Day 1 - A Rocky Start
It’s been quite the ride thus far, with seemingly tiny problems popping up far more often than I figured, but has been mighty memorable. It took us a bit longer to get out of the house in Arnold than we thought as well, but we did manage to get all of our security deposit back, which was kind of amazing (with interest!). We were out of the house on the 30th of September, and staying in the RV from then on, but we didn’t get to leave the driveway until 10/3. There was no single hold-up - just lots of little ones.
For example, we wanted to get the birds wings clipped prior to the trip, but it was difficult to get a person at 'All for the Pet' to commit to doing it on a given Saturday, despite their claims that they would do it on the cheap. Eventually, Sarah asked at the local vet when she was getting more Rx cat food, and they were able to do it, but not until the next day. I didn't mind though, as I still had more wiring to get done for the solar array, and I had to cut the fireplace to fit in its spot, saving space and weight. We also still needed to change the generator oil, but the filter I ordered was forwarded to Michelle's, despite not updating my address with Amazon. Therefore, what claimed would take 2 days to arrive took more like four.
We were also delayed, although delightfully, by friends coming by to say goodbye a few times. Hannah came by several times, as did Jill, Sigrun, Megan W, and Chris. While welcomed, it did slow us down a few nights. We got to enjoy one last family dinner at Michelle's as well, which was nice, and got to see Josh and Gina, as well as Christi and Shane before heading out. Michelle also made some crabs for sarah the next day, to remind her of the good that MD has.
Didn't quite get enough done to leave on our planned departure date, plus it was dark, and we wanted to wait one more day to cut bird wings. We were also trying to avoid driving to our first site, or any site for that matter, in the dark. Work has been a bit intense this week
too, so it has made it tough to finish work on the RV. Still not done, but getting there.
By now it was 10pm, and we were supposed to be at campground (patapsco State park) by 10, or so the website said. We figured we would try anyway, and would stay at walmart if we couldn't get it. We had reserved a campsite earlier in the day online, which claimed we could arrive up until 10pm, but after that was quiet hours. It took us a while to secure everything, as all of the plants and pets aren't tied down yet, but we did okay on the highway, and got up to about 55mph after a while. Definitely drives a bit differently with all of our weight in it. Sarah said I did great though, and she helped me to navigate and get through traffic well. I was surprised how much traffic was still on the Baltimore beltway at 10:30, but whatever. We made it...and then arrived at a locked gate, next to a sign that says that the gate closes at '6:50,' an odd time I thought, and very different from the 10pm cited on the site. We hopped out and had a look, tried a few combinations on the combo lock to no avail. Then I walked over to the exit, which had a keypad, and typed in 1234#, and sure as shit it opened right up (first try). So we decided, hey, we paid for it, we might as well give it a try. What could they do but fine us right? So we roll through, and arrive at a second gate. Surely the gate code wouldn't be the same, but sure enough it was. It was pretty sweet.
After traversing some sharp corners and steep hills, we made it to our camp site, and Sarah helped me to back in, which was easier than I thought it would be thanks to her help. It only took one try. I hopped out, plugged in at the electric (no water at this one, but I brought some in the tank after troubleshooting that thing all day), and we were good to go. Unfortunately, the cat was freaking out at this point, and was not a fan of the whole house moving, and all the odd noise. I'd never seen her so scared actually. She was hiding in the step by the front van door, which made it hard to exit without worrying about her escaping. She eventually calmed down after she noticed we were calm. It felt so good to finally be gone, to be away from the house - to be doing it. But, given the stress and busy-ness of leaving, we had barely eaten much that day (or much at all for the past week), and were starving now that we could relax. I figured we would make some mashed potatoes and some mac n cheese, both just required boiling water, but apparently even this would be a challenge. I got everything ready and fired up the burner, which stayed lit for a while, before deciding to turn off. I then tried the other burners, just to have the same thing happen. Up until this point, the stove and oven were the only things that we could get to work off of gas (no water heater, no LP in fridge, no central heat), but now this was not working either. I could have sworn the gas valve was turned on outside, so I tried the valve under the range and oven, just in case it was somehow backwards, but still no luck. Defeated, hungry, and tired, we microwaved water for Ramen and Potatoes, which was still good, but not the same. After eating our meal, and making a quick video, we went outside, and I checked the main valve, and sure enough it was closed. The oven and stove now work again, but they hiss a bit, and I think I need to relieve the pressure today. Something else new to learn I guess.
Anyway, we are at Patapsco State park for the day. Site 416, and might stay here a second night since I work until 6, and we want to view the venues for our wedding within the park. Then I'm' thinking we'll hit Camping World to get some supplies, and then head towards Gettysburg, then down to Cumberland Falls for the weekend. Should be good. I was proud of us for making it, for doing this at all, and proud of the whip for not popping a tire, or breaking down the first night. Little problems we can deal with, but would prefer to save the bigger problems for later on, or you know, never. :)
I have service here, but it is little. Interesting that my Verizon service claims to have more bars, but I couldn't connect to work, but AT&T let me connect. Already glad I decided to have both services though. The cell booster isn't fully set up yet though, but I'd like to think it will help too.
For reference, we are just outside of Ellicott City, just west of Baltimore, in the hills and trees. It is a nice 67 degrees, going up to 78. So no real cold today, but soon, I can tell it is coming. The trees are still green here, with little hinits of red and orange just starting on a few trees. It's clear, with hardly any clouds in the sky. It's going to be a good day. Now to get some more work done.
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