I ran into a few delays in packing/loading this week.
The kitchen sink was leaking, and I received warranty replacement parts from Delta to fix it, so I set to work fixing it on Monday. Unfortunately, the builder of my house chose to splurge on embellishments, but cheaped out on hardware, and all the valves in the house are junk, so of course the cold water shutoff fractured when I tried to shut off the water to the sink. Since it was sweated on, it was time to call in a plumber. Got all the hardware under the kitchen sink replaced with good quality stuff on Tuesday, and though I was able to pack a bit while he was here, it hindered my progress.
In spite of this, getting up at 7:00 on Wednesday to run a few errands like stopping by the bank, paying my car insurance early, and getting a few groceries. I washed my car, then resumed my packing and loading. I had the majority of the gear loaded by 6:30, but that still left a number of odds and ends to deal with, and precious little space in the car to squeeze them into. I also had my friend Jeff come over (at my invitation), and though I really appreciated the visit, it resulted in me not finishing loading the vehicle until around 1:30. I was still not happy with some of the arrangement of my gear (like electronics sitting on the passenger seat), but it was all in, except for the stuff 'd need in the morning.
I knew this would mean starting the trip later than intended. I hadn't slept much the night before, and there was no reason for me to start this journey worn out and sleepy. Leaving later was still acceptable, because I was already planning to camp at the caverns, so even if I arrived after the tours for the day, I could explore the trails and go through the caverns on Friday.
After waking up on Thursday, I rearranged a few of the things I didn't like, pulling out a divider in my car to open up a bit more space. This allowed me to move the electronics to the floor of the passenger seat, which is much more desirable - for comfort, their security, and their exposure to the sun. I also borrowed my mom's backpack to stash them in, though it unfortunately can't accommodate the laptop and the camera equipment. A much better configuration, though. By now, it was 12:30, and my brother, Eric, asked if I wanted to go to lunch before I left. I knew that at this point, I would miss the last tour of the caverns, even with the shift to Central Time.
I rinsed the fresh bird droppings off my car, and we headed to downtown Palm Harbor, where we ate at Peggy O'Neill's, an Irish pub. It was my first time there, and I was quite satisfied with the fish & chips. Eric mentioned he would be able meet me at the Florida Caverns if I went through them tomorrow, though he thought it might be difficult to sync up a meeting time, which is not a big problem, since I could just wait for his arrival before going on the tour. I suggested that instead of driving up there, and likely arriving after the park was closed tonight, I could just wait for tomorrow, and like that, a new departure date was born.
Waiting a day has a few benefits:
1. I'm not starting out such a long trip drowsy. It's an endurance race, not a sprint, after all.
2. I get to spend more time with family and pets before leaving.
3. My brother gets to take part in the first stop of my journey.
4. I get to write this blog.
5. I have time to try to develop business cards to hand out to anyone I meet that is interested in following this blog.
The Loading:
I have 2 hats to toss in, and a carry on bag that has my toiletries in it, which will sit on top of the compression sack in the center of the back seat.
Behind the passenger seat, canned goods are on the floor with kitchen supplies/storage containers situated around them. The Coleman stove is wedged between the cans and the back of the chair. Paper goods are on the side of the cooler, along with an extra roll of paper towels under the rear of the cooler to level the deeply dished seat for it. Next to it is my Lodge cast iron pans, and then a compression sack full of most of my cold weather gear the center of the cabin is the most remote place in the car for access.
Starting at the bottom of the "trunk" is the tomahawk, snow gear, and bear spray. Moving up is the chair, tent, and table, on top of which is the trekking poles, air and foam mattresses, bear canister, survival gear, pillow, and sleeping bag in the compression sack. On the shelf is my kitchen sink, packed with my whole kitchen - pots, liquid fuel stove, pot holders, kitchen tools, dishes, and eating utensils, next to which is my large backpack, containing my shirts and gloves. In the cubby hole, I have jumper cables (these never leave the car), gaiters, crampons, snow baskets for the trekking poles, hand warmers, and laundry detergent.
Maglite that is always in the car, propane canisters, camp fuel, fuel canisters, and long neck lighter. On this is an accordion file, which will allow me to organize maps and pamphlets I acquire. On the back seat is a laundry bag stuffed with pants, socks, and underwear. Next to this is the day pack, containing rain gear and more survival gear. On the drive shaft hump is breath mints and first aid kit.
Finally, there is one place that doesn't have any gear, the driver's seat! at least, if you don't count the headlamp stuffed in the storage bin under the dash and GPS and quarters stuffed in the console. There is little to no effect on visibility out of the car by packing this gear this way, and it frees up the front seats of excess clutter to maximize comfort (if, indeed, you can consider these seats comfortable for such a long trip).
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