Six days until departure. The anticipation is building. We haven't packed anything, yet. Too early to do that. We have made the reservation for our first night on the road. KOA. Much less expensive and more relaxing than a hotel.

 Preparation: Pick out a digital camera that I want to buy. (Woo Hoo, a new one, that works correctly!)

Preparation: Get a camp stove and a traveling coffee pot. 

Preparation: Make lists. Lose lists. Make more lists.  Lose more lists... isn't that how it goes? 

Already have the GPS, so that's good to go.  It lives in the car. Recently, it has been mysteriously turning on and talking when it wants to. I wonder if it is attempting to develop sentient thought.  Must remember to get the ice chest out of the shed and make sure it doesn't smell like someone's dirty socks. 

 For years, my family camped. We took tents, sleeping bags, lanterns and all that other cool stuff, along with maps and a compass. I look back on those days with wide eyed wonder.  Camping trips lasted three months, starting with a three day trip on an ocean liner to even get to the United States.  Now, my prep for camping involves making sure that the power converter is in the car, the laptop is safely packed, with the charger for it, the smart phone is in my purse, with the charger for it. Good grief! What ever happened to Simple?

 The trip will be from our home in North Carolina to Colorado. First leg. Visit there, pay for the wedding venue for December (that's yet another upcoming trip) and see some things that are natural beauty and wonder. (and probably eat more food than I should.)

Then, from there, to Texas, where we are going to do some exciting to us stuff, like see the Bowling Museum and get new bowling balls made in Arlington at the Internation Bowling Center there.  (I wonder how close the KOA is to the Bowling Center?)

Third leg will be to Dayton, Texas, which is a beautiful, tiny rural town where one of my sons lives. Visit grandchildren. Spoil grandchildren. Learn to deep fry a turkey.

The final leg will be the meander home. No time schedule except to be back before the middle of July.  But no, the trip doesn't end there, or rather, another trip starts there.  Jump on the plane and go to New York to pick up the RV. (So, why, you ask, are we doing this massive trip before we get the RV? I'll tell you. Because we can.) On the way home from picking up the RV, I want to go to Baltimore and see the statue of Major George F. Armistead, as well as his grave, and the grave of Confederate General Lewis A. Armistead. Something about them having the same last name as my maiden name.  It will be a great trip, all of them, and with the new camera, I will document it.