Where are we now!!!!????

We all congregated at Smith Rocks State Park three weeks ago to cure separation anxiety and iron out a few remaining trip details

After three months of phone conversations, everything seems to be coming together all at once. The blog, the letters, the car, the shots, the food, the gear, and for some of us (ahem Elliott), our passports, have each made it to some stage of completion. Our calls seem to always be so short but yet two hours have passed by the time we’ve managed to cover everything. Ok, 1 hour was spent listening to Elliott ramble, 45 minutes spent trying to understand one of James’ zany ideas, and the other 15 minutes actually getting work done. But we have been disciplined. Working on hammering out car purchases, fixes, and improvements. Planning routes, activities, and trip timelines. Creating blogs, photo sharing devices, and document photocopies. Discussing timelines, gear necessities, and vaccination requirements. Buying flights back to the homeland. Generally we relished the company of four of the coolest dudes that any of us could ever want to hang out and stay caught up with. We mostly spend the time laughing and having a good time

It’s true; we have managed to plan our way through most of our trip. We have a 1986 GMC Suburban. The car in two words; pure sexy.

Josh found this gem on Craigslist. He made the purchase and $1300 dollars later; we had an awesome vehicle complete with a 2004 Corvette motor allegedly giving us 21 mpg (we ‘aint fools, we estimate 14 in reality), a faulty transmission ($1600), rough tires ($100), and a bad fuel pump ($250). Altogether the fixes were rough but a great learning experience. We know what to check out when purchasing a car and the mechanics of replacing a fuel pump! The car is beautiful. More on that to come later.

Elliott managed to bumble through the State Department warnings, travel advice, and world maps to make a tentative route. Meanwhile James toiled away, designing a roof rack, and water purification system with five gallon buckets and bike pumps. And Brian? Brian did as mama bear Brian does and designed a huge packing list- personal and group, gear and goods, utensils and tools,  Frisbees and balls. He also developed a first aid kit with mama bear supreme Theresa that will keep us safe and sound in the southerly sands.

We’ve been getting ready but most of our prep time is still in front of the screen or on a phone line. It has been great but we are all itching to go. We have tons of places on our lists to see. We want to go now! One month left.

Best,

The Crew