Sometimes Real Life Has a Habit of Getting in the Way

So last week I wrote about all the possible places that we would go. Guess where we went? Well, if you answered the obvious - no place - you are absolutely right. The Roadtrek still sits on the driveway. We continue to go in and out and make adjustments to this and line a cabinet or two with no slide shelving sheets, but we still have not taken a trip and it is likely that a trip will not happen for at least a few weeks.

So what happened. The whole idea was to take a Memorial Day weekend trip after Memorial Day as it was not possible to get reservations in a campground on one of the two most popular camping holidays of the year (the other being Labor Day). We were going to pick a few weekdays in a row and take off. Good plan, if you can just set obligations and work aside. Most of the time we are clear to do whatever we want when we want. Both of our work schedules are flexible - except my wife's schedule at various times of the year and the month get caught up in things that must be done then and no other time. This at the time did not seem a problem. As I began planning the long range weather forecasts looked good. But then a heat wave descended upon the Northeast and the temperatures were to rise to 100 and above - something rather unusual. It gets hot - generally not this early in the year (it is not even summer yet) and when it does the mid-90's are considered high. But early June and over a 100 degrees F and we were planning on going to places where the activities were primarily outdoors. Through in rain and storm warnings to go along with the heat and the plan to head out last week was set aside - besides, the forecast for this week was considerably cooler and drier. Perfect for our first real trip. I was all set.

I went back to planning, still not certain which of the several places that I had in mind it would be. I started routing. Got the GPS out of the dashboard of the Roadtrek and started programming a route that would get us off Long Island and out of New York State that would not take us on the local parkways - which we do not have the height clearance to drive on. (If you travel to NY beware - your GPS will likely automatically route you onto roads that you cannot drive on with a travel trailer, an RV, or a tall vehicle.)

The trip would have to be at the end of the week because something happened at X, that effected what would happen with Y, and because of all that my wife would have to go to client, Z on Tuesday. Not a problem. Wednesday to Friday was what I had in mind anyway.

On the day this article appears, we were supposed to be in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. That is where the decision was finally made to go. We have been there many times - never in an RV. We have only been there once to stay more than one day which enables one to both visit the sights and go to the new musuem on the battlefield put up by the National Park Service a few years ago. We have a coupon from our RV insurance company that gives us a stay one night, get one night free at the Gettysburg KOA campground - which I have seen fairly good reviews for. That was the place. The plan was to make the reservation on Tuesday and take off on Wednesday.

So, again what happened? Sunday night, my wife said to me, didn't you know that this Thursday is the third Thursday of the month? Actually, I didn't because June started midweek and this Monday was only the second Monday of the moth. I answered her that it cannot be, and she said, oh yes it is. Have I mentioned in some article that my wife is always right? She has told me this often - and in fact, she is right. Well, I will not get into the one big time that she was not right, but 99.99% of the time she is always right. This Thursday is the third Thursday of the month and that means we have a meeting to go to on Thursday night. Skip it, you say? Well, when you are the one running the meeting and the head of the organization, the monthly meeting is not something that you can miss - especailly when there is important business to be announced and discussed. With a great realization of reality and a feeling of disappointment, there went the trip for this week. And with that, because of an obligation next week - so went any idea of doing it then.

We did take it to the nearest dump and empty the tanks, oh, and this week I ran the generator for its monthly 20 minute maintenance run. Just in case you thought it was just sitting idle. :)

So, sorry for the buildup last week for our first trip - we all must wait a little longer. As I have said at various times, the trip getting there is sometimes more of an adventure than the actual happening. So that open road will call a bit longer...