T – 24 hours
We are in the final countdown for our departure out west. Last night we began preparations in earnest. I wanted to leave the pool cleaner running while we were gone however there is an issue. When the pool cleaner runs around it inevitably gets hung up on one of the two floor drains. (hence the reason for the drain blocking invention I talked about awhile back) Well I decided to create a crude version of my vision. I grabbed two empty pots from the shed along with 4 cinder blocks. I threw on my swimsuit and goggles and jumped in the pool, placing one pot over each drain and two blocks on top of each pot. I hooked up the pool cleaner and will let it run all day today to see if my redneck looking contraption will perform it’s intended purpose.
After the work in the pool I walked around and weeded the property. I pulled out the rake and fluffed the mulch in the orchard in an attempt to further retard weed growth while we are gone. After Ali got home we did more prep like gathering up electronics that are coming along, getting together stuff for Nicki’s meals and putting sheets on the “bed” in the van. Just before I was going to get ready for bed we remembered we wanted to wash Nicki last night so I scooped her up, threw her in the tub and we gave her a quick scrub down.
Today will be very crazy. I am leaving work early this afternoon so I can go home and continue the trip prep. I literally have double digit things on my mental list that I want to address before leaving which should keep me going pretty much non-stop until I hit the pillow. I plan on pulling out sometime tomorrow morning. Ideally I would like to leave early, but realistically I know the possibilities of that are slim to none.
We should have ample entertainment for the many hours we will be spending in the van. I copied over 5 movies to Ali’s laptop, threw a bunch of DVD’s in a bag and also have a stack of magazines along with the last Dan Brown book for me to read. Ali is bringing along her Pee Wee Herman show DVD collection she got for Christmas as well.
As we motor across the country I am hoping to remain pseudo-plugged in via either wifi at hotels or via my Treo acting as a wireless modem for the laptop. If I manage to get online I will try to drop in a few updates here if time allows. If I try to rely on my memory to recap two weeks of a road trip all at once there would surely be huge gaps.
I look forward to two weeks of unstructured new experiences. We have no strict schedules, no established expectations, just two weeks of taking it as it comes.