A Window Opens! LAUNCH DAY BLOG!

Continued from A Make-or-Break Moment

After a tumultuous start to RV Life, we faced a point of no return. 7 weeks of living in limbo was long enough, and one way or another, we needed to get on with our lives. After being all set to launch only to discover more critical issues with our RV, we were feeling trapped. The weather in MA was turning dire, we were guzzling up propane with our heat use, and we were in constant need of electricity to run our tank and line heaters. Our choices for electricity: bumming off Nicole's parent's already sensitive circuits, or using up gas galore with our generator. Ironically, we were only running the heaters because we de-winterized, and we de-winterized so we could get running water in our rig, only to discover our water pump was dead, so we had no running water anyway!

We knew that, once our water pump was fixed, if everything seemed to be in working order, it was now or never. Our pump install was scheduled for Monday February 21, and a winter storm was due to roll in that Friday. Thinking of battling another snowstorm in a half-usable RV was unbearable. We needed to act fast. If our RV wasn't in working condition, we needed to find a place to stay. If it was, we needed to get out of the northeast.

That's when the tide started turning for us. The water pump install went great, and our hot water heater also began working once the pump was installed. No other issues on the RV were pressing, and so we immediately began planning our launch. It was a race against time. We had until Thursday evening to either get below the snow-rain line, or to find a place with electric hookups so we could continue running our tank and line heaters.

Finding a campground with hookups in the north is like finding a needle in a haystack. Hours of research turned up a few mediocre options, but we were further limited by our week's schedule. Due to work calls and meetings, our only drive days could be on Tuesday February 22, or Thursday February 24. Launching out on Thursday seemed dangerous with the impending storm, so we decided that Tuesday would be the wisest choice. Ideally, we could use Tuesday to our full advantage and get somewhere that the snow wasn't supposed to hit. Given that campgrounds up north were slim pickings, this seemed like the most viable option. However, that would mean we'd be in for a hefty first drive day.

Although we were rusty at towing, the pets had never traveled more than a couple hours at a time (Lily much less than that), and we were exhausted from our limbo period, we made plans to travel close to 400 miles to get us down to the Philadelphia area. We found a KOA campground outside Philly that was open, had sites available, and had all the amenities we needed to get started on our journey.

On Tuesday, February 22, we were up before sunrise to pack up and begin our breakdown and hitching process. It took us hours. It's incredible what can accumulate when you're stationary in a small space for 7 weeks! By 9am we were turning out of the driveway and ready for an exhausting day ahead. The forecast was alerting us to rain and fog during our drive, so we would need to be extra diligent on the road.

Neither of us fully believed that we were actually launching. We kept thinking that at some point, something would happen that would make us turn around. But, nothing did. We drove and drove, pit-stopping in CT and northern NJ, and hit only a little bit of rush hour traffic before arriving at the KOA just before sundown. By the end of the day, we didn't feel human anymore. We were in desperate need of food and sleep. The pets seemed to feel the same way, gobbling up their dinner and crashing for the night. Even though it was a crazy long day, we were so thankful that the drive was overall smooth, and now we could spend a few days regrouping without needing to travel again. We were safe from the coming snowstorm, and that's what mattered.

We had such an overwhelming mix of emotions. We were waiting for this day for 2 years, and we had been delayed from our initial launch date for nearly 2 months. We were so relieved to finally be on our way, and really proud of ourselves for seizing the opportunity to begin our journey. It wasn't easy leaving home, but we're looking forward to new adventures and experiences.

The pets handled their travel day like champions. Stress was high for us all, but Lily and Tanner provided us with comfort during our long day, and they made things so easy for us. We're glad that the extra stationary time gave us the chance to train them to be used to the RV and car rides. We think this made a huge difference. Now that we're settled into our first campground, Lily is happy to be snuggling with us and watching the new view out the window, and Tanner is acting like he was born for RV Life. We're extremely proud pet-parents!

After settling in and getting a good night's sleep, we had a few mundane, uneventful days - which was exactly what we needed! We got work done, did some chores around the RV, and utilized the campground resources to do our laundry and refill our propane. We're not KOA members and don't plan on spending a lot of time at KOA campgrounds, but this place was well worth the money so that we could have full hookups and access to all the amenities we needed. The location was right off the highway and near lots of stores, but yet very quiet and low-key. We got a great site with a patio and grassy area. Tanner is happy to have a little "yard" to supplement his campground walks.

Life on the road is already beginning to feel normal. We're equally happy having routine days like this and more adventurous days making memories. This is what we want RV Life to be about: simplicity, flexibility, and more time to be together enjoying all of life, the big things and the small. It wasn't an easy start, but we're ready for more experiences to learn from and celebrate. Looking back, despite the difficulties of wintering in MA, we know we launched at the right time for us. We didn't get the New Year's launch date we had hoped for, but we ended up getting an even cooler date: Tuesday 2/22/22! Now that will be an RVersary to remember!

Campground:

KOA Holiday Philadelphia South/Clarksboro

Site 15: pull-through (skinny; those with slideouts might have trouble), FHU, patio with picnic table, grassy area, fire ring, close to amenities/office.

A few additional notes:

1. Though we already had our maiden voyage, this was our first time traveling with all of our stuff. We considered this our first real "shakedown" trip and are happy to report that we had no disasters while in travel! Very few items fell or shifted. We decided to not bolt most of our furniture, and it was all heavy and wedged in enough that it only shifted a few inches at most. A couple of smaller things needed to be secured more, but those were easy fixes.

2. For anyone wondering about our travel route, for timing purposes we didn't want to go out of our way from the main highways, so we did eat the cost of tolls. The only place we deliberately avoided was the George Washington Bridge coming through NYC. We took I-95 south through MA and CT, and then in NY cut over to the Tappan Zee (Cuomo) Bridge. We then took the Garden State Parkway to the NJ Turnpike. The KOA is located right off of I-295 on the NJ/PA border.