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Our First Van Camping Trip

Our First Van Camping Trip

With our E350 as ready as it could be, we were ready to start out on our first van camping adventure. If you’re interested in what we learned we should set up better next time, that will be a different post.

Day 1 (Saturday)

All packed up, we started out on our trip. Our initial “end destination” was Pittsburgh to visit some of Laurie’s old friends, knowing we would split off to some unknown place from there. We already had a list of thrift stores we liked, based on past day trips, and others we wanted to check out. Heading up 95, we spent the day enjoying the scenery and thrifting, and finishing the day up with a visit to a park.

Laurie had seen there was a Gluten Free Expo in Washington D.C. the night before, and we were working towards fitting it into our time table. After our thrifting was complete and the stores started closing, we started planning where to camp for the night. Unfortunately, Washington D.C. – and a majority of Maryland it seems – has zero Walmarts. We made our way to a Target, hoping to use their parking lot, only to find a suspect parking garage where we may not get a peaceful nights rest.

After a lot of frustrated thinking, talking, sweating in the heat, and being total noobs… We drove outside of the DC area to a Walmart. We chose a nice spot in the back corner, right by the shopping center entrance and the main road, close to where the local R.V. guy seems to park. With the reflectix in the windows, the nature calls made in Walmart, and an extra bag of ice purchased, we were ready to go to bed.

Day 2 (Sunday)

We actually slept really well!

After waking up, we had our first experience with a “morning routine” while being mobile. New routines are added, like pulling the reflectix and finding coffee (the instant we grabbed was horrible). Then there were the standard like Breakfast, brushing teeth, putting in contacts, hitting the [Walmart] restrooms again, and feeding the dog and taking it to the bathroom.

Once we were ready to press on; we mapped our way back in to Maryland to the PetSmart where Gypsy would be staying, then on to the D.C. expo’s location. Cool enough, parking is free in the public parking garage on the weekends, and we found a great spot on the end, next to a huge empty chunk of sidewalk. We headed on over to the expo and enjoyed the day. Interested? Check out our post on the 2013 D.C. Area Gluten Free Expo over at My Gluten Free Girlfriend.

After the expo, we were ready to press on. Since there wouldn’t be much, if any, thrift stores opened on Sunday, we decided to press on to Laurie’s friends in Pittsburgh. We passed a cool spot along the way we wish we could have checked out called the “Gluten Free Zone”. Oh well, maybe next time.

Luckily, Laurie’s friend was still up – just coming in, actually –  and we could score a GREAT spot to park for a couple of days while we checkout out the city.

Day 3 (Monday)

Laurie and I took a great walk around the college area of Pittsburgh – all within walking distance of our camping spot. In the process, we learned our dog Gypsy is a little freaked out by statues of large people.

Day 4 (Tuesday)

Today we learned a valuable lesson about our van. It’s tall – and we do not even have a roof rack yet. We barely made it into the parking garage for the D.C. Gluten Free Expo; in Pittsburgh, it seems every parking garage is shorter than our van. Luckily, there are parking lots we could use.

Once parked, the day was a *lot* of walking around downtown Pittsburgh. There is some really cool architecture and a lot of neat things to see, and we didn’t even see it all!

Later at night, the temperatures dropped. Really dropped. It got quite cold and was not completely pleasant to be sleeping in a van outdoors. Luckily, we have a dog heater.

Day 5 (Wednesday)

And, as always, you know we had to hit some thrift stores. We mapped out and hit every one we could in the Pittsburgh area. Found some good stuff, too. No great photos, though.

Day 6 (Thursday)

We were falling in to the normal human habit of staying put where we are “comfortable”. It was time to move on. We took one last shower, said goodbye to friends, and started plotting our course. Based on the temperatures, we decided heading south looked like a warmer option.

Charleston, West Virginia has various thrift stores in and around it, offered a connection to 64 east to head home, and sounded like a great drive through a lot of mountain towns. We selected this as our destination, and started making our way down the highway.

After finding a lot of great shops along the way, we decided we wanted a break from our coolers. Laurie found a pizza shop offering Gluten Free (almost) everything, and we made it our next destination. The food was pretty amazing – you can check out the Review of Pies and Pints over at My Gluten Free Girlfriend.

After our delicious dinner, it was time to move on. We selected and headed towards a Walmart in MacArther, West Virginia. We picked up a gluten free six pack and settled in to get a little work done before bed. On the way back to out van, we were greeted by the locals with a hearty “f*** you, buddy” and “b****”. Still, not sure why. Either way, we parked our van in the farthest regions of parking lot, and settled in for the night.

It poured. Lots, and lots of rain. I have always enjoyed the sound of rain on a metal roof and on the van it sounds both soothing and amazing. I quite like falling asleep to that sound. The weather did, however, cause moisture buildup. But, this will be covered in another post.

Day 7 (Friday)

Our last day, it seems like a month since we started out. Today was a full day of driving, hitting every thrift store we could find, an RV place, and taking in the breathtaking scenery; while making our way east towards Richmond. We wanted another break from the coolers and found what is quite possibly the best Five Guys ever in Staunton. After eating, it was back on 64 to head towards Richmond.

Alan Cook

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