Last Full Day at Home

It's Friday, my last full day at home before heading out on my little adventure. Are you as excited as I, gentle reader?

Over the last few days, I've completed some needed preparations:

My steed was given a full checkup, and although the need for new struts was unexpected (and somewhat expensive), she got a clean bill of health. My seatbelt was wonky and was replaced, fluids were checked and okayed, the a.c. seems to be working fine, and the air filter is new. She is, I've been assured, good to go. But just in case, I put down $80 to resurrect my AAA membership, so I've got a little roadside assistance should problems arise.

Marshall and I met over Pizza Hut fare to look at maps of the West and compare notes. He and Morgan drove from Denver through Utah to the Grand Canyon several years ago, and I wanted to hear what he saw and recommended. His best bit of advice was that small gray roads on the map take much longer to travel than you'd expect. We also looked at the Tahoe-to-Las Vegas mini-trip that he and I are doing together.

I must admit that desert travel in July has me a little nervous. When Nanda and I drove over the mountains into Death Valley in 1998, we watched the temperature needle on our rental car climb to alarming levels. Once air started flowing through the front grill going downhill, the engine temperature dropped quickly. I think that as long as I don't get stuck climbing steep hills in barely moving traffic as Nanda and I did, I should be fine.

Yesterday Libby, Alex, and I took the Blue Line out to Revere Beach. I filled a Nalgene bottle with ocean water and brought it back home with me. My thought is to crown my coast-to-coast by pouring thirty-two ounces of the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific. Alex suggested that I then bring some of the Pacific back home with me, so I think I will. Maybe I should also get some Colorado River water to pour into our western ocean since it doesn't do that by itself anymore.

Today I'll stop by Radio Shack to see if they still sell AC outlets that plug into car lighters. I don't know how often I'll be able to recharge my computer or PowerShot batteries with all of the camping I've got planned, so if I can keep them charged while driving, all the better. I think I'll restring my guitar before I go and maybe buy another canister of propane for the Coleman stove. I also need to buy a new shirt to go with my borrowed suit; there is a wedding to attend, remember. Is it pathetic that I'm a 41-years-old man who doesn't own a suit?

Other than that, I've just got to do some last loads of laundry, mow the lawn, ask Nanda to give me a haircut, and then pack up. I'll be hitting the road in about thirty-four hours!