19 March 2012 0245 Jeri’s House Time

I’m at Jeri’s house! Everybody come visit, call, email, skype, etc. and bring food! J This coming week, we’re going to cut up a dead moose in the yard. The U-Haul trailer that I’m supposed to turn in by yesterday is still full! Tomorrow, um today, will be spent unloading it so I can clean it up and get it back to the U-Haul people. I’m wondering what the extra day will cost…

18 March 2012 1200 Alaska Time

Stopped to eat halibut fingers at Fast Eddy’s in Tok. It’s interesting because until now, I was not aware that halibut had fingers. Good food! Time to head home!

18 March 2012 0845 Alaska Time

ODO: 321322. Arrived in Alaska! Woohoo! Going to find signal to let everybody know. J

18 March 2012 0048 Yukon Territory Time

ODO: 321260. Frost heaves slow me down. Stopping to exercise slows me down. Hurrying isn’t a priority. My brain insists on sleep. 62 miles away from Alaska! Well, I did get some good pictures. I would like to dedicate the following pictures to Len for all she has done for me. ♥ If you look closely in the second picture, just to the left of center, you can see a shooting star! Good catch, huh?

17 March 2012 2230 Yukon Territory Time

Quick update to Facebook and a call to my Sweet Len on Skype, my last stop in Canada for gas, all at Destruction Bay. Time to go to Alaska! I’m feeling good to go! I expect in the next 3 or 4 hours, my second wind will run out and I’ll have to sleep. Alaska is 135 miles away! Microsoft Streets and Trips sees I’m on the south side of the street, so it wants me to drive south 29 miles and do a U-turn. Makes sense, I suppose. That would make it 193 miles. I think I’ll just turn left instead and do the 135 miles. Onward!

I took a picture of some mountains before I got here. The sun was going down, so lighting was such that I had a long exposure. I don’t know if I held the camera still enough. Here it is.

17 March 2012 2030 Yukon Territory Time

Got signal in Whitehorse, so I called my Len. J Just as the conversation was getting good, I lost signal again! So I found wifi in another town down the road. I think they didn’t appreciate my overuse, since I called Len and Jeri on Skype. The router disappeared! I am mostly sure they turned it off.

So I headed down the road and stopped, or attempted to stop, at a rest area to do some exercise. I was in 2 wheel drive, and the whole parking lot, like all of them, was packed snow. I pulled in, stepped on my brakes, and lost steering. I let go, steered into a good place to stop, stepped on the brakes gently, locking up the front brakes. The rear tires kept pushing the Jeep forward with the assistance of gravity and the trailer. I finally got annoyed, put it in 2 wheel drive part time, and stopped.

100 jumping jacks later, I hit the road!

17 March 2012 1400 British Columbia Time

ODO: 320884. I’m on that stretch of highway that goes back into BC for a bit. Made a quick stop at a rest area to scrub dirt off the headlights and taillights. Snow is plentiful, so I used lots of it. The mud that packs on the bottom of the running boards and the front of the trailer is all melting. Most of it fell off before I knocked the rest off. This morning, I noticed someone beating the frozen stuff off his truck with a hammer.

17 March 2012 0830 Yukon Territory Time

Time to hit the road. This bird was talking to me this morning. I think he was hoping I would feed him something.

I think last night happened the way it did so I would look up and see the welcome God has given me. J

17 March 2012 0310 Yukon Territory Time

ODO: 320745. Yup! I found the Yukon Territory! That leaves me 952 miles to Wasilla. Why am I up so early? I was driving along, looking for a gas station. Two towns on my map seemed to be closed. Not the gas stations there, but the whole place. I saw buildings with no lights, and the roads were not plowed at all. Anyway, I started thinking I was going to try something different. I have 3 sleeping bags and a tent. I can unroll one sleeping bag, then unroll my really warm sleeping bag on top of that, and the third, I would unroll and unzip, covering the second one. Sounds like I’ll be nice and warm! It worked quite well! I found I was getting just a little cold air through openings every time I took a breath. This was fine for something like an hour and a half. The temperature was dropping fast! It got to the point that any outside air that leaked in was making me cold while the sleeping bags were keeping me warm. I couldn’t sleep! So I wrapped things up and stuffed them in the Jeep. I didn’t take time to fold everything nice and neatly because it was cold!

On the bright side, when I got the tent all set up, I looked up at the sky, and Borealis was smiling down on me! I saw the sky lit up with a swatch of green spread out what I think was north to south. It’s good to be almost home!

So I’m coming up to another town, thinking that I’m going to stop there and get gas, hoping they’d be open. I didn’t make it. I had to switch to my auxiliary tanks. By that, I mean, I had to take them off the roof of the Jeep and fiddle with those darn safety nozzles! In an ideal situation, you would stick the plastic hose extension on the nozzle, push and hold the switch, and squeeze the valve, then poor. In this situation, I was trying to get 5 gallons of gas into my Jeep when the temperature was very frozen. I really don’t know what the temperature was. I was enjoying breathing cold air, but the cold gas jug was starting to hurt my hands. These jugs only let a little bit before you have to turn them up to let air in. I think I was there for 10 minutes, and still only had less than half the jug into the Jeep.

This is when I remembered I bought a rather big, fancy funnel for filling transmission fluid! Woohoo! I popped that screwy safety nozzle off, stuck the funnel in the tank, and dumped the gas in! Grabbed the other jug, too! So I’m up to 10 gallons in the gas tank, and I’m hitting the road again. There, just over the hill, is a gas station! I was thinking I should have only dumped one jug! Well, hope was soon lost when I saw the bright CLOSED sign in the window. So I headed to Watson, which is the place that this place advertised has higher gas prices. I figure I can get there on what I have easily and fill up. Hopefully they’re open. If not, I’ll just sleep at the pump.

Didn’t make it that far. I’m feeling sleepy, so I found a rest area just on the other side of the border of the Yukon Territory. This path will lead me back to BC, but not for long. Anyway, I’m going to try to get me some sleep.

16 March 2012 1730 British Columbia Time

So I was trying to call my Sweet Len on the phone when I lost signal. That was a while ago. I stopped at Toad River Post in BC and borrowed their wifi so I could let her know I didn’t go off the side of a mountain. Summit Lake is frozen! Anyway, 1148 miles to Wasilla. This is a short one because I want to hit the road. J

16 March 2012 1400 British Columbia Time

The trailer is gaining weight! I have a record low on mileage. Looks like all that climbing steep hills got me a touch under 12 MPG. Maybe I should have gone ahead and installed my Fish carburetor before I left!

1270 miles to Wasilla!

16 March 2012 1130 British Columbia Time

ODO: 320321. Things are getting interesting. I pulled out of Fort St. John, and discovered that the ABS light didn’t mean there is a problem, but more specifically that the ABS was shut off completely because there’s a problem. It doesn’t come on for 10 minutes after I start driving. During that time, it works quite well. Once it comes on, I got nothing! So, if I need to stop, I drop into 4WD part time, which locks the differential in the transfer case, spreading stopping force evenly between front and rear axles. Almost as good as ABS! The road North of Fort St. John varies from black ice to packed snow to mud. I’m finally making some altitude! For the longest time, I wasn’t much over 2,200 feet or so. I got up to 2,500 feet more recently. Now, it’s been up to 3,600 feet at some points, then a 500 foot drop where all the trucks were driving at 20MPH so they don’t overheat their brakes and go out of control across a bridge and die a fiery death on a frozen river. I’m stopped at the Northgate Buckinghorse Lodge, altitude 3,361 feet, where they made me take my shoes off before I went inside.

Distance to Wasilla is 1,375 miles, and it is currently snowing.

I got to Skype my Sweet Len this morning, so it was a good morning. She keeps worrying about me, which is so sweet! I keep telling her I’ll be fine! She made me promise to put shoes on before I get out of the Jeep in the snow. ♥♥♥J

15 March 2012 2245 British Columbia Time

ODO: 320194. I was seeing snow on the road leftover from recent cleanup, so I went ahead and attached all 4 wheels to the road. As I was pulling in to Fort St. John, the snow started coming down just a bit. I parked at the local McDonald’s, thinking I’d get an internet connection and maybe call it a night. Now, the snow is coming down quite nicely! If it keeps this up, nobody will know I’m in here! J I’ll keep my phone on wifi so people can call, Skype, or YM me. Looks like I’ll be in Sunday. I don’t want to be pushing 60 MPH in the snow pulling this U-Haul trailer.

15 March 2012 2127 British Columbia Time

ODO: 320147. Entered the Alaska Highway! Woohoo!

15 March 2012 1530 Alberta Time

Evidence that I’m getting close to Alaska:

I took the first picture as I was getting close to Whitecourt. I took the second picture inside Whitecourt.

Enough goofing off. Time to get back on the road again. J

15 March 2012 1330 Alberta Time

ODO: 319810. Machine Messiah on the music box, and I exited to Highway 43 to the AK Hwy! I’m seeing more snow on the ground, but nothing close to the highway.

The roadside rest stops have regular holes in the ground, but with urinals. This reminded me of those new no-flush urinals that are being hyped all over the place. I realized they’re just going back to what we had before the flush toilet was invented. On a continent that has such an abundance of fresh water, it doesn’t make sense to go through so much effort and expense to save a pittance, relatively speaking, of fresh water.

Last night’s stay in a motel gave me a chance to look at myself, and I realized I’ve packed on a few pounds since I left Virginia! Yikes! Looks like I have a LOT of catching up to do! I’m gaining weight, sitting around all day, and my Sweet Len is going on all these adventures that make her sore, tired, and stronger!

14 March 2012 2355 Alberta Time

ODO: 319717. I’m going to sleep lying down tonight! Got me a room in Vegreville, Alberta. I have about 1,975 miles to go until Wasilla. I better get a good night’s sleep and keep focused on the road for the next 3 days if I want to be there by Saturday. The heater in this room is stuck on. I think I’m about to fix it!

14 March 2012 2008 Alberta Time

ODO: 319625. Entered Alberta. The sign was not impressive. This is a good spot to stop and move my bones for a bit.

14 March 2012 1825 Saskatchewan Time

ODO: 319536. Filled up the tank. I’ve had a serious headwind for a while now, and my gas mileage was therefore 13.3 MPG and 12.4 MPG for the last 2 refills. It doesn’t help that I’m driving 65 to 75 MPH. Stopped in the Battlefords in Saskatchewan and got some Canadian yogurt and bananas. The yogurt is pretty good. Called my Sweetheart. She’s getting ready to go swimming! Big fun! Time to hit the road.

14 March 2012 1445 Saskatchewan Time

ODO: 319382. Quick stop for a Subway sammich at Davidson, Saskatchewan! Got wifi, so I’m doing a quick update and Skyping my Sweetheart! She was asleep, but somehow she woke up. My spirits are lifted some more! J

14 March 2012 1325 Saskatchewan Time

ODO: 319331. I was thinking there would be no rest areas. I found one! It was closed. I parked anyway. I ran one lap around the perimeter to find out if I still have a heartbeat. I’m thinking I would like to sleep laying down tonight.

14 March 2012 1215 Saskatchewan Time

Saw as sign showing left turn to Assiniboia as I was heading out this morning. Microsoft Streets & Trips routed me around Regina. I went through because I needed gas, so it routed me around the gas stations, so I had to ignore it completely if I was going to get gas. I set it up to remind me when it was time to get gas. So far, I’ve gotten gas quite a few times and the program still thinks I’m okay.

14 March 2012 1030 Saskatchewan Time

ODO: 139218. I got to Canada, thinking it would be a quick and easy thing, but NOOOOOOOO! I was there for close to 2 hours. They wanted to search my vehicle, and because of staffing, I had to wait a while before someone could leave the office because he had to wait for someone else to come into the office. They didn’t take long to search, once they started. He had me open the trailer. He asked about some stuff, saw an Air Force uniform, and started asking questions about ribbons. He thought they were only decorations, but now he knows better. He said I was good to go!

Lost time from the border search, and I was tired early. I found a park that had free internet, but there was nobody there to give me the key. On the bright side, there was nobody there to take my $16 for camping fees, either. The park was flooded to some degree, and it was really windy outside, so I didn’t pop up a tent. Instead, I slept in the Jeep again.

I discovered that AT&T’s coverage of Canada that costs $20 a month only includes phone usage. Data usage is an additional $25 for 50MB. Looks like I’m going to stick exclusively to wifi until I get to Alaska.

I stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast, still wearing my “I [heart] Cebu” shirt. One person took my order and another asked if I’ve been to the Philippines. This McDonald’s is all Filipinos, except the Canadian manager.

For whatever reason, MagicJack doesn’t let Len call me directly, but she can call Jeri! I also gave her Mom’s number, so if she’s trying to call me, she’ll call one of you two, and you can call me. J

Time to hit the road!

13 March 2012 1715 Central Time

ODO: 139042. I stopped in Minot, ND, to get some gas. My auxiliary tanks were filled up when it was something like 33 degrees outside. Now it’s something like 66 degrees, and the tanks are round! I let some pressure escape. They should shrink again when it cools off outside. Looks like Canada is about 80 miles or so away. Next stop, Saskatchewan! I have to do more exercise before I get started in the morning. My legs and feet were puffy for a while until I got out and got myself moving around during this stop. My right ankle was aching so I popped 650 mg of acetylsalicylic acid. Pain’s gone. I wonder if it also helped reduce the puffiness. Time to hit the road again!

Projected road in Saskatchewan: 39 to 6 to 11, to Saskatoon, where I’ll catch 16.

13 March 2012 1534 Central Time

ODO: 319000. Im about 120 miles from Canada. I hit this mile mark right at the sign for Belfour ND. I was listening to “The Revealing Science Of God” by Yes.

13 March 2012 1208 Central Time

That Southwest Patty Melt at Hardee’s looks really good! So it seems that when I obey the U-Haul speed limit of 55 MPH, I’m getting somewhere around 15.8 MPG. When I push it to 65, I get about 14.4 MPG.

13 March 2012 1115 Central Time

ODO: 318811. I’m confident I can hit the 319K mark today. J Hitting the road!

13 March 2012 0055 Central Time

ODO: 318808. Didn’t quite make it to 319K. I’m going to fill up the tank and the auxiliary tanks, then head 3 miles down the road for a sleep at the rest area. Hopefully, they didn’t close it or something. The Jeep is quiet, so I can hear my music coming from the laptop. If you’re wondering where I am, look for Tower City in South Dakota. I’ll be 3 miles past it on I94. G’night everybody!

12 March 2012 2040 Central Time

Stopped at the Middle Spunk Rest Area and had Ritz crackers, cheese and Braunschweiger. I’m pushing for the border of North Dakota before I call it a night.

12 March 2012 1700 Central Time

ODO: 318501. I started feeling dizzy from the exhaust fumes, so I stopped in a town called Hudson, got something to eat, had the Vaovoline guys change the engine and transfer case oil. I found a muffler shop that wanted $100. They found something else and added $25. Now the Jeep is quiet and I’m not dizzy. I’ve lost too much time. I’m maybe 2 miles away from Minnesota, and still have to get through North Dakota before I reach Saskatchewan. I was planning on reaching 319K before I quit. It may still happen, but I’m not sure. GPS tells me 3,160 miles to Wasilla. Microsoft tells me 3,169 miles. While eating a sammich at Arby’s, I heard someone in back ask, “Did I just hear an onion ring?”

12 March 2012 1222 Central Time

All this time, I never really thought about the snow until now. I started thinking that I should be seeing something on the ground somewhere. On cue, I saw little remnants under trees. It’s like I’m psychic or something! J

I got a message from my Sweet Len this morning. I called her, and found out she sprained her ankle. It doesn’t seem like a really bad sprain, but it hurts! So, prayers of healing for my Baby Love, please, everybody. For the atheists, the power of prayer has been scientifically proven, so send her healing thoughts. J Thanks everybody!

12 March 2012 0215 Central Time

ODO: 318377. Found a rest area on I94 about 8 miles southeast of Black River Falls, Wisconsin. Time for some sleep! G’night all!

12 March 2012 0005 Central Time

ODO: 318283. Stopped at a rest area, and noticed they had ice cold soda. Temperature read 17F. That’s quite ice cold. It’s about time to get gas. I may try to burn this tank full that I’m about to get. Nothing eventful going on. It’s raining just a little bit.

11 March 2012 2025 Central Time

I escaped Illinoiz! Thought I was going to be stuck for a bit there! I talked to my Sweet Len on the phone while I still had massive amounts of frustration still broiling around inside me. I think it took me 15 seconds of hearing her voice to make it all go away. She’s my angel! Talked to Jeri and helped her find where I was so she could tell Mom. I stopped near Delavan, Wisconsin, to grab some Wendy’s chili. It’s late, but I want to burn another tank of gas before I call it quits for the night. Thanks, Ron, for putting me up in your place, helping me with my Jeep, and talking about life, religion, and other fun things. Going to hit the road now!

11 March 2012 1825 Central Time

ODO: 318101. Got to O’Reilley’s and they don’t have the shocks in the system, so I had to buy another set. Funny thing is they had my Alaska phone number, which was put in when they entered my name for the lifetime warranty. Ron is going to try to find the guy who sold them to us and get a reprint of the receipt. On the bright side, I have a spare. I’ll fix the exhaust next time I see a service station that’s open. I was trying to get into a left exit, and some lady flipped me off because she had to share the road with someone who made her adjust her direction or speed ever so insignificantly. I tried to run her off the road, but my Jeep was pulling too heavy a load for me to catch her. </melodrama> So the Jeep is good to go, and I only ran the rear shocks up to 115PSI. Hitting the road now, with exhaust pipe swinging gently in the breeze. I found my ditty bag on top of the Jeep! It stayed there for something like 50 miles! Cool!

11 March 2102 1530 Central Time

The new air shocks made a huge difference in the ride! I stopped for gas, noticed my exhaust was really loud! No biggie. I imagine someone can weld the pipe for $20 or so. I found a service place, but they’re closed on Sunday. I went to my Jeep, and it looked low again. I climbed under to find the leak, and saw a bunch of wet stuff around the left shock. It was blown! The nearest O’Reilley’s is back behind me. Looks like I’m either living with it broken or backtracking. Decisions, decisions…

10 March 2012 2115 Central time

ODO: 317944. This morning, I woke up sometime after 10. My laptop was set up nearby, so when I woke up, I saw my Sweet Len right away. It’s a good morning, I was thinking to myself. Ron asked me if I can eat eggs. I said I could. He asked if I could eat fried potatoes. I said I could. He started to ask about hotcakes, and I told him to ask what I couldn’t eat. So he asked, and I said, “raw cats.” I don’t know where it came from, but I know I would not eat them.

We went to town to find something to raise the rear of the Jeep. Finally found air shocks at O’Reilley’s for $80. I put them in, and pumped them up to 100PSI, and the Jeep is really close to being level.

Later, Ron and I went to push the pressure up to 120PSI, and a hose popped off. The whole thing went flat! I tightened it up, and tried to put air back in, but the air fitting was too stout to release pressure into the super cheap plastic fitting. We went to get a better one at the store, and had the same results. I finally pulled out my clip-on compressor. The instructions say 150PSI, so I pushed it up to 130PSI. Here are before and after pictures.

For dinner, we had what was left of last night’s food on toast. I pulled out the Milepost and started looking at maps. I plotted the map with Microsoft Streets & Trips, and my iPhone. They both agreed on a path once I leave here. I can’t find my GPS puck, so I went ahead and bought an updated program with updated maps and a new GPS puck! Woohoo! Leslie got some raspberry chocolate ice cream, so that was dessert. I finally got a moment to read Facebook. I’m going to stay one more night here and head out early in the morning. Good night all!

10 March 2012 1215 Central Time

Today was eventful, so it’s all getting typed now.

I couldn’t type anything because my computer wouldn’t work this morning. Jeep felt funny, so I checked things. Turned out I was low on transmission fluid. I added a quart, then went to look at why it was low. I found a parts store and got a couple pieces of 3/8 inch pipes to replace the fittings that didn’t fit. This added something like 90 minutes to the trip.

Filled up the gas tank twice. First time, I got about 15.8 MPG. I didn’t really top it off. Second time, I got 13.5 MPG. I topped it off. I’m going to guess that I got about 14.5 MPG on both. I put 92 octane in the second time to see if it felt any different. I did notice I didn’t have to downshift nearly as much, and the throttle seemed more responsive. I think it was in part because the land got flatter.

Got to Ron’s house and set myself up for the night. It’s good to stop and visit family on the way. Len got to meet Ron and Leslie and the dogs. My computer seems to be working again, so I get to update this log. I’ve decided I’m going to put something on the Jeep to compensate for the trailer tongue weight. I’m imagining the first good frost heave bouncing the Jeep’s axle into the asphalt. Could be messy.

9 March 2012 0700 Eastern Time

Slept well. Took a picture of the W L OME CENTER.

8 March 2012 2230 Eastern Time

ODO: 317435. Crossed into PA at 8:04 pm. I’ve stopped at a rest area just inside the border, and I’ll be calling it a night. I’m going to inspect the Jeep in the morning before I hit the road to make sure there aren’t any issues. It’s all just part of the trip. Good night everybody!

8 March 2012 2020 Eastern Time

ODO: 317386. I entered West Virginia again via I68. Stopped at a rest area just the other side of the border to have me a PB&J sammich! I think the Jeep was feeling bad earlier because my bladder was really full. After putting antifreeze in and relieving myself, we’re both doing much better! It’s been raining for a while now. The wind has been bouncing my gas jugs occasionally. Some of these inclines in the mountains are steep enough that I’m running in 2^nd gear. Usually, going down to 3^rd covers it. I’m going to add more antifreeze now. I hear the overflow bottle sucking air. Time to get wet!

8 March 2012 1950 Eastern Time

ODO: 317363. Got worries. Seems like I keep smelling transmission fluid, but when I check it, it is full. Antifreeze is low, so I added some, so I should be fine there. In a sharp turn from a stop, I felt something that makes me think one of the U joints in the front may be wearing out. I’ll take a closer look when I get to Ron’s house.

8 March 2012 1819 Eastern Time

Crossed the Eastern Continental Divide. Woohoo! Got to talk to my Sweetheart for a bit. That always lifts my spirits. Of course, my spirits are already lifted because I’m going home! My Sweet Len just lifts my spirits more!

8 March 2012 1745 Eastern Time

ODO: 317283. Stopped in Clear Spring, MD. I got 15.8 MPG this fill-up. I missed my turn because I was looking for I68. Turns out I70 is where I should have turned, as it leads to I68 near the Pennsylvania border.

8 March 2012 1600 Eastern Time

I’m in Winchester, VA, not far from the WV border. ODO: 317228. I stopped at a Chick-Fil-A to get some dead bird and a butter knife. I brought my own food, but it all requires a butter knife. I have lots of them, but they’re probably in the same place as my GPS receiver for my laptop.

So far the trip is uneventful. I think I like the feel of a double axel trailer better than this one. Seems I get more road feedback with a single axel. It’s easy driving, though. Nice and tight, so control is not an issue at all.

8 March 2012 1430 Eastern Time

Forgot to get a reading of the odometer before I left. I was a few miles down the road when I read it. 317141. My auxiliary gas tanks were making thumping noises on the roof, so I stopped at a rest area, ODO: 317162. They were fine, so I added a strap to keep them from jumping around. Once I fill them, I’m sure gravity will help. Just realized it would have been just a bit shorter to go up I270 instead of I66. I’m past the tipping point, so continuing to I66. I’ll turn right at I81 and left at I68.

8 March 2012 1320 Eastern Time

Time to go! Jeep and trailer are waiting for me, so I’m hitting the road! I’ll call Ron on the way and let him know I’ll be there tomorrow sometime.

8 March 2012 0325 Eastern Time

Little things kept crawling out of the woodwork! As soon as I thought I got a lot of stuff done, something else would show up. So, it’s early in the morning, and I’m finally done! Just have to grab my food and small suitcase on the way out. Looks like I’ll be out of here around noon today. Worst case scenario, I can get out before 2 and beat the rush hour traffic around the beltway. First stop, not counting rest stops, Ron’s place! I’ll give him a call today and let him know it’ll be tomorrow. It’s around 750 miles from here to there.

I would like to take this moment to thank Len, who helped me in so many ways to get past this very difficult time and move on with my life. She is truly a blessing in so many ways! Every step of the way, things have happened to let me know that I’m on the right path, and Len has been right there with me. I’d like to thank my daughters for all their understanding and support. It sometimes amazes me what they have become. I’m so proud of them! I’d like to thank Jeri, my sister, for offering me a place to stay and plenty of moral support.

Thanks to everybody else who I haven’t mentioned. I’m about to pass out, so, good night everybody!

7 March 2012 2025 Eastern Time

This is it! Trailer is ready to go! I have to clean up my room and load the last few things into the Jeep. I’ll take it easy for the rest of the night and head out early in the morning. I’m going for 0430, give or take. I have my Milepost in hand, and my GPS at my side. 738 miles or so to my brother’s house!

7 March 2012 1435 Eastern Time

Looks like all my stuff is going to fit in the trailer after all! Whohoo! Still got a lot to do, but I don’t want to wait any more. I think that, even if I’m done really late, I’ll still hit the road. Once I’m sure, I’ll be calling my brother in Indiana to let him know when I’ll be there.

Last night, I took my bed apart. I was too tired to make room on the floor, so I went to the basement and fell asleep there. Woke up early in the morning, cold, so I went up and got a blanket. On my way down, I missed the last step and twisted my right foot AGAIN! I sat on the floor right there and held on to my foot and waited for the pain to go away. Back to sleep a bit later, I woke up and my big toe was in pain! I don’t remember spraining it!

Time to get back to packing the last few boxes and stuffing the U-Haul trailer. I may start adding pictures once I get going.

6 March 2012 1830 Eastern Time

Because of creative methods I used to squeeze gear oil bottles, my arms are VERY sore!

Still packing things. Turns out the trailer I got is a bit too small, so I’m having to go through extra effort to get things in there. I may have to put things in my Jeep. Expected departure is tomorrow at this point.

I can’t find my screwdriver, so this trip may be cancelled. Or maybe I’ll use another one…

6 March 2012 0200 Eastern Time

Jeep:

Front driveshaft is balanced and has one new U joint. Both differentials are running with new synthetic oil. Secondary transmission oil cooler is installed and working. To do: Align headlights. The left headlight is spotting aircraft. Change engine oil. It’s only 2 or 3 years old, but I’m going to change it anyway.

Packing:

Got one desk dismantled. I have several boxes ready to go in the trailer, but I don’t have the trailer ready for boxes. The plan is to move stuff around in the trailer to make room for one big piece of furniture and then start stacking. I need to get a few more boxes. I’ll be switching to my laptop today. I got a high end protector for my iPhone. It’s rated water proof up to 2 meters. I tested it at 2 inches for a couple hours and it passed.

It’s late, and sleep is demanding my attention. Len almost got in trouble for Skyping me while she was in class.

I couldn’t find a spreadsheet program for the iPhone that would let me load, save, and send Excel spreadsheets, so I’m sticking with an old iPaq I have for a gas log.