It has been a very long trip. We woke up early and headed back to Manassa. We got in around 6pm and just crashed. The next day we just hung around like a bunch of slugs and rested. Especially Daddy. He did all the driving and was really tired.
It was nice to just do nothing but hang out with GG and Yo Papa for a day and we had them all to ourselves! I did take Maddie up to see Devyn later that night who was recovering from getting her appendix out. We stayed and visited with everyone for a little bit and then headed back home to get ready to leave the next day.
We left GG and YoPapa’s around 8 am. It was a VERY long drive home.
I did bust out the glow sticks one last time once it got dark.
We finally pulled up to the house around 12:30 am on Thursday morning. I ran inside and disposed of all the binkies since Sawyer had done great without them and didn’t want to start that up again and then we unloaded everyone and some things and then we all crashed - in our own beds - and it was AWESOME.
Looking back, here are some things we learned on the trip:
1) Josh kept a Captain’s Log while on the trip, without which none of this blogging would have been possible a year later! We took it as a travel binder with all the places we planned on staying and reservations, insurance documents, etc. We will definitely be doing this again for future trips.
2) Hook up the sewer line BEFORE doing anything else to make sure it reaches before you unhook the trailer. Otherwise your poor wife may have to stand in the shower with soap running in her eyes while you move the trailer to reach the drain.
3) When making reservations make sure to give all the ages of all the kids to make sure you’re being charged correctly and don’t get ripped off once you get there and have no other option. This rule is completely ridiculous because we brought our own freaking accommodations with us! What the heck to they care what ages our children are or how many there are?! Some parks don’t give refunds even when it’s their fault.
4) Mountainous terrain travel is 250-300 miles per day max. It’s just too hard on the family to go much farther.
5) Gas mileage is 6.5-8 mpg with the trailer and about 12 mpg without the trailer. Plan your gas budget accordingly.
6) Some places require a sewer support hose support system. And if you don’t have one they will gladly provide one for you to purchase at an exorbitant fee.
7) We took out the last bench in our van so we would have some cargo room but that left these huge brackets attached to the floor of the van and doesn’t allow anything to sit level back there. It was a huge pain for the entire trip. Josh had the idea to build a platform that would cover the brackets and give us a level area. We had them built (by the handy-dandiest neighborman EVER) shortly after we got back and it was been so great to have! Groceries fit better, the strollers fit better, everything fits better back there.
8) Quirks about the trailer: can’t use the microwave and the A/C at the same time; can’t hear the speakers in the main living area while the A/C is on; the side the slider is on is always going to be unlevel; the water heater heats in about 15 minutes; the propane tank lasts approximately 18 hours of drive time (for the fridge) and about 3 days worth of hot water for dishes and showers.
All things considered it was a great trip. We all had moments when we wanted to go home but for the most part it was a great experience and we are definitely planning another road trip in the future!
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