After driving 2,600 miles over 6 days we are now camped out in central Pennsylvania. Aside from having to reroute to go through Wyoming instead of Colorado everything went as planned.
Our first night was spent in Utah visiting with family and getting the RV arranged. When we left home we had too much stuff because of our son’s cross country move so we weren’t able to put everything away. We used our first stop to make sure everything was in it’s place for the long road ahead. After that our family came to visit and gave us a nice send off.
Day 2 was a very long drive. Our original plan was to stay in Glenwood Springs Colorado off of I-70. If you have seen the news you know that is the exact location of a major wildfire. We were very disappointed to have to cancel our reservations and reroute as I-70 through Colorado is one of the most beautiful drives you can make in an RV. Especially on a major interstate highway. We also lost out on an amazing campsite right on the Colorado River.
We decided the best option was to head farther north an cut across Wyoming. We absolutely love northern Wyoming, southern Wyoming not so much. It gets very windy in the southern part of the state and all of the campgrounds are like desert parking lots. They are good for overnight stops and that’s about it. The best part about the drive are the amount of wildlife you see right on the side of the road.
Day 3 got us back on track with our planned route. We got an early start and headed out of Wyoming and into Nebraska. It was nice to get to our campsite early after the marathon drive on day 2. Little did we know but we stopped at just the right place as a major storm was hitting eastern Nebraska and caused substantial property damage as it move into Iowa and Illinois just ahead of us.
Day 4 had us driving into Iowa which is when we first heard about the powerful storm that had just passed through. Our campsite was absolutely amazing and is a place we would love to visit again and stay for awhile. It was quite and had lots of trees and a beautiful little pond. We will definitely visit this location again someday.
Day 5 we drove the rest of the way through Iowa and witnessed some of the devastation to the crops. It was very sad to see people’s complete livelihood destroyed as entire fields of corn were leveled due to the hurricane force winds and rain. As we left Iowa and headed into Illinois we crossed the Mississippi River which is always an amazing site to see.
We continued driving on I-80 south of Chicago which is hands down the worst and most dangerous stretch of road I have ever taken the RV on. The combination of road construction, horrible road conditions, truckers and impatient drivers is a recipe for disaster. We almost lost our side mirrors a couple of times and the road was so rough we were lucky to not have some sort of interior of exterior damage to the RV.
If any of you are wondering if you and your spouse could live the RV life, I-80 south of Chicago is the ultimate test of your marriage, driving skills and RV durability.
After enduring that stare of road we headed into Indiana which was gorgeous. After the campground in Iowa we thought it would get any better and we were wrong. The campsite in Indiana was beautiful and we had a lot of trees all around us. So far it has been our favorite one of the trip and is definitely a place we will visit again. The only bad part about having a lot of trees if maneuvering a 40 ft. Rv with a Jeep attached around them. It was a little tight but we made it out.
Day 6 we left Indiana and headed further East into Ohio. It was a pretty uneventful drive which was perfect after the gauntlet we ran the day before. Although we did have gps take us down a road where we had to stop oncoming traffic in order for us to get through the bridge underpass. We were really looking forward to visiting this campsite when we booked it because it had a lake and a lot of activities. However once we got there it was a little disappointing. The lake and activities were great but the site itself was not even close to what we expected for the price. It’s not a place we would visit again.
Day 7 we woke up and prepared for the short drive into Pennsylvania. It was a beautiful day and the road was filled with trees and bridges going over huge rivers. We arrived in town after driving past the University which is when it started hitting home that this was our last night with our son. After setting up camp we relaxed a little and went for a couple of walks. We spent the night having our favorite family meal, playing games and listening to music.
Day 8 was the big day we have looked forward to for years. We woke up and made a big breakfast. Then it was time to pack up the Jeep with all of our son’s belongings while choking back my emotions so we could focus on making sure we didn’t forget anything. Once it was time to go we all piled into the Jeep and headed to the university. After waiting inline for awhile as they staggered the students moving in as a safety precaution it was finally our turn. We drove up to his dorm, dropped all of his belongings on the curb and then parked the car. We spent a couple of hours taking his stuff up the stairs and helping him arrange his half of the room. Then it was time to go. He walked us to our car and gave us a hug and we said our goodbyes. As he walked away I was overcome with emotions. Proud, happy, sad and little worried.
We will spend a couple of more days in town at our campsite to make sure he doesn’t need any last minute things. After that we will leave and continue on our journey. Only now we will be on our own as empty nesters. A new chapter in our lives and his has begun.
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Until next time………………….
Joe