Travel eve

Oh boy! The night before we leave on an epic journey to Portland, Oregon. We have packed as much as we thought we should. We have washed clothes and packed again. We have not thought that we will travel highways for most of the trip. We didn't look at the fact that we will not leave civilization yet we seem to have packed as though we had a Conestoga wagon and will challenge the Oregon trail.
The Oregon trail stretches from St. Louis to Oregon City, Oregon. The web tells me it measures 2,100 miles, or so. By looking at the map, i think we will cover that and a little more. We expect to take 11 days to reach Portland. Then to visit with my daughter and , hopefully, My new grandchild. Then, off to Gunnison, Colorado for a visit with my son and his family. After that a short hope to either Grand Island, Nebraska or Carbondale, Illnois to Witness the eclipse. Why "either", you may ask? Weather!
Then home by the 23rd to 25th.
The plan says we will see Yellowstone Park, Jackson Hole, Devil's Mountain(dah dee dah doe doo), Sturgis, Mt. Rushmore, and more, much, much, more. WE have learned from other trips that you schedule a day at a location then drive a day then sightsee again. That way we actually see something rather than the road passing by.
Oops, see how the time flies? I have to check my packing again and the snack larder and whatever else i have checked several hundred times before!

Portland, Here we come.

Never look directly at the sun!

Many months ago, I made plans to drive to Portland, Oregon to visit my daughter and view the eclipse of the sun on August 21, 2017. Deb would come along if she agreed but i had the need to go.
Deb agreed to go after some discussion. We hatched a plan to drive, visiting family homesteads, national monuments and arriving in time to visit with Sara then to the viewing sight  and drive home.
My daughter, true to form, wanted to give Deb a better reason for driving the thousands of miles than just seeing some "dumb 'ol moon blocking the sun". She announced she would deliver a new individual to this earth around August 11th. Now we had buy-in from Deb to visit Portland!
The Trial Begins.
I have a particular travel style. The day of travel, i stuff clothes in a bag and go! Deb has a completely different idea about travel. She plans!!!
Soon after Sara's announcement, we had lists upon lists of things to do to the camper, items to pack in the camper, clothes to take on the camper, meal plans, and more! I think it appropriate to have a general idea of the trip. I like to know the destination. I like to have a good idea of the route, subject to change at a whim's notice. I even think packing a cooler with munchies will help ease the travel but detailed lists do not sit well with me. It seems to me that serendipity gets lost with too much regimentation.
Thus i cannot participate fully with Deb in list preparation. Also, i become passive/aggressive when asked to participate. I know some people need to have the road laid out for them. I know that a trip of this length, we plan to travel the better part of  the month of August, i had better get some sort of cooperative attitude going or someone will walk home. So i will do my best to smile and look interested. Is this what growing up means?