Four States in One Day!

We were awakened by a young girl dragging her very heavy suitcase down metal stairs at 3:40 this morning.  We only catnapped after the rude awakening.  At 5:30, we decided to make this a heavy travel day.

We left Amarillo around 6:15 this morning.  Just south of Raton, New Mexico, those glorious Rocky Mountains came into view.  We reached Denver around noon, Cheyenne at 2:30, and rolled into Casper, Wyoming, at 4:30 this afternoon.  We logged a total of 799 miles today.

We have seen a lot of wildlife, mostly deer and antelope.  This morning, traveling a back road to Dalhart, we were surprised by five antelope about to cross the road.

This evening, our room has a view of Rattlesnake Hills.  I used the "big gun" (which I affectionately have named my new long-distance lens) to take this shot of an antelope.  He was easily over a football field away.  Magnificent!

Tonight we will pull the maps out and make plans for our entry into Canada.  Do we go through Waterton or Banff?  We have the opportunity to meet up with one of David's colleagues in Dawson Creek on July 6th.

Amarillo by Evening

After saying goodbyes, our adventure began at 8:00 this morning.  We logged 560 miles today.

We have a family tradition. For over thirty years now, whenever we go west on I-40, we stop at the Big Texan.  It brings back memories and smiles whenever we arrive.

As an example, after postponing vacation for a week because Hurricane Elena was candy-dancing in the Gulf, she turned toward Florida.  With reassurance from all the weather experts that she was headed east, we left Mississippi bright and early, making the Big Texan by nightfall.  The next morning we flipped on the Weather Channel to see Elena's progress.  During the night, she had made a 180 degree turn and was in the process of barreling over our then home in Gulfport.  Within the hour, we were headed back south to repair the damage.

Several years later, we backpacked with our sons on the Rainbow Trail outside Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  After hiking for five days, we sat on a ridge on the Continental Divide and posed a very important question.  Would you like to spend one more night on the trail and eat freeze-dried turkey tetrazzini (again!)... or should we pack up and head to the Big Texan?  In a unanimous decision, we hiked eleven miles the next day so that we could swim in the Texas-shaped pool and eat barbecue.

The Big Texan is our launch pad for adventure.  We will rest well tonight.

Our First Executive Decision

We're almost set... the housesitters are settled in... the Xterra is almost packed...

We were going to leave for Alaska today.  But with so many things to nip and tuck, we made our first executive decision yesterday afternoon.

We recognized a wonderful truth... retirement means that there are NO deadlines to meet!  

So tomorrow is the day... we'll be Alaska bound!!!

How To Turn Your SUV Into a RV

Our researching skills have certainly come in handy preparing for this trip.  When it came to outfitting the Xterra for Alaska, we came across some very interesting options.  In fact, we discovered that it is possible to turn your SUV into an RV! 

There is a virtual goldmine of options for the lowly trailer hitch.  Here are our top five examples: 

1. The Otto Step (http://www.ottostep.com/buy.html ), which allows Rox to hop into the back of the Xterra with ease.  It also doubles as a table.  

2. The Bumper Dumper (http://www.bumperdumper.com/ ), which turns your trailer hitch into your own personal potty.  (We ultimately opted for a more private experience.)

3. The Bivouac Buddy (http://www.bivouacbuddy.com/ ) portable shower offers a trailer hitch attachment.

4. The Freedom grill (http://store.freedomgrill.com/servlet/Search?category=Grills) offers a great solution for both  tailgating and camping (except in bear country!).

5. The Hammaka trailer hitch cradle chairs (http://www.hammaka.com/products/Hammaka-Trailer-Hitch-Stand-(Hammaka-Chairs-Sold-Separately).html) offer two a beautiful view of the setting sun!

The most important feature for any camping trip rests with the sleeping arrangements.  Because we live near Houston, we were able to purchase 5” thick foam and cut it to fit the bed of the Xterra.  (Rox has already staked her third out of the middle.)  NOTE:  If you are interested in doing the same and need an alternative, you can purchase a queen size 4” inch memory foam mattress pad for around $120 from places like Overstock.com.  Just cut it to fit your SUV bed.

If you're interested in other over-the-top bed options (no pun intended), check out the following:

http://www.cascadiatents.com/

http://www.cartopcamper.com/

http://www.eezi-awn.co.za/eeziawn/legends_out_of_africa.html

Of course, anyone who knows me realizes that stairs and I don’t mix.  Therefore, we opted for this less vertically-challenging solution.  You’ll get the grand tour of our “rig” on its maiden voyage.  Until then, keep thinking outside the box!


For more detailed information, please check our May 18, 2011, post, "How to Turn Your SUV into a RV (updated)!

You Had Me Until the Dog

Her comment sounded like a line from the old Jerry McGuire movie… “You had me from hello”… only much different! 

Camping out of the back of an Xterra all the way to Alaska and back has caused some to question our sanity.  We have found that reactions fall into two basic camps.  The first camp wishes they could do the same.  The second camp unanimously thinks that we’re crazy.  So far, it's about a 2:1 split... with "crazy" in the lead.

Only one has said, “You had me until the dog…”  I suppose that the idea of sleeping with a wet 100-pound Golden in the confines of an Xterra cargo bay is a bit of a stretch for some!


In the next post, we'll tell you about some of the modifications that we've made to turn the Xterra into a camping machine.  

Thanks for the Memories!

What a special day this has been!  Thanks so very much to all our DuPont family for Dave's wonderful retirement party.  Your kind and generous words made us feel so special.

We will miss you and definitely look forward to reconnecting on our return from Alaska!

God bless each of you,

Dave and Virginia

Mission Transition

We want to thank our family and friends for joining our Alaskan adventure by reading this blog.  Please feel free to leave your comments!  We look forward to hearing from you all.

Many have asked us why we are planning this trip straight on the heels of David’s retirement.  The simple answer… our mission is to make the transition so dramatic that little of our past routines will exist upon our return. 

As an example, except for weekends and vacation days, David has set the alarm for 5 am for the past 35 years.  Our prayer is that the Alaska trip will break that habit!

Additionally, during the last 20 years of his career, David has spent about 70% of his working time traveling on business.  Our Alaska trip will give us the opportunity to reconnect.  There’s no question that sitting less than 18” apart in bucket seats while driving over 9,000 miles will bring us closer together!

Will our mission be a success?  Most undoubtedly!  In 1987, David and I took a similar excursion for five weeks.  We traveled from Mississippi to Montana, up to Banff in Canada, across to Vancouver, down to Oregon, over to Colorado, and back again to Mississippi. 

Over the course of those five weeks, our adventures included backpacking the Bitterroot Valley, hiking the Beehive from Lake Louise, and climbing our first fourteener, Mt. Sneffels.  We had a blast!  We are convinced that had we taken six weeks’vacation, we would not have been able to return to our old way of life.  We feel certain the same will be true this time around.

These are precious days.  We hope to live the remainder of our lives on earth as Paul so eloquently states in Romans 8:14-16.  Just read this “The Message” translation from the Holy Bible:


“God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go! This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children.

That’s how we want to live… ADVENTUROUSLY EXPECTANT… and with faith to ask, “What’s next, Papa?” 

Let the journey begin!

Congratulations, Dave!

Congratulations, Dave!  After 35 year of service with DuPont, David hangs up his hard hat today.  It's quite a milestone...

RETIREMENT IS THE NEXT BIG ADVENTURE!!!

The Countdown Has Begun!

COUNTDOWN TO RETIREMENT:  4 days
COUNTDOWN TO ALASKA TRIP:  6 days

Posts will begin on Friday, June 25th!