We finally got some of the stuff on the “To Buy” part of our list for the trip, and we might have gone just a tad overboard. Did we really need mosquito hat covers?
Something we enjoy on “altered” State Street, is overhearing snippets of conversation. Sometimes we notice ours too. Like as we passed a guy sitting on a bench waiting outside some apparel store for his wife. I said, “It’s comfy, but I can’t take it off!” Now that snippet in itself is entertaining for us, but the context was our jocular discussion of what it would be like to wear a velcro jacket. By now maybe you’re wondering how this relates to shopping for the trip.
In the sporting goods store, we talked for probably ten minutes about whether to buy fishing hooks and line. In retrospect, the dialog must have been riddled with snippets we’d enjoy hearing from others as we passed them in the aisles. “We’d need a license.” “Not if we’re fishing for survival.” Now you might get a hint that there was a darker side to this particular dialog.
The route we plan to fly will always be within gliding distance of roads and settled areas, as was our plan for the Big Adventure. Even on that flight in generally more developed areas than we contemplate in this one, there were a few times we wandered off to look at stuff. One region that comes to mind is Big Bend in TX, where we got into some fairly remote areas. As pilots might guess, I climbed to increase our options but am glad they weren’t needed. So since we don’t fish for sport, as Anne contemplated a scenario where fish hooks would be useful, her mood darkened. Fortunately we worked through it, and since the minimalist fishing gear was small, light and cheap we went for it. More options.
So tonight we begin piling stuff to sort, weigh, and then try to pack into Tripp. For the Big Adventure flight we had our small car packed to the roof with stuff, and were surprised when it all fit comfortably into Flash. This time we might fly without the back seat, which would produce even more space – and probably more ease in loading. It would be nice if we can also load it in such a way that we don’t need to unload lots of stuff to get at something we need. We also need to decide whether to bring a tarp, because one of the cool things about a C-172 like Tripp is how easy it is to create a cozy place beneath a wing just by adding a tarp. Soon we’ll visit a few other stores on our List Quest, but maybe we’ll dial back the binge factor after looking at the pile from today’s craze. As always, comments, suggestions and warnings are welcome. 🙂
John & Anne Wiley 
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