Packing to head south

September 12, 2010
Final packing for a two month driving trip required some clear-headed thinking. After two weeks of sixteen-hour workdays, my mind struggled to get it together. Let’s see - - cool weather & camping for leaving Alaska, weather into the 90s in Tucson, a special list for the horse trail ride camping trip, a few dress up clothes for Springfield, MO, work clothes for house remodeling and gardening there, and below freezing drive back to Alaska in November. Some of the items for the trail ride included rain gear, long underwear, and sunscreen. For sleeping we needed a warm sleeping bag and also a sheet, in case it was hot. The only thing I could not find at home was a saddlebag for the horse. I packed my donkey heybey, a souvenir I brought from Turkey in the 60’s. My bandana is my scarf from Morocco, and my cowboy boots are my old winter dress boots. Let’s go!!
Les and I left today after early church and breakfast eggs, kale, and rhubarb cake at Garrett and Sarah’s house. We are going to miss them and the boys, but we’re excited to be on the road. Today I saw Mount Sanford, an enormous white loaf with a jagged rock formation in front that looks like a giant mammoth tooth. We saw a group of about eight swans, and I learned about witches’ brooms on black spruce. They are a mess of branches close to the trunk, a fungus! On our nature walk at Eagle Trail State Campground, just south of Tok Junction, I found out that soapberries are edible. Only in an emergency, I say. I picked a handful of lowbush cranberries and thought of my friend Margo gathering many in Sterling. Here we are with our new green sateen sheets, stretched out in our T@B camper, headed tomorrow for Canada.