Connie here. Hank is taking full advantage of the rest day.
Today we hung out at our lodging in the small town of Walsenburg, CO. It was a day for napping. And some laundry. It feels good to have some clean clothes again.
Speaking of clothes, many have asked us what we take on our long trips. The truth is: only what we need. We each have one side case in which to fit our clothing. We use packing cubes to compress everything so we can carry enough. Enough is a relative term but we make do. We each have clothing to hike in, ride in, swim in and sleep in. As you may have guessed socks and underwear are high priority. With the wind brought by speed, we can wear stinking clothes without being obnoxious! 😂
We have a bag for the top case (like a trunk on a car). In there we keep communal items like a mini kitchen with bowls, sporks, knife and dish soap; a laundry kit with laundry soap, Tide sticks and laundry lines to hang up clothing after washing; a first aid kit, meds, pain relievers and such. We have a compact backpack that fits in its own pocket to that we use for grocery shopping.
We also carry rain jackets and warmer clothing for layering. At altitude in the Rockies it is cold and often there is snow on the ground.
When we took our first cross country trip in 2017, we found ourselves thinking that even though we had so little we had enough. And it felt good. It felt like all the possessions at home were too much and unnecessary. I try to remember this when I want to buy something else for the house. I’m not always successful in resisting the urge to accumulate things, but I don’t do badly.
Tomorrow we head out to see the Great Sand Dune National Park and then on to see a friend of Hank’s from high school. Bruce and his wife Terri are opening their home to us for a couple of nights. We’re both looking forward to spending time with them.
Good night and good luck. Thanks for following along.
Wandering Retirees 