Everything but the Kitchen Sink

We procured our Planet Fitness membership today! Huge deal, as this will be our ticket to plumbing when we aren't willing to splurge for a hotel. With this membership, myself and a "guest" can use bathing facilities at any PF location nationwide, 10 times per month at each gym. According to the little welcome packet, we are free to shower and change inside a clean, private, and judgement-free environment. I'm taking this "judgement-free" business to also mean that the fine employees of this establishment will not "judge" us when they realize that we're there to lather, not lift. Hey, it's their policy. No judging... 

With only 4 days to go, we are finally starting to load things into bags, boxes, and Carla. She's set to go, Pete gave her everything from an appendectomy to a face lift. He worked his mechanic magic and somehow got her air conditioning to work, an accomplishment of which we will surely be grateful once we hit the deserts of Texas. He also replaced the serpentine belt, which I now know has nothing do with actual serpents, and has made Carla just about as road-worthy as she'll ever be.

With Pete working hard on the car, the packing list has been my beast to conquer. I know it's not rocket science, but packing for a 3.5 week trip where I'll be living like a gypsy is very different than packing for any other vacation I've taken. I've been to Florida, Vancouver, Ireland, and Nebraska, and I can say with certainty that this road trip is a whole different story. Not only do I have to bring clothes that fit the climate, but I have prepare myself to be able to wear those clothes in public without having access to running water beforehand. True, there are going to be instances where we'll have showers and sinks at our disposal, but we also need to prepare for those nights where the only roof over our heads is that of a 1990 Toyota Camry.

Pete is easy to pack for. All guys really need is a few interchangeable outfits (which they refuse to even call "outfits,) and a 3-in-one soap of some kind. We picked up a shampoo that's a conditioner that's a wash, threw in a week's worth of his clean clothes, a toothbrush, and he's good to go. This infuriates me. Not only have I spent weeks figuring out what I'll need, but I've spent hours trying trying to cram it all into a reasonably-sized suitcase. It's like when you see a snake swallow an antelope on the nature channel. You know it must be done, but you just can't figure out the logistics behind how it happens. Well, neither can I. But, I'm running out of time here, so I've turned my living room into a baggage claim and have spent all afternoon finding the middle ground between packing too much and being unprepared.

Here is how I spent my past few hours, and I think I'm pleased with the result. Did I mention that I was raised by a man with a unique knack for organization? Any time we went on a trip that required more than one piece of necessary luggage, my father managed to pack in into the car in the most economic and efficient way possible. Apparently those genes have been passed on to me, because I just turned a major conundrum into a piece of cake. Apparently, if it fits, it really does ship! 

Anything we bring with us, we either must ditch or bring back on the plane. We have an entire station wagon of space, but anything we throw back there we need to be able to fit into the front seats when we want to catch some Z's. We also have some storage space behind the front seats, under where the futon hangs out over the folded-down back seats. We will be snug... But, we figure we're both under 30 and our joints can handle it. 

As you can see, we have two duffle bags, one large and one small. In the large bag, we have Pete's clothes, our towels, our toiletries, extra baby wipes, trash bags, shoes, sunblock, etc. In the yellow duffle, we have just my clothes. Yes, I understand how selfish this might seem, taking an entire bag for myself. But, unlike Pete, I can't just roll out of bed and look ready for public exposure. I am a girl, girls have more stuff, ergo I get my own bag. I would like to look half decent on this trip and not, as Pete so lovingly puts it, "like the Crypt Keeper." 

To keep both our bellies and our wallets full, we are bringing a cooler full of snacks and a case of bottled water, courtesy of Momma Vinci. Apparently, choosey moms choose granola. I will pick up some fruit and lunch meat the day before we leave. That way, we aren't tempted by the multitudes of McDonald's we're going to pass between here and Roanoke. This will be our first test to see if we can resist roadside temptations and stick to making regular market stops. We're thinking that if we try to eat healthy, we can save some money along the way. (I said healthy, not organic.) 

With us, we have enough supplies to last us the trip and make it back on JetBlue. This means we each have a bag to check, a carry-on, and a "personal item." Personal items can be anything from a backpack to a purse, and I've decided that it also includes coolers. They can't prove that it's not just an ugly man purse for Pete, so that will be the item that we stuff full of odds and ends for the plane ride home. Our duffle bags will be checked, and electronics brought on board by me. We will leave extraneous supplies in Washington, or bring it home if we have room. As far as planning goes, I think we are pretty much set! We've stuffed just about everything in that car, any more and she'll go from cozy to cramped. Guess all that's left to do is spread the word and hit the road... 

 We want to share this adventure with everyone, so we turned Carla into a moving billboard. (She doesn't mind.) She's a real showgirl, now! 

T-Minus 2 days!!!