At the time of this writing, I am T-Minus thirty-nine days until I leave on a sixty-day road trip across Canada and back. From Calgary, Alberta to St. John’s, Newfoundland and so much in between. The road trip prep has been extensive.

Going from zero to sixty as it were, is quite the leap. Especially since I am slated to sleep either in my Subaru Forester, in a tent or dare I say, under the stars for about forty of those nights. Last fall I spent a night in the back on a fold-out mattress to test out the makeshift sleeping quarters and I learned more that night than all the planning leading up to it. So, the only thing to do is a dress rehearsal of sorts that consists of about 10% of the total trip. Proper road trip prep is crucial for success.

I’ll be doubling up on this journey of checks and balances by continuing the Alberta Grain Elevator Project. The plan will be to photograph thirteen grain elevators across 634KM of road. Perhaps the hardest part will be slowing down and making this a methodical process. Just like the main voyage, I want to take my time, something I’m not very good at. Road trip prep is key to ensuring I can capture everything.

In addition to my own nerves this will be a test of several other pieces of equipment, including:

• Richeer Roof Rack Cross Bars for 2014-2024 Forester with Side Rails, Cargo Racks Rooftop Luggage Canoe Kayak Bicycle Roof Bag
• Curt 18115 Roof Mounted Cargo Rack
• Toyo Open Country® A/T III Tires

I have a bunch of other bips and bops but these are the main ones. The roof rack is the happy medium between a soft and cheap cargo bag and the popular but very expensive clam shell storage. I plan to store, among other things, my solar panel and gas can. Basically that does look, or isn’t valuable that will free up space as I sleep and entertain myself at night. All these preparations are part of thorough road trip prep.

Shits getting real and I am both excited and terrified.