It’s been a long day of travel already, and I’ve only gotten to NY. To say that things have been busy is an understatement. Days have already begun to run into each other and I haven’t even crossed the International Date Line yet. The original plan was to leave Philly Friday afternoon via car to my sister’s house outside DC. Get the chance to hang out a bit, then head to the Airport Sunday morning. With all of the loose ends and unexpected twists and turns, I didn’t end up leaving Philly until 9pm on Saturday, and still hadn’t packed. I will need to get my body onto the new time zone, and maybe pulling an all nighter packing will help disrupt my diurnal cycle enough to shift it a few hours in the right direction.
The flurry of activity involved the de-clutterization of my apartment (a major achievement), getting the bureaucracy and logistical details (like passport, tickets, visas, registrations, etc.) in order, and figuring out how to pack for a trip that involves a 9 day tournament, hiking, and digital photography without having to check any baggage. That last goal wasn’t reached; I did check a piece of luggage. However, the backpack that I checked will accomodate the bags that I didn’t check, as well as its contents. The plan is to be able to travel with one pack, as the situation dictates.
This was achieved through the help of a photographer friend who at a moment’s notice, graciously lent me a daypack sized photo bag that holds my photo gear, (20d, 70-200, 28-70, 17-35, and the associated accessories), and my laptop with its own set of supporting hardware. This bag fits inside my larger backpack along with the clothes that I packed for the trip.
I told him I’d bring him something from my travels; his next words were “No boomerangs, no koalas, and no kangaroos.” Whew, I didn’t like the idea of stuffing a Joey into Matilda.
