225 miles on I-95, I-695 (around Baltimore), I-83, US 30, US 222, PA 33 and US 209. Cumulative distance: 1,364 miles.
STN Hop 6
This was, in some respects, the most difficult hop on the STN. It started with I-95 between DC and Baltimore, then a stretch on the I-695 beltway around Baltimore – both of which were quite busy despite being midday. That was followed by 30 minutes on I-83, then 25 miles on US 30 through “Pennsylvania Dutch” county, about 40 miles on US 222, about 20 miles each on US 22 and PA 33, then short stretches on I-80 and US 209 and, finally, two very tight, curvy miles on a local road. Lots of turns, a fair amount of traffic. And, as we approached our I-80 exit, warnings about commercial traffic being prohibited on US 209 “north of Bushkill”. We were staying south of Bushkill but intended to take US 209 north. Would this be a problem? Something to worry about.
We also had competition between Google and the GPS for the best route from I-80 to the campground. Google wanted us to take exit 310 which was, arguably, a bit shorter, while the GPS opted for exit 309. The map directions seemed complicated (7 turns) so we trusted the GPS (which isn’t always a good idea). In this case we made the right choice as we found out later that the route from exit 310 was blocked by construction and we would have been routed back to 309 anyway. As we were pretty close to our range limit, this would have stressed us out even more.
Our hilltop premium site
Our home for the evening was the Delaware Water Gap/Pocono KOA. This was our first KOA stop since KOA confiscated our deposit when we had to alter out plans on the way to Florida, which ticked me off. But KOA campgrounds are generally pretty nice and this one was very conveniently located, so I swallowed my pride and booked it.
I am glad I did. Even though it was very early in the season and many of the facilities were not open, this clearly would be a very interesting and active campground in the summer. It has some wonderful recreational facilities, nice vistas and friendly, helpful staff (who reassured me that the US 209 restrictions would not be a problem for me). Close to the Delaware Water Gap recreational area, this would be a good place for outdoor-oriented families. This would also be a good spot for birdwatchers as the place was populated by woodpeckers and other fairly exotic species, including bluebirds. I don’t recall ever seeing a bluebird in the wild before.
Overlooking over the KOA campground
Our premium campsite (which was a free upgrade due to construction near the office) was on a hill which was a hard pull, but we got there. Our neighbor was a couple with another 2015 Bighorn 3875FB, but one which had been customized a bit (e.g., an outdoor TV and a select-a-number mattress). He was having an issue with his leveling system, so we spent some time talking about the problems we have each had. But we both agreed that, despite the problems, it is a great model for full-timers.
One of the facilities at the KOA was a “mining” operation, similar to the one we saw at Cherry Hill, but even more elaborate. I guess this feature was not as unique as I thought. However, the KOA did have a facility which is, in my travels, unique: a Ga-Ga arena. I learned that Ga-Ga is a variant of dodgeball, played in a small walled arena. It sounds interesting; I would like to see it played sometime and, perhaps, join in.
Our overflowing water tank problem continued. I have taken to shutting the water off at night and using only the (unintentionally full) fresh water tank. This has the downside of having the water pump activate every time we turn the water on – an annoyance – but has the advantage of shedding some of that water weight before we get on the road again. We will have to get this problem fixed at some point, but it can wait for VT.
We also continued to have a coolant leak on the truck. This is a bit more urgent than the fresh water RV problem, but has not yet resulted in overheating. I fill the radiator every morning and monitor the engine temperature as we travel. This might have to be looked at in MA.
There is always something that needs to be fixed on our rig. Just like having a house.
Mining facility
Ga-Ga arena