So, we're ready to go. As ready as we're gonna be, anyway. Everything I don't have, I have forgotten, so.... I won't be getting it. ;o)
The van looks kinda funny. Really funny, as a matter of fact. That's okay, we love it anyway. Actually, it fits in with the family better now that it looks dorky.
We have packed our toothpaste, skivvies and swimsuits. Everything else we can live without for one night and buy the next morning.
We plan to set sail at about 10:00 a.m. It is vacation after all, which by definition should NOT involve an alarm clock.
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Sunday, May 31, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Eleven days to go and horse is lame
So we took the van into town today. Just had to do a few errands. We needed to make copies of the van key, get the full-size spare mounted and placed underneath the van, and visit the health club to suspend the membership. All in all, probably 3 miles - 5 tops.
The first stop was the car shop. They were awesome and got me right in to try the spare out and make sure it fit with the new rim, pull it off, and get it snugged underneath the van. Then off we went and got the key copied. So far really, really dull and boring. Just like I like it!
But no....
Then off to the health club - in and out of there in under five minutes. On the way out, we decided to go back to the shop and pick up the mechanic and let him listen to the funny noise the van had been making for the past couple of weeks. He hopped in and looked at me like I was a car repair junky and he was my supplier. Honestly, it kinda felt that way, too...
Anyway, one block to the stop sign, one block to the stop light. Man, the car in front of us is smoking! Take a left (insert groan I was hoping he would hear) and one block to next stop light. Car Repair Man then says something along the lines of "ya, that's a problem". While sitting at the light, we notice that the aforementioned 'car in front of us' was still smoking like a house on fire, but it was no longer in front of us. As a matter of fact, there was no one in front of us. I think it was the burning sensation in my eyes that made me wonder if maybe the source wasn't a bit closer.
So, three blocks later and we were back at the shop. We parked in the same spot, which was now sporting a bright green puddle. After looking under the hood, Car Repair Man diagnosed my van with a broken a/c hose. He disconnected everything and we were thankfully able to drive home. He was even kind enough to wash all the gook off the engine so we wouldn't asphyxiate on the way home.
So probably next week after the long holiday weekend we will get the a/c repaired and hooked back up. Six days before we hit the trail. Does that make me nervous? Why, noooo. (YEEEESSSS!)
I wonder what last-minute thing drove Grandma crazy just a few days before they planned to leave? It definitely wasn't the air conditioner. I wonder if they were even able to sell their house and property, or if they just had to leave it. I really am blessed to live in this era. I'm certain beyond doubt I'm not as tough as Grandma was. Complaining about air conditioning issues seems like complaining that the gold is too heavy. Perspective is a wonderful thing.
The first stop was the car shop. They were awesome and got me right in to try the spare out and make sure it fit with the new rim, pull it off, and get it snugged underneath the van. Then off we went and got the key copied. So far really, really dull and boring. Just like I like it!
But no....
Then off to the health club - in and out of there in under five minutes. On the way out, we decided to go back to the shop and pick up the mechanic and let him listen to the funny noise the van had been making for the past couple of weeks. He hopped in and looked at me like I was a car repair junky and he was my supplier. Honestly, it kinda felt that way, too...
Anyway, one block to the stop sign, one block to the stop light. Man, the car in front of us is smoking! Take a left (insert groan I was hoping he would hear) and one block to next stop light. Car Repair Man then says something along the lines of "ya, that's a problem". While sitting at the light, we notice that the aforementioned 'car in front of us' was still smoking like a house on fire, but it was no longer in front of us. As a matter of fact, there was no one in front of us. I think it was the burning sensation in my eyes that made me wonder if maybe the source wasn't a bit closer.
So, three blocks later and we were back at the shop. We parked in the same spot, which was now sporting a bright green puddle. After looking under the hood, Car Repair Man diagnosed my van with a broken a/c hose. He disconnected everything and we were thankfully able to drive home. He was even kind enough to wash all the gook off the engine so we wouldn't asphyxiate on the way home.
So probably next week after the long holiday weekend we will get the a/c repaired and hooked back up. Six days before we hit the trail. Does that make me nervous? Why, noooo. (YEEEESSSS!)
I wonder what last-minute thing drove Grandma crazy just a few days before they planned to leave? It definitely wasn't the air conditioner. I wonder if they were even able to sell their house and property, or if they just had to leave it. I really am blessed to live in this era. I'm certain beyond doubt I'm not as tough as Grandma was. Complaining about air conditioning issues seems like complaining that the gold is too heavy. Perspective is a wonderful thing.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Thirteen days to go
We accomplished the mission and secured a car-top carrier. It ain't pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but it's functional. Thanks to my dear brother, it will now ride atop the van instead of inside. Inside kinda defeats the whole purpose of the carrier.
We took the AAA membership for a test drive recently, and thankfully it passed. We were driving home through a canyon the other day and ran over a football-sized rock. The new tire didn't take too kindly to the rock, and we ended up disabled on the side of the road in very nasty weather. Thanks to the poor tow truck driver, we got back to town safe and dry. When I say "we" I mean me and the boys, but not the truck driver. I now am a firm believer in AAA.
Everything significant is pretty much done. We have all the major camping supplies purchased and have tested all the equipment out to make sure it will function properly. Everything that is left can either be purchased over these last few days, or more likely will be purchased on the road. I would leave tomorrow at dawn if I could, but I have determined to wait. I'll stick to the plan - it's a good plan.
My grandmother was born in 1911. As far as I know she was never involved in a wagon train, but I know she was involved in the Dust Bowl. Her and my grandfather and their children, I think there were two at the time, had to move from Kansas to Colorado because one of their children had asthma and staying in the dust would have been fatal for him. So they moved somewhere in Colorado and felt like they'd moved to paradise. They all lived in a tent and I suppose Grandma cooked over a campfire. I kinda feel like I'm living a memory of my grandma by going on this trip, even though I have all the modern conveniences of the present day, like a propane stove, an 8-man tent that actually repells water, and the ability to go home at any moment. But the spirit is still there. My grandma was tough as nails, as sweet as honey, and as soft as silk. No... not silk. Grandma didn't have any silk. She was soft like a cotton quilt that has been washed hundreds of times - that kind of soft.
After Grandpa got paid the $2.00 for his first week of work, Grandma bought one of her children a pair of shoes for ten cents. Five percent of your weekly wage for a pair of shoes, with a work day that was determined by the sun instead of the clock. They were awesome people.
We took the AAA membership for a test drive recently, and thankfully it passed. We were driving home through a canyon the other day and ran over a football-sized rock. The new tire didn't take too kindly to the rock, and we ended up disabled on the side of the road in very nasty weather. Thanks to the poor tow truck driver, we got back to town safe and dry. When I say "we" I mean me and the boys, but not the truck driver. I now am a firm believer in AAA.
Everything significant is pretty much done. We have all the major camping supplies purchased and have tested all the equipment out to make sure it will function properly. Everything that is left can either be purchased over these last few days, or more likely will be purchased on the road. I would leave tomorrow at dawn if I could, but I have determined to wait. I'll stick to the plan - it's a good plan.
My grandmother was born in 1911. As far as I know she was never involved in a wagon train, but I know she was involved in the Dust Bowl. Her and my grandfather and their children, I think there were two at the time, had to move from Kansas to Colorado because one of their children had asthma and staying in the dust would have been fatal for him. So they moved somewhere in Colorado and felt like they'd moved to paradise. They all lived in a tent and I suppose Grandma cooked over a campfire. I kinda feel like I'm living a memory of my grandma by going on this trip, even though I have all the modern conveniences of the present day, like a propane stove, an 8-man tent that actually repells water, and the ability to go home at any moment. But the spirit is still there. My grandma was tough as nails, as sweet as honey, and as soft as silk. No... not silk. Grandma didn't have any silk. She was soft like a cotton quilt that has been washed hundreds of times - that kind of soft.
After Grandpa got paid the $2.00 for his first week of work, Grandma bought one of her children a pair of shoes for ten cents. Five percent of your weekly wage for a pair of shoes, with a work day that was determined by the sun instead of the clock. They were awesome people.
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