Trip Prep

Long gone are the days when I'd pack up the morning of a trip. For this, my long-desired and first RV trip, planning commenced weeks ago. I printed out checklists I found online in the course of trying to figure out what could go wrong and how to make it go right. I made shopping lists: for the RV itself, leaning on sage advice from friends in-the-know; essentials to take with us like water; for lunch and dinner the one day we'd actually camp out on the road. I made packing lists for me, for Merlin, for the RV. I got AAA maps and printed out a TripTik. And, of course, I put it all in a binder. Which I may forget to take.

 As the day of launch became imminent, I decided that Merlin needed a travel crate that is lighter than the van-wide wire crate he travels in. I popped into the Village* Pet Food Express. Not seeing collapsible crates and the manager asking if I needed help, I for once said yes. She showed me what they had, I settled on one and asked if she'd give me a 50% discount for being a good customer. She replied that she'd give me a 20% discount. Sold!

 I was sure Merlin would have the room he needed but he can be funny about going into a crate. As in refuses to. Plus, he had decidedly mixed feelings about what I was gruntingly carrying up the stairs. 

My boy loves his treats, though, so I got him to explore the fold-up crate temporarily installed in the living room. Long enough, he could turn around. 


After his dinner came Merlin's two hours of mayhem. He seemed very happy to have another victim, the bed out of his new crate. 

And all is right with the world.




*"Village" is Montclair Village in Oakland.

Comments

  1. toobguyOctober 18, 2018 at 11:41 AM

    Ah, yes, the “Binder”. With all the critical info. Yeah, probably best to leave that behind so you have a REAL adventure. You know - where you have to wing it! Good luck and god speed. Oh, and have fun.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SueOctober 19, 2018 at 5:20 AM

    They told you to remember to raise the stab jacks before you pull out of the camp site......right? (Speaking from experience.......) And to bring plenty of duct tape to hold them tight to get you home after you forget?

    ReplyDelete

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