Preparations

There has been a wealth of tasks to complete in order to make this trip a reality. One of the first included copious of amounts of paperwork and several meetings for Jim. He had to create conditions that would allow him to take a leave of absence from his job, teaching responsibilities, and professional obligations. Arrangements had to be made to ensure we would not lose our health insurance coverage or other benefits we have through Jim’s job at UW-Stevens Point. After many months of persistence, final approval was granted and we could share our plans with our family and friends.

Trial run with a Burro - September 2014

Next we debated long and hard on how we would travel. Jim’s ideal was living light and tenting it for the duration of the trip. Sunshine suggested we might want to consider having a place to escape the weather, cook, and sleep at a moment’s notice. We researched numerous options from tear drop trailers to pop-up campers. With the vehicle we have our towing capacity limits us 1500 lbs. Our budget put us out the realm of a brand-new high-fangled camper. We were determined to maximize our fuel efficiency and work within our means. Luckily, Sunshine’s Dad (Dick) has a collection of camping trailers so we were able to select one to use for two in-state camping trips in late summer and early fall. We needed to find out how our vehicle performed and family functioned with these new conditions. One cold and rainy weekend helped make the decision clear – we were getting a camper (although Jim still prefers the "tenting" option!).

In our planning, we identified two additional areas that needed attention: gear and logistics. We’ve had some lively discussions on what we want to bring versus what we need to bring. Our gear is limited by space, weight, and budget. After the weight of the camper itself is accounted for, there is a limited amount we can add to that so as not to exceed our towing capacity. As tempting as it is to cram every nook and cranny full that is just not a safe option. That leaves the back of the CR-V and a car top carrier for clothing, food, camping and hiking supplies, entertainment, and personal affects. 

The logistics for a trip of this duration include many hours of discussions. There are the fun ones like what route we’ll take, what we want to see, and who want to visit. There are also the important decisions about accessing our mail, turning the water off, and what services we can eliminate while we are away to save money. We’ve researched the best credit card for gas rewards, will make arrangements to have the lawn mowed, and are downloading music. We’ve got numerous check lists and every day we try to take at least one step toward our preparations.