Day 15 - Getting Ready

Written July 11th- publication delay due to connection problems

Well the seat is out, and I'm working on building the inside of Old Blue up for a test run this week. I'm excited to give it a shot. I'll be sleeping in her tomorrow night at the family trailer/cottage, and if all goes well, I'll be doing a one night away trip.

I know the actual trip is a long way off, but doing little test runs will help me figure out what I need to add, or what I don't need to have with me at all. I'll be making even MORE lists of things to add in or remove, because lists are totally my favorite things ever! *sarcasm*

I spent yesterday visiting the tourism websites for each province and territory, ordering up their tourism guides and maps so I can start working out a timeline for the trip. Right now I'm setting aside about five months for the trip, because I want to see and do everything as I go, and I don't want to rush.

The whole point of this is to see our amazing country, and to meet its incredible people. I want to tell the story of who we are as a people, who we really are, coast to coast to coast.

I can't wait to see and meet you my dear readers, so I can tell your story too.

Day 11 - No new trailer

Trailers, at least brand new ones, are definitely out of the question. They are way outside my price range. A new vehicle, or new to me, is relatively reasonable, because I may have to get one anyway. As I've said before, Blue has some life left in her, but like any vehicle over 12 years old and with 304,000km on it, it's hard to say just how MUCH life is left. As a day to day vehicle she is (usually) reliable, but I'm not sure how to gauge how trustworthy she will be on such a long trip.

I'm wary of deciding to outfit Blue to live in for a few months, and then getting halfway across the country before she breaks down and won't go any farther....

I'm giving myself another week to decide, then moving forward either way. I can't spend months on end making this decision, or I won't have any time to prepare everything else I need to.

Day 10 - Trailers

I spent part of yesterday looking at small trailers and daydreaming. I found one that was seventeen feet long, which isn't much, but it had everything I could possibly need. It could never work for more than one person, but for just Maverick and I it would be perfect.

There were some problems of course, like the price tag and the fact that my little crossover, while it does have some towing capacity, would never be able to pull it. I do kind of enjoy the cartoonish mental image of my beat up old Blue trying to pull it. She's still got some life in her, but really, even the smallest trailer I looked at was twice her size. It would never work.

I have considered a pop-up tent trailer, which is closer to the weight Blue could haul, but I think it would be too fun for me to put up and take down at least a few times a week. If I do get a trailer for this, it will have to be something small and solid so when I park I'm only a minute or two away from being done.

I'm both incredibly intimidated by the idea of spending months on end in such a small space, whether it's a trailer, a van, or just old Blue. It will be nice to have less to worry about, but I know myself well enough to know that I like my space, I like having my things around me, all of my things.

I'm caught between the rush of letting go of things I don't need and the sheer terror that comes with getting rid of anything. I think it's because I'm still not sure what my life is going to look like going forward. What I do know is that I need this trip, this Adventure.

It's scary, but some of the best things in life are.