Gearing Up For a Road Trip

I know you were probably expecting a Blue View one of these days, but David has been all consumed with getting Blue’s upgrades complete and all back in order so we can leave as planned. So, you’re stuck with my side of the preparatory efforts.

After provisioning Nine of Cups for long passages, provisioning Blue for a long road trip is a dream.

After provisioning Nine of Cups for long passages for so many years, Blue is a dream. We know we’ll have access to stores at least once a week, so it’s not necessary to stow lots of food and supplies. Anything I forget can usually be purchased en route. That said, there’s nothing worse than getting to a campsite and settling in and finding that you’re missing some key item for preparing dinner. Whether it be an ingredient, a cooking utensil or propane for the Coleman stove, it’s a bummer to not have it available. When campgrounds have showers available, it’s important to be sure we have towels and a complete shower grab bag with toiletries handy. Then there’s all the miscellaneous sundries, personal items, meds, etc. that are important to include in our packing.

So, much like getting ready for a passage or a long walking trek, we’ve come up with a checklist of those things we want to make sure to have on board when we leave next week.

Food

We can usually hit a supermarket at least once a week. I make up all meal menus a week in advance and since we have a fridge, we shop for freshies that we need. We also have a specific marked plastic bin in the back that holds canned items like tuna, beans, spaghetti sauce and veggies, drygoods like crackers, pasta, pancake mix (add water only) and coffee, and all the condiments I like or need to use when cooking including oil, vinegar, BBQ sauce, mustard, catsup, mayo and spices. We add to the supply as we go, but I like to be sure we set out with all the basics and replenish as needed.

We have no fresh water tank in Blue so we take ten gallon-size plastic off-the-shelf bottles which we refill as necessary. When the bottles start looking a bit weary, we just replace them with new. They fit on a side shelf beside the bed so they’re handy and don’t take up any extra room.

Cleaning Supplies

Dishwashing soap, scouring pads, drying mat, dish towels and dish rags are all necessary for meal clean-up. We keep a supply of Chlorox wipes and coco coir for the composting toilet. We also carry Windex and bleach. Since we’ll be using laundromats along the way, I keep a few laundry soap pods and dryer sheets available and store them directly into our net laundry bag.

Cooking Items/Utensils

A re-purposed plastic deck screw container works great for keep all cooking utensils together.

All the small items like a can opener, eating utensils, corkscrew, mixing spoons, kitchen knife with sheath, etc. are stored in a small plastic bin (re-purposed from a deck screw container). We bring one fry pan and one sauce pan, both with lids. We have a plastic cutting board, plastic plates, bowls and drinking cups and one large plastic bowl for salads and mixing which is also used for dishwashing after our meal. I use a plastic picnic tablecloth with clips which insures our prep and eating surfaces are clean.

We have a Coleman camp stove which requires propane canisters and we try to have at least one spare canister handy. Our preference is to use the campfire for cooking whenever we can so we make sure to have a lighter, firestart cubes and disposable grill grates on hand. I do have some wooden matches stuck in the bin, just in case. Pot holders and mitts, as well as long tongs and a long spatula are a must for campfire cooking so the cook doesn’t get singed along with the chicken.

Our one electric appliance is a Black & Decker coffeemaker with a stainless steel carafe. We like our morning coffee before we start a fire! David fashioned a drawer to accommodate the coffeemaker and the coffee filters, coffee and travel mugs fit neatly right beside it. At night, we take it out and place it on the top of the fridge for brewing.

Paper goods

Toilet paper is key and we keep 3-4 rolls always on hand. A couple of rolls of paper towels, Ziploc bags, small trash bags, aluminum foil and tissues are the basics. Paper plates, cups and napkins are especially handy for quick lunches while traveling. Reusable shopping bags come in handy for a myriad of uses along the way… we have reusable Trader Joe bags from all across the country. They’re different in every state!

Linens

We leave with the bed all made up with pillows, sheets, blanket and comforter. We’ll take one extra set of sheets along. We each take a bath towel, hand towel and a face cloth (usually kept in our shower bags) and I stow a couple of extra towels in the overhead cabinets above the bed.

Personal Items / Toiletries/ Meds

We each take a shower bag for morning ablutions and/or showers which include our preferred soaps, deodorants, razor, comb/brush, moisturizing cream, shave cream, toothbrush, floss and paste. I plan to take my make-up case (though I’m not sure I’ll even use it; you never know). I’ll include a pair of haircutting scissors and nail clippers. We’re sure to be gone at least a month or two, and we might consider a modicum of grooming along the way.

We each take a notebook and pens/pencils for blog ideas and travel notes.

Neither of us take daily Rx prescriptions, but on occasion we use Vitamin I (Ibuprofen) and antacids so we keep a supply on hand. Our med kit includes bandaids, triple antibiotic cream, aspirin, ace bandage, gauze pads and tape, digital thermometer, eyeglass repair kit, cortisone cream, antifungal cream and lip balm. It fits nicely in the front of Blue in the console between the seats.

Sunscreen and insect repellent are kept handy on an easily accessible shelf above the toilet.These days, disposable nitrile gloves, masks and hand sanitizer are also stored there.

Prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses and, for me, non-Rx reading cheaters

We rarely use paper checks for purchases any more, but some parks still do not accept credit cards… only cash or check. We don’t usually carry much cash, so we stick the old checkbook in the glove box for those rare occasions.

Clothing

Jeans, hiking pants and t-shirts are our normal attire. David usually wears his deck shoes when we’re driving and I’m comfortable in sandals. We bring flip-flops for around the campfire and ablution block trips and we’ll take our trail runners for hikes. Along with basic underwear and socks, we’ll also take a couple pair of hiking socks. We plan to take our rain gear, a jacket each, a couple of sweat shirts and a sweater or two for the higher altitude and northern climes. I also take a jeans skirt (used almost as much as the make-up, I bring) and a pair of leggings. We both take hats.

Electronics

This is a lengthy list since weight is not an issue and we have the room. We take two iPads and my tiny Dell laptop which are stored in a drawer. Then there are two cameras and a tripod. David wants to take his Go-Pro and the drone along plus we can’t forget all the various cords, batteries, chargers and other accessories as required. Blue has his own Garmin GPS plus we use Maps.me, Google maps and other apps on the iPhone quite regularly.

References and Maps

In addition to digital maps, we have several gazetteers, lots of paper state maps and a road atlas… all good for planning purposes, as well as en route travel. I always take along a wildflower ID book and a bird book, all of which fit inside the front seat console.

Camping Furniture

If we’re staying at the same campsite for a few nights, we like to set up the screen house especially if the mozzies are biting.

We bought a Coleman instant-up screen house a few years ago and find it absolutely wonderful in the evenings, especially if it’s a bit buggy. We have two folding camp chairs and a folding camp table that we use most every night by the campfire. A battery-operated lantern and several flashlights located in different parts of Blue are handy for night time forays and evening clean-ups.

Hiking gear

We have waist packs with bottle holders to use for hiking and we will probably not take our big backpacks along on this trip. We do have small, very lightweight backpacker chairs which come in handy on longer hikes and attach to the back of the waist packs. Trekking poles will be included with our gear.

Tools

This is David’s bailiwick and his well-equipped tool bag is always tucked beside the plastic bins in back. Additionally, we carry an axe and a small, folding shovel as required by some campgrounds. David also likes to cut firewood where it’s allowed and for this he has a Ryobi 18v chainsaw which sits on a shelf in the back in its own special bin along with its charger and oil.

Bike

Ah, yes… the bicycles and associated safety gear and accessory items. These are a new addition and I shan’t steal David’s thunder in explaining all about them and where they’re stowed in his next Blue View… assuming he gets around to writing one!

Well, there you have it. I’ve unpacked and washed down each bin, checked the inventory of what we need and made lists of purchases. We’ll ‘enjoy’ some major retail therapy in the next week or so, as we hunt and gather all the supplies. If I made it sound like too much work, it’s really not. It only increases the excitement and anticipation and I can’t wait. Countdown time: 10 days from today!