I'm so tired that I questioned whether or not the title of this blog was a complete sentence, but I think that most everything on the camper van is in good order for what I've been calling "The Big Trip." Tomorrow, I'll turn my attention to provisions and packing, but tonight I reached into the nether regions of my library closet and retrieved a second-hand Canon 60D that I bought five or six years ago. This is a good time to learn how to use the beastie if I'm to capture dark-sky constellations in the high desert and so the search for YouTube tutorials begins. I rather like this guy, once you get past his intro music, that is.
I had both Yashika and Nikon SLR cameras for years, and when I was in college, actually developed my preferred black and white film and made rough contact prints in the bathroom. What I like about these tutorials is that this guy prefers to shoot in "Manual" mode, which in essence puts the metering and shutter speed back in my hands. I doubt that I'll use many of the adornments this camera offers except...the timer would be nice, if I can find it.
I've started making lists. Jeans or hiking pants? How many t-shirts should I bring knowing that if I'm going to bring home a souvenir, it will most likely be a t-shirt. What am I going to sleep in? Am I really going to fix my hair, or just let my curls run wild? How many pair of socks do I really need? Chances are that I'll be in my Tevas for most of the trip, but I really should take my hiking boots and some good socks, so off I went to inventory my sock drawer only to find that three is the magic number. I have three pair of socks...and two dogs...which explains why I only have three pair of socks. So far, my packing list looks something like this:
Jeans (2), hiking capris (4), leggings (2), t-shirts (8), flannel shirts (4), quick-dry pants (2), quick-dry shirts (2), fleece vest (1), packable puffer coat (1), fleece shirt/jackets (2), underwear (6), and socks (3). I'm also taking 2 light-weight shirt/jacket combos in case I go somewhere nice.
I raided our pantry for pasta and canned goods, and will pickup produce, dairy, and bread before I leave. Walt and I went though all my emergency equipment. I flushed my fresh water tanks and checked the electrical systems while on the generator...most everything is about perfect. Almost. The cruise control is waiting on a part, so it will wait until I return, and there's still a wind noise from the driver's side window to keep me company on the trip. The next couple of days are for rest, gardening, and routine household chores...and I need to pick up some more socks.
