Baggage

As I’ve noticed the suitcases of kids going to 5th grade camp getting bigger and bigger over the years, I’ve often thought the size of the luggage likely equates to the level of nervousness of the parents. Once you get beyond the basics, every item added after that probably comes with a “what if?” statement.

So I look at my car packed to the brim and I think: “Wow. That’s a lot of fear right there.”

And it is. I will cop to that 100%. I will also say, however, that I don’t want to spend this trip finding the nearest Wal-Mart along the route. I don’t want to be annoyed over creature comforts and spend my time thinking about what items I could purchase that would make trailering more like home. I had plenty of thinking time on my hands and I used a lot of it on provisioning. I am hoping with all of the perfect little things I’ve gotten, I will be good for the long haul. Dad would shake his head, but I would remind him that when we went backpacking, we only had to deal with discomfort for a week, tops.

This left me with a whole new potential set of problems when it got time to actually pack the car.

The Acura has exceeded hopes thus far and packing has really shown off its awesomeness. There are nice spaces on the floor between all three rows of seats for packing. Having the seats be forward/backward adjustable definitely helped.

This was the first layer of packing. There is a camp “rug”, roll up table, two chairs, tablecloth, stakes and clips, privacy curtain (sewn by ME!), water can, tent, coffee machine, a couple hundred coffee pods, battery, charger, wine bottle carrier, and single bed bedding.
Next, the big-ticket items went in. This includes all of the big plastic tubs that have been holding our accumulation of trailer purchases for the past year, and the grill. Then really it’s just a matter of packing around them. I bought clothing storage cubes nearly a year ago and I have had to take little hyperventilation breaks while packing because I’ve gotten too excited.

Around this, went: pillows, sleeping bag and mat for the tent dweller, tent rug, grill things, bike wheels, bike tires, toolbox, spare CO2 and tubes, bike cover, pump, RV TP, odds and ends, and a nice present for my Canadian boyfriend and the fabulous staff at Safari Condo.

Here is what my view into the back from the driver’s seat will look like:

And from the driver’s side rear door:

So with the bikes ready to roll and only minor details to take care of, I am just one week away from actually beginning this journey in earnest. My mom and dad will be on my mind and Mom’s ashes will be making this journey as well, all the way from here to Quebec, and until Scottsbluff, NE. It is largely because of the both of them that any of this is even possible financially. Certainly their passing has been the catalyst for my desire to get out there. And all along the road, no matter what I encounter along the way, this will be my motto: