Packed, Stuffed and Shoved

This is a map of our 3,000+ mile route. Follow the stops we made in each town to camp over night in the blog!

 We spent hours loading the bus and the Subaru. Though we had laid out and organized everything days in advance, it took a lot of muscle and Tetris skills to load the vehicles.

With the help of family, we knocked it out in a few hours. It would have taken most of a day to load if we didn't have help - so many, many thanks to the helpers! It was dark when we finally closed the back hatch to the bus, cinched the last strap and locked the doors. We headed home for our last sleep in South Dakota before hitting the road in the morning. I slept great, but Pete was a bit restless as the next day was our big jumping off point - the day we left what was comfortable and headed into the unknown. He was mentally going over the written and unwritten checklists, plans and backup plans, not wanting to forget anything yet preparing for everything. We tried to have workarounds and alternates for when we forgot any one special item that we needed, which is why I slept soundly, ready for my next step in life. --The dogs knew something was going on, but they had no idea what was in store!

Rez wondering when we are going to leave. He was a good boy waiting for us to sort and pack the items (pictured in the background). Bear on the other hand knew something was up and couldn't sit still.