Getting Real

“I’d really like to cuddle a unicorn but it ain’t going to happen”. (India Knight)

With less than 10 days (more or less) until EDT it is time to get real. Although our present TT is the largest RV we have ever had and it looked enormous when we bought it, everything has limits. Just because we can stuff every niche and cranny doesn’t mean we should. Not only would it make us overweight but it is would be impossible to find anything. (I would like to digress here into a tirade about the designers of RV’s but will restrain myself).

Our TT is actually considered small at 25’ and when seen parked next to some of the behemoths in campgrounds it is rather puny. Compared to our years of traveling in a VW pop-up transporter, it is positively palatial.  But for reasons not clear to me, access to storage was not a design priority. Thus our multitude of clear plastic boxes and see-through  bags with labels on them. 

 

Reality check #1, old people constantly lose things and I don’t want to spend our entire trip looking for stuff.

Reality check #2: What do we really need? Butch and I do not like to do laundry.  One of the perks we allow ourselves on trips is finding a place to have our laundry done. Sometimes these places are few and far between so we do take an ample amount of basics (socks, underwear, T-shirts). We choose light weight fabrics for quick drying and we do not take clothes that require special care since they won’t get it. (I will admit that when we get low on basics Butch will sit in a campground laundry for a few hours getting us caught up again.)

Clothing wise we need to be warm when it is cold and cool when it is hot. We need one nice outfit in case of a special occasion. We do not need a complete wardrobe of mix & match garments and black is always good. The same rules are true for sleeping. Sometimes we boondock or dry camp and don’t have heat. We have spent some very cold nights fully dressed and huddled in our sleeping bags so I have to contain my urge to take too many blankets. They take up a lot of space and don’t get used that much. If it’s too hot at night we deal with it. After all we grew up in Florida before air conditioning.

Reality check #3: I am not a gourmet cook at home and am unlikely to become one on this trip. I have a list of cupboard necessities (including salt, pepper) but don’t have space for much more. We will eat simply as we always do and explore the local cuisine when possible.  I have a wonderful set of stackable pots that, combined with a small fry pan and the pressure cooker, meets our needs.  Three RV’s ago I bought a set of Corian dishware that we never use. I took it out of the TT and put in four plastic plates. If we have guests they can bring their own. Plastic cups and wine glasses are good but I have two big fat crockery coffee cups.  Some things are not negotiable. I’m taking the microfiber towels that I bought when we had the van because they dry so fast but I’m adding some terry towels too. There are situations where you just need a big, soft towel.

Reality check #4: I do not ride my bicycle. It has traveled thousands of miles in the back of the truck but it is staying home this time. Butch does ride his so it goes. I do use my solo canoe from time to time but have decided that it can stay behind also. We are taking Miz Floppie (our inflatable tandem) because we always use it and I may take my new Rio (solo inflatable). Hiking sticks are a must-have along with a backpack, water bottles, and etc. 

Reality check # 5: The wench or the generator? They are both heavy and not used often but the generator won out. You cannot use a wench to make a cup of coffee in the morning. Nuff’ said

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(The photo is of our collection of Eagle Creek and Mountainsmith bags. They make packing easy because we put the same things in the same bags every time. When the bag is full…..you are done.)

Ruminations on Preparation

“Like Alexander the Great and Caesar, I’m out to conquer the world. But first I have to stop at Wal-Mart and pick up some supplies.” (Jarod Kintz)

I participate in two on-line groups composed of travelers planning to take their RV’s to Alaska this summer:  RVNet Open Road Forum (Roll Call Alaska 2016) and RVillage (North to Alaska).  As April has arrived the anticipation level is getting higher with some folks already on the road and others about to be.  By the end of May most of us will be part of the northward migration. The seasoned “Alaska Hands” remind us that the drive is not as challenging as it used to be but also caution us to be prepared.

How do you define “prepared”?  How to be sure that you are not obsessively over or carelessly under? The love of order can make life all banks and no stream. On the other hand, too much going with the flow can lead to unwanted stress.  Having  traveled many miles and spent many months in our various camping rigs we know a lot about our traveling style and our tolerance level for the unexpected but the Boy Scout motto* still applies.

We are now less than a month away from our estimated time of departure and are checking items off the list. Butch put new leveling jacks on the TT (ours were bent) and he has re-glued some cabinet doors that were wobbly. I have been through all of the linens and kitchen stuff trying to get us down to a bare minimum. When we were in Tampa we visited the Container Store with our measurements and got some new storage boxes.  Before leaving Sopchoppy we sorted out our clothing and personal items that need to go. Back at the mountain house we are very busy getting it ready to be rented all summer. Sometimes the preparation stage seems overwhelming but I know it is going to be so worth it.

 I am working on a rough itinerary so that we will not be completely aimless when we finally get on the road.  For past trips I have loved playing around with the on-line Good Same Trip Planner. Unfortunately GS has changed their format and the “new” program is not as satisfactory. Fortunately I have saved all of our previous itineraries and they have notes all over them. It is so much fun to look at them and remember all the fun places we went.

Phase I of our trip will be from Farner, TN (where we park the TT) to Reno, NV (where we visit family). At this point we are planning to go west on I-40. We can access it within two hours of leaving home and it is a direct route to Kingman AZ where we turn north to go to Las Vegas and Reno. The only place with traffic issues is Oklahoma City. The downside; the road is poor condition from time to time, tornadoes are a threat in the spring, and the wind can be vicious. Factor in a few days for hunkering down for bad weather.

Phase II will take us from Reno to Prince Rupert BC. Phase III will be on the AMH Ferry to Haines. Phase IV is pretty much unknown. After all, even obsessive preparers have their limits.

*Be Prepared

Ruminations on Preparation

“Like Alexander the Great and Caesar, I’m out to conquer the world. But first I have to stop at Wal-Mart and pick up some supplies.” (Jarod Kintz)

I participate in two on-line groups composed of travelers planning to take their RV’s to Alaska this summer:  RVNet Open Road Forum – Roll Call Alaska 2016, and RVillage-North to Alaska.  As April has arrived the anticipation level is getting higher with some folks already on the road and others about to be.  By the end of May most of us will be part of the northward migration. The seasoned “Alaska Hands” remind us that the drive is not as challenging as it used to be but also caution us to be prepared.

How do you define “prepared”?  How to be sure that you are not obsessively over or carelessly under? The love of order can make life all banks and no stream but too much going with the flow can lead to unwanted stress.  Having  traveled many miles and spent many months in our various camping rigs we know a lot about our traveling style and our tolerance level for the unexpected but the Boy Scout motto* still applies.

We are now one month away from our estimated time of departure and are checking items off the list. Butch put new leveling jacks on the TT (ours were bent) and he has re-glued some cabinet doors that were wobbly. I have been though all of the linens and kitchen stuff trying to get us down to a bare minimum. We also visited the Container Store in Tampa with our measurements and got some new storage boxes. By the end of the week we will have our clothing and personal items sorted out so that we can go back to NC without leaving anything crucial behind.

I am working on a rough itinerary so that we will not be completely aimless when we finally get on the road.  The countdown has begun……..

*Be Prepared