We arrived at Cherry Hill RV Park late on April 14th. We had a some massive first day issues. First was getting off to a late start. Anyone who knows Long Island, knows that timing is everything when trying to get off the island. We have limited routes to take with the RV. We left my mom’s house about 1-ish and I knew we’d be in trouble. We had a planned stop at Jordana’s parents’ house to pick up Aurelia and Odin’s kayaks to bring with us. I decided to put them on the roof top tent of the Jeep and lash them down with our surfboard straps. I thought I made them tight enough. I was wrong.
We quickly said our goodbyes and departed West Islip for the ride to Maryland. We were making good time until the Cross Bronx and ran into heavy traffic all the way into NJ. Finally we made it on to the NJ Turnpike and we were making up some time. That’s when the bad luck happened. A trucker came up next to us and honked his horn and waved at us. I knew in my gut something was wrong. I pulled over and looked on the camera and the kayaks were gone. I had many emotions hit me. 1. Did we cause an accident. 2. I lost the kayaks. 3. My kids will never forgive me. 4. What am I going to do. 5. I’m in trouble. Jordana was not too happy. First real Full Time RV road trip and already an issue. Against my better judgement I walked about 1.5 miles down the shoulder of the turnpike and found Odin’s blue kayak. Jordana was in touch with the state troopers to notify them and make sure no one was hurt. I came back to an upset family worried I might be killed walking on the turnpike. Rightfully so. I spoke to the NJ Turnpike police who were very courteous and helpful. They did a scan of the roadway and were unable to find Aurelia’s kayak. We ended up doing a u turn at the next exit and back tracking all the way to the last rest stop and then re driving the route looking for the kayak. No Luck! I felt so horrible. Lucky for me, Aurelia, forgave me and made me feel better.
Our voyage continued on to Maryland and we finally rolled into Cherry Hill RV park around 11 pm. Pitch black and wet from the rain storm we drove through. About the time we rolled into the park our Jeep’s batteries finally died. We have a dual battery system and the 9.5 hours of towing finally drained all the juice. I was able to de couple the Jeep from the RV. Park our rv in it’s spot and then I pushed the Jeep to it’s final resting place for the night. It was a long first day and the kids were toast. Jordana was toast and I was toast. We crashed hard.
The next morning we woke up to a gorgeous sunny day and it felt nice. We survived! Cherry Hill RV Park was nice enough to send a worker with a jump pack to jump our Jeep and we were able to finish setting up. We ate a nice big breakfast and planned our days adventure of touring Washington DC to see the monuments.
Till next time.
Stay Lost!
JP
