Day 8, Rustic cabin in Cody WY, 300 miles today.

That was some lightning storm last night. The flashes and thunder were continuous for hours and continued intermittently all through the night. Heavy rain hit at times, but stopped just before it was time to get up. Lucky us. The

It took almost 2 hours in the cold on the roof rack this morning to transfer the food boxes around into the new container. The whole ordeal cost me about four hours, all due my failure to check out the straps on those containers.

My plan for today was to drive 100 miles to Buffalo WY and stay for two days until the storm cleared Yellowstone. But at Buffalo, i decided to move on to Cody, 200 miles further, near Yellowstone 's East Gate, and plan from there. The drive was extraordinary, and a vivid reminder as to why i take these trips. The drive over the Bighorn National Forest was somewhat problematic (snow, fog, winding road), rising from 4000 feet to 9500 feet before we started the decline.

Instead of hunting for a camp, i decided to rent a cozy KOA cabin in Cody. I don't save a lot of time by doing so, but it provides a little break from the routine of setting up camp. There facilities are predictable. And Donner appreciates the large dog beds they put out for him. We were lucky funding this one tonight since it closes for the season tomorrow.

Tomorrow i have another decision to make: Camp in Yellowstone or just drive through and move on to the Grand Tetons. The problem is that the road to the Lamar Valley is closed due to snow, and the only camp open is at the opposite end of Yellowstone. My better judgment now tells me to just drive through Yellowstone and move on. The Lamar Valley will have to wait for another day, perhaps when the Bear-tooth Highway is completely open. The Wyoming side closed last week.

Time to get some sleep.

Ed and Donner, from the road from Cody Wy, at tye east gate of Yellowstone

Day 8 photo

Donner resting peacefully at our bivouac for the night, a cozy rustic cabin in Cody WY. A respite from tenting for one night. I hope he does not think this is the new normal.

Ed and Donner, from the road

Day 8 photos, On The Road to Yellowstone

We pretty much had the 200-mile drive from Buffalo to Cody to ourselves. Along the way, i was reminded of why i take these trips. The sheer beauty is breathtaking, if not distractive from driving as i reach for the camera to take a photo on the fly. There is no way that i can stop at every photo op and make progress on the road, so the Defender appears in most of my shots.

Day 8, As It Is Happening, on the way to Yellowstone

Change of plans. Decided to hit Yellowstone tonight. This is the beauty i come for. Just finished a problematic drive over the Bighorn National Forest through snow and fog, rising from 4000 to 8500 feet over winding mountainous road.

Ed and Donner, from the road, near Yellowstone

Day 8, As It Is Happening, rest stop on way to Buffalo

Trying to decide among my options with all the roadblocks and obstacles in our path.

In the meantime, Here is Donner checking out a dog taking a break.

Day 8, morning, Keyhole State Park, WY..

I decided to get to bed — i mean sleeping bag and ground— early (9pm) but the incessant rumble of distant thunder and continuous flashes of lightning (hardly a second between flashes) continued for hours, then the heavy rain came. Only twice did the thunder crack over our heads. Finally, i called on some earplugs and St. Ambien to help me get some sleep, and i did, for a few hours anyway. The chaos outside continued on and off throughout the night, and we woke to a light drizzle. Unless the rain stops, it'll be breakfast on the road as we head toward Buffalo.

I am getting second thoughts about Yellowstone as we get closer. Had i left on September 3 as i had planned, or even 10, things would have worked out perfectly. i am trying to figure out whether i am still intending to pay a visit simply because i planned to or want to. The essential facts have changed, and now i need to figure out if my plans should.

Ed and Donner, from the road

Day 7, 200 miles today, 1950 miles in total

The repair for my air mattress did not hold. No sense getting another...it'll happen again. The ground will do as my mattress.

As i wrote earlier, i discovered that the lid on my food boxes container blew off somewhere yesterday. I retraced my path yesterday and could not find it. I jerry-rigged a temporary solution with a tarp and bought a new inferior container at Walmarts in Rapid City. Tomorrow, i will take the lid off Donner's second food box and transfer it to mine, put his food in the new container, and seal it up with duct tape until needed in three weeks, but keep the container itself in case i can replace the lid.

I was hesitant to cut my drive short today, but when i realized i would not make Buffalo until 6:30, 200 miles up the road i settled in to the first camp i hit after 4:30, Keyhole State Park near Sundance, where i was stranded for two days until i could get my headlights back. When i finished the evening's chores here by 7, before i lost daylight, i was thrilled with my decision.

Tomorrow, we will move on, but i am not sure where to. My options for Yellowstone are narrowing by the day. I may just drive through and move on. The truth is, i planned it as a destination only because it was in the direction i wanted to go and i had already mapped out the first 10 days. I would, however, like to see the Lamar Valley in the snow.

Thunderstorms have been hitting the area all around us for an hour, but not us. They are gone now. Reminds me of the trip back from Alaska in 2000 in Winnipeg when we got caught in a one-hour lightening storm that centered directly on us, and could not have been more than a couple of hundred feet above us.

Oops, the thunderstorm is back. And now it is hitting us. Gotta go.

Ed and Donner, from the road from Keyhole National Park

Day 7 photos

Top photo...Our camp at pleasant Keyhole State Park near Sundance WY. Made in here at 5, finished evening chores at 7, and in tent just as usable daylight disappeared. Life does not get any better.

Bottom photo..Donner with Kevin, a wolf dog. What a gentle shy lady she is. Donner met about six dogs during our stay at Badlands. Life doesn't get any better, if you're a dog.

Day 7, Keyhole State Park near Sundance WY

Arrived here an hour ago. Week internet connection so you may not see today's post or award winning photos until tomorrow.

Ed and Donner, from the road

Day 6, 2nd day at Badlands National Park

I feel good about my decision to stay over an extra day at Badlands. It was a needed respite for both of us; we avoided having to break and set up camp in the rain; we delayed our arrival at Yellowstone by one day, meaning we will not arrive there until the snows have stopped; and i got some reading in at last. I think as a rule i will try to work in one of these off-days every week.

Not much else to report about the day. If there are two words to describe it, they are "slow motion." Two other words might be windy and cold.

Time to try out my repaired mattress to see if the repair held. I will report tomorrow.

Ed and Donner, from the road

Day 6, As It Is Happening , dinner in the tent tonight

Too cold outside for dinner tonight. Room service called for.

He was so hungry, he ate all the kibbles (dry food) before i mixed it with the canned.

For those interested, on the mets to vet ordered, and his special food, his stools the entire trip have been a 5 (out of 5). At last, that one year ordeal is over. He even loves the special treats that go along with his diet. Happy days are here again.

Day 6, As It Is Happening, Mattress repair done, 4:30

Great job, if i may say so. I will know in three hours if it held. You can see other scratch marks on the mattress, but they did not penetrate the membrane. No big deal if it didn't hold.

What joy is brought by these little accomplishments on the road.

I learned to take a substantial tent repair kit on Alaska in 1992 while in McNeil River Bear Sanctuary. Ten minutes or so after i left my tent to go to the nearby cookhouse, a bear took out my brand new tent. (Better the tent than me.) I had to use duct tape to repair it. Fortunately, my Visa card insurance paid for the tent, with its bear paw-prints on it as proof of what happened.

Ed

Day 6, i have no idea what this creature is

Day 6, As It Is Happening, Badlands, 2pm

Donner's interests are different than yours or mine. He could not give a darn about the view.

Day 5 photos

If he is not sleeping, Donner likes to take in the scenery.

Day 5 photo, on the road

Typical view during the 264 mile drive across the plains, or it is prairie?

Day 6, As It Is Happening, Badlands National Park , 10 a.m.

This will be my view for the next 24 hours. Not the Ritz, but home. We decided to stay put here for today and move on tomorrow. It is raining here and at our destination. (Why take down and put up the tent in the rain when you have an option?) It will be 82 tomorrow where we are headed (15 in Yellowstone at night). By the way, notice how on the right on top of my mattress is Donner's second bed. A solution to every problem. Let him seize my mattress all he wants now. (It wasn't too bad sleeping with no air in the mattress last night. But i will repair it anyway today.) Also notice the kitchen. Yes, i cook in the tent's vestibule, very, very carefully, with plenty of ventilation, and pray some dog does not meander by our tent. Our tent is a virtual one-room mansion. The astronauts had more space going to the moon than i have.

Day 5, Badlands National Park, South Dakota, 1745 miles

Daylight did not break until 720 this morning so we got a late start on the road, but i set off with hopes of making it to Badland National Park by 5pm. drive was an easy one, almost a 330 mile straight shot, except for one left turn, 80 mph limit, and no traffic.although mostly flat earth in all directions, it has a beauty of its own.

I decided to pull into a Walmart right off the highway to roll down the Defender's side and rear windows because the ride was getting a little chilly. I also stocked up on a few extra supplies in case we head into Yellowstone. I also bought a mid-weight jacket for the third time on my trips. I keep tossing it from the gear when packing thinking it won't be needed. When will i learn?

We are camped right next to the site i camped in last year. As i was getting into the tent last year, i had to squeeze past Donner who had taken up residence on my mattress. As i did, I pressed up against my bag and the bear spray in it discharged. It took an hour to clean up the mess. Later, when i went back into the tent, i touched part of my bag with bear spray still on it and then rubbed my eye. Then the pain set in. As I went running from the tent to get a syringe to wash my eye out, two French women, Gayle and Amber, camped in their car next to my site came to my aid. Within the hour, things were back to normal, except that Gayle and Amber had looked their keys in their car. For the next three hours, they sat in the Defender in 20 degree weather waiting fir AAA to come to help them open their car.

Fortunately, there was no repeat of that experience tonight. However, as i settled into the tent tonight i realized i had forgotten my tent seat, so i went back to the Defender to retrieve it. As i approached the tent, i could hear Donner having the tine of his life "making" his bed, as dogs do as if they are digging a hole to sleep in. Wow, he must really like that bed of his, i thought. As i crawled into the tent (yes, that's how i have to get in) i saw that it was not his bed but my mattress he was digging. He had found an opening and took advantage of the opportunity. Needless to say, that mattress is no longer self-inflating with Donner's several deep gashes in it. Until i try to repair it, i will in effect be sleeping on the ground. It was my own fault that this happened. He was just having a good time, at my expense.

I decided to stay at Badlands for two days so i can let the snow situation at Yellowstone sort itself out. If the northeast entrance is closed due to the snow, i will move on.

Ed and Donner, from the road, Bad-dog National Park.

Day 5 photo. Dinner is served for Donner at Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

Day 5, the trip so far, 1745 miles, Badlands National Park, western South Dakota

Made it here promptly at 5. Got all the chores done in two hours and then the drizzle came.

Day 5, As It Is Happening, another rest stop for Donner

45 miles to go to Badlands. East drive. 264 miles on 90 in a straight shot at 80 mph (65 for Defender).

Day 5, As It Is Happening, Mitchell SD, The Defender Battons down

A chilly 100 mile drive from Union Groove convinced me the worst is coming, so the side and rear windows are down now for the rest of the trip. I need to stock up on a few winter supplies at, yes, the local Walmart. Nice to have it nearby when i need it.

Ed and Donner, from the road, Mitchell, SD

Day 4, Union Grove State Park, Sourh Dakota

I decided to skip another camp today and head for South Dakota. We did 424 miles and made it into camp at 5:45, right in the zone of when i try to arrive, 5-6, with two hours of usable daylight. We are in the same camp and site we stayed in last year, almost to the day.

Just after i fed Donner his dinner, as i was setting up the tent, wouldn't you know an RV pulls in next to us in an empty camp with three rambunctious dogs. Needless to say, i did not set up the tent in record time tonight. But i got through all the chores just within my two-hour hope, and just as useable daylight disappeared.

I am still not over the shakedown period. I figure in the two-hour set-up-camp routine i must go through hundreds of individual tasks. By the end of a trip, i usually accomplish everything without trip-ups. By trip-ups i mean clumsiness, mistakes, duplicating actions unnecessarily, rule violations, and misplacing things, not to mention unnecessary procrastinations. I figure tonight i tripped up maybe 10 or 15 times.

I am, however, over the transition to sleeping on the ground. Last night i had a solid nine hours of sleep with no interruptions. St Ambien helped accomplish that.

In camp, the three most dangerous things are not bears (they are fourth) but walking around the camp in the dark with my headlamp on, going up and down the Defender's ladders to the roof rack (which i have done perhaps 1000 times already over 10 trips), and tripping over Donner's leashes. So far, only once did it almost prove fatal, in 2013 in Alberta when i tripped over a rusty raised metal fire-pit in the dark when my headlamp was aimed too high. When i fell, i missed heading my head on the top of a big wooden post by about an inch, but sliced a three-inch gash in my right shin. I was alone in the camp, miles away from the nearest small town, my cell phone had just been accidentally washed in the laundry, and i had two dogs with me, Leben in a wheelchair. Since my leg was bleeding profusely, i pulled out a surgical suture kit from my first aid kit, but could not get enough skin to sew up the wound, so i took other first-aid measures. Needless to say, i survived. I did not get to see a doctor till i got to the Yukon, and he gave me a clean bill of health. You can imagine how i walk around the camp in the dark now. Similar precautions are taken for the ladder and leashes dangers. So far, so good.

Tomorrow, we head for the Badlands, an easy (relative to yesterday and today) 317 mike drive due west. Readers of my blog last year will recall the bear spray incident that kept me put for two days. Ouch.

The problem this year will not be with bear spray, but the weather. An historic blizzard is expected to hit the Rockies and Yellowstone just as i expect to get there. Oops, poor planning. i may think i am prepared, but i am not a fool. I just may stay put somewhere just before the Rockies and wait it out, although it is expected to last for days. I have 8 days of food and water and an 800-page book to keep me company.

It is past my bedtime. Signing off.

Ed and Donner, from the road, South Dakota.

Day 4 photo

Donner actually waits till his throne is set out for him before he settles down. Here he is in the same great campsite we stayed in last year.

Ed and Donner, from the road, Union Grove State Park SD.

Day 4, Thursday, Sept 26, trip so far, Union Grove State Park , South Dakota, 1415 miles, 2976 to the moon, where will the eagle land?

Day 3, 984 miles, Iowa on the Mississippi River

Day 3, Wed, September 25, Camp on the Mississippi River in Iowa (I think), 984 miles so far, 3877 to the moon

I decided to push on today and skip a camp and make it to Wildcat Den State Park in Iowa by 6pm. Just 10 minutes behind schedule, with 498 miles under our tires, and just two miles short of our goal, i slammed on the brakes, did a u turn, and pulled into an absolutely wonderful camp right on the Mississippi. I guess i missed it last year because it was dark when i pulled in to Wildcat. I was hoping to get to Wildcat to revive some memories of my one-night stay there exactly one year ago tonight. You can read about it on last year's blog. There is a sad epilog to that story which i will write about when i have time.

As readers of my blog know, i cannot apologize for the typos, grammatical errors and the like. There simply is no time on the road to pay attention to those finer points of composition. Also, as i have written before, if the contents of blogs vary on a scale of one to ten, from the mundane to the profound, mine hover at about the 1.5 level. In fact, anything profound that emerges from these experiences shows up after i get back home, sometimes long after, but they do emerge.

In the latter regard, i just read my journal from last year and saw that i set out 12 goals to reach when i returned. I accomplished not a single one, and explained the reasons for that earlier. Despite that abysmal failure on my part, i will continue that exercise on this trip and hope to do better. However, that having been said, i have no regrets as to how i spent my time. But i do regret that i had to spend my time as i did, and i suspect a few others feel the same way.

I think i hit the stride of the trip today. Fewer mistakes are being made, the daily chores are no longer onerous, and i have accepted the fact that this is how i shall spend the next 42 days. Donner never accepts that.

Tomorrow i will make another push to skip a camp at the other end of iowa and push 387 miles to make it to a wonderful little camp in South Dakota, Union Grove. If we did 498 today, we can do 387 tomorrow and get settled in before dark. (As soon as i set up camp tonight, usable daylight disappeared.) Hopefully, i can shave two hours of my trip tomorrow. However, i am mindful that tomorrow will be the last day with the Defender's sides up. We are getting into cold country and i hear a freeze is setting in. When we expect to get into Yellowstone on Sunday, the temperature at night will be 18 and snow is forecast for the next three days after that. This magnifies the paradox of preparing fir these trips. Last Sunday, it seemed irrational in DC's 91-degree temperature to be packing gear for heavy winter. I will make do.

Tomorrow, before we set off, i think i will treat myself to a nice warm shower, the first in four days, and probably the last for the next 10.

Ed and Donner, from the road, on the Mississippi

Day 3 photos, camp on the Mississippi

Top photo...Dinner for Donner on the Mississippi River

Bottom photo...i put Donner to a test to see which bed he prefers..you can see the winner for yourself.

Day 3, As It Is Happening , another rest stop, 2:40 pm

Readers of the blog last year will recognize this photo. Problem is, all the geese are gone this year. Probably starved.

Since i got a 45 minute head star this morning and gain an hour, i decided to push on to Wildcat Den camp. In Iowa, 289 miles beyond Weldon State Park in Illinois, itself 280 miles from last night. I have good memories of my one night there last year. More on that later. Sad story. Probably won't arrive till 6, but i know the setup there.

Time to hit the road.

Ed and Donner, from the road

Day 3, As It Is Happening, rest stop 7

One of Donner's 146 rest breaks on this trip. New smells, new dogs, more treats. Oh, to be a dog.

Day 2, John Bryan State Park, Ohio, 505 miles so far, 4357 to the moon.

Did not sleep well last night. Was too tired. Need to get used to my new mattress, just an inch from the ground. It's one of those self inflating mattresses, which means that you inflate it yourself.

One of the problems i encounter on all these trips when i am trying to make progress on the road or in a camp is people stopping by to chat. The Defender and Donner are the draw. I try to be courteous, but i have to remain mindful of the fact that i need to get a good night's sleep, and every conversation i have takes away from that

I am absolutely trilled that after nine road trips, i have finally reached the peak of efficiency in organizing things in the Defender. Everything seems to belong where i have it and the chaos that followed us on our trips for nine years is gone. Of course, it's easier with just Donner, recalling that for six trips i had two dogs, one time with Leben in a wheelchair. How did i manage?

Tonight, when i set up the tent, i delayed putting Donner's bed inside, the bed with those three nylon laundry bags covering it. After his dinner, Donner immediately retreated to the tent on cue, walked inside, looked around for his bed, ignoring my mattress, and then walked outside the tent, saw his bed there, and immediately hopped on it and made himself right at home. See photo. I am amazed at how something as simple as that can bring me so much satisfaction on these road trips. He absolutely loves that bed now. Now i am wondering if he will like it as much when i pull off the red laundry bag to wash it and the bed mysteriously turns to yellow, then black. I will continue this routine at home.

To conserve my daily food boxes so i don't have to resupply before Yellowstone, today was one of those days where i pick up a salad for dinner during the day's drive. I usually resupply when i get down to five boxes remaining. It takes at least three hours to go through the whole resupply routine, which translates to 15O miles, or a half day's journey. My day's are spent making tradeoffs like that.

So far, i haven'd read a page of the one book i brought, From Dawn to Decadence, by Jacques Barzun, a study of civilization's downward spiral, very fitting for the times we live in today.

It's 10pm. Time to play taps and then light's out.

Ed and Donner, from the road

Day 2 photo John Bryan State Park, Ohio

Only one photo today. We stayed in this site last year and were kept awake by a large group of campfire girls, singing gaily in the pavilion down the hill way past the quiet hour. That is, until i walked out of my tent and l blew my bear whistle just as gaily, after which they all dispersed in all directions. What do you notice about Donner in this photo?

Day 1, Explanation

I need to get used to Google's way of posting my emails. The narrative for the last posting was cut off. Essentially, the narrative said this is how Donner spends his day on the road. He alternates between the front seat bed in the backseat bed During the day's drive, then when I get to camp the first thing I do is set out his daybed, which he immediately retreat to. Then I make his dinner and wolfs it down like it was his first meal. Then, as soon as I set up the tent, he makes a beeline for the tent stays there until his evening walk. I guess there will be no movie about our road trips like there almost was about Sonntag's. Regardless, he is a good dog.

Day 1, Coopers Rock State Park, Morgantown, WV

Here is how Donner spends his busy days on the road.

He alternates between his front seat bed, and his back seat bed. Occasionally, he rests his head on my ipad on that tray near his head and changes the music to his own liking.

Day 1 As It Is Happening

Our first rest stop. Fortunately, I had my first 10 days already made up from last year, so I shaved off about 10 hours I might do list. It pays be organized. Tonight's target: Coopers Rock State Park in Morgantown West Virginia.

One goal on this trip will be not to push it, to take my time, unless I have to make progress over the road. If I do 250 miles a day, I will be happy. If I take a rest stop every 150 miles, Donner will be happy. There's nothing better than a happy Donner, and a happy me.

We’re off

Here's the defender with Donner in it all loaded outside my condo and set to go, noon, right on schedule. The first 10 days I think I will retrace my steps last year and had to Yellowstone and make a decision from there.

Below is the odometer reading of the defender. 233,996. That's a lot of miles this vehicle has seen.

Ed and Donner

Done

My goal was to finish everything by 10pm, and by God, i did. The last thing i do is my planning book, and here it is.

almost there

We are almost there.  6 ½ left

Todo list is below, yellow is to do at desk, blue is packing, gray is done, and green is to do before I walk out the door.

This is what i mean

Donner follows me everywhere. This is what i mean. Here is your receipt for the emergency key(s) and fobs i am trying to collect my wardrobe, and he sees it as an invitation to gain a strategic spot to keep his eyes on me so i don't ride off without him.

Contents of electronics bag

On my first road trip, in 2000, I did not take it take a long a single thing that required charging. Now, this is what I take long. Missing from the photo are my iPad and GPS.I think that first trip was more successful than any other because I had to rely on my own ingenuity rather than a technical support system.

Getting there

Here’s the Todo list now.  Blue is packed (I am 99% packed in all containers but 3); yellow is desk work; green is before I walk out the door, and gray is done.  Tomorrow set off no longer doable, Monday 100% chance.

 

 

Two snags yesterday, one were updating my Garmin.  You now need high speed internet to do it, but an advanced engineering degree. Whatever happened to a simple [UPDATE] button.

 

Another snag was with buying the food boxes.  It seems they do not sell Uncle Ben’s Instant Brown Rice (a staple for me on my trips) anymore in Georgetown.  The only rice they sell is the stuff that requires a PhD degree in Asia Culinary Arts  to pronounce or understand the directions in cooking (and maybe to eat it). I had to drive across state lines to find a box, and then it is 10-minote rice, not instant.  This means I have to carry more propane canisters, but since I do not have room for any more after Donner expropriated my supply box, this means more stops along the way at Walmart’s, which means more days on the road, which means I get home later than expected, which means driving through inclement weather over the Rockies, etc.,  all so the people of Georgetown can eat their fancy rice.

 

Here’s the sequence of those creating food boxes, which I take along in case I am stuck someplace for more days than planned or arrive late in a camp. I take between 10 and 12 of them, so I only have to replenish them once a week of so.

 

1. Plan the menu:  There 16 items planned in each food box (the soup and rice do not go in there)

 

2. Purchase the items and set out on table for packing

 

3. Put 12 items in each food box, 12 times

 

 

4 Pack all Boxes in container (note Donner’s canned food hitchhiking in this container, too)

 

 

5. To get this on top of the vehicle, I have to unpack it and hand up the items one by one.

Somewhat reductive day

In addition to getting the satellite phone, here’s what I did today, trying to squeeze two weeks of work into two days:

- charged all 10 or so devices requiring charging and replaced batteries in others

- collected things for Donner’s Stuff Box

- Collected things for Ed’s Stuff Box (that’s me)

- Collected things for Console and Dashboard

- packed Garage

- packed Donner’s two Food Boxes

- collected things for Office

- packed First Aid Kit

- pulled out Map Room and Library-

- pulled out tents, tarps, sleeping bags

- packed Utility Closet (tool box, really)

Still to go

- close up boxes marked “collected” (2 hours)

- pack Office (1 hour)

- pack Library and Map room  (1 hour)

- collect and pack Wardrobe and Linen Closet (3 hours)

- buy food for Ed’s Food Boxes (that’s me) and pack (4 hours)

- get a haircut that’ll hold to Henry’s on Vancouver Island (1 hour)

- pilled out teant/tarp stakes and tie-downs (for securing gear in top of vehicle)

That’s 12 hours and then I am done, except for one day of desk work for the trip, including organizing the blog

That means there is a 90% chance of my leaving Sunday; 100% Monday.

There is a solution for every problem, and vice versa

One chore on these trips I absolutely hate is having to do the laundry. It is time consuming, when I would rather be on the road. Of course, there are two alternatives for that: take more clothes and do laundry fewer times, but that adds more stuff to my to-take list and space and then requires more time to do the laundry when I do it, or just wear the same clothes longer, which I do, and only I suffer the consequences, but there are none since I never complain. So, this year I decided to upgrade my cotton laundry bag to a nylon one that would wear better on the trip, so I ordered four large nylon laundry bags, red, black, and two in yellow (the latter for reasons I do not understand) so I could pick ann choose.  Well, they arrived two days ago and as it turns out, they are way too large.  I did not measure them because I could not have imagined anyone ever needing a laundry bag as big as these are (as any single person would probably have though).  Since they cost only $4.50 each, I decided to keep them instead of tossing them out or returning them (my time was more valuable than the cost of returning them). I was sure someday I would find a use for  them.

 

Well, I found that use. As I was storing the four bags for some future need (as some people are wont to do these days), I was ready to walk away, but said, “Hold it. Wouldn’t they be good for another problem I have?”   That other problem is washing Donner’s two beds which, as you might imagine, get rather dirty on these trips, not to mention other sensual manifestations  besides the visual (think nose).  The only thing I hate worse than doing the laundry is cleaning Donner’s dog beds. So, after cutting off an  inch on all sides of the foam inside his two beds, now all if have to do is put his beds inside three of these laundry bags and Donner always has a clean bed and I only have to wash the laundry bags they are in.  I ordered two more bags (on Amazon, and they arrived just now) so his two beds can be coordinated like those Matryoshka dolls: bed inside a yellow laundry bag, inside a red laundry bag, inside a black laundry bag, with Donner on top.  My third goal on this trip will be to never to have to wash his real beds.  By the way, he has two beds because I set one up for him in the passenger seat and he has one in the rear.  He also has an elevated mesh training bed, which he just absolutely loves to rest in at a camp. It lets him feel at home. I have one bed, a thin camping mattress, which he always takes up residence on before I get into the tent.

 

Incidentally, some of you  might be wondering why I take along stuff that takes up a nine-page To-Take list  (see below)?  The answer is: to have it there when I needed it; to know that I will have it there if I needed it; and I absolutely hate (as much as doing the laundry) having to stop somewhere to buy something I should have taken.  It wastes time that I could be spending on the road and walking around a Walmart can be an eyesore when I am sued to seeing nature and healthy people (have you been in one lately?). I think over the nine trips so far, in addition to replacing supplies, I have bought very few items. Perhaps a camera once, maybe a few us and bolts and a new V-engine, which would have been tough for me to lug along.

 

Ed and Donner

 

 

 

The moon - Distance to the Moon - about 5000 miles

As I skitter from container station to container station today, my mind also skitters from road to road and favorite campsite to favorite campsite.  In going through my stuff from last year’s still-unpacked containers, I came across a patch from Craters of the Moon in Idaho, clearly a camp I want to try to make it to, two days beyond Yellowstone.  Last year, just as we passed Blizzard Mountain late at night trying to make it there, we ran into, yes, a blizzard, and by the time we reached the gate of the park just five miles up the road, the park was locked closed.  Darn. We did visit the park the next day after a pleasant bivouac in a KOA cabin about 30 miles away, and I vowed to return to that camp there on my next trip in that direction, so that is being added to my list.  And if I am adding that, I will probably want to add the nearby (250 or so miles away) Sawtooth Mountains before moving on.  And if I do that, perhaps I will swing into Canada and try to spend a night at one of my favorite campsites of all times, the uber-rustic Goat Creek Recreation Area (see red star on map below) on the long, winding, empty road through British Columbia to Vancouver Island.  I will describe more later so you understand why it is one of my favorites.  Of course, if I make that, I will probably swing onto Vancouver Island by ferry to Nanaimo and head for the Pacific, where there is a wonderful private camp (see blue star) where you can pitch your tent right at the edge of the beach in cozy little, treed plots and sleep to the waves crashing on the shore at night, feel the cool (probably cold by then) breeze coming off the Pacific and just think, read, or clear your head  without a worry in the world (assuming that I, Donner and the Defender are all problem-free at that point). It just so happens that one of the best bakeries in North America is just five miles away in Ucluelet, but that’s not why I want to go there.  But to get there we have to pass through Port Alberni, the former home of those two kids (former kids, really) who went on a killing spree in July in Canada five miles away from another one of my favorite camps on the road to Alaska in British Columbia.  And if I make it that far, I might as well head up to Port Hardy to visit Henry the barber (out of my way by 300 miles) for what will then surely be a welcomed haircut and a stop at another one of the best bakeries in North America, the Market Street café.

 

(Incidentally, I will be posting on my blog from time to time the distance to the moon. Who can predict why I will be posting that?)

 

And then I will plan the trip “home,” from there, although on the road, “home” is where you happen to be at the time.

 

Since I never know which  trip will be my last, I decided to make my aim on this one to visit some of those favorites camps I spent time in before, and perhaps toss in a few more new ones.  My only other goal is to make it back home safely (with Donner and the Defender, of course) by early November. (But if this trip turns out to be a repeat of 2016’s, well, I just do not know when I will return.)

 

Needless to say, things are rather hectic here right now, jumping from container to container, looking for this or that, and so on.  But what drives me on is not only Pete Seger’s “This Land is Your Land,” on Loop Mode on my Echo, but the thought that keeps coming to me, that once I get into the Defender whenever, fire up the engine, punch in TLIYL on my iPad,  shout to Donner, “Let’s go for a ride,” I enter an entirely different world, mentally and physically.

 

Ed and Donner

 

Getting there

I was hoping to get on the road today, but ran into a few snags. I must get 100 deliveries a year and they all show up as expected. Wouldn’t you know that the satellite phone (essential for where I go) was sent out right on time, but the FedEx delivery guy made no effort to deliver it to me when he had four ways to get into my condo’s front door.  It is now supposed to be here today.  However, I may now have to wait till Sunday to leave since that camps are all full on weekends. That might kill my Lamar Valley plan, the only target I set for the trip so far, but I will manage.

 

My condo is beginning to look like a tornado hit it with 18 packing stations set up around it and stuff all strewn nearby.  The only consolation is that when all is packed and loaded onto the Defender, my condo will be empty. 

 

As you might imagine, packing 18 containers, bags, etc.  can be hectic, especially in one day.  On my path from one station to another I pass a half dozen more, and feel compelled to do something with something I see amiss, so I do. This is the packers equivalent of “flight of ideas,” which requires an extraordinary talent of retracing your steps to where you started from.  But I need to make sure I do not put, say, Donner’s canned food in my food box.  Perhaps if I do I will understand why he always hesitates these days before he digs into his dinner.

 

Speaking of Donner’s food, he is on a special diet because of his gastro issue.  As it turns out, the two 26-pound bags of special dry food, 48 cans of special canned for, and six bags of special treats take up two containers, not the one my dogs have been allocated in the past. So, I had to transform my supply container into his second food container and figure out some way to assign those supplies somewhere else, or make so without. There is no room in or on the Defender for another container. Fortunately, I don’t have to take my spare alternator of or the Defender this time since I had it installed two weeks ago when it went out as Dean (my mechanic) was working on the cooling system. (There was no room in the garage container for an alternator, that’s why it was in the supplies container to begin with.)

 

There is one factor I did not consider in trying to pack in a day or two instead of over two weeks.  Donner recognizes all the camping stuff coming out and knows something is up and will not let men out of his sight. He follows me everywhere thinking I might leave him.  If he only knew.

 

Got to get packing.

 

ED and Donner

As if i did not have enough to do to get off

Decided to take Donner swimming one last time today at K9 Acquatic. He enjoys it so much i would have felt guilty had i not come today. I can always make up the two hours elsewhere.

Ed

Monday, 9/16, "Long way to go"

I just got around to my ToDo list.

 

The yellow items are Desk work; blue items are Pack; Gray items are Done. Long way to go.

 

Ed and Donner

 

 

Saturday, 9/14/19

Last year, readers of my blog might recall, I had many unkind words for Microsoft due to the multitudinous “Microsoft (this or that app) not responding” error messages I kept receiving, causing me to lose hours each day, and which delayed my setoff by at least two whole days. So, I vowed to dump Microsoft when I returned from my trip.  I never got around to getting to that until two months ago, but decided to give Microsoft one more try, so I got a new desktop. I must say that I have been rather thrilled with it (mainly because Microsoft had set the bar so low). Then, last evening at 4:33 p.m., after my first really productive day in getting on with preparing for this trip, my Outlook email shut down. Google would not accept my Outlook mail client.  I could have abandoned Outlook and used Google's web mail, but I do not like that app.  I then went through the standard recommended routine of checking my IMAP settings, etc., but nothing.  I then called Verizon, my ISP provider, and they were useless, although admittedly this was not their problem.  I lost four good hours last night working on this.  Then this norming, not one for giving up on problems, before I called in “Computer Geeks Я Us” I dug more deeply into the issue.  Well, to make a long story short, after an extra hour, I figured out the problem. Not only did Google change the incoming and outgoing port numbers for Outlook users unannounced (not the first time they did that), but they also declared Outlook an unsafe client, meaning I had to activate the “allow unsafe apps to access my account” option in my Google settings.  After activating that option and some trial and error with the port numbers, I got my Outlook email back, but lost six hours.  Since I am in the last week of preparing for a trip, I had no time to waste, so I have to make up for that lost time somehow if I am to get on the road on Thursday morning. Blog less, perhaps?  I cannot do that because blogging now gets me into the rhythm so I can start blogging from Day 1.

There is good news on one front.  Donner is reacting splendidly to the meds and new diet the vet put him on to solve his bacterial imbalance. For those who do not mind scatological references every now and then, his stools, just last week a 1, now are 4.5 out of 5. He even likes the special diet the vet put him on.  Life does not get any better than this, if you are a dog. 

There is also good news on the Defender front.  After some work Dean's team did on the Defender’s dashboard and gauges a few months back, my odometer stopped working. “Broken,” they proclaimed, although thinking that it might have been because it was reinstalled improperly I suggested that the odds of the odometer breaking at the exact same moment as the other work on the dashboard were zero.  As of last week, that literally was the only problem with the 26-year old Defender.  But yesterday, after I got the Defender back last week after Dean installed a new temperature gauge, I discovered that the odometer was working.  This was after I ordered a new speedometer gauge on Thursday.  Instead of returning it, I will replace the old one so that I have all four gauges new.  

My ToDo list calls. Time to go the Defender and load it with all the equipment. A good sign, even though I moved this chore from last on my long ToDo list to the top.

ED and Donner, from DC

Thursday 9/12/19

Sorry for the silence.  Yes, our trip this year is still on, but I have been delayed by several things. I hope to get on the road by 9/18.

 

First, the biggest drag on my time has been that I had to take over my condo board again in May after the president, lawyer, and managing agent were, well, not doing their jobs to my expectations, so they now all have word “former” prefixed before their titles.  The three of them forgot that none of them lives here, but this is my home. Reminds me of my days backpacking in Alaska and Russia amidst the bears.  The first rule I followed was to remember that the land was their land, and their home, and I was only a guest, an uninvited one at that. And that is why my name is not prefixed by the “former” or “the late.” 

 

Second, the Defender had to go in for a new set of BF Goodrich FM3 tires (I get new tires every 40,000 miles) and a check-up, but I walked out with a $4100 bill.  Then, as I drove away from the garage with the AC blasting (for Donner, not me) on a hot day , the thermostat went into the red zone as the red check engine light came on. Back in the Defender went. It’s the radiator, they said. Replace that, I answered. But it was still overheating. It’s the viscous fan, they said. Replace that, I answered.  But it was still overheating. It’s the water pump, they said. Replace that, I answered.  But it was still overheating. It’s the temperature sensor, they said. Replace that, I answered.  But it was still overheating. The engine block needs purging. Purge that, I answered. But it was still overheating. It’s the temperature gauge,  they said.  Replace that, I answered.  But it was still overheating. Dean, my mechanic, spent 25 hours poring over the vehicle and finally discovered that the rim of the coolant overflow reservoir was bubbling, meaning a leak, so he soldered that up and everything is just fine now.  Except my bank account after another $2900 bill.

 

Just as Dean was finishing up the overheating problem and work working under the hood, my alternator started smoking. Fortunately, I had a spare with me from last year, so he replaced that pretty quickly.  Considering that I have put less than 2000 miles on the Defender since my last trip, how lucky I am that it did no fail on the highway or in some remote location. Close call, again.

 

Another Defender problem I had to deal with concerned the hard rubber jam chuck on the tire rack on the tailgate of the Defender.  When the tailgate is opened, the jam chuck —about the size of a door stopper— plugs into a port on the tailgate, which prevents the tailgate from closing when I am parked on an incline.  My jam check went missing during last year’s trip.  It sounds like a small unimportant thing, but it really is irritating having the tailgate close on me when I am between it and the back of my vehicle. I tried every Rovers outlet in North Ameren and Europe, and none had it. Obsolete, they all said.  So, I visited my friend Dino up the street from me to see what he could do for me. He  runs a diamond mine in Canada and a diamond store here in town, and owns a 3D printer.  He set out to work and within a week I was the proud owner of 12 brand new hard rubber jam chucks for my Defender.  They work beautifully.

 

A similar thing happened after my trip last year. During last year’s trip, my warning lights panel started acting up.  I was losing warning lights one after the other. When I got home, I searched all over for a replacement, but no luck. Obsolete, I was told about 30 times. I finally found a place in Florida that had made some up using their own 3D printer, and soon I as the proud owner of a new warning lights panel for my Defender’s dashboard.  So, as of now, the Defender is in excellent condition, not a single issue with it, which is why I would not sell it for less than $79,000, about as much as I put into it over the last five years.

 

Now to Donner. Readers of my blog last year will recall Donner was hospitalized for three days in Flagstaff while I was at the Grand Canyon. He had picked up a severe colitis somewhere along the trip and it struck him at the Grand Canyon.  Back home, it took about six more weeks for him to become fully recovered, but I think that was premature.  Starting in April or so, Donner started developing loose stools. Into the vets we want, not once, not twice, but three times. Finally, Dr Morgan, Donner’s regular vet, washed his hands (literally) of the matter, so I drove 50 miles out to Frederick MD to visit with Erde’s capable internist, Dr McConnell. The first course of action to deal with the issue (B12 shots, probiotics, deworming, new diet) did not work, so, five weeks later,  we went back in again on Monday for a sonogram and scoping down into the GI tract.  Everything was normal except that they found a huge peach pit in Donner’s stomach  (I never buy peaches so it had to be in there for at least four years) , which they removed, and discovered serious inflammation of the lining of his small intestine.  They sent off three samples for biopsy, but the doctor warned me that it was likely to be inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).  The report came back today and it was not IBD, but a severe bacterial situation that he had developed, probably the result of  insufficient treatment after the colitis last year.  Donner is now on a special diet for the next 12 weeks, plus an antibiotic, to try to get his bacteria into balance again. 

 

One comment on Donner’s vet bills.  I have Trupanion with a $1000 deductible (per issue), for which I pay $50 a month. Last year Donner needed x-rays and MRIs etc. to diagnose his orthopedic and spinal issues.  The bills were over $4500.  I paid $1350, insurance the rest. This year, the GI matter cost and the  insurance paid about as much as the ortho issues last year. That means I saved $6300 by having the insurance.  I pay $50 a month for the insurance, That means in the four years I have had Donner, I paid $2400 for insurance.  You go figure. Speak about a wise decision, getting pet insurance was, and getting it with Trupanion even better. And to think I was skeptical. A word to wise is sufficient.

 

As for my own condition, I am still not fully recovered from the hit it took on my right abductor muscle, probably from more than 125,000 miles of my long road trips. But where I am now will have to do.

 

I still do not know here I am headed, but if the frequency of possibilities on my mind means anything, I will probably head off to Yellowstone one more time to spend a few days in the Lamar Valley.  But if it takes me seven days to get out there and I want to spend three days there at Pebble Creek Camp before it closes on 9/29, that means I have to leave by 9/18, which will be very tight.  After Yellowstone, who knows where I might go from there.  I will plan each day after than as it comes, as we did last year. But north is out of the question now, not because it is too cold, but because the camps are all closing.

 

More later. I have to get moving.

 

Ed and Donner

 

 

To take list 2019

To Take list - Preliminary - changes were made

1		LOOSE IN DEFENDER
2		ELECTRONICS BAG
3		MAP ROOM:
4		LIBRARY:
5		OFFICE:
6		WALLET
7		SAFETY DEPOSIT
8		TOILET KIT:
9		MEDS ED:
10		FIRST AID KIT:
11		BACKPACK
12		IN-TENT and CAMO bags
13		LINEN BAG
14		WARDROBE,
15		ED’S STUFF BOX
16		DONNER’S DAILY FOOD BOX
17		SHOWER – DONNER”Ss GROOMING BAG
18		DONNER’S STUFF BOX
19		DONNER’s MEDS:
20		DEFENDER CAB
21		CONSOLE
22		PASSENGER WELL
23		GARAGE
24		UTILITY BOX
25		STAKE BAG & BUNGEE BAG:
26		GEAR AND EQUIPMENT (6 bags) Tent bags(2), Tarps bag, Sleeping bags(2), Donner’s Cot, Off-Road Recovery Bag
27		KITCHEN
28		ED’S FOOD CONTAINER
29		SUPPLY BOX
30		PANTRY BAG

loose in Defender

Watch; whistle; dog tags; wallet

Recovery equipment on floor or passenger seat

Donner’s rear bed

Green tent floor in frton/Gray Tent floor in back

Donner’s rear bed + my mattress

Donner’s metal bowls (2)

Cane

Road triangles

Trash can with various fluids and funnels

103 locks and wires

Road atlas under driver’s seat

Aluminum stays for roof

Tent chair

Trash Bag (on back of passenger seat)

Backpack

Step stool

Ground mat (OTR?)

In-tent bag

ELECTRONICS BAG

Instructions for all; cables for all

iPad and cables  (in E-bag)

Cell phone (in E-bag)

Satellite phone; chargers (console)

Nikon Cameras; charger; Camera + charger;  memory chips (in E-bag)

Beet headphones + other headphones (in console)

Mophie battery chargers (2) +  small chargers (2) (in console)

Headlight and charger 1 in tent bag; 1 in Ed’s stuff box)

GARMIN + 2 chargers (Garmin in dashboard; chargers in Ed’s Stuff Box) (cab, Supply box)

Car Battery charger and cables for it (in console)

Multi-Charger in Defender; Various cigarette lighter plug-ins chargers (console)

Donner’s e-collar + charger (in Donner’s stuff box)

Donner’s radio collar + charger + antenna (in Donner’s Stuff Box)

Donner’s red lights (in D-Stuff box)

MAP ROOM:

Woodall’s; KOA; AAA Maps; road Atlas; other

LIBRARY:

Books;  Defender Workshop Manual

OFFICE:

Small Clip board + pads

Pens Box; laser pens

JOURNAL

Check list; rules of road; contact list; papers; etc.

Lost dog posters Donner

Read glasses (3); mag glass

checkbook

Planning Book: Emergency Contacts; Donner’s papers; My papers; Itinerary; Rules of Road; check Lists;PWs, Contacts; BACK COVER: Trip MAP

WALLET: 3 cards; driver’s license reg; USAA;  BCBC;  DCBar,FED, Nat Parks, etc.

SDP

Donner’s papers;

Passport

Extra car keys; house keys

cash; checks

credit cards: AX; Visa; Visa; ATM (3)

Cards: KOA; national Parks ; Fed ID; Navy ID; DC Bar card

Copies of driver’s license; insurance card; passport; etc.

TOILET KITs(2): Pill box; scissors; shave cream; razor; blades; styptic stick; lip salve; deodorants; after shave; lotion; tooth brush; paste; floss; rubber tip; night guard; eyelid cleaners; nail clippers and brush; soap; wash cloth; brush; comb; OFF + Cortisone, tweezers, handy-wipes, Kleenexes small; earplugs; ear wax cleaner

MEDS ED:

Prav; Advil; Vitamins; Multi; CoQ10; Aspirin;  Ambien, cold pills; Penicillin; C, D

FIRST AID KIT

First-aid books Thermometer Blood pressure monitor Bandages Surgical masks Latex gloves Gauze dressing pads Gauze dressing roll Calamine lotion Cordran Tape Vaseline Adhesive tape Cotton balls and Qtips Surgical kit Fleet enema Moist wipes (none) Ace bandages Syringes, scissors, tweezers, tick removal item Cortisone, Neosporin, Benadryl Rubbing alcohol Hydrogen peroxide Iodine Hand sanitizers Ice packs CPR kit Holistic pain-relieving medicated plaster Splint Anticlot powder

Donner’s First Aid Kit: Animax for superficial wounds or Betegen topic solution Quadritop for skin and ear infections, Baytril Otic for ear antibiotic (if Quadritop doesn’t work) Synotic for external ear infections (steroid, opens up ear canal) Tobramycin Opthalmic Solution for eye infections Canine wound cleaner Diarrhea medication for dog

IN-TENT BAG (as needed): bear spray, headlamp, tent lamp, flashlight, Ed’s bath kit

LINEN BAG

ORANGE SACK – Extra towels Ed , wash cloth), pillow case

LIGHT GREEN SACK - Towels Donner (2)

2 GREEN SACKS (Sea Summit) – Red Blankets (2)

SMALL GREEN SACK – Extra Ed shoes

BACKPACK: Towel, wash cloth, pillow case, LJ (tops and Bottom); knit cap

WARDROBE BAG(S) (circle wear)

BLUE  Brown pants/belts; Agility pants (2 pair, one wear); long john bottons (3, one in tent bag)

BLUE w/ orange tape: REI Winter Jacket, line, pants

Blue/light Blue rain jacket/pants (in cab)

GREEN small - Red windbreaker

green large – LS Shirts: Long Johns topn (1 in tent bad)

MAROON - Hoodies (2); turtlenecks (2);

PURPLE large –with purpose tape on handles bag -  U-pants (6); socks (6 bag with orage tape - Bandanas (6)  T-shirts (6)

PURPLE small - Gloves (2); watch caps (3*); wool hat (2); baseball caps (2)

WEAR -Watch, whistle; door tags;

Ed’s stuff box

Back brace and knew brace (in Supply box)

Bear spray-2 (1 in tent bag, 1 in console)

Binoculars (in console)

Blue band (in Tent Bag)

Compass (in Tray)

Deet

Electronics from elsewhere: Garmin cables, unknown cables, Canada phone (in Supply Box)

Emergency tent

Flares (in Console)

Flashlights- 2 (in dash tray, 1 in tent bag)

Foot spray

Headlamps 2 (1 in tent bag)

Hunting knife

Lamps for tent-2  in tent bag)

Leatherman-2

Light Snap On (maybe)

Magnifying glass- 2 (in Tray and Office)

Mosquito nets

Personal supplies extra: Toothpaste, shaving cream, blades,  soap, etc.  (in Black Pod Sack in Supply box)

Plastic stays

Repair kit, various items

Rubber bands

Safety glasses-2, (1 in console)

Shoe inserts and laces

Suspenders

Swiss Army knife (in console tray)

Thermometer (n Tray)

DONNER’S DAILY FOOD BOX :   Dry food; can opener; canned food; treats; spoon; cup; daily meds

SHOWER – and hose

Donner’s Grooming bag – Brush;   Derm shampoo;  Mousse;  Ear rinse gauze pads; Spray (fresh); Spray (for flies); Nail clippers

DONNER’S STUFF BOX

Backpack –purple (in Supply box)

Bandana repellant

Blue dog harness; sling (don ‘take)

Bowls: 2 metal + food bowl

Brush (in shower)

Coat – Green (in Supply Box)

Collar – tube

collar; long choke collar; tags;

Dog bags

Dog first aid kit (see first aid kit)

E-collar, handheld and charger

Flea collar (canned)

Kong – small red

Leashes: 1 long; 2 regulars

Lost dog posters (in office)

Medicine kit: daily + extra (see medicine below)

Muzzles mesh extra (one id my daypack)

Papers (in office)

Radio collar + instructions

Red lights (AAA batteries)

Salmon (small cans – 6)

Treats

Tennis balls

Tick kit tweezers + cotton + HPO (in first aid kit)

Towels (in linen bag)

Toy duck

DONNER’s MEDS: Dasuquin; Fish Oil pills, Galiprant, Gabenpentin, Hansen meds syringe for HPO I(n first aid bag), Heartworm and Flea meds; Ointments (in first aid bag)

DEFENDER CAB

Left Dash Tray: Air gauge, pens, compass; mag-glass; flashlight, sunglasses, lighters; distance glasses; safety glasses

Center Dash: Garmin

Dash Board: coffee cup, chargers, Beets, fire extinguisher, wipes,  disinfectant wipes

CONSOLE Air conditioning vent Air pressure checkers - 3 Air spray and air fresheners American and Canadian flags Bear spray Cable rechargers Cigarette lighters Compass Covers for air vents in winter Dogs seatbelt Duct tape Extension cord Extra Garman connector Flares 6 Fuses and relays (also in Garage) Gas caps -2 Graphite lubricant + ? Headphones (extra) Light for battery recharger LR Manual + winch/bat charger   Magnifying glass Miscellaneous stuff Notebook Panels for air vents Patches (OTR) Plastic storage bags Rear view mirror repair kit plus alcohol - SDP Safety glasses Sunglasses Tire air caps Battery charger + cables iPad holder and brace

PASSENGER WELL

Air compressor compartment: hose; ARB bumper accessory

Winch + control cord; air compressor hose

Air pressure gauge (in dash tray)

Off road recovery rope, hitch; winch bag; tire iron; rope; ARB item/hijack (in compressor)

Workshop manual + parts manual

Electric cord + grey cord for battery charger

Chains

1-2 spare tires (wrench for rack if there)

Shovel; pull pal; Hi-jack (+plate)

5 gallon spare water tank and spout

5 gallon Gas can and spout

Screen for radiator; wire mesh for headlights

Flares (in console); warning triangles

Fire extinguisher (in Console)

Camp Chair (in Bag on RR)

GARAGE

Cage panel (beneath it)

Fluids: Oil (5W/30 genuine), Gurling oil, ATF power steering, Bake/clutch oil, funnels (in Trash can in rear of Defender flat tire air + kit Various Gaskets, seals, O-rings Rearview mirror adhesive repair kit Windshield wiper Fuses and relays hijack clip fix-it kit Part from thermostat sensor installation Spare ignition wire JB Weld Spare Hoses and Belts Spare Spark plug wires and Spark plug Spare Ignition coil   Oil filters (3) Spare Distributor and cap Nuts and bolts Spare Alternator Spare Fuel pump Extension cord orange (in passenger well) Extension cord gray (in console?) Headlight protectors Spare headlight switch Spare lights switch Spare water pump Spare wiper fluid pump Spare windshield wipers

UTILITY BOX Laundry detergent Iron mallet Rubber mallet (in stake bag) Assortment of open wrenches Assortment of socket wrenches Assortment of Allen wrenches Screwdriver Small screwdrivers Adjustable pliers Pincher pliers Long tweezers Heavy duty adjustable pliers Assortment of C clamps and vice grips Assortment of O-camps etc. Grommet kit Saw Wire Nylon Ties Work gloves Trowel Scotchgard WD-40 PB penetrating catalyst Disinfectant wipes Shop towels (also in Supply box) Brush Measuring tape Spout for gas jerrycan JB Weld (in garage) Car air spray (in Ed’s stuff box?) Trash Bags (in Ed’s stuff box?)

STAKE BAG + BUBGEE CORD BAG

stakes, rope, mallet, D clips; double hooks; single hooks, stays/ties (MOVE)

Bungee cords

GEAR AND EQUIPMENT (ROOF RACK ?)

Sleeping bags (2) + 2 mats

4 man tent:; floor; footprint/tarp; stakes; extra poles

2 man Tent: North face + footprint

Green/grey tent floors (2) (in Defender)

Tarps 2 (one in pole bag; one in supply box)

COTS: Mine and Donner’s (Brown and blue)

Donner’s blue cot

KITCHEN

DEET candle

Table cloth; napkins

Trash bags

Cups: green/blue/brown , wine glass

Utensils bag: Kinde, food, fork, can opener, strainer, tongs

Coffee pot

Bowls; plates;

Bowls 2 plastic with tops

Cooking pot

Stove fuel (2); matches/lighters (fireplace)

Pipe, tobacco, tamper (or in Pantry)

Soap; pot scrubber

Kitchen towels; hot mat

Shop towels

Everyday Food Bag coffee/ tea, lemon juice; rice; meta; protein; dog treats;

Extra food bag

First day’s Food Rations box

FOOD CONTAINER (Daily meal boxes)

10 daily food boxes (Juice, Oatmeal (2),Raisins, Soymilk; oatmeal; coffee; Energy bars, Trail mix, crackers; wine;  V8; soup; salmon; rice; chocolate) Loose: soups, wine

PANTRY BAG: Thermos, coffee cup; daily food + treats

Supply box

Alternator

Bungee cords and straps

Camouflage bag, empty

Donner’s backpack

Donne’s winter coat

Dog bags, two

Extension cord Grey

Extra foodstuff: Rice _+ Coffee/tea

Extra tarp poles

Extra tent poles

Garmin extra, Canadian phone, unknown cables

Personal supplies extra, Ed

Propane, three cans

Shop towels, two

Tarp, second

Wet ones, extra

TOILET KIT: Pill box; scissors; shave cream; razor; blades; styptic stick; lip salve; deodorants; after shave; lotion; tooth brush; paste; floss; rubber tip; night guard; eyelid cleaners; nail clippers and brush; soap; wash cloth; brush;  comb; OFF + Cortisone, tweezers, handy-wipes, Kleenexes small; earplugs; ear wax cleaner

MEDS ED:

Prav; Advil; Vitamins; Multi; CoQ10; Aspirin;  Ambien, cold pills; Penicillin