The One Where We Stayed Up All Night Packing

Well, we weren't up all night. Just until about 2 a.m. But we were very productive. And technically we didn't start packing until after 9 p.m. So, all in all, I think we did an excellent job squeezing in 4.5 hours of sleep.

But we're officially ready to go! It was a busy afternoon. In addition to our leaving, Dave's parents will be staying here at our home while we are away. We've left the house in B&B quality for them when they arrive. Yesterday we were mowing the lawn, cleaning the fridge (it had to be done) and washing sheets. But it was all for a great cause. I love that they'll be here exploring this great city and taking care of our lonely kitty Annie!

Meanwhile, packing for this trip was a little more complicated than other trips in the past. The good news is that we're such experienced packers by now that it wasn't a big deal. We were outside in the afternoon pre-treating our clothes with bug spray. That was an interesting experience. I'm not quite sure what we sprayed on our clothes - anything that binds like that and stays on for more than two weeks, even through multiple washing, can't be natural. But if it does the trick and keeps those pesky mosquitoes away, the chemical spill in our backyard may have been worth it.

While I was upstairs sorting clothes and not narrowing down the number of hiking boots I'm bringing, Dave was tackling priorities downstairs - his photo gear. It may seem a little crazy now, but trust me, as soon as you start seeing his photos in our blog, you'll know that lugging all that extra equipment around will have been worth it.

Now we are up, bleary-eyed, and totally excited. In a little over an hour, our friends will be picking us up and taking us to the train station. Then we have a full day of travel ahead of us. Tonight, we sleep in Ketchikan, Alaska! Here we go!