Noah from the beloved VW repair shop just called, and the auxiliary battery checks out, so we should be able to keep the christmas lights lit at night, (We use them to read by, and generally to create nice atmosphere.)

I was worried we’d have another trip interruption, like last year’s failed “All the way West on US Rt 2” plans.  But, the Westy checks out. For now.

And props and a shout out to Noah, our youngish hippie mechanic  – here’s a link to a story about his band, Waylon Speed. We’re afraid he’s going to get really famous and quit working on VWs…. (Noah is the guy with major beard happening)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRRHG1J54v4

Preparation is well underway, as Craig gathers the gear together. Here’s what the staging area (formerly the living room of our house) looks like today. That giant yellow blob is the tempurpedic foam topper we unroll every night for the bed..I sewed up a big case for it, using two really cheap bed sheets from Sears. Unroll, throw on the pillows and blanket and voila, bedtime. Yeah, this is not going to be like the camping trip 30 years ago, not at all!)

Next Monday we’ll leave for two weeks to celebrate our thirtieth wedding anniversary. We’re returning to the Gaspe Peninsula, the southern shore of the Saint Lawrence River, where it widens to become the Gulf of St. Lawrence. I’m calling the trip the Honeymoon Reboot. But that time, we camped out of a small station wagon, canoe on top, with dome tent and air mattresses. We took a shortwave radio with us and listened to Radio Moscow. This time, we have the Westfalia, and the provincial park campgrounds all have WIFI. Times certainly have changed.

One of our fondest memories from that trip is the morning fog pouring over the cliffs at Forillon. Hope the weather is this good when we get there.