random Kevinalia

1. I'm going to lumber over to the medical clinic in the next few minutes. It'll be interesting to hear what the doc has to say. (I imagine it'll be, "No more walking for you! Ha ha!")

2. I need to wrap up and bury the corpse of my poor tent, though I'll be saving the stakes as extras (because Oregon has vampires). I wouldn't mind also saving the Y-shaped tent spine, but it was slightly bent out of shape during yesterday's attack of the air elementals.

3. I hadn't done laundry before leaving the motel last time, so after I checked myself into the motel again yesterday, I hand-washed my clothes in the motel room sink. The sink was too small for all the clothes to go in at once, so I did the washing in groups. When I did the group that contained my long pants, the sink water turned dark brown. It took me a few moments to realize how dusty the pants must have been after so much exposure to sand, dirt, and wind: even though I'd spent only one night at the campground, I'd visited it several times (which has also allowed me to rack up my "make-up miles" for the police car ride; 5 out of 8 miles made up thus far).

4. I have to draw up a list of items I'll need once I start crossing the Rockies with Dad's help as a chase car driver. I spoke with Dad about two things in particular-- my old voice recorder (which creates immediately readable sound files, unlike my current recorder) and my BlackBerry travel charger, which plugs into a car's dashboard. I need to see about having some business cards printed up, and might want to order one or two of my own CafePress tee shirts for use as a flag of sorts-- something I can tie to my backpack.

5. Speaking of recordings, I might start a series of video podcasts. I won't be able to upload the files to YouTube except when I have access to a real computer, which means that updates will happen irregularly, but something is better than nothing, methinks. The videos might give the blog a more human face, and you, the blog reader, would gain a clearer impression of things like the amazing wind in the Columbia River Gorge.

6. THIS JUST IN: It seems I'm going to get my tent replaced FOR FREE by REI! My father just called (12:25PM) with the happy news. He explained my situation to the REI folks and pointed them to my blog entry; they said I'd have to mail the old tent back to get the replacement. They can't replace the footprint since I don't have it, but this still saves me around $250. All thanks and praise to my folks and to REI! Now here's hoping I don't mangle the replacement. I doubt that even REI would show the same mercy twice.

7. I'm also going to buy a few extra bungee cords from the local hardware store; the Brita pitcher I bought is going to have to hang outside the pack, so its moving parts need to be strapped down. The pitcher is essentially a hollow piece of molded plastic, and I'm worried that it might get cracked or crushed if I packed it inside the backpack. The Katadyn pump is tough and compact, so putting it in the pack is no problem, and it goes without saying that the soda bottle, cotton balls, and rubber bands can be stuffed into the pack with little concern for their safety.

So I've got a lot to do today:

-mail off the old tent
-visit the clinic
-buy extra bungee cords
-record a video or two
-write up a "Rockies" list

Good thing the clinic, post office, and hardware store are all next to the motel!


_