Road trip I: Loose ends

It looks like my family and I will begin our road trip, postponed once already, late this afternoon.

My wife is off to work and the spawns are on their way to school. I was at my desk working before 5am, planning to wrap things up by noon. At that point I'll pack, prepare the TrailBlazer, await the return of the rest of my family and we'll head east toward the mountains.

I've mapped our route, along with a couple of alternates in case of bad weather or man-made hiccups, and this trip we'll bring our GPS. We need to make good time to accomplish the 1,200-mile whirlwind adventure in two-and-a-half days, so I have my fingers crossed that the main roads, at least, will be clear.

When I start packing this afternoon I'll be considering more than the requisite toothbrush and change of clothes. I'll include provisions for first aid, communications, food, water, fire and yes, defense. (The last, incidentally, will account for two states that haven't yet codified reciprocity agreements with Ohio.) Fortunately, it should be a simple matter of collecting four grab'n'go bags and a few other items.

I am, by at least two definitions, anxious, both looking forward to the all-too-rare weekend trip and dreading hours-long drones along iffy Interstate highways, especially at night.

More from the road, I think.