START: Fam Camp, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
END: Red Bridge Campground, Allegheny National Forest, PA
Miles traveled:
Travel time: 1000-1700
Today we start our adventures!
We weren’t in a rush. We had some coffee. I made a skillet breakfast (potatoes, bacon, green bell pepper, eggs, cheese). We prepped the RV for travel - slid the littler box out of the way of the wardrobe slide, put a few things in the sink that would otherwise fall over, like the dish soap and hand soap, and the glass bottle of olive oil on the counter. We loaded the truck with some more coffee, some water, and a few snacks. Put the slides in, disconnected the utilities, and hooked up the truck. Pretty much the last thing we do whenever we’re hooking up to leave is check the electrical connections. I stand at the back, where I can see the driver’s mirror and the rear lights. Michael tests the left blinker, right blinker, and brakes. I give a thumbs up. Unless, of course, something doesn’t work. Which has happened before, but not with this trailer.
We pulled out of Wright-Patt Fam Camp at 1000. We have a few “long days” ahead of us - going through Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, then skipping New Hampshire to get to Maine. First stop is PA, we’ll be staying at Red Bridge Campground in Allegheny National Forest. Water and electric, but no sewer.
The drive through Ohio was unremarkable. Not hating on Ohio, it’s just that we’ve seen it, we’ve lived it, and we’re ready for something new. The scenery stayed pretty much the same through much of PA. It got a little nicer once we got into the national forest part of the state. More pines and firs, less undergrowth.
Whenever we pull the trailer, the time it takes us to get from Point A to Point B ALWAYS takes another hour (or more) than what any map software tells us. Doesn’t matter how short we make our stops, time some warps to make a 4-hour drive take 6 hours, a 5 -our drive take 6 and a half. This phenomenon was in full effect starting Day 1. We left at 1000, and pulled into our site at 1700, and it was supposed to be a 5-hour drive.
Still, even though that took up most of the day, it’s still fairly leisurely travel. Compared to hitting the road early in the morning, being on the road all day, and not stopping until 2000 or later, this wasn’t really all that bad.
The campsites at this campground were nicely spaced out, and some of them are right along a body of water that had a boat launch on the opposite shore. We would definitely return to this campground if we ever found ourselves passing through the area in the future.
We filled up the truck at $5.29/gal for diesel the day before. We found diesel for $4.79/gal in PA.
