September 26-29: Gerhard J. Oosting Farm

 Friday, September 29

It was a quiet day at the Gerhard J. Oosting Farm and campsite.  The place is much more farm than campsite as we were the only guests.  We parked between the owner’s home and garage so that we could access their Wifi. The owner provided us with fresh milk (hey it’s a milk farm what did you expect) and eggs.  I don’t know exactly what they sell in grocery stores but they definitely don’t sell this type of milk and these types of eggs.  The eggs were smooth, silky and extra tasty and the milk brought back memories of childhood when we used to get milk delivered to our house.  

Thursday, September 28

Our first stop was to UPS where we got more bad news – they also would not ship lithium batteries. At Mailboxes Etc, the day got worse when I discovered that I had lost/misplaced my Visa card. That didn’t stop us from dumping another $400 to ship some clothing and shoes.  

Feeling defeated, we received a positive email from SeaBridge shipping company with a reasonable quote ($4800) to have our van shipped from Hamburg to Baltimore.  Most importantly, they allow the shipment of camping equipment and lithium batteries that are installed in the vehicle! Buoyed by this news, we completed some initial paperwork and have a new date of November 27th to ship with an arrival date of December 16th in Baltimore.  

Wednesday, September 27

After spending about three hours in the library completing paperwork for IVSS, we received some troubling news from one of its representatives.  Instead of commenting on the aforementioned documents, they informed us that the campervan could not be shipped with lithium batteries.  Even after explaining that the batteries were the noncombustible LiFePo4 variety, the answer remained a hard no with a suggestion to sell the batteries.  

We spent the rest of the evening trying to decide if we should sell the batteries, ship them separately or try another shipping company.  We explored all options and sent out requests for additional information before heading to bed.

Tuesday, September 26

With the lithium batteries fully installed (approximate cost of $700), we returned to Campingplatz Ulmenhof where I grabbed a quick shower.  From here, we went to the library so I could complete the paperwork for IVSS as we continue to prepare to ship our campervan back to the USA.  The number of documents is quite extensive. I was also trying to complete an online form to get us pre-approved for a mortgage.