Preparation

Entry #2. The tensions mount. Miles traveled -44.

The stress of final preparations for departure to Alaska with imminent worldwide departure is beginning to take a toll on Sara and me. After some investigation and conversation it seems that raingear is an absolute necessity as are waterproof hiking boots. We have spent about two hours hunting through various sporting, hunting, and REI catalogs. Hint: If you want to spend twice as much money you can buy it all at REI!! YIKES, we don’t have that kind of bankroll.
Maricopa Garbage snafu sets us back several hour from departure…well Sara and I have been trying to take good care of her parents homestead which includes getting the recycling and garbage out for collection. As of 1PM still no collection today and the garbage is STINKY and we need to get to PHX today to go from -44 miles traveled (we are actually farther from departure today) up to 0 miles traveled for departure on Saturday. Not to mention we still have to get the rain gear, boots, and clean up the house on Coronado. I got a fire extinguisher and two smoke alarms installed there, home depot is getting rich also, while our bankroll shrinks.

Not to mention Insectosaurus our mascot( from Monsters vs. Aliens) has been preparing to take on the world. He has been working out. See attached pictures. His first foe Insectosaurus vs. Maricopa, AZ (See the clip attached) was a challenge for the out of shape monster. He has been hitting the bon- bons pretty hard since gaining big screen fame.

Our backpacks are pretty jammed, and we still have to fill them with camping food. Sara still does not have enough hiking/travel pants. Sara has a three hour salon appointment to get her “traveling style” together. We have our final happy hour with Phoenix cronies Friday at Switch, one of our favorite semi-posh local joints. We are also planning on meeting with Stephanie for dinner with her beau “Dear Gene.” Insectosaurus hopes to get in one more pre-flight work out. Insectosaurus vs. Stephanie +Gene for the second round!!

Preparation Flashback: The first tip that Sara and I would offer to anyone trying to save for a trip is keep your housing costs down. Sara and I have both been working since we have been married. Many times we received the advice “ Move a little further out and get a bigger house.” Our cute little house served us well. One extra bedroom for guests and a nice back yard was plenty. We kept our total housing cost(including utilities) at about 16% of our gross income that leaves much more for saving and fun on a daily basis. After all, we can’t resist dinner and drinks with our friends.
Check out the pics and short flicks.
And Stay tuned…Sara and Mike

Hello Everyone,

We are excited that you would like to keep up with us on our adventures. The seed of this trip was planted several years ago when Sara watched the motorcycle diaries recounting Che's trip throughout South America. Sara and I have both spent time in Central America and have toyed with the idea of an extensive trip through Spanish speaking lands.

Last year, our friend Regina relocated to Nebraska and met John and Nadine who had made a year long trip around the world. The idea began to grow, especially in Sara's mind, with the inspiration of John and Nadine.

As that year wore on I lost several people in my family. My Grandmother passed away, Aunt Willy passed away, my mother passed away, then my Aunt Pearl, and finally my Uncle Al passed away. It was a very difficult year for me. I found it hard to focus and spent a lot of time trying to decide what my next step would be.

In the midst of all of this, two free flights that I had on Alaska Airlines were set to expire in December. While we were in the booming metropolis of Litchfield, Illinois for my mom's funeral we took our first step. After some discussion, ( I hate to lose free flights after all, especially ones to alaska worth about $800!!) we decided on taking a week to go to Alaska.

Our friends Justin and Patrice had talked about the wonders of the last frontier so we made Denali our goal for the trip per their suggestion.

Our departure to Alaska is a week away now. Sara has 6 direct hours left to complete the hours of her internship, and Mike has three days of work left. Our house is being emptied out because our trip has recently outgrown a week in Alaska and even the trip through South America. As of now, the trip...you can see on the map... Is not quite around the world, but we do hit five continents over the next seven months ( we didn't quite get to John and Nadine's year). Our idea is to make it a trip focused on meeting people and keeping it "on a shoestring".

We have spent a lot of time in the last week gathering quick dry, anti microbial, stink resistant clothing!!! It also appears that bug-hats, and rain gear are a necessity in Alaska. Who Knew?

Lot's of people are asking us how we did it, and we will get into all the gory details little by little so as not to overwhelm or bore.

Thanks again for your interest. More to come soon.

Mike and Sara Tour de Floret