Preparations

With only 5 weeks before departure, our preparations are moving along. We had a Sirius satellite radio installed in the coach last Saturday. Sirius uses a highly elliptical orbit for its satellites, so there is fair coverage in Canada and southern coastal Alaska. Since we will spend many days in the "outback" of Canada, Sirius will keep us in touch with the world and provide entertainment.

We had a spare tire for the coach mounted to a spare rim. The only place to carry this 100+ pound tire is in the cargo bay of the 'Zuki. So, we won't be able to carry firewood in that compartment. We'll have to buy local wood for campfires.

We have a service appointment next week for a thorough inspection and testing of all systems. We surely don't want the refrigerator to fail when we're days away from an RV service facility!

Then, it's time for the people and dogs to have their check-ups, too. The dogs need proof of recent vaccinations for all the usual diseases and an international health certificate in order to cross the borders. We humans need current passports to return from Canada back into the US. We also need to bone up on agricultural regulations in both directions. For example, no stone fruit can go into Canada and no potatoes or beef products (fresh or cooked) can go from Canada into the US.

In the final days before departure, we'll have to pack and load a 3-month supply of all the essentials - medicines, unusual toiletries, dog food (so they'll be sure to have their accustomed diet), books to read, movies to watch on the DVD player and so on. And, since it costs fuel money to drive every ounce around, we have to carefully consider and justify every item we pack.

After a year and a half of anticipation, we're nearly at D-day!