So here is it, Friday June 3rd…three days before I leave. WOW!! I have spent the last week and a half at my desk reading TourBooks, writing down things I may want to see and google-mapping where all these things are located. If I spend too much more time there I’m not gonna go on my trip because my ass will attach itself to my desk chair, and it’d be kinda hard to drive that way.

Last week I bought your basic camping supplies….a GIANT Coleman LED lantern, a shitton of bug repellant and extra stakes for my tent. Gotta make sure the tent doesn’t blow away and I can see where all those stakes are, so when I finish my bottle of wine I don’t trip over them on the way to my queen-size elevated air mattress. Don’t get the wrong idea and think that I’m gonna be camping out then whole time I’m gone, that’s just not gonna happen. The majority of the trip will be spent in hotels but it would be a HUGE injustice to the beauty of this country’s wilderness if I didn’t spend a few nights camping. There are stipulations, though. The stipulations for camping on this trip are as follows: 1. If there is even the slightest talk of rain in the weather forecast, there will be no camping, (I’m not putting up or tearing down a tent in the rain. Been there, done that…it sucks) 2. If there are poisonous snakes in the area, there will be no camping, (That one is kinda self-explanatory). I’m cool with the bears, raccoons, skunks and other wildlife. If you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone. Unless, I happen to pass out in my camp chair with the makings for s’mores and an empty bottle in my lap. In which case, I may make a tasty snack for some animal. 😉

Last night I decided that I would pack all the clothes I would want to wear over the next 2 months, with the obvious exception of the ones needing to be washed. I was pleasantly surprised to find that everything fit into 2 suitcases with room to spare in both. Which is fantastic because I’m not sure the contents of my bathroom are all going to fit in a single bag. Now, I don’t want you all picturing me packing a full size gym bag with my bathroom so let me describe the bag… You know the bag you get when you buy matched luggage? That’s the size of this bag, I’d say small gym bag would be a closer approximation of the size. Anyway, the ladies out there know what I’m talking about when it comes to packing the bathroom. You’ve gotta have the shampoo, conditioner, body wash, loofah, face soap, body lotion, face lotion, make-up, hair dryer (because not every hotel has a built-in hair dryer and not a single campground will), BioSilk Silk Therapy, Rusk Hair Strengthening spray, hairspray, hair ties, hair clips, headbands (and if you’re like me those last three items are numerous), flat-iron, curling iron (’cause at the end of a day of traveling you wanna look presentable before taking your self out to dinner), wide-tooth comb, rat-tail comb, round brush, flat brush, razor, razor blades, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, necklaces, earrings (again, you wanna look presentable when you go out), body spray, perfume (well, ya don’t wanna stink, do ya)… I think I’ve got everything. You can see where my small gym bag sized bag may not be big enough for my bathroom. LOL

The big project for this weekend is getting the car packed and ready. My dad is going to give the car a full once over, checking every nook and cranny and changing the oil, so she’ll be just as ready for this adventure as I am. I have to pack, unpack, repack, rearrange, unpack again, repack for the final time, nope that doesn’t fit right, GODDAMN IT I CAN’T GET ANYTHING TO FIT IN THIS FUCKIN’ TRUNK AND I DON’T WANNA FOLD DOWN THE SEAT!!!

*storms off leaving the trunk open and comes back in about 10 minutes, stares at the trunk with head cocked to the right, now to the left, sighs and finally folds down the backseat to make more room*

Word to the wise, if I say I’m going to pack my car DO NOT under ANY circumstances try to contact me…trust me! LOL

I have to say that as my departure date nears I am getting more and more excited but do not think for a moment that I’m not scared. I’d be a fool to not be. I mean, I’m driving all over this country by myself for 2 months, who wouldn’t be a little apprehensive!! But even as scary as this may seem now, I know that if I didn’t do this I would regret it. I have been through too much in my short life to not grab the bull by the horns and tell him to fuck off. I was brought up believing I can do anything I put my mind to and damn it I wanna do this and nothing can stop me! 🙂

Well, I must get back to my reading, writing and google-mapping…