Welp, the long anticipated day had arrived. The first trip in my new class B camper van. My original plan was to leave on this day, but the forecast was calling for some pretty nasty weather.
“I’ll see what it’s like, but maybe I’ll just wait an extra day,” I told myself.
Yeah, well, the weather wasn’t great.
I left anyway.
I just couldn’t wait another day to get out there. So much planning and so many sleepless nights all built up to this day. It was time to go.
This is the map I drew up as a general route for the maiden voyage, but of course, the route could change along the way.
My first stop was to refuel at a Loves Travel Center.
I wasn’t a truck driver for long, but for the couple of years that I was, it was a really transformational time in my life. I was walking Cooper on the grassy areas and just had to stop and take in this view for a minute. A “looking through the hourglass” kind of moment. Life can change quite a bit in 10 years.
Not a great distance later, Cooper and I arrived at the Potawatomi Carter Casino.
I decided to stay here because it was free and had good reviews. The reviews were right – this was a great wooded spot with free electric hookups and a free dump station.
I had to go into the casino to register and decided I would put $20 into a slot machine. I promptly lost that $20 in the least amount of spins possible. Lasted maybe 1 minute in total.
So much for a “free” spot. It’s almost like the casino knows exactly what they’re doing.
Anyway, back to the van!
Cooper had a slight adjustment period. He wasn’t too sure how to maneuver around in the van and it was just a confusing space to him.
Heck, there was an adjustment period for ME and maneuvering around the van was tough at first – and the van is built for humans.
Fortunately he caught on quickly and had no issues our first night on the road with new smells and noises. We both slept like a rock.
As you can see, there was only one other RV parked there. Nice open space to enjoy.
Here’s the route we took…
And some video highlights of the short drive…