Getting Ready for the Big Road Trip – North to Alaska
/David is still working on Blanche, but most of my house projects and tasks have been completed. Though there will certainly be last-minute chores to handle, I’m now beginning to concentrate on getting ready for the trip. Needless to say, I’m excited. I’ve been making lists for weeks, now I’m hunting and gathering all the list items and trying to pack intuitively so that we can find what we need when we need it. (50/50 chance!)
The new mule bags are awesome and mine are mostly filled already. Additionally, we each have three drawers below the bed plus there are an additional eight large plastic bins that ride in the ‘garage’ in the back of the van specifically designated and marked for food, cleaning, biking gear, tools, kitchen, ‘hotel’ and an empty for collecting ‘stuff’ en route. (It never stays empty for long.) I’ve emptied and restowed every bin to ensure they contain what we need. Unused or out-of-date items have been eliminated and other necessary items have been replenished. The bins are sitting in the office waiting to be loaded into the garage.
I’m responsible for all the bins except for ‘tools’. David manages to include almost every tool known to man in that bin including a hatchet and wedge for cutting firewood. He also keeps his well-stocked canvas tool bag tucked away at Blanche’s rear door entrance… always readily accessible. He’s using his tools currently, so… surprise… the tool bin and bag will wait till the very last minute to be packed (as will most all of his stuff).
Leaving for 5-6 months and preparing for different temperatures and climates is a bit of a challenge, but we encountered the same challenges when living on Nine of Cups, so I’ve been giving it lots of thought. A key difference, as I keep reminding myself, is that if we forget something or need more, there are plenty of places to purchase and replenish along the way. I’m sure I ‘over-provisioned’ the food bin… it weighs a ton… but we’ll eat it all eventually.
I’ve already begun moving my underwear and socks, shirts, jeans, and personal stuff to Blanche, nestled neatly in my designated three drawers below the bed. David will, if he’s true to form, undoubtedly wait until the very last moment to gather his stuff together in minutes and stow it all away Navy-neatly with minimal hassle. His motto: No need to pack much and definitely not in advance. We obviously work and plan on different planes.
The center section under the bed has a designated med/health drawer which usually morphs into a junk drawer somewhere along the trip. It initially contains the basics like our toothbrushes/toothpaste, Ibuprofen, vitamins, extra TP, brushes, etc. By the end of the trip, lots of stuff that’s been ‘lost’ along the way inexplicably shows up in this drawer. At the moment, I’ve been assembling most things designated for this drawer and they’re sitting in a plastic Walmart bag waiting to be stowed closer to departure time, mostly because it’s currently full of junk.
A wall rack below the mule bags on my side near the slider entrance provides a place to store maps, reference guides, my bird and wildflower books plus playing cards and games like Scrabble tiles, Yahtzee dice, and a travel-size cribbage board. With no TV, we tend to spend much more time chatting, musing, reading, and playing games in the evenings. Our library cards at the Clark County Library allow us to borrow books digitally from anywhere in the world and we take advantage of this benefit both at home and when we’re on the road.
Reference books, maps and games go here
Additional wall racks under the mule bags on each side of the bed closer to our pillows provide a place to stow our iPads, eyeglasses, notebooks, etc. They also provide anchoring spots for our USB-chargeable nightlights and mini-fans, all of which have been charged up and are ready for use. David initially installed USB ports conveniently located on either side of the bed which have proved invaluable for keeping everything charged. The new mule bags also have net bags on the undersides which will provide even more space to stow ‘stuff’.
USB-powered fan and light are handy and easily charged. The Kettle chips are for show only (really!).
David is working on adding a diesel heater at the moment… a rather involved project. We have a small electric heater, but we don’t always have shore power and we reckon it’ll still be chilly as we head north.
Installing a diesel heater is a fairly complicated project. Bench testing and dry fitting make sense, but take time. I prefer my kind of projects… quick and easy.
We’ve also determined we have room for a small, low-power microwave oven which will be a welcome addition, especially for heating leftovers or meals on cold, rainy nights when we’d rather forego setting up the propane camp stove outside. It’s sitting in a box awaiting installation since it requires a shelf with supports and restraints to keep it in place. Another project, but a worthwhile one... it adds an important amenity to our evening routine… popcorn!
Once we’re on the road, (assuming David eventually finishes all the projects and gets packed), we’ll establish our new daily ‘routine’. It won’t take long. Depending on the weather, how far we want to travel each day, the availability of campgrounds, etc., we’ll fall into a comfortable groove… and I can’t wait. One big question left… what route will we take to get to Seattle? I’m working on it.