Saccus-Mania (Latin for bag obsession)

Saccus-mania   (Latin for “bag obsession”)

For the past six weeks I have haunted thrift stores looking for bags. Not plastic bags, purses, or suitcases, but those canvas carry-all’s from L.L. Bean or Land’s End and the ones with the logo that you get when you go to a convention or meeting. I am also partial to the see-through bags with the little zippers and the plastic freebies from expensive cosmetic companies. I seem to feel that I can get control of all the Stuff needed for our trip if I can just find the right bag to put it in!

Experience has taught me that in order to stay sane, there must be a bag for everything and every bag has a place. Bags are best because they can be crammed into spaces better than boxes and because they don’t cause as much damage when they fly around in the TT. Our bag collection also reminds us of what needs to be packed. Butch and I have small bags designated for specific items. When they are packed they go into a big bag, and so on. Yes, it is a form of mental illness but it is better than Saccusphopia (fear of bags). Can’t imagine how we would manage that!

I wish we were singing “Our bags are packed, we are ready to go”, but that is not the case (no pun intended). We still have Things To Do.

 

 

 

Getting ready to sing

“I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument while the song I came to sing remains unsung”. (Rabindranth Tagore”

About six weeks ago Butch and I sat down and made lists of what had to be done before we could leave for Alaska. We included the kinds of things that had to be scheduled, appointed, and/or might require some time to accomplish. We didn’t start a minute to soon. It is amazing how slowly the wheels of some governmental agencies, medical providers, financial institutions, and public utilities turn

All three of us had had physical checkups, new prescriptions, and dental cleaning. Butch and I already had passports but Percy had to have her paperwork updated. We have put everything possible on-line and made advance arrangements for everything else. We have set up house sitting and mail pick-up.  We have purchased some needed items repaired others.  And the lists go on…….!

Trip planning can be great fun, especially in the winter or on rainy days. In April in the mountains, not so much.  We are very ready to stop stringing and unstringing these particular instruments and to get on with the singing.

 

Getting REALLY Specific

Monday I blogged about the steps I take to get started on planning a long trip. This specific trip, to Alaska, is not only longer than usual, but has some unique characteristics. First, we probably won’t do it again and we want to get the most “bang for our buck”. Second, we want to include some visits to friends and relatives and we want to visit some places we have missed in the past. Finally, we want to be prepared to avoid or skirt bad weather on the way out.

Our travel trailer (here after referred to as the “TT”) is in Dothan, AL, about 30 miles from I-10. The northern interstates (I-70, 80, and 90) are said to be shorter routes to Alaska but all are iffy in the spring. I-40 is a favorite of ours but has a bad stretch from Memphis to Little Rock. Hence we will start out on I-10, watch the weather closely, and turn north to access I-40 somewhere around Ft. Smith, AR.

Butch and I have been discussing places and activities that we really, really enjoyed on our various trips and also talking about the “been there – done that” kinds of experiences. We love the Four Corners area of the southwest and have covered most of the better known attractions. I have ordered two new books, The Roadside Guide to Indian Ruins & Rock Art in the Southwest, and An Archeological Guide to Ancient Ruins of the Southwest. Both are excellent! We also like rock hounding and the Great Basin area west of Delta UT is a must-do. Exploring slot canyons is another favorite that we hope to “fit in”.

Can we do all of the above and still spend Memorial Day Weekend in Reno NV with our family? Stay tuned.

Getting more specific

Guess what? A few people are actually reading my blogs. How amazing! One friend did point out that my comments about trip planning were not very specific. She noted that everyone looks at maps and makes lists, what else do I do when confronted with the challenge of three months and more than 10,000 miles?

Step 1: Consult my battered 2006 Rand McNally Road Atlas and Travel Guide, pages 4 & 5, with the layout of the whole USA with all the interstates and “red roads” on it. (Canada is on page 129). Look at where we are and where we are going.  I repeat this step hundreds of times during the planning process to remind myself of what we are getting in to.

Step 2: Go on-line to Rand McNally Mileage Calculator and get point-to-point mileage, a sketch of the route, and shortest distance driving directions.

Step 3: Divide 300 miles per day into the mileage and get the minimum number of driving days needed just to get from point A to point B. From Dothan, AL to Anchorage, AK is 4,445 miles, that’s 15 days one way or at least one month just to cover the distance out and back.

Step 4: Go on-line to the Good Same Trip Planning site (you must register to use it) and start playing with Itineraries. This site will give you a Personal Itinerary from the origination point to the destination point of your choosing with directions/route information, accumulated miles and time, remaining miles in times, location of rest stops, and other options of your choice. You can also indicate the kind of route you want (e.g. shortest, only interstates, scenic, certain road numbers, etc.) I love this site because of the way it formats the itinerary and it is fast. I use the road atlas to “try out” different possibilities on the GS site, changing my origination and destination points to reflect places we might want to visit and I usually print out a bunch of different itineraries to cover Plans A through Z.( I have kept the itineraries from previous trips and have notes scribbled all over them.)

Step 5: The format of the GS itinerary allows me to see where our overnight stops should be. I look at the accumulated miles column on the left and see about where we will be when we have traveled 250 to 350 miles. Back to the Atlas to see what towns are in that area? At this stage I also use National Geographic Road Atlas: Adventure Edition, because it shows all the National Parks and lots of other scenic attractions.

Step 6: Back on-line to RVpark reviews. Armed with the names of the towns in my targeted area (250 to 350 miles out), I check to see if there are reviewed campgrounds in the area. I might also do a search on the RVNet Open Road Forum. If all else fails, I will resort to using Woodall’s North American Campground Directory. I also use Don Wrights’ Guide to Free and low cost Campgrounds. I make brief notes on my GG Itinerary regarding the location, ratings, etc. of potential overnight stops. I rarely make reservations ahead of time unless it is a holiday weekend.

Step 7: I continue to check on our projected routes (I usually have at least three), adding 300 miles to the distance from our last stop to get an idea of how we will progress.  I am also beginning to explore the attractions and activities that we might enjoy along the route and thinking about places where we will want to stay over for a day or two. More about that later.

The Devil is in the Details

“The love of order can make life all banks and no stream” (unknown)

Being a certified world class Over-Thinker, planning a three month trip can throw me into a frenzy of list making, internet searches, and hours of pouring over maps. I order books, make files, and do endless organizing both mentally and physically. I am moved to ecstasy by compartmentalized containers and zip up bags. I have a staging area in the garage to start stacking our plastic storage bins and I love making check marks on the lists.

Thankfully I know from previous experience, that once we hook up the trailer and pull out onto the road I will be fine. The passion of preparation settles into the flow of travel. Having done all I can to cover the bases I am mostly willing to let them uncover as they will. And that is when the “happenings” occur.

It's about Space

It's about Space

Having determined where we are going and how much time we have for the trip, I am thinking about space; physical and personal. Our physical space in the travel trailer is about 175 sq. ft. and is jam-packed with everything needed for self-contained living plus two adults and a 25 pound dog. It is extremely well designed however, and we deal with it very well having spent 88 nights in it last year. The trick is to stay out-of-doors as much as possible and to establish a routine for indoor living. In our Roadtrek we had what we called the “B-shuffle”, a strategy for passing each other in the two foot wide hallway.  Often, being that close together anyway, we would go ahead and dance!

It doesn’t really take more “stuff” for a three month trip than for a week or two. We are not headed into the wilderness (much) and groceries and sundry can be bought most everywhere. We do have to plan a three season wardrobe but layering is the trick and we bag up different sets of clothes for different temperatures and activities. Most of the toys (canoe, paddles, PFD’s, bikes, etc.)go in the back of the truck.

Personal space is another issue. Neither of us is the joined-at-the-hip type and we are both fond of retreating to our own caves. Three months in a travel trailer is a lot of togetherness! Fortunately Butch and I have lots of experience. Since we started out years ago in VW vans and graduated to a truck camper and then a Class B (van), we consider our TT almost palatial. Most of the time we can anticipate the fraying of the last nerve and find a way to get some space.

"Most of the time" is the operational term here. We are not successful "all of the time" but knowing that up-front is part of the planning for a trip like this. I am thinking about ways to build in opportunities for personal space in the same way that I am looking for containers to enhance our physical space.

 

It's about Time

When we tell our friends about our plans for Alaska they always ask, "How much time do you have?" That is the first question isnt it? All other planning revolves around it. In the old days, my travel plans were dictated by time (summer break) and money (whatever I had saved that year). The kids and I traveled until either of them were half-way gone, them turned around and went home. Believe it or not, we usually ran out of time first. Limited time results in tight scheduling which can be a blessing in some ways. Lots of time opens up an almost overwhelming variety of options.

We have set aside three months for our Alaska trip but four is a possibility. On traveling days we usually drive for about six hours. Our elderly dog requires stops about every two hours and we need a good break for lunch. Divide that into 12,000 miles and it is a lot of days!

Travel time is a small part of the planning process. The real stumper is how long to spend when we get somewhere wonderful? Since we are leaving in early May. we hope to get to the Four Corners area before it gets too hot to enjoy it. I have two new books, Indian Ruins & Rock Art of the Southwest and An Archaelogical Guide to Ancient Ruins of the Southwest. Obviously we can't see everything so how do we choose?

Starting a journey

"Canoe and I
And river bend
God powers a world
With no known end.

He finds the river
Sees us, smiles
As we happen on
His chosen miles." (Larry Everson)

For 30 years this poem has been on my 'fridge where I can see it every day. It reminds me of the gut level anticipation inherent in any journey, by canoe or otherwise, and the amazing experiences that we "happen on". That's the point isn't it? Not what we plan or where we go but what we encounter along the way.

Butch and I are planning to start for Alaska one month from today. We have lots of plans and a few fixed destinations but, as of now, no reservations. One of my plans is to post a blog whenever WIFI is avaliable. I invite you to join us. liz