on the road again

In between everything else that was going on this week, I started getting TheMiniMaison (my conversion van) in tip-top shape for summer travels.

We are starting out with a small run this weekend.

Loading time!
~~Ohhh, how I love da van~~

Here's what we're up to:

There is a guy who is affiliated with the zen center we go to. He lives quite a ways up north (4 to 5 hours north), but he does travel down to our center sometimes for the longer retreats. I got a chance to talk to him at the end of that big 8-day Retreat back in Feb/Mar, which was not an easy thing to do, lemme tell ya'. Kinda hard to meet people when you are keeping silence and staring at the floor.

Anyhow. I found out that he leads a very casual meditation gathering up where he lives, and then once a month or so on a weekend he leads a longer full day sort of thing. He told us we're welcome to come up any time and that he has space for us to camp, so...off we go!

Only bummer is that this retreat is tomorrow, and TheMIG couldn't leave work early tonight. Our first plan was to wake up super-duper early (4am-ish??) and drive up to be there for the start at 10am.

Five hours of driving.
Not counting stops.
On the curvy highway roads through the redwoods.

Hmm.

Well, our second plan is to leave tonight around 7:30-8 and get a couple of hours of that driving under our belt. Park overnight. Then we get up in the morning (still early, but less early) and do the last 2 or 3 hours of driving to get us there at 10am.

Sounds much better.

Except we do not have a firm plan for where we are staying overnight.

I'm totally self contained, and my van is compact. It fits in a regular parking spot no problem, so it's not as obvious as an RV. But I've always always parked at an actual campground or RV Park, or in front of the house of someone I know. I have a hunch that tonight we might be parking at a Truck Stop or a rest area (I've sniffed out what is between here and there, so at least I have a vague idea), but I'm still a bit freaked out about the whole idea.

TheMIG tells me he has done lots of this "back in the day" while he was touring with his band, and that besides: this is good practice for the apocalypse (we both have recently read The Road).

Somehow I do not find this settling.

I made him go out and buy multiple bottles of pepper spray and I am going to velcro one to the nightstand I think. And maybe one to him. LOL



Now: I am watching TheMostImportantGuy on his webcam right now (he's at work on his laptop having a Bizzness meeting). Entertaining to watch, as always. There's no sound but I like to guess what he is talking about by his facial expressions. I am wishing he was on his way here instead so that we could go! My pissed off kitteh is howling because I have shut his door the outside world, and I'm sure he knows that this is not just for today but for several days, as the dog is missing (he's already at the kennel).