The plan says we leave on Friday. The calendar says it is Friday. We are on the road! Yea!
But something doesn't seem right. I don't hear the engine running. I don't feel the car bouncing on the roadway. There are pictures hanging on the walls. Fran, why are there pictures hanging in the car?
Friday, November 30, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
T minus 7 days and counting
We leave in seven days. Gasp.
So much to do. The house has been transformed into a bunch of heaps. There is a pile of stuff that needs to get finished and turned into neat set of bags that can be stuffed into a kayak. There is a pile of stuff (and even more intentions) for the RV. And then there is the thru hike. We are trying to plan for three different adventures simultaneously.
Yikes! But good progress today.
KAYAKING: The spare kayak paddles now have the Solas tape, so we can spot them in case they drift away, and the spare paddles are now locked down on the deck with paddle britches. My pretty wood Greenland paddle has new fiberglass and resin reinforcement and needs sanding and spar varnish. We have a new rain fly for kayak camp sites. We opted to skip any camp chairs. We need to redo the attachment for the bilge pump inside the kayak, and figure out how to store enormous bags of water. Fran has made up some dry bags, and now we need to start packing them to see what fits and what doesn't. And I need to mount the solar panels and battery. The VHF radios are tested and recharge okay from the GoalZero solar setup. Ditto the new waterproof camera (Olympus 820). At some point the enormous piles of stuff throughout the house have to fit into those little bags and get stuffed into the kayaks. That might be akin to putting 50 pounds of sugar into a 20 pound bag. Another review of the itinerary happens tomorrow. And we are about to start reaching out to local kayakers in Florida that we might be able to paddle with.
Ahh. Breath.
RV: There are lots of potential RV projects. Ryan has been really helping out on that. We're adding solar to the RV, as well as an inverter. I converted all of the lights to LEDs. We're swapping out the cooktop for a full range with oven. We're still working on making sure the new tablet can work as a wifi hotspot for the RV. And there are tons of little things like moving over the ladder to bunk, repairing some seals, equipping the rig with all the water and sewer hoses, ... Those of you who have RV'd can fill in the rest of the list. Oh, and at some point in the next few days we need to quit fixing and improving and start packing.
Whatever gets done, gets done. And however much that it, it is good.
HIKE: The thru hike prep is the easiest. After two previous long hikes, there isn't much more to do. The shoes are on order, a set of DriDuck raingear is ready for the wet east coast, and the new pack cover needs exchanging for a different size. Nothing much else to do. That's the easy one of the three adventures. This is almost as easy as just throw the pack together and head out. Ah, isn't backpacking grand? Less is indeed more.
Do we sound frantic? Hey, I thought retirement was supposed to be mellow?
T minus seven day, and then all WILL be calm on the western front.
So much to do. The house has been transformed into a bunch of heaps. There is a pile of stuff that needs to get finished and turned into neat set of bags that can be stuffed into a kayak. There is a pile of stuff (and even more intentions) for the RV. And then there is the thru hike. We are trying to plan for three different adventures simultaneously.
Yikes! But good progress today.
KAYAKING: The spare kayak paddles now have the Solas tape, so we can spot them in case they drift away, and the spare paddles are now locked down on the deck with paddle britches. My pretty wood Greenland paddle has new fiberglass and resin reinforcement and needs sanding and spar varnish. We have a new rain fly for kayak camp sites. We opted to skip any camp chairs. We need to redo the attachment for the bilge pump inside the kayak, and figure out how to store enormous bags of water. Fran has made up some dry bags, and now we need to start packing them to see what fits and what doesn't. And I need to mount the solar panels and battery. The VHF radios are tested and recharge okay from the GoalZero solar setup. Ditto the new waterproof camera (Olympus 820). At some point the enormous piles of stuff throughout the house have to fit into those little bags and get stuffed into the kayaks. That might be akin to putting 50 pounds of sugar into a 20 pound bag. Another review of the itinerary happens tomorrow. And we are about to start reaching out to local kayakers in Florida that we might be able to paddle with.
Ahh. Breath.
RV: There are lots of potential RV projects. Ryan has been really helping out on that. We're adding solar to the RV, as well as an inverter. I converted all of the lights to LEDs. We're swapping out the cooktop for a full range with oven. We're still working on making sure the new tablet can work as a wifi hotspot for the RV. And there are tons of little things like moving over the ladder to bunk, repairing some seals, equipping the rig with all the water and sewer hoses, ... Those of you who have RV'd can fill in the rest of the list. Oh, and at some point in the next few days we need to quit fixing and improving and start packing.
Whatever gets done, gets done. And however much that it, it is good.
HIKE: The thru hike prep is the easiest. After two previous long hikes, there isn't much more to do. The shoes are on order, a set of DriDuck raingear is ready for the wet east coast, and the new pack cover needs exchanging for a different size. Nothing much else to do. That's the easy one of the three adventures. This is almost as easy as just throw the pack together and head out. Ah, isn't backpacking grand? Less is indeed more.
Do we sound frantic? Hey, I thought retirement was supposed to be mellow?
T minus seven day, and then all WILL be calm on the western front.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Our Home Away from Home
She doesn't have a name yet. You might have to help me on that one.
It has everything, including the kitchen sink. It's 23 feet long with a slide out, so there so much more room than the Spiritmobile. And...tall people don't have to duck their heads when they walk through the cab. But it's still small enough to be the perfect cocoon to snuggle into when Rod's on the trail.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Progress
A week ago I worried that we would not be ready for this adventure in time. There is so much to figure out: What do we do with the house we live in? How do we get ourselves and the kayaks to Florida? Fran wants a small RV while I hike, so we need to get it and undoubtedly make mods such as solar panels. Are our kayaking skills ready? What all do we need for the kayaking section, where do we buy it, and how do we stuff it all to the boats? What is the itinerary - where are we actually going to paddle and hike, and what are the dates?
Plans are coming together. Maybe they will come together in time?
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