{"id":5516,"date":"2020-07-29T07:57:10","date_gmt":"2020-07-29T11:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/?p=5516"},"modified":"2020-07-29T07:57:14","modified_gmt":"2020-07-29T11:57:14","slug":"the-dream-is-real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/2020\/07\/29\/the-dream-is-real\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dream is Real"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s happening! We were able to arrange for the rental of the small camper trailer that we wanted, and so our cross-country road-trip plans are go!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, all this is subject to change as situations change – but we have backup plans. If heading out west as we originally planned isn’t possible (or safe), we may end up going somewhere closer – maybe just up north into the Adirondacks of NY, or maybe even up to Acadia National Park in Maine. Or, worst case, there’s plenty of parks right here in NJ. (Though our overall goal is to go somewhere new<\/em>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it’s exciting to think about. This sort of trip has been on my bucket list for ages – and although it’s not quite the full “around the entire country” trip I dreamed of, it’s pretty close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ll be taking a teardrop style camper trailer – one of the bigger ones, a NuCamp T@B 320 CS-S with a wet bath (so, toilet & shower in one unit) and the hinged back with outdoor galley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re planning on mainly staying at RV parks with full hookups for power, water, and sewer – no boondocking for us, I think. We’re not quite ready for that. Though I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of trying a night or two, if we find someplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of world circumstances, we are staying very flexible with our plans – we basically are going to “wing it” the whole way, with the exception of the one big National Park we’re planning on visiting. There are plenty of campsites and RV parks along the route we’ve chosen, so we’re reasonably confident that we can find someplace wherever we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first half (and more likely 2\/3) of the trip, we’re basically just going to be trying to cover as much distance as possible – getting out of the Northeast and across the Midwest (I was born in the Midwest; I know what it’s like). Once we get to Colorado and the mountains, that’s where the real fun will begin!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve only been among the Canadian Rockies before, and have spent almost no time in the Western states (aside from one trip I did down to the desert Southwest – to the Grand Canyon and surrounding areas). So the whole area is somewhat foreign to me – I’ve previously only seen it from the air as I flew over. But I’ve always been enamored of the landscapes of the West – perhaps because they are so different from the gentle rolling hills and forests of the East. But whatever the reason, I look forward to seeing them\u2026 and seeing them from my own car<\/a>! Nothing quite brings home the vastness of the world as driving across it – and I am always eager for new perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, this trip is a ways off yet, so I will keep planning and preparing as I can, and hope for the best!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s happening! We were able to arrange for the rental of the small camper trailer that we wanted, and so our cross-country road-trip plans are go! Of course, all this is subject to change as situations change – but we have backup plans. If heading out west as we originally planned isn’t possible (or safe),… Continue reading The Dream is Real<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"webmentions_disabled_pings":false,"webmentions_disabled":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":3,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[200],"tags":[431,386,476,160,173],"class_list":["post-5516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-my-life","tag-camping","tag-personal","tag-road-trip","tag-travel","tag-vacation","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pimUj-1qY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5505,"url":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/2020\/07\/25\/the-dream-trip\/","url_meta":{"origin":5516,"position":0},"title":"The Dream Trip","author":"Keith Survell","date":"July 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Thinking about my dream trip - a road trip across the USA","rel":"","context":"In "Cars and Trucks"","block_context":{"text":"Cars and Trucks","link":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/category\/cars-and-trucks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2020\/07\/tab-cs-model-support.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2020\/07\/tab-cs-model-support.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2020\/07\/tab-cs-model-support.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5559,"url":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/2020\/10\/14\/the-dream-trip-reality\/","url_meta":{"origin":5516,"position":1},"title":"The Dream Trip: Reality","author":"Keith Survell","date":"October 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"We had such big dreams for our 2020 road trip - but like so many things in 2020, they\u2026 didn't quite turn out as expected. (Previous installments in \"The Dream Trip\" - The Dream Trip, The Dream is Real, and The Dream Trip: Revised) Day 1: Starting out, New Jersey\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "My Life"","block_context":{"text":"My Life","link":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/category\/personal\/my-life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Keithmobile-E and the camper trailer we rented","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2020\/10\/keithmobile-and-camper.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2020\/10\/keithmobile-and-camper.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2020\/10\/keithmobile-and-camper.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2020\/10\/keithmobile-and-camper.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2020\/10\/keithmobile-and-camper.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2020\/10\/keithmobile-and-camper.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6102,"url":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/2024\/02\/24\/mercedes-glk-250-towing-experience\/","url_meta":{"origin":5516,"position":2},"title":"Mercedes GLK 250 Towing Experience","author":"Keith Survell","date":"February 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A while back I wrote about what it's like to use a Mercedes GLK 250 as a tow vehicle, and promised that I would do a follow-up once I'd finished a big trip I'd planned that would involve me towing a big camper trailer around the country. Well, that trip\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cars and Trucks"","block_context":{"text":"Cars and Trucks","link":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/category\/cars-and-trucks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2024\/02\/50391143193_2493708ae5_4k-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2024\/02\/50391143193_2493708ae5_4k-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2024\/02\/50391143193_2493708ae5_4k-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2024\/02\/50391143193_2493708ae5_4k-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2024\/02\/50391143193_2493708ae5_4k-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2024\/02\/50391143193_2493708ae5_4k-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5545,"url":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/2020\/09\/21\/the-dream-trip-revised\/","url_meta":{"origin":5516,"position":3},"title":"The Dream Trip, Revised","author":"Keith Survell","date":"September 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to 2020 being... well, 2020, we've had to revise our road trip plans.","rel":"","context":"In "personal"","block_context":{"text":"personal","link":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/category\/personal\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5520,"url":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/2020\/08\/01\/using-a-mercedes-glk-250-as-a-tow-vehicle\/","url_meta":{"origin":5516,"position":4},"title":"Using a Mercedes GLK 250 as a tow vehicle","author":"Keith Survell","date":"August 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I've always tried to make sure I use my vehicles as more than just transportation - making use of the \"utility\" in \"sport utility vehicle\" - and that goes for my current vehicle (the Keithmobile-E, a 2014 Mercedes-Benz GLK 250) as well. I somehow imagine that not many people use\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cars and Trucks"","block_context":{"text":"Cars and Trucks","link":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/category\/cars-and-trucks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6041,"url":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/2024\/09\/12\/on-the-road-scotland\/","url_meta":{"origin":5516,"position":5},"title":"On the Road: Scotland","author":"Keith Survell","date":"September 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"What is it like driving in the remoter parts of northern Scotland? I got a chance to find out...","rel":"","context":"In "My Opinion"","block_context":{"text":"My Opinion","link":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/category\/personal\/my-opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Our rental Mercedes C200 wagon parked alongside a road, high up in the Scottish highlands","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2023\/08\/Our-rental-car-high-up-in-the-Scottish-highlands-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2023\/08\/Our-rental-car-high-up-in-the-Scottish-highlands-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2023\/08\/Our-rental-car-high-up-in-the-Scottish-highlands-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2023\/08\/Our-rental-car-high-up-in-the-Scottish-highlands-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2023\/08\/Our-rental-car-high-up-in-the-Scottish-highlands-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2023\/08\/Our-rental-car-high-up-in-the-Scottish-highlands-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5516\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.starkeith.net\/coredump\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}