Final Preparations

A quick run-down on final preparations…We’ll pick up the motorhome from storage today and begin getting it outfitted for the trip. We plan to remove all the “stuff” that’s in the various nooks, crannies, and storage spaces and then evaluate what we really need to take. Of course we’ll be adding more spares and stuff that will be specific to this trip. Plus I need to install a CB antenna somewhere – probably on a bracket attached to the rear ladder. I haven’t had a CB radio since the 1970’s, but a lot of people on the various Alaska Highway travel forums recommend them, so I picked up an inexpensive, basic unit at Radio Shack a few weeks ago to have another “just in case” form of communication. That gives us VHF/UHF amateur radio, CB radio, FRS radio, plus a 406 mhz emergency personal locater beacon that my son gave me for Father’s Day. And if we have room after packing all this, I may throw in a small HF amateur transceiver. This is in addition to cell phones, e-mail, and Skype. I’d say we’re pretty well covered for en-route communications, although cell phone and internet service will be dependent on local network coverage and wi-fi at campgrounds and public hotspots. Geez, you’d think we’re heading for the heart of the African jungle or the Amazon rain forest with all this comm gear -- the only thing we’re lacking is an Iridium satellite phone. Oh yeah, let’s not forget the Sirius satellite radio and iPod for entertainment.

We’ll be doing our final pre-departure grocery shopping this week, stocking up on non-perishables. The refrigerator in the motorhome is really small, so we’ll initially take only a few veggies, frozen meat dishes that Jeanette has pre-prepared, eggs, condiments, etc, to start with. We’ll buy our meat and other perishables along the way.

Clothing is still a big issue, given the limited storage space we have and the fact that we need to bring clothing appropriate to several climate zones. Our plan is to get out what we think we need to take (which undoubtedly will result in a large pile), then pare it down to the essentials. We can always buy additional things along the way if we need them.

There’s also a pile of books and maps to take – road atlas, Milepost, Good Sam and other campground guides, and other references we’ve accumulated over the past year as we’ve planned for this trip. Way too much to fit in our normal map storage location, which is under the passenger seat of the truck cab.

And let’s not forget the camera gear – we’ll be taking a bunch of that, too, including a couple of tripods. We might even have room for ourselves when we’re done packing .