Road worthy and rolling again, Tacoma, Spokane, Coeur‘d Alene, Missoula, Billings, Custer all behind. The shift into travel mode is complete. Being on the road in Ol’ Thumper, a name passed down through the years from one old Junker to another, is a lot like being on the boat. Small quarters, big expense. I like traveling best when I can be self contain and somewhat self reliant. That means carrying a lot of extra man-things, jacks and tools, electric cords and an array of spares. Just like boats, something always happens. I came with a hair breath to losing the license plate near Fargo ND. Can you imagine trying to cross the boarder with no plate on the trailer? Note to self: Always, always walk around the trailer looking, before getting underway again.
The sailors of old were forced to carry everything they could need to replace the broken the chaffed and the lost. One thing I’ve always admired about sailors is their ability to make do and keep going. I’ve had to do a lot of that myself on land and sea! The hardest thing to come to grips with is “enough”. When is there enough extra screws, lines, sail tape, peat moss, coffee? The surest way to test ones addiction to something is to ask “do I make sure I never run out”? Check again and ya, there’s plenty of coffee…and creamer.
I’ll cross the boarder tomorrow at Windsor Ontario. I have my Nexus card and hope that will help make the crossing easier. It was just another detail to be taken care of before leaving. Mostly I wanted it to make my entry back into the states by phone. I’ve checked and double check to see that I’m not caring anything questionable such as fresh fruits, no booze, no cigarettes. I take customs very seriously. They check their humor at the door when they punch the timecard.
