Think RV Travel Is for You? –Travel Days Like These Can Stretch a Marriage

Tales of a couple of rough travel days.

We were supposed to have a pull-through site at the East Harbor State Park in Marblehead, Ohio. Since they could only get us in for one night, unhooking the car was not something we wanted to do. It did, however, become necessary.

We were assigned site C-2, and pulling up to it, we found that not only was it not pull-through, but without some severe trimming, tree limbs would be laying on top of our air conditioners. It was a humid 96 degrees, and unencumbered air-conditioning units were a must. The site didn’t even look long enough to accommodate our 45-foot rig. Tommy’s frustration level had long been exceeded because of all the roadwork and one-lane highways he’d been subjected to on the 210-mile trip. You’d see a picture of his face if you look cranky up in the dictionary.

Despite being told when we made the reservation that we were given the only site that we would fit into, I offered to run back to the office to inquire about a different one. There were quite a few other RV parks nearby but moving to another one at this stage of the game would have been too stressful to describe.

The sweet gal in reception found us a pull-through, which we were promised in the first place but said it was only available for one night. We were already only allowed to stay one night, so it made no difference. I called Tommy to tell him we had a pull-through spot, and he was already unhooking the car. Apparently, getting out of our assigned site’s cul-de-sac was impossible with our car attached to the motorhome. The frustration in his voice told me that situation was not good.

The extra five feet of length in our newly purchased motorhome gave me a fabulous and roomy bathroom to go along with a half-bath. It’s one of the many advantages of the Entegra versus our Fleetwood.

With that said, it has added some parking and driving challenges. People working in RV parks should know how long their sites are and the difference between a back-in and a pull-through. Sadly, that is sometimes not the case.

To make the turn in the cul-de-sac, our back tires were buried in wet grass and mud, and Tommy feared that he might be unable to get out. Thankfully, he made it. We left some mighty big tracks in the grass and a pile of mud on the roadway, but we were out!

The East Harbor State Park is beautiful, and it’s HUGE. However, very few sites offer full hook-ups, and not many pull-through sites are available. Hundreds of electric-only or tent sites provide tables and a fire ring but no amenities. For those new to RV jargon, amenities refer to power, water, and a sewer hook-up. We’re glampers in every sense of the word. We could go a couple of days without sewer, but power and water are a must.

Oh, to be young again and happy to throw up a tent and sleep in a sleeping bag on the ground.

Fishing is huge in the area, and there were plenty of boats parked next to campsites. East Harbor is an excellent campground for families and fishing. There is a lovely trail for walking, which tops my list. But, it isn’t big-rig friendly. We would not choose it for an overnight stay again.

We only had 154 miles to our next destination, and we would not be able to check-in until after 2:00. I enjoyed my walk around the park without being in my usual rushed travel day mode. I saw a couple of deer. If I had a carrot, one of them would have taken it out of my hand. They weren’t afraid of me at all. It was a lovely way to start our travel day, but it didn’t take long to go downhill.

Tommy managed to make the many turns to exit our camping area and parked Big Red in the wide-open spot in front of the dumpsters so that he could hook up the car for towing. It seemed like no sooner did he park than everyone in the campground wanted to drive their cars to the dumpsters. This made him feel rushed, which is never a good thing.

Wouldn’t you know, the Blue Ox towing system refused to engage.

I don’t know how many times Tommy turned the engine off and on, going through the tow package procedures to no avail. We finally decided to drive to the parking lot at the office despite the car still showing that it was in four-wheel drive low-gear. We both were praying like crazy. Sure enough, the tow system mysteriously engaged correctly.

God is good, and prayer works. Now, if we could only make the turns out of the parking lot and to the exits. As I said, this park is not Big Rig friendly.

If it weren’t for God in the center of our relationship, GPS would have caused us a divorce by now. It doesn’t seem to matter which systems we use or how much time I spend investigating the best routes. GPS will give us a bum-steer. I often ask the park staff if there are any routing details that we should be aware of. The Rocky Springs Campground in Mercer, PA, had instructions on their website: “Do not use the GPS instructions to get here. Follow the directions on our website.” I wish all RV parks did the same.

I searched for a lunch stop close to the park that was easy to get to from HWY 80, which we would be on for most of the trip. I found a great place between Austintown and Jonestown right off of HWY 80 and on our way to the campground. The Quaker Steak and Lube had a vast parking lot, which is a must when driving a 45-foot motorhome pulling a car. The place was as big as its parking lot, with two full bars and many tables. The service was great, and so was the food. The restaurant was eclectic and offered plenty of cool things to look at, from oodles of televisions to motorcycles and cars hanging from the walls and ceiling.

After being fortified with a good lunch and a beverage, we were ready for the final short and sweet stretch to the RV park. The 25 miles to our destination proved to be anything but!

There was an accident on HWY 80 and construction, and I feared it would take forever to get to our exit only a few miles away. We finally made the HWY 376 exit and followed the instructions not to merge onto 376 but stay to the right and get on Route 318. It was only eight miles to the campground once on 318. Not for us that day!

On 318, about four miles from the campground, a semi-truck had rolled off the side of the road with its trailer load. We prayed that the driver was okay. Directly in front of us was another semi-truck and trailer, and the driver was talking to one of the police officers. We were at a dead standstill, so I jumped out to ask how we could get to the campground with the route closed. The stressed-out highway worker I spoke to suggested I just Google it. Google maps have gotten us into more trouble than I can tell you, so this was not comforting.

As Tommy inched forward, when the semi-truck and trailer in front of us made the turn onto the side road, he was able to engage a police officer who informed us that we would have to drive to Route 62 and make a circle back to 318. Google maps kept telling us to make a right turn on roads that we had no business being on before we finally found Route 62. A right turn and two more rights on small country backroads, and we finally spotted HWY 318. Right in front of us was the road into the campground.

Halleluiah, and thank you, Jesus!

We finally made it to the Rocky Springs Campground, where we will spend a week. It’s a pristine campground, and there is plenty to do in the area. There are a lot of great restaurants within 15 miles. If fuel costs weren’t devastating our wallets, we’d be tempted to eat out daily. There is a lovely walking trail, the sun is shining, and we are in a beautiful place. God is so good.

My story’s takeaway is that you WILL experience some bumps in the road and setbacks. Enduring road closures,construction, and GPS issues is part of the experience. At least for us there is always light at the end of those tunnels. We are praying to get better at handling them.

We both used some unchristian language multiple times in the last couple of days. We snapped at each other, practically tearing each other’s heads off a few times. We always apologize to each other after the bad behavior, but I’m hoping we will learn not to attack each other during stressful drives. It serves no purpose except to further stress us out.

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