4 days to lift off

An RV trip wouldn't be complete without that map on the side of the RV which allows you to color in each state as you conquer it. We put ours on tonight. We have one state sticker on, Virginia. We figured out that we will be hitting 38 states and 7 Canadian provinces. We are missing states such as Delaware, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Minnesota, Idaho, Iowa, Wisconsin, Alaska, and Hawaii. The only two Canadian provinces we will miss are Manitoba and Saskatchewan. If we really wanted to conquer states, we could easily hit many of these. But that wasn't an objective. After all, we have to leave some territory for the next sabbatical trip in 2014!

6 days left to departure

Only 4 more working days to go! How strange it is to think that since my 10 year old son has been born, I have never spent more than two consecutive weeks with him (meaning 24 hours a day). Now I will be spending 16 consecutive weeks with him. This presents a good opportunity to be a role model in a way that I have never been before. Of course every mistake will be observed. Therefore, the handling of mistakes is just as critical as the handling of everyday coaching in life. This will be a trip that is full of opportunities to make an impact on my boys (particularly the older ones). Sheri has now packed everything but our clothes. Thankfully, we are finding we have more room than first anticipated. We did decide to fill the shower, anticipating that at most RV parks will have a more spacious shower a short walking distance from our site. We made the decision to cut back on clothes only taking 4 warm weather outfits and two cold weather outfits. We won't have room for dirty clothes so laundry will be something we'll need to do every third day. We have decided to bring winter jackets just in case it is cold in places like Glacier National park at night. Good news is that Sheir's brother found his basket that connects to the trailer hitch (it was tucked away in storage) so we are going to be able to take the bikes. Another blessing, my neighbor offered a bike rack that will allow us to take all 5 bikes (Sheri and I included). I just hope we have plenty of places to ride. So if you see a 21 foot RV with 5 bikes dangling from the back it might just be us.

18 Days Left to Departure

We're down to the final home stretch. Sheri has spent the last several weeks putting aside the essential trip items. We'll pick up the RV on June 16th and begin the tedious process of packing the RV. This will probably involve several iterations. We probably have more items than we can fit, but maybe we will be surprised to find we have more room than we have items. Since the kids are homeschooled, Sheri has put together their math and writing curriculum. We are taking it light on schooling as our main mission is spending time with each other. I've made reservations for the first 25 days. The only location that cannot accomodate an RV is Boston. We were able to find a hotel near Logan airport that has a free shuttle to the subway station, which will provide needed access to the city. I don't really want to drive in Boston.
The most important item on my list is finishing up a major report before I depart. Check back on the blog about July 7th. Our goal is to have posted pictures for the first couple stops (Hershey Park, New York City) by that time.