Welcome to another wild ride on my amazing adventure!
A few days ago, I hit the interstate in Millersville, Maryland heading north. It was here on a Maryland highway that I encountered a man who really needs to relax a little bit! Maybe he should take an RV trip.
I am driving 40 foot Irma and pulling my Jeep behind me. I am going the speed limit, but on this raceway, cars are flying by and around me. I am in the second lane from the right, but my exit is coming up soon.
I turn on my blinker and wait a bit, rolling along, listening to the alarm telling me my blinker is still on. I tell Irma, “I know. I am just hoping for a kind soul to let me over.”
I see a small break in traffic. There is a big black truck coming up, but there is room for me to slide over in front of him. As I start to merge over, he speeds up! I am straddling the two lanes as he passes my tail, but he keeps coming. He now has cars to his right merging onto the interstate. He could slow down and get behind me. I speed up to help him. Instead, he goes faster. I am committed because cars are now coming around me on the left. I can’t move back into the other lane. The cars to his right or slowing down and swerving so he doesn’t hit them.
I am in the right lane as Mr. Bubba truck flies around me, barely missing the front of Irma and slams on his brakes! Dude! Do you have any idea what it takes for me to stop this thing?! I put my foot hard on the brake and pray that I don’t hit him. I hear things behind me, inside Irma crashing forward. Just as I think we will crash, his brake lights dim and he moves forward. He speeds up, then hits his brakes AGAIN! The man in the shiny, big, black pick-up truck comes to a complete stop in the middle of the interstate! Luckily, it takes me as much time to speed up, as it does to slow down. I stop behind him, wondering if he is going to get out. My heart is pounding. What could a man this angry do? My door is locked and I pick up my phone to call 911. He flips me off, squeals tires, leaving half his rubber on the road and races away.
I am not angry. I am sad for this man. What has happened in his life to make him this angry, to make him this aggressive? Why would he endanger so many people’s lives around him? I drive on and take my exit. I wish he could spend a year RVing and meet the amazing people that I meet. I am certain that this would calm his soul.
I am coming into Jersey City as I exit one highway onto another. It’s one of those big two lane circle ramps and both lanes are filled with cars who think they are at the Daytona Racetrack. I hit a massive bump, just as my lane drastically drops off on the right, then back to the left. And then… it happens! The death wobble! I am violently being jerked back and forth by the Jeep I am towing behind me. I know from previous experience, that the only way to make it settle down, is to come to a complete stop. My challenge is that I am on a ramp way above the city streets below me, with no shoulder. In a city known for it’s aggressive, obnoxious drivers, I have to stop right here in the middle of the road! This could get ugly, but I don’t have any other choice.
I am struggling to keep Irma in my lane and not hit the vehicles on my left or crash through the concrete wall to my right, as I put my foot on the brake. I am shaking as I watch all of my cameras and mirrors. I am amazed at what I see happening behind me! Two semi-trucks block both lanes behind me on the ramp and stop traffic! I am able to get Irma safely stopped and moving again. My faith in humanity is restored!
I make it to the bottom of the ramp and am a bit worried about what I see. Has my GPS taken me the wrong way? I am on narrow city streets in Jersey City. Buildings sprout up from the sidewalk and tower over me. People in cars are jockeying for position with those on bicycles, while others are rushing across streets in foot. I see a u-turn displayed on the screen of my GPS and wonder if I can navigate it or will I be stopping in the middle of the street to drop my car? I am suppose to be going to an RV Park. I must be going the wrong way! With lots of stares from those around me, I manage the u-turn and a series of turns without hitting anyone or anything. I pass one last building and see lots of boats and in front of me. Uh Oh!
Statue of Liberty
A smiling man in uniform steps around the corner a waves at me. He is directing me to turn right. As I follow his lead, I see the Statue of Liberty out in front of me! I am here! I am at Liberty Harbor RV Park!
I get checked in by two friendly women and am assigned back-in site C29. I have a map with directions in hand, but have to drop my car first.
The park is really a giant gravel lot with RVs literally stacked on top of each other! I will have water and 50 amp electricity but no sewer connection. I will have to be careful with my water usage over the next few days, but that soon becomes the least of my worries. I round a tight corner to the left and see my site. It’s at the end in the middle of the corner with RVs beside and behind it. Holy cow! I have to back into that?
I pull forward, hoping no one is watching and pray that I don’t hit anything.
I turn my wheels tight left and start slowly backing up. I worry about taking out the RV awning to my left as it passes just inches from my window. I have to get far enough back to open my slides, but don’t want to run over the water connection behind me. I have to get out once to move a big picnic table, but I make it in on my first try!
Now to take a walk and check out my surroundings. I still can’t believe that there is an RV Park right here IN Jersey City! I have a view of the New York City Skyline and the Statue of Liberty. There is a marina and a dry dock area. In the dry dock area, RVs are boondocking next to big boats of all kinds in different stages of renovation or repair. There are some in pretty rough shape, but I can just imagine how beautiful they will be! Along our journey, we find grass. It’s a small patch, but it’s grass. Emmi is over joyed!!!
Back at camp, we meet our neighbors. This family of four is amazing! They even invited me to a breakfast of homemade doughnuts before they left. I hope to meet them on the road again! I meet the full-time RV couple and their dogs across from me and it’s the same. (They actually saw Irma in Millersville.) I am certain we will meet again. People stop to chat as they walk by and tell me their stories. It doesn’t matter that we are all in the middle of a big city. It’s the same as every other RV Park I have been in. People don’t care what your job is or if you even have one. They don’t care about your political affiliations or religious beliefs. They are just interested in the people around them and how they can help each other.
This is the crazy life I choose. This is RV Life!
Now I am off to do some site seeing! Maybe I will have enough internet to get a YouTube video up tonight!
Until next time…
Jenni
