Safe travels to you both.
Best of luck to you! Just make sure you do your homework so you get what you need. Not all units are set up for colder temperatures or extreme heat. But it is so worth it. I have giggled more in the past 3 days than I have in the last 3 years.