It's Not Panic Time Yet

Plans are just beginning to come together. I've been pushing on them - rather, for others to do them for a change - for some months now, ever since we decided where next summer's vacation is going to be.

I've had the "when" for quite a while now. We leave Sunday at the end of June, the day after the Antique and Collectibles auction, so that a couple of us can garner that last bit of pay to put towards the trip. And we'll be back just shy of two weeks later, in time for the next auction, since there won't be one the weekend of the 4th. Having the "when" enabled me to arrange for my brother to house-sit for those two weeks, meaning the dog, cat, and our father get cared for while we're gone. Heck, he might even get to pick cherries and blueberries from the yard - my brother, that is.

The "who" and the "how" are either decided or flexible, depending. "How" is traveling by RV, on it's longest trip since Paul and I bought it 2 1/2 years ago at - surprise! - the auction. So far it's been in Wisconsin up to Crex Meadows, up on the North Shore, and last summer got loaned out to Richard while he traveled the state with the carnival he worked for. "Who" is Paul, me, Steve, possibly my granddaughter Jordan, and possibly one of Steve's kids, either Maria or Orrin. And Sylvia's ashes, which won't be coming back with us. She also doesn't have to pay her share of the trip: go figure. The "who" also affects the "how" by mandating that a tent also be packed, since the RV hauls more than it sleeps. Which tent depends on the final head count and gender distribution. Geezers get the raised beds in the RV, youngsters get the ground.

But it's the exact details of the "where" that have been getting hung up, and I'm starting to fret that we'll lose some choice camping spots, such as in Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, if we delay much longer. Another piece fell into place today, and that, I think, frees us up to finish the planning, finally. Or is it the final planning? Both? Anyway, Steve's brother Max and his family will be joining us for part of the trip, heading to meet us from their home in Salt Lake City. We thought they might be able to join us for the ceremonial scattering of the ashes at Sylvia's favorite site near Aspen, which we thought ought to be near the start of the trip, just to avoid any potential disasters from interfering. Instead, they'll meet us on the 4th in Wyoming, somewhere along the Greys River which rises out of Alpine.

That gives us the bones of the itinerary, making it possible finally to lock in camping sites and dates. We just have to find out what our choices are. I thought that was going to be a lot easier than it's turning out to be. For example, if you cross into Minnesota and hit a tourist rest stop, brochures, maps and pamphlets abound, with all sorts of information, free of charge. Every year there's one giving camping locations and amenities info for the whole state for that year. Going online for Alaska information yields the same type of information, with offers to mail stuff out for free. I figured Co and WY would be just as easy. Yeah-h-h-h-h, not so much. It seems it's much easier if you already know the exact information you are looking for instead of just a broad general category of information, like where campgrounds are located. You can't find out what all your options are until you've already ruled many of them out.

But it's only late February. It's not panic time yet.