We caught a trip to Golden, Colo., from Ohio. We haven’t been that far across 70 in about seven months, so it’s a nice change. There are only so many times (and different ways) to go to Laredo — the change of scenery is welcome.
Bottled water stored in a wine bottle bag hangs nicely and doesn’t rattle around or take up tons of cabinet space.The Laredo trip was a five-day out-and-back, so I could pack really light for that one, but going across requires a little more gear. You have to prepare for pretty much every climate the United States offers. Storage has been an issue for me in Precious — there’s no top bunk where I can spread all my junk out and store my giant golden hair dryer. (Couldn’t resist the Spaceballs reference.) I’m restricted to sharing the tiny closet, and usually end up cramming things into every nook and cranny I can find.
We’ve also begun our fitness program, and we are carrying along more food than we usually do. Believe it or not, we’re actually consuming a lot more food, just much smaller and more frequent portions. Finding room in the itty fridge for all the yogurt and fresh fruit has required some creative packing, and I think I’ve got it figured out.
We have a little Panasonic 3.5 cubic-foot fridge, and I racked my brains trying to figure out how to get all the food and beverage into it we need. I happened to be dwelling on this while sitting at my desk (looking out the window – hey look, a squirrel) and noticed the plastic three-drawer filing cabinet I keep on the desk looked like it might fit inside the fridge, as such:
I took the important tax papers out of the trays (because we all know shoe boxes and Kroger bags are the appropriate places for important tax papers), and lo and behold, it fit perfectly. I had to take the door tray off, but the space we gained was much more than the space lost in the door. The drawers on the filing tray are deep enough to store tons of cut fruit, laid flat in plastic baggies, and there’s still enough room on top to squeeze drinks in. It’s working great and I’m tickled to death with it.
I tackled my clothing storage with a $3 hanging bag from the thrift store. The bag I got is an ancient American Tourist with the two pockets on one side and a big zipper space on the other. The hanger allows me to hook it into the window frame (where the metal is) and it hangs perfectly out of the way. My clothes stay separate from George’s and his Spartan wardrobe allows for me to stow the shower bags in the closet, instead of at the foot of the bunk. Again, it’s working great and I’m tickled to death.
We’ll see the Rockies today from a well-organized, clean truck that has all we need in it to survive for at least a week. It’s a great day to be trucking. Be safe out there.
