Here are a couple of views of the rig we will be taking to Alaska. It is a Four Wheel Pop up Camper. We just had a new roof lift system added to the unit making it much easier to lift and collapse the roof. Before this addition, I found it extremely difficult to raise the roof to its camping position. The weight was just too much for me. Now, it raises with ease and is equally simple to collapse.

One of our plans for this adventure is to make meals simple on the road. After driving all day, no one wants to spend a great deal of time cooking. We have devised simple one pot meals or will use freeze dried backpacking meals. Of course, we will leave our options open for "real" food as well. The meals are only one of several experiments we will be trying.

Skin So Soft bug repellent by Avon was recommended by some former Alaskans so we plan on giving it a fair trial. We have invested in some bug proof clothing put out by Cabelas and hope that this clothing will actually minimize bug problems. Of course, we will be carrying Deet and Permethrin with us. Permethrin is derived from Chrysanthemums and can be spray directly on garments for bug repelling. As a last resort, we will be carrying head nets with us for those annoying no seeums.

Our departure date is rapidly approaching and we are finding our list of "to dos" before departure seems to be growing rather than shrinking.

We are now only 6 weeks away from beginning our trip to Alaska. We have tested a few products we thought might make the trip easier. Some have been excellent; some not so much. One of the products we had high hopes for was a popup tent for showering. While this is a great idea, we decided it might not be pleasant trying to shower in temperatures of 50 degrees or less. So back to the drawing board on that one.

New tires for the truck is a must so those will be put on the truck tomorrow. While our current tires have plenty of life in them, it is not enough life for this trip. From Texas to the Canadian border is as long a distance as it is from the Canadian border to Alaska. Lots of miles. But lots of things to see and do in those miles too.

A double sleeping bag was tested recently but while it does quite nicely on its own, it is obviously not meant for sharing. Now it is back to sheets and blankets. We have also decided to carry freeze dried food with us for those evenings when we just do not feel like cooking. And after driving all day, who does feel like cooking?

So the count down is beginning for our trip. I hope to keep you informed as time goes on and the trip actually begins.

We are actively planning our trip to Alaska. Actually, we have been planning the trip for a year now. Our friends who were to accompany us have bowed out due to work conflicts, so now we will be solo. Each week, sees new additions or subtractions to our pile of gear for the trip. When the trip will last almost three months, there is a great deal of planning to be done.

First, an explanation might be in order. We are planning a trip driving through Canada, wandering around Alaska, then driving back through Canada on our return leg. Vehicle preparation has been our focus lately with the addition of gas cans to our Four Wheel Popup Camper. Every spare inch of space inside the camper must either serve multiple purposes or must be efficiently used for its chosen purpose. Now that we have made a few changes and additions, we need to test them out.

So this next week we are making a trial run by taking a Spring Break trip with our grandson, Max. He has no idea he will be serving as a guinea pig on this camping trip to Arizona. Between us, we will all decide what works and what does not work. What is useful and necessary and what is not. This week long adventure we give us good ideas about storage space which is our primary need...we have very little!

I will continue to add details to this blog as the date for our start grows closer.