Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Preparing For 2017 Travels


It has been some time since I last posted as I have been traveling to see family for the holidays and I have been staging for my travels.

The staging for my 2017 Prius Travels started about a month ago and over the last week I have added to the pile.  My clothing is mostly already in my storage bin above my water storage in the Prius under my bed.  With Christmas done I will be moving this pile to the car this week and the items that can't stand the cold will be staged downstairs.  This is not all that I bring as some things never came out of the Prius and I have a storage bin in the garage.

The plastic bags on the left is my canned or packaged food.  I will not be buying fresh food to cook until I get to Tucson and make my last purchases before heading to Quartzsite, AZ for the RTR gathering.

In the center is my pillow, backpacking self-inflating backpacking mattress.  The blue rolled fleece is a sleeping roll that can be used as a liner in the sleeping bag if real cold or by itself if real warm.  The maroon material to the right is my sleeping bag liner.  I use a flannel flat full sheet and fold lengthwise and sew the bottom and knee height on the open side.  I do not like liners that are sewn up too far as it makes it hard to get in and out of bed.

Well you will be getting a tour of all these details on my travels this year as I will be going back to places I like as well as new places and I will not be covering the exactly the same things I have in the past.

My departure date has been 1/4/17 for some time but it means I have little time to spare if I hit bad weather and need to layover a day or so on my way to AZ.  So, I have a contingency to leave mid-day on 1/3.  I will be ready to do this even if the weather is good to go on 1/4 as I will appreciate the extra time so I can be at the RTR on 1/10 when it starts.

My first two years of travel took me south to I10 and across southern TX.  Last year was mild and fair and I saved time and mileage going to I20 across northern TX with big savings of time and distance.

I will be posting every day but usually a day late of where I was the night before as when I drive and stop I have put on many miles and just want to sleep for the night.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

4 comments:

  1. Travel safe Brent... will be watching your blog.

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    1. Laraine,

      Thanks and I look forward to sharing.

      Brent

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  2. Hello Brent,
    New fan w/a few questions.
    While hiking through the years what do you use to keep sand/dirt debris out of your hiking shoes/boots especially while at the GSENM? Snake gaiters useful?
    How do you accommodate for your liquids in arid especially climates w/low humidity?
    I'm reading about your house battery in your Prius. A friend's husband understands it so he is helping me since I'm a bit confused.
    Thanks for your inspiration.

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    Replies
    1. Dzry

      Thanks for the follow and the questions.

      Boots & sand - The sand at shot Well Dunes, Havasu Falls and GSENM were all significant with large areas to hike in beach sand. I would wear long hiking pants in most cases. These are the ones with removable legs to make shorts. These hang over the tops of my shoes to keep debris out. When I wore shorts I didn't seem to get very much sand in my boots. I do have snow gaters but did not use them or take on hike.

      This is my 4 th year where I did not see a rattlesnake. I had thought about snake gaters but decided they were not necessary if I took my hiking pole and always place it forward before I step forward to not surprise snakes.

      I only drink water on the trail. I have a two liter camelbak Blauer bag and a 750 ml camelbak bottle for most hikes. If I need more I take a second bottle of 750 ml. I only drink half my water until I'm on my way back.

      If you have questions about the battery or electrical I will be glad to help.

      If you have further questions you may also email me directly.

      Brent

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