April 2024 in King of Prussia

Spending 3 Weeks in King of Prussia, PA | Fremont Park | Valley Forge | April 2024

Curtis’ last assignment of the spring brought us back to King of Prussia, PA, where we had wrapped up last spring’s work as well. It felt a little like coming full circle, returning in the van which we bought last time we were here, now fully converted into a tiny home. We were excited to return, just remembering how much we had enjoyed our routines last year of hiking in Valley Forge every day and getting food from several of our favorite local restaurants.

The drive from Iowa to Pennsylvania went exceptionally well with minimal traffic and construction, and just a little snow when leaving the Midwest. We had two days to make the 14 hour drive. The first day we made it until just a few miles West of the OH/PA state line, and because of the wet weather and lack of free or fairly priced campgrounds, we decided to just sleep at a rest stop. We arrived right around sunset, took Charlotte for a walk, and set up the bed in the back. While it wasn’t the most quiet spot by far, it wasn’t a bad night. The rest area was very clean, and had a Panera where we picked up some dinner. While it was our first time sleeping at a rest stop in the van, it wasn’t our first time ever — we had spent a few nights at rest stops back when Curtis was in college and we would do our long drives between Arizona and Iowa. So all things considered, it was much more comfortable now with a real bed and window covers for privacy!

The next morning, we got an early start and made it all the way to King of Prussia in one long stretch of driving. We arrived shortly after noon, picked up the rental car, and got checked in to our hotel.

We arrived in Pennsylvania just in time to enjoy the beginning signs of spring, the blooming cherry blossom trees, and the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that hit New Jersey. The ground rattled at the hotel long enough for me to wonder if it was an earthquake, and Charlotte woke up from her nap and sat up and stared at me until it was over. Curtis didn’t feel anything at the plant. That was quite the welcome back to the East coast!

For our time here, we decided to stay at the same hotel as last year, the Element near Valley Forge. We like it mostly for its proximity to Valley Forge, restaurants, and easy commute for Curtis. The suites are also very clean and spacious. There are several things about the hotel that we don’t like, and may rethink staying there next time. But I think we said the same thing last year and still ended up here, so who knows?

I think overall, in my mind I remembered all the highlights from last year and looked forward to recapturing those happy moments, and overlooked the negatives. While we did get to do some of the things we enjoyed and ate at all our favorite restaurants again, we were also reminded of why we like this area only as a short-term stay and not somewhere we’d want to call home.

The major change from our last time here was that last year, Curtis was assigned to the plant just for more job experience, and wasn’t allowed to work much overtime. Because of that, we had tons of time to be together and explore the area. This year, he only had 2 days off out of our 3 weeks here, and worked 12+ hours every day. The outage itself also didn’t go as smoothly which made it even less fun.

However, we were still able to get out and enjoy what time we did have together. Thanks to the days growing longer, it was still light out when he returned in the evening, so we continued our routine of walking at Valley Forge almost every night, even if only for a short distance. We also revisited all our favorite restaurants, such as Hakata for ramen, sushi, and poke, Kabob for gyros, and Mod Pizza.

Curtis’ two days off were during our first weekend here, and we spent as much of our time outside as we could. On Saturday, we drove into Philadelphia to go to a park to enjoy the cherry blossoms. After striking out at the first park we tried to visit because of a 5k happening there, we ended up at Fairmont Park on the West side of the Schuylkill River. We made a big loop around the park and enjoyed seeing the blossoms at their peak. Later that afternoon, Curtis and I visited the John James Audubon Center in Audubon (where the famed naturalist lived for a short period of his life) to do a little more hiking. The next day, we drove to the North side of the Schuylkill River to go hiking in a new-to-us section of Valley Forge, following the river for a few miles out and back. The trail was easy and abundant in wildflowers.

Our time here ended up being extended a few days, and by the end we were ready to leave and have a break after a very busy spring season for Curtis. He had worked 12 hours almost every day from the beginning of February until the end of April, with very few days off and some long driving days in between. And since he already has more assignments lined up for this summer, we were anxious to get on the road and enjoy what time off he had together. And so when his last day finally came, we happily packed up, moved back into the van, and said goodbye for now to Southeastern Pennsylvania!