It’s official! We are on the road! After weeks of actual planning and three years of listening to my oldest daughter beg to go on a tour of the USA, our 50 States Tour has officially begun!
The Launch
We launched on a snowy Easter morning. When I woke up and saw snow covered roads, I freaked. But thankfully, by the time the kids were loaded into the 31 foot Class C RV, the roads had cleared up considerably. I was super nervous driving those first 50 miles to my first pull-off, for my first gas fill-up. After all, when I pulled out of the yard that morning, I had driven the RV for a total of about 1.5 miles. Ever. I was so tense that I actually felt my right arm getting tingly–I then realized that I’d better loosen my steering wheel death grip!
The First Night
Our first overnight stop took place at a hotel in New England. Our new-to-us RV hadn’t yet been de-winterized, so we opted to stay in a cushy, warm hotel room, spend a night with Wanderdad before our send off, since we wouldn’t see him until our first big destination, enjoy yummy nachos and lots of guacamole at a neighboring Mexican restaurant, and buy a few last minute things for the RV at a nearby Walmart.
Note: I don’t know if it’s just because I’m now a bona fide RV’er or if it’s just because Walmart parking lots are generally large enough to accommodate a big rig and easily accessible off highways, but I have shopped more at Walmart in my first 10 days on the road than I have ever shopped there in my entire life. I don’t even particularly like Walmart. But Walmart sells handy things for RV’ing like… extra water supply tubing, useful when your campground water hookup at a site is one too many feet away, a spare bike lock, extra sunscreen, gluten free Kind Bars (’cause that’s about the only gluten free food driving snack available at Walmart), mobile hotspots (for when you realize campground Wifi is all too often hit or miss), beach toys, and disposable gloves for sewer duty. I kind of think Walmart is growing on me! Did I really just type that?
The First Real Day
The morning we drove away from our hotel marks the first REAL Day of RV’ing in my book. I was a sobbing mess saying goodbye (for a few days, at least) to Wanderdad–realizing that I AM doing this–driving our kids in a big rig from state-to-state! Our 50 States Tour was officially on…and there was no turning back!
For days, if not weeks, since I started planning my initial route, I had worried about driving the RV through New York City–and later through Baltimore, fearing that I would accidentally miss the tunnel by-pass (since propane carrying RVs are prohibited from the tunnel), even though I’ve driven through those parts countless times in my regular vehicle. As soon as I made it through NYC Rush Hour Traffic and hit the New Jersey Turnpike, I was able to breathe normally again and realized that I was doing it–driving my rig, with my kids, living our 50 States Tour Dream.
Happy Homeschooling! Happy Wandering!
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