RV Road Trip 2013 | Our First Night

Our RV parked at the Delaware Water Gap/Pocono Mountain KOA campground

After what seemed like days of driving, but was only about 5 hours including our bathroom and food stops, we arrived to our first campground, the Delaware Water Gap/Pocono Mountain KOA. I guess you could say that we knew we were close when we saw an opossum in the road staring up at us like Golum. Yup, I was a little creeped out until I saw a dead one in the road a mile later. Country here we come! If you and the family fancy an RV road trip of your own, you might want to check out a site like https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/9354-the-best-rv-routes-through-the-smoky-mountains-must-see.html to find some of the best travel routes.

Rich parked the RV and walked inside the country store on property for assistance. Our paperwork indicated we would be in #200 and getting there was a snap. He backed into the spot easily and we were connected with power and water in less than five minutes. Ok, so maybe I didn’t do it and the guys did, but I was there for moral support.

Cruise America‘s website has great videos and information that you can review prior to your trip, but it seemed overwhelming and confusing before we took possession of the camper. I’m glad that Rich reviewed everything at least twice and they do give you a “Renter’s Assistance Guide,” which also helps. By the end of day one, we were starting to really feel like we were getting the hang of it.

Setting up for bed was a snap as we needed to only move one little pad above the driver’s area to construct our bed and then change the table for Cristian’s bed. That bed fit a twin size sheet and we used a Queen sheet for our bed. The area above the driver’s area for our bed is somewhat claustrophobic as it felt like a coffin, but by the time I thought about going to bed I was so cold I didn’t care on that first night. In case you’re wondering about the sleeping arrangements, look at the picture above with the back and front end of the compact RV. The front end image shows the sleeping area over the windshield. The interior image shows that space and yes boys and girls — it is small.

At only 5’4″ it’s not a big deal for me, but for my 6′ tall husband, it was interesting. If you look closely at the above image, you can see a blue strip across the middle. That strip is the mattress you’ll be sleeping on throughout your trip. The first night we were exhausted and didn’t know what we were about to encounter for the remainder of our trip, but don’t worry. I will provide tips to help you avoid a difficult night’s sleep in a rental RV in a future post.

We didn’t go straight to bed as we stayed up and talked, the boys ate some more, and we watched a few shows on the iPad. I didn’t realize that campgrounds were so advanced as this one, like others, not only have WiFi, but also cable TV. I was gobsmacked. Cable TV in the middle of a campground? I’ve heard nothing like it before. Well, I heard of people using a recording box like those from Humax Direct to record shows then watch them in the camp. But with those you couldn’t watch live TV, here you can. We came on this trip to get away from these luxuries, and now here we are, surrounded by them again (but I’m not complaining). Ok, the internet was a bit slow, and the boys even suggested that they upgrade to a better provider like the one Satellite Internet Now can provide – you can learn more here. Apparently, it’s meant to make the whole streaming process easier, and we could have done with that around about now. But hey ho. I guess we’re just lucky that we have something to do to pass the time. I felt guilty even watching a TV show, but I wanted to relax for a bit before bed and that did the trick.

Thinking that it was April and it wasn’t terribly cold back at home, we packed a few pillows and a quilt and thin blankets. That wasn’t enough so I “borrowed” my son’s sleeping bag, the kind that makes you look like a mummy and he promised me I would be hot in no time. I wasn’t sure if I could fall asleep with my teeth chattering, but apparently, you can. Isn’t it funny that we rented from Cruise America and we love cruising? The RV felt like the size of a cruise cabin except our captain at the helm of our ship was Rich! Instead of water, we were about to explore areas of the US we had heard about but never encountered. Stay tuned for more details from the great American RV Road Trip 2013.