Rick's Ramblings

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

One Week and Counting

One week from today we leave on our 3-week vacation to our remote cabin in Colorado. There is so much to be done!

We will leave NJ on Wednesday morning, as early as possible and drive with 3 dogs and 2 cats as far as the Mississippi. That is our strategy—MIssissippi, Missouri, then Cabin! Our goal each day is to make a major river—with the last one being Bart’s Creek on our land. The cabin is about 20-odd miles directly south of Laramie, Wyoming, but in Colorado. No electricity, no post-office, no phone service, just a log cabin in the woods, 3 dogs and 2 cats—assuming we all make it across the two major rivers.

We’ve been working on “security” given some surprising discoveries about how our house and property is used in our absence. So, the web cams are running, the alarm system is tested. House sitters are lined up, the pool guy will be here every day to add toxic chemicals to the water, and the police will be doing a “house check”, assuming we get the forms back to them soon. Should keep all but the most tenacious or most stupid away from the house.

But, there is so much more to do! We need to work on our first week’s meal plan because as we drive through Laramie on our way to the cabin (the 3rd day on the road), we’ll stop in Safeway and stock up on food (and wine) for a week. So, we are negotiating meal plans, picking recipes and creating detailed shopping lists. You do not want to end up at the cabin and not have a key ingredient because it is a minimum 40 minute drive to the first 7-11.

The dogs are getting groomed so they don’t smell too bad in the truck on the way there. And, to minimize the dog hair. We just know that Bella will come into season on the day we leave and be in season the entire trip. Oh well, we’ve done it before, we can do it again.

I need to wash the truck. I like to start the trip with a clean truck. We’ll do an oil change in Laramie. It is about 1700 miles and very uncomplicated. Just drive about 10 mile south to I80, then about 1670 miles West to Laramie, then 20 miles South to “home”.

We have our favorite motels along the way—the ones that will take a dog. LIttle do they know that we don’t really walk our dog 3 times each evening and that each walk is a different dog! The cats like to sit in the window and watch the other people walk their dogs too.

I hope to post each day along the way and maybe even while we are there. Yes, we are “off the grid’ but thanks to solar panels, inverters, satellite dishes, and laptop computers, we’ll try to stay in touch.

After all, we need to check out the web cams often and watch the time-lapse movies of the pool activity, and ...

Comments:

1. Sure glad I can enjoy Sand Creek thru you!  Photos are wonderful.  Glad the aspen trees are putting on their show.  Oh your onion tart looks yummy…think I will have to give it a try.  So far, I have loved all your recipes that I have tried ...whoo hoo!

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  09/25/2011  at  11:31 AM

2. Gorgeous blue sky behind those aspens.  What is the layer in the rock to the left of the big tree?  Looks like Utah!

   Posted by Carolyn Clarke  on  09/25/2011  at  12:56 PM

3. Debra, glad you enjoying! Yes, do try this recipe. It’s delish!

   Carolyn, yep lots of blue sky here. I don’t know what you mean by what is the layer in the rock? Are you seeing things again?

   Not sure why the captcha is showing back up again below. Hmm….some things are not working properly up here!

   Posted by Lynne  on  09/25/2011  at  05:09 PM

4. Absolutely brilliant photos - not sure I could handle the pack rat problem.  I could manage the Swiss onion tart tho - it looks delicious.

   Posted by Joyce  on  09/26/2011  at  11:40 PM

5. Joyce, thanks, glad you enjoyed the photos. I have plenty more where those came from! The pack rat is problem no one wants to face!

   Posted by Lynne  on  09/27/2011  at  02:22 PM

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