The Green Tortoise Part V

Only half of us make breakfast and clean-up. I figure the other half, the non-morning people, will help during dinner. Most people are willing and happy to assist during mealtime. But it is still day one. It takes just as long as it did to set-up the kitchen and cook as it does to clean-up, tear down and put everything neatly away in the cargo bays. People who didn't help cook breakfast help wash dishes but then they all disappeared and only a handful of us were around to stow the equipment. This was a pattern that would not change during the trip and caused great friction between nations.

Driver Dave gives us lessons on how to open the bay doors because it is expected that we all handle our own luggage and gear. Getting into your things will become the primary focus for most of us travelers. We look forward to the "big bag" parties where we take inventory for all we've packed for the fourteen day excursion cross-country.

Packing wasn't easy for this trip either. The chilly days in Seattle and San Francisco followed by hot afternoons in the high Nevada desert and then cold mornings in Wyoming...how do you bring all you need for such a journey and stay within the packing guidelines of one backpack, a day pack, sleeping bag and tent (tents are optional.) Layers. Lots and lots of layers. This, I must admit, does nothing for the figure. Oh sure, if you're a tiny little thing you can wear several layers and still look like Madonna but most of us aren't that lucky. By day 3 and with no shower stop in sight, I abandon caring about my looks and focus simply on comfort and minimizing smells.

Here's what I packed in my big bag: three thin cotton tee shirts, three tank tops (really 5 but two were so tiny that they didn't take up any space at all), two pair of shorts (and one tennis skirt just in case I had some sort of shorts failure), one pair of jeans, one pair of linen pants (for NYC and Chicago), one linen jacket (city wear), one pretty white linen shirt (city style) four pair of panties (actually six pairs but who’s really counting? They're small.), two bras, one turtle neck, one heavy cotton long sleeved shirt, one thermal underwear top, one thermal underwear bottom, sleeping shorts, one sweater, one black skirt (you never know when you need to look nice in a skirt), one blue leopard sheer top (just in case you need to have something for the skirt), one pair of sneakers (MBT...you must check them out...crazy awesome shoes), two pairs of socks, one pair of fleece socks, one pair of Teva's (worn on most of the trip), one fancy pair of sandals (for city and black skirt outfits) and one bathing suit with matching sarong and cover-up.

Okay, okay...I know it looks like a lot, but really I needed all of it! Not to mention that I had my motorcycle jacket for those extra chilly nights....and I used it too! I used bungee chords to attach my leather jacket to the front of my Eagle Creek backpack because I also brought along my laptop, a portable CD player, Bose headphones, extra CD's, one camping lantern, a travel watercolor set with brushes and a painting journal, my daily journal and a back-up since it is nearly full, a tarot deck, a deck of playing cards, two small towels, a wash cloth, my personal beauty set which includes hair serum, gel and spray, moisturizer, exfoliating gloves, Jojoba oil (ladies it has saved my life...I don't go anywhere without it!) tea tree oil, my crystal rock deodorant, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, tweezers, ear plugs, and my make-up kit. All the usual things you would take on a road trip.

Carol,an early 40's woman who flew in from Thailand the evening before leaving on the bus, had one very small bag with her which contained: two shirts, one pair of shorts, one pair of pants, one bathing suit, two panties, one bra, one jacket, one tiny personal care kit (which had enough products in it to use on a toy poodle...once!) sneakers and Tevas. Needless to say, I hated Carol. Not really. She had this Martha Stewart quality about her with packing and being in small spaces. I envied how she streamlined her life and belongings for such a trip. She was such an awesome packer and so tidy. I found out that this was her seventh trip on the Green Tortoise. She is planning on spending a week or so in NYC after we arrived there and then she is taking the Green Tortoise back again to San Francisco which will take another two weeks!

Carol loves riding the bus. I asked her why she kept returning and she says she doesn't feel safe traveling across America alone as a blond British woman who now lives in Thailand. I assure her that it is safe and I'd done it several times alone and with people and the only problems I’d ever encountered was bears but she wouldn’t hear of it. She likes her adventure trips. Carol is a world traveler, as many other passengers, and that experience makes for excellent packing skills. She can't wait to get to NYC to have a real martini and do some serious clothing shopping.

I ignore Driver Dave as he reminds us again to get our swimsuits out of our big bags for lake swimming in the Ruby Mountains. It is June 28th. We are at 9,000 ft elevation. That means icy waters and there will probably still be snow on the ground. Since I haven't really connected with any of the other passengers, I fill my day pack with what I need in these familiar, old mountains.

We board the bus again and drive fifteen minutes more deeper into the canyon for our hike. There are two trails to choose from, one that goes to the lake which is about three miles in so that means it's a six mile hike round trip, and the horse trail up the mountain which is also about three miles in to no particular destination. The bus arrives and there is still snow on the ground blocking parts of the trail. To get around it you either have to hike over the snow or go around in the mud. Many travelers took this option with great enthusiasm, slipping and sliding then falling into the snow banks. Showers were still days away.



To be continued...

So much love,
All the way from over here...
Linda