I'm haunted by lists. At the least opportune times I think of items to add to these lists. I'm now at the point of keeping paper and pen on my bedside table. My best thoughts occur while at rest or walking our dog, Fisher. I now carry paper and pencil in my parka pocket. As Fisher and I head up our dirt road surrounded by forest, the dog has become accustomed to my abrupt stops. Putting pencil to paper against the nearest tree trunk, another item is added to the list. It's my way of preparing and organizing for an upcoming event. Over the years, my lists have been varied and endless. Planning for our son's wedding required a legal pad of lists. The sale of my parents' home was another forest lost. Now, it's planning for our RV departure within a few days. One current list is solely devoted to household needs. Life in our small rolling home requires everything needed in our land locked abode. It would be much easier if the RV could remain stocked year round, but Ripton's industrious field mice prevent this. Any paper products left behind, are shredded and become pillow top mouse mattresses. Several spring cleanings of the RV have revealed naked mouselings snuggled within these soft paper beds. Granola bars, a staple while traveling, when left over the winter, quickly become a mouse banquet. After this sugary meal, the silverware drawer becomes a mouse playground. I visualize tiny mouse feet scurrying across the knife blade balance beam while others enjoy the fork tined jungle gym. Others race over the curved spoon half pipe, dropping evidence of their total glee in what we have so generously provided. To avoid mouse over stimulation, I strip the Jayco Greyhawk bare, placing the RV items in plastic tubs stored in the cellar......ewww, need to add plastic tubs to the Walmart list. The clothing list is often the most difficult for me. Did I actually think there'd be an opportunity to wear the silver heels or that sassy, black, chiffon blouse I packed last trip? My clothing list was super complex in 2015. We traveled through ice, snow, into sun and desert heat only to drive back into late Montana snow. Along the way, we attended our daughter's wedding in NM. Not knowing if April in NM would mean dressing for snow or for sunny and 80, I packed suitable attire for both. As it turned out, my accessorized blue jumpsuit fit the bill. Fortunately, I was able to ignore my family's comments that I looked like either a appliance repair man, auto mechanic or astronaut in training. If I looked half as good as"Rosie the riveter", I was fine with it! Fourteen days after leaving the heat of Texas, we were back in snow hunting bear on Kodiak Island. No need for the jumpsuit now, but the two down parkas I so thoughtfully packed, came in mighty handy. I tend to be a "better safe than sorry" style packer. This can sometimes make it hard to find things inside our rolling home, but I've realized that cutting clothing corners can lead to regret. Yet, thinking back......one of my favorite jackets was a result of under packing and shivering in the Alaska summer air. Alaska warm is not my warm. Voila! a black, fleece lined, Alaska Summit jacket purchased in haste at Walmart ! I've seen the exact coat worn by folks of all shapes, sizes and gender from Kotzebue to Anchorage with the highest concentration of wearer seen in Ted Stevens International Airport! The world is full off under packers! This coat has made every trip to Alaska since 2008!
People ask, "do you have an itinerary"? You would think someone dependent on lists would, but no, we don't. In the evening, sitting at the RV dinette with my husband Bucky, we look at the map and decide where to head in the morning. The outdoor lighting of the Walmart parking lot helps illuminate the atlas. However, that being said, there is a focus for the first half of this trip. For those whose care to look, the following gives a hint.