Spring Road Trip!!

*I’m taking my art supplies and plan to use this journal to record all the adventures!*

Pre Trip Preparations

There is excitement and anticipation in the weeks and days before I leave on a road trip. I always start with an empty camper, and pack it up armed with the knowledge gained from previous trips, which means I never pack the same way twice. Here is what the preparation for the Spring 2026 BBQ and Brew Tour looks like so far:

Electrical Woes (again)

During the off-months I check on the camper monthly while it is in storage to make sure the cabin heater is still working and the cabin battery system isn’t depleting too quickly (for those who might be wondering, I do shut everything down, but batteries are in a perpetual death spiral when they aren’t being actively charged, the only question being how fast they are dying). In January, with the battery charge at around 50% (which is the beginning of the danger zone for me), I drove the camper to Columbus and back (three hours one way, plenty of time to charge on the road). Not only did the camper battery not charge up while I was driving it, but it continued to drop so that by the time of my return to Ann Arbor it was hovering near 30%. Yikes!! A review of my manual shed no light on the problem and might as well have been written in Greek. I did see an error code on the charge indicator, but it meant nothing to me.

In a near panic, I contacted my Drifter Van people, who told me I could bring it in so they could have a look. Come to find out, when the temperatures go below freezing and stay there (which happened this year in Michigan), the batteries won’t charge no matter what. The only thing I could do was to warm up the inside of the cabin and wait for the charger to thaw out, which takes hours and hours. In the meantime, the batteries continue to deplete. The Drifter people did check out the rest of the system to make sure nothing else was amiss, and confirmed that the freezing temperature was the only problem.

Who knew? Just when I thought I had learned everything I needed to know about my electrical system, here was more evidence that I know virtually nothing. (I have written about other electrical misadventures before, here and here) Fortunately, this time it was a relatively easy fix, once I learned what was needed. I purchased a small space heater on my way home from Drifter and after running it all night inside the camper (with me traipsing out to my frigid carport to check the status every hour all night long), the metal charger box thawed enough to stop the error code. I plugged it in immediately and successfully raised the battery back up to over 90% before putting it back into storage. Whew!

Partnering and Planning

February was spent coordinating with my camping buddy Kim as we planned our route. Lots of road trippers “wing it” and just drive and stop wherever. Those who know me know that I don’t work that way. I don’t mind making changes once I’m on the road, but I do like to know I don’t have to forage for a place to stay, preferring scenic state parks and Harvest Host sites to Walmart or truck stop parking lots.

To make sure we stayed on the same page while planning, Kim and I met a couple of times to discuss the big picture of the trip route, then spent a few days bolted to seats in front of our respective computers with phones beside us. We texted back and forth constantly as we researched camping and touring possibilities (not to mention various BBQ joints and breweries and distilleries we want to visit). Our goal was to stay together, so when one of us booked a site the other one booked the neighboring site immediately. You never know how quickly a campground is going to fill up, especially on weekends and especially the deeper we go into March and April. When we hit a snag we pivoted in unison. I’m happy to say that all our hard work paid off and we have every night accounted for between March 11 and April 7. Woohoo!!

Gathering Supplies

For some reason I can’t explain, I never have trouble thinking of something I “need” that I don’t have, and I have always been pretty good at identifying problems that can be used to justify a purchase that others might think frivolous. For this trip, since I couldn’t come up with a problem that needed fixing, I decided instead that I needed to improve Sadie’s camping experience. So I bought her a new dog bed. Those who have been to my house will tell you that there are dog beds in almost every room. And I confess that for my fall 2025 trip to the west coast I bought Sadie a “pillow” bed that I could stuff. That then became my laundry bag for dirty clothes and linens, which worked out great. Fully justifiable, right?

I will still bring the laundry bag bed. But for this trip I decided that Sadie needed an “indoor-outdoor” bed. She loves to lie just outside the camper where I usually have a tarp, and a waterproof bed will be just the thing for damp ground. Supposedly it folds up so I can store it easily when not in use. Hoping for delivery today, with fingers crossed that it will arrive in time.

*I have two dog beds in my office. This is Sadie’s favorite, right under my desk.*

*The orange pillow bed makes a great laundry bag when we’re on the road.*

Redecorating (sort of…)

After numerous road trips across rough terrain, dirt roads, and deserts, the fabric curtains that came with the van got so embedded with dust and dirt that they were more grey than blue. Sadly, only a couple of them could be removed and laundered. The others are bolted into the interior frame around the windows. I made the hard decision to cut them out, which now leaves me exposed with no window coverings to hide my bed. Problem, right? Until I came up with the brilliant solution of tucking my clothes packets (the kind travelers use to separate clothing in suitcases) in the window wells. Voila! They fit perfectly and provide all the privacy I need without reducing the size of my bed. And they don’t look bad from the outside either.

Delay and Divert

I had trouble getting excited about packing the camper while the weather was cold, clammy, icy, snowy, etc., which is common in February and March in Michigan. I had it serviced when I got it out of storage so it is now certified as good to go on a long trip, but then I waited almost two weeks until it was sunny and in the 60s before diving into fulll-blown packing mode. Waiting meant that I only had three days to get everything done. You might think that even while it is cold and icy and gray outside I would take advantage of my warm house to begin pulling things together and “staging” them near my door. But no. I basically did all kinds of other things except prepare for the trip, save for the planning that Kim and I did. I played my banjo quite a bit and worked on my memoir while I was avoiding the packing chores, so I don’t consider it time lost.

Last Minute Rush (or not)

When you leave all the preparation to the last three days before the trip you run the risk of being slap-dash about the way you pile everything into the camper. Not me! As a seasoned road tripper I have a good sense of what needs to be done and how to go about it in a methodical, organized way. Of course, my highly organized and strategic packing techniques don’t mean I will be able to find anything once I’m underway, so we’ll have to see how that goes. Here’s what my packing days looked like:

I opened up all the doors of the camper and examined everything, mentally noting what I’m going to need for this particular trip, which is not necessarily the same as for my last trip to the Pacific Northwest. For example, I won’t need all the snow and ice gear and tire chains that I took with me, which frees up space for other things.
I filled up the water tank and then ran water inside the cabin to make sure there are no leaks, that the water flows properly, and that the water pump works. I was unable to confirm that the water heater tank is heating, so may have to troubleshoot that once I’m on the road.
I loaded up the “garage” with all the must-haves. For this trip I have decided not to bring my traction planks, which take up a lot of room. I have never needed them since the one time I got stuck in the mud and didn’t have them. I’ve taken many trips since then while successfully avoiding mucky conditions, and feel fairly confident I can do so again. Famous last words, perhaps. But my electrical hookup cords, water hose, tool box, stove, propane, shovel, tarp, bucket, fire starters, camp chairs, and anything else I might need while camping are now safely stowed away.
I surveyed all my clothes, trying to figure out what I might need that would cover all the weather bases. First few days and nights might be chilly and cold, so I have some cold weather gear. We’ll be in the sunny south along both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts for a big chunk of the trip, so I packed plenty of summery stuff. For the in-between I have in-between clothes, including windbreakers and rain gear. Campsites can get pretty muddy in wet weather, so I need to be prepared. (hence the need for a waterproof dog bed that will clean easily - yes, you’re right, I’m still trying to justify that purchase).
I always carry a healthy supply of bags of all types, towels of various sizes, cleaning supplies, porta-potty supplies, pens and paper, maps, flashlights and lanterns, etc. I refreshed my supply of coffee filters and made sure that all my dishes and pots and pans are where they are supposed to be.
I cleaned out my refrigerator and pantry. I discovered over the course of several long trips that I don’t cook much while on the road, but at the same time I need to have easy, healthy meals ready to go. To divert myself away from fast food joints and ultra-processed snacks, I loaded myself up with hard boiled eggs, nuts, fruit, carrot sticks, cheese sticks, and a few “indulgences”. I will also shop along the way. I tell myself they are healthy indulgences and try to minimize them, so please don’t judge. Besides, traveling with Kim on a BBQ and Brew tour means I will be indulging heavily pretty much everywhere we go… but moderation is key, right???
I gathered all the doggy stuff I’ll need - bed, food, treats, leashes. Sadie typically starts following me around a few days ahead of the trip as I go back and forth from house to camper, not wanting to let me out of her sight. She’s not quite sure what’s happening, but whatever it is she is determined not to be left behind.
I make my list of “don’t forget before you leave” action items. These typically don’t happen until the morning I leave, which is why I need the list: water plants, turn down thermostat, unplug most things in the house, pack up computer and charging cords, etc.
I do all the laundry and dishes so that I can come home to a clean house. Speaking of the laundry and dishes…

Unexpected Drama

I was happily minding my own business, packing, cleaning, hustling and bustling through the house and back and forth to the camper, organizing and reorganizing, and feeling pretty good about my timeline and progress. Then disaster struck out of nowhere when on one of my trips through the kitchen I noticed dirt in the bottom of the sink. The kind of dirt that accumulates when the sink has backed up and then drained slowly out.

Mmmm… not good. I checked the washing machine, planning to put the clothes into the dryer, only to discover that the machine had stopped mid-cycle and the clothes were sopping wet.

Mmmm… that’s not good either. I turned on the washing machine to the spin cycle, rinsed out the sink and ran the garbage disposal to clear anything that might be clogging it, and went about my business. When I returned to the kitchen 20 minutes later, the washer had spun the clothes, but the sink was full of water and the floor between the sink and the washer (my laundry units are in my kitchen) was flooded.

Mmmm… that’s really, really not good. At this point on a Sunday afternoon with no plumber available, I decided simply to sop up the water, not use the sink, and continue packing. I did go online, found the local Roto Rooter and made an appointment for Monday morning. In a flight of fantasy, I figured I’d be good to go after about 20 minutes of the Roto Rooter man cleaning out my clogged system.

That’s when things seriously deteriorated. After over an hour Keith, the Roto Rooter man, was unable to clear the line, which he told me suggests a more serious problem deeper in the line. My house is old and on a concrete slab, meaning no crawl space and no basement. The only way to access the cast iron pipe which, according to Keith, is probably corroded or collapsed (and lies under the house), is to tear up the floor boards. Depending on where the problem spot is, the project could involve tearing out walls and/or cabinets as well.

*This is what doing dishes without a kitchen sink looks like.*

*Kind of discourages me from cooking…*

Aarrgggghhh!!! I don’t know how bad is bad yet, and won’t find out until they do a more thorough inspection, which will happen while I’m on the trip. Best case scenario is that they are able to fix it when they come back. But worst case scenario is that this becomes a major construction project that spans months while I deal with the insurance company and find contractors willing to tackle tearing up everything to expose the pipes for the plumbers, and then putting back everything after they’ve done the repair.

Add to this the fact that they don’t even make the bamboo flooring that I have throughout the house anymore, so I’m not sure what that might mean for replacement of floor in certain areas.

I drowned my sorrows by taking Sadie and my dirty laundry over to Conrad and Maria’s house, where we had dinner and watched a movie while their washer and dryer did what mine couldn’t.

Next Steps

I love my house the way it is. I finally have it where I want it, arranged perfectly and very comfortable for living and entertaining.

But nothing lasts forever, right? I should know that by now.

Stay tuned. Next article will be from the road!