Day One – Home to Washington, PA KOA
Well, today didn’t start out like the gunshot that I expected. Mainly due to the miscommunications between me and the owners of the trailer. I don’t think anyone intentionally wanted to confuse the process, but I guess I was expecting a start time to be early, not taking into account that these people must go to work like everyone else who is adulting.
The plan for today is to pick up the trailer and receive a bit of background on how to use everything. Then proceed four- hours northwest to a KOA in western PA. My objective was to arrive with plenty of light so I can take my time to set up the area for the first time. I’d like to avoid hitting something or failing to complete something because I am tired or don’t notice it. Anyway, instead of getting the trailer in the early morning, I won’t get it until mid-afternoon. That is reasonable, more or less, except that I am paying for an entire day and not 1/2 of a day. Well, something to remember the next time I decide to rent a trailer.
The positive to this is I am now able to take my time and think thoroughly about what I will need to bring with me. Making sure that I pack all the necessities as well as some of the luxuries so that I get all the benefits from this trip. No need to rush or worry about outbound rush-hour traffic. I get to generate a list, check it twice, and load my truck. This process was completed by 11am, so now I have a few hours to kill before heading to the owner’s home.
On a side note, it is always a very good idea to update your computers, backup your phone, and verify the latest patches before leaving home. Networks outside of your home may be considerably slower and those little tasks can take hours. I also wanted to install all the software I may use before heading out. Giving my computers a good once over before I really need them.
Hours later –
So, I was able to pick up the trailer an hour earlier than expected. The owner was able to leave work early to accommodate me. I am a true city boy, they don’t exactly live out in the sticks, but I would say down the street from the sticks. Narrow roads, homes of different sizes and dimensions, and boats. It took about an hour to go over all the important things about the rig, but the owner Jon was very thorough and explained everything. Fortunately, I was already familiar with glamping (glamour camping) as I did it before with another rental (class C).
So an hour later and I was on the road heading to Washington, PA. It was about a five-hour trip and I had to contend with a bit of traffic (which really wasn’t bad at all). The biggest issue I’ve had with this trip was the number of hills I had to drive to get to my destination. It felt like I was going uphill 3/4 of the trip from western Maryland, through West Virginia, and into Pennsylvania where they threw in the added bonus of road construction which changed the number of lanes and shape of the road. Yippie.
I arrived at the campground a few minutes after the quiet hour, which was 10 pm. The KOA office was closed, but I called ahead and they provided me with the information for after hours arrival. Navigated to my designated site and was able to hook up in about an hour, which isn’t too bad for the first time with this rig in the dark.
After setting up my stuff, I unloaded personal items from the back of my truck into the rig and placed them in areas that I hope will be secure while driving. Except for my computers and cameras, everything else can take a fall if it happens. Today has been a long day, so going to turn in now and start tomorrow around 8 am. Off to Dayton, OH.
Morning follow-up: In my hast to get to my campsite, I failed to pick up food supplies at my local Walmart. Which is only 2 miles from my campsite. I have two hours before checkout, so I figure I will check out and take a visit. I can hold off on my breakfast until then. However, I did take a shower before going. NICE!!
See ya in Dayton. More pictures to come.
Mac Voice 