580 miles
$42.08: Richmond KOA (Richmond, IN)

Got in late last night from the Weird Al concert, but wanted to get an early start. All that pre-packing paid off, and I hit the road around 8:30am.

Back by popular demand, Hug E. Pillow will be my co-pilot until Glenn joins me in Washington in August. He’d be a better navigator if he could see over the dashboard (Hug E. Pillow, I mean).

If you’ve read past years’ blog posts, you know my feelings on the “major” interstates in PA and West Virginia. There has been some meager improvement since then, in the form of some newly-cemented sections, but overall, the roads are still throwbacks to the Model-A era. Patched everywhere, two narrow lanes, overpriced & under-parking-lotted service plazas with expensive gas.

So, I powered through five states today: DE, PA, WV, OH, and IN. 580-something miles today. But I wanted to get ahead of the remnants of hurricane Barry before he heads North.

In doing so, I didn’t leave many options for an overnight stay. I tried my new Harvest Host subscription, but the one I wanted was only open in the Fall (went to voicemail). The state parks laughed at me (it was Saturday at 4pm, after all). KOAs are nice, but pricey, and my last resort. The ones on I-70 thru Ohio were really pricey ($90!), but I saw one just over the Indiana border that looked promising.

But first, I called the Richmond Walmart, and they DO allow overnight parking. In fact, I started there, but soon realized that at 91 degrees, I wanted an electric hookup for the AC.

The 4pm cut-off for app reservations had passed, but Richmond Indiana’s KOA picked up the phone at 7:30 PM, were as friendly as could be, and said “come on over” (their office closes at 8pm). $42 later, I’m in a scenic water/electric (no sewer) site for $42. And they have a pool!

They’re playing “Lion King” on an outdoor screen tonight, but I’ll think I’ll go to bed after a dip in the pool. Hoping to get another 500 miles tomorrow, which would put me through most of Missouri.