Remember all that unseasonably warm weather we mentioned for our first two RV shows?  Well – not to jump too far ahead in the story, but – we bought an RV and this is what it looked like just a couple of days ago.

Now back to the search.  This post isn’t chronological; not that it really matters to the story, but I thought I’d mention it anyway.

We attended the York RV show with my (Nathan’s) parents because they were interested in checking out the show, plus it was my dad’s birthday weekend so we combined this with another stop at a brewery.  Notice the theme continues!  The York show was very much like the Harrisburg show as far as the selection of models available, so once again we saw many trailer-style RVs and very few Class As or Class Cs.  Had we not already found our RV before attending this show, I would have been even more disappointed as a result.  But instead of eagerly searching the farm show buildings for our potential new home on wheels, we leisurely strolled through the show checking out various models we wouldn’t have browsed at the previous two shows.

We even stopped for a posed photo at my mom’s request, which she insisted we post on the blog.  Here you go, Mom!

Since we visited on the first day of the show (and because the weather was cold and snowy), we managed to avoid the weekend crowd and took as much time as we wanted strolling through the aisles.  After we had our fill of trailer hopping, we headed out to Black Cap Brewing Company in Red Lion PA.  Located in the old post office building, Black Cap has a naturally rustic and relaxed atmosphere with ample bar and table seating.  If you decide to visit and the parking lot is already full, plenty of street parking is available around the brewery.  They had eight beers on tap when we visited and they offer flights, so of course I casually worked my way through the menu while sampling some food and catching up with my parents.

If you’re passing through Red Lion (or if you live close by), I recommend stopping by Black Cap to sample their well-crafted beers.  They’re open Thursday-Saturday evenings, so don’t expect to stop on a Tuesday afternoon – but if you’re in town during business hours, this little brewery is definitely worth your time.  The food menu is small and simple (snacks, sandwiches, soup) and the ambiance is comfortable and cozy.  It’s a great place to relax and have locally crafted beer in a friendly environment.

Did I mention we found an RV?  We visited two dealers in Milford DE during the week between the Harrisburg and York RV shows.  The first dealer we visited was just OK – they had a couple of models that mildly interested us, but the atmosphere was a little sketchy.  Could be perfectly fine, but that was just our impression.  Our second stop of the day (Delmarva RV Center) was markedly better – clean, bright sales and service area, very friendly staff, and they encouraged us to take our time browsing.

After seeing a wide variety of models at the various shows, we knew some of the features we wanted in our RV, but we didn’t have a favorite already picked out at this point.  Delmarva just happened to have a new Coachmen Freelander 21 RS in stock, and it didn’t take long for us to realize it fit nearly all of our search criteria.  We spoke at length with Nick Mauncele, who was informative, friendly, laid-back, and certainly not like the stereotypical salesperson one might expect.  After filling out some preliminary paperwork, we decided to venture into the town of Milford before finally committing to buying the Freelander.

Milford is a quaint tiny town located along the Mispillion River.  The town features a short river walk (as in fifteen minutes in length if you take your time) and a number of restaurants and bars.  We strolled the river walk and stopped in Dolce Bakery and Coffee Shop for a warm drink and sweet snack.  While strolling through town was a nice way to pass a couple of hours on a Tuesday afternoon, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend going out of your way to visit Milford.

After receiving a call from Nick, we headed back to Delmarva RV to finish our purchase.  The process was smooth and we scheduled our pick-up and RV orientation class for the following week.  If you’re in the market for an RV in the northeast, Delmarva RV is worth a visit.

One of the biggest (only?) reasons to visit Milford is to check out Mispillion River Brewing.  After completing our purchase, we stopped by Mispillion on our way out of town.  Located in an industrial park, this small brewery features interesting beers and live music on the weekends.  No real food is available (except for bagged pretzels and packaged beef sticks), but they occasionally host food trucks outside.  They also offer $5 flights on Tuesdays, so of course I chose a flight to celebrate finding an RV.  I probably could’ve convinced Ashley to stay longer, however, we were both hungry and not prepared with our usual travel snacks because we didn’t anticipate on spending so much time away.  If and when we get to Mispillion again, I will be prepared!  Check out the brewery if you happen to be in the middle of Delaware, they rotate their tap list frequently and always have something unique to try.

Thus ends the Search for the RV!  We hope to have more travel posts coming up in the next couple of months and no more boring shopping posts.  We have the RV mostly loaded, made a list of projects to finish before heading out into the wild, and are looking forward to hitting the road.  My parents have kindly agreed to let us park at their house for our first stop/staging area, and now we’re anxiously waiting for warmer weather.  Our loose plan is to spend a couple of months visiting our families in Pennsylvania before heading north for the summer.  We’ll most likely check out the Allegheny National Forest before swinging through the Finger Lakes region of New York.  We may make it as far as Vermont and New Hampshire before turning around and heading south for the winter.  If you’ve ever been to the Finger Lakes or have any must-see places in northwestern PA or upstate New York, please let us know in the comments!