I Spent My First Night in a Dealership Parking Lot

10/10 Would Do It Again.

I don't remember much about that morning before I got to the dealership. Did I even eat breakfast? I don't even remember the drive that morning. I just remember my hands on the wheel, Bruno in the back seat, and that the countdown timer on my phone had finally, finally hit single digits. Coffee. GPS set. Heart absolutely pounding. Today was the day. The morning was gray and dreary and unremarkable, but it was a day that was about to set me on a very different path.

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Two hours and counting. May 5th, 2025 — the day everything changed.

Looking back at how little I remember, I am just glad I made it to the dealership in one piece!

When I finally made it to Colton RV in Tonawanda at 9:00am sharp on the most memorable Cinco de Mayo I can ever recall that didn't involve a margarita and some tacos, I will admit I was slightly disappointed. There was no shiny Dawn with a bow outside the door! I pictured her waiting out front like she knew I was coming. But she wasn't there. It actually took almost 40 minutes before someone realized I'd never laid eyes on her in person and took me out to meet her. Forty minutes. While she was right there the whole time.

But when I finally saw her? Worth every second of the wait.

I stepped inside, and Bruno followed me right in, as if he'd always lived there. She was pristine. Sparkling. Bigger than she had seemed when I'd toured camping Laura's Dawn — the stranger who had so generously let me peek inside hers and started all of this. More spacious and brighter than I had envisioned, and somehow exactly the right size. She was perfect. Did I take a single picture of her interior on this first adventure? No, no I did not.

Bruno's first impression of Curiosity was mostly to scope out if there were any treats inside.

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And then it was time to take care of all the 'i' dotting and 't' crossing. It was hard to say goodbye to her after only a few minutes together. Even harder knowing I still had to wait longer. She stayed right where she was parked, which honestly didn't make waiting any easier. First, though, there was a mountain of paperwork to get through. And if I'm being completely honest, I'm not entirely sure what all of it was. Then they took the Pathfinder back for installations and adjustments, and Bruno and I settled in to wait.

Future buyers, learn from me: slow down. Ask all the questions. Every single one. The excitement is real but so is the fine print.

The face of a dog who has endured hours of installations and is completely over it.

Bruno, bless him, was on his absolute best behavior through all of it. Patient, calm, quietly confident. Honestly more put-together than I was. It probably helped that the staff at Colton RV kept him well supplied with treats and pats all day. By the time the hours started stacking up, I was beginning to wonder if we'd actually get to move in at all. The thought of hunting down another hotel room was not exactly what I had in mind for pickup day.

At 4pm, after what felt like the longest day of my life, the installations were finally done. Drew at Colton RV was incredibly kind and patient as he walked me through everything: how to hitch up, how to set up the weight distribution and sway system, and how to back up for the very first time. My very first time backing a trailer, right there in the dealer's lot, easing into one of the demo sites they keep on the property for first-time owners to try all the systems and learn how to run everything in their new campers. I got her in there after only 5 tries! Then we got the water hooked up, the power connected, he showed me how to fire up the propane, and then, with a cheerful "See you in the morning!" he left us to it.

The whole crew, ready to go. Bruno, the Pathfinder, and Curiosity — finally hitched up for the first time!

And that's when it started raining.

Of course it did. It had been raining for pretty much the entire trip at that point, so honestly, move-in day getting a little wet felt almost fitting. The Dawn and I were already bonding over damp weather.

The back of my Pathfinder was absolutely jam-packed with everything I'd brought to make the Dawn feel like the home it would be for the next month. Bruno watched with the patience of a saint as I hauled load after load inside, timing my trips between bursts of rain, getting a little wetter each run.

Bruno conducting a quality inspection of the chaos. He very quickly decided he'd rather take a nap than supervise.

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Inside, it was chaos. Bags and boxes and gear stacked everywhere, barely room to turn around. But here's the thing: all those months of dreaming hadn't been wasted. I'd spent so much time thinking through where everything would go that even in the middle of the mess, I knew exactly what I was doing. Slowly, the Dawn started to take shape.

And here's something I wasn't quite prepared for: for a little trailer, she fit a remarkable amount of stuff. I kept finding spots for things. It was like she was in on the plan all along.

Bruno claimed his spot as soon as it was cleared off.

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We took a break from unpacking to pick up dinner and grab a grocery order. I was so glad I had planned ahead and placed it for pickup in advance, because by that point my brain had very little left to give. One less thing to figure out in the moment made a world of difference. I honestly can't remember what I ate that night, which tells you everything about how exhausted I was. In fact, it wasn't until I went back and looked at pictures from that day that most of move-in night came back to me at all.

Future tip: take the photos, because you will need them later. And order your groceries ahead. Trust me on both counts.

Finally. We settled in for the night.

The first night was magical and terrifying in equal measure.

Bruno curled up without a single bark, completely unbothered by our strange new surroundings. I, on the other hand, lay there wide awake, hyperaware of the parking lot lights filtering through the windows and the quiet hum of the dealership settling in for the night.

Bruno claimed the bed. I got whatever was left.

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It was a chilly evening, and one thing I was deeply grateful for was that I had remembered to bring my down comforter. I set up the Starlink. And when it connected, it felt like a genuine triumph. Tucked in and cozy despite the cold and the chaos, I celebrated the only way that made sense: I watched TV in my new home while the rain tapped steadily on the roof.

Starlink connected. Victory declared. First night movie in the books. Tucked in, comforter on, rain on the roof. Home.

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Lying there, I found myself thinking about how right it all felt. Not just the decision to buy her, but this moment specifically. The rain on the roof. Bruno settled in without a care. For a little trailer in a dealership parking lot, the Dawn already felt like home. Like she had been waiting for me all along.

As terrifying as that night was, and it really, truly was terrifying (especially when I let my mind wander to driving her to Owego the next day), lying there warm in my comforter with the best travel companion ever, I knew with complete certainty that I had made the right choice. The Dawn was exactly what I needed. Not just the right trailer. The right next chapter.

It wasn't the most peaceful sleep I'd ever had. And despite bringing a mattress pad, the bed was not the most comfy, so that added to the mix of reasons sleep evaded me that night and the first item on my 'to be replaced' list. When morning came, it came with the sound of employees arriving for work. Not exactly a birdsong alarm clock.

None of that mattered. I still had a huge grin on my face.

The RV guy came back in the morning as promised, walked me through a few more things, and helped me unhook everything. And then it was time to go. Just me, Bruno, and the Dawn, pulling out onto the road.

It was, without question, the scariest thing I have ever done. Navigating Buffalo traffic with a trailer hitched behind me for the first time? My heart was absolutely pounding. But we made it through. And somewhere on the other side of that traffic, it started to feel real.

This was actually happening!

Everything I needed in one teeny, tiny space.

If you're thinking about taking a leap like this, whether it's a trailer, a van, a new adventure you can't quite explain to people, I want you to know that the fear and the joy really can coexist, and you need to give yourself permission to just take that first leap. That first night doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be yours. Mine was rainy and chaotic and exhausting and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

And to anyone I may have accidentally cut off on that first drive to Owego. I am so deeply sorry. I was doing my best.

Keep Moving,

Rachel

Have you ever spent a first night in a new rig? Or taken a leap that felt absolutely terrifying and completely right at the same time? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.