The view out my rear view mirror...

Sucks.

You can probably figure out it's because my Jeep is stuffed to the roof with all kinds of gear, supplies, trail snacks, bins of gear and supplies, extra gear, back-up supplies, redundant gear, road snacks and a bunch of cardboard cut to the perfect sizes and shapes to cover all of the windows. There's just the tiniest sliver of rear window viewable, slightly off-center to the right, if I tilt my head in just the right way. Side mirrors and blind spot warning systems have never been more important!

Normally this would be typical, or at least uneventful, but while I was driving these last few days, I was reminded of my original plan for the cross-country trip.

In the spirit of getting ready for Philmont and fueled by the romantic idea of "go west young man", I thought I could camp along the way. But, I didn't want to spend time in a tent, there would be plenty of time for that in NM, and I wouldn't want to get tired of that too quickly. So I would spend time in the car, my own personal Conestoga Wagon (pulled by the Jeep of course!).

Go West!

OMG yes, the plan was to build a small platform in the back of the Jeep, where I could store items underneath (the aforementioned bins) and sleep on top. The plan actually progressed pretty far. I had some large pieces of cardboard (a good friend and neighbor bought a very large TV, and got another when the first was broken; SO much cardboard) that I cut to shape and had started to consider the design of the deck. I had a partial materials list and was working on how to do this and still be able to the back seats flip up in case I wanted to offer rides to more than one person. It was going to be a technical challenge, but I think I figured it out. And I kept it simple, no rolling drawers, no padded and carpeted surfaces (considered and rejected), just a bunch of MDF (was afraid plywood had splinter potential) crafted to fit and fold. It was all coming together.

Turns out Love's Truck Stops has an app to show you where they are along a planned route, and they allow parking overnight and have showers. And food. And drinks. And it would be practical since I could refuel, very efficient. What could be better than sleeping in the back of the Jeep with all of the comforts of home across a parking lot and a dog park if I wanted to practice peeing in the wild?

But the design was complex, and though I started a more than few weeks before my planned departure, it really didn't make sense. I would use for 3 nights out and 2 nights back. And would take some serious time to construct. I know I would have enjoyed the challenge, but if I'm going to be gone for as long as I am, there were other priorities. In the end, I made the hard decision to use hotel points and save both time and money on my travels.

In hindsight (get it, sight out the back!?) all the stuff I have in the Jeep wouldn't have fit if I had built the deck. And, it's never been more clear (ironically due to the obscured back window) that there would be no room for me to sleep. I guess I could have brought less stuff, but how is a scout supposed to be prepared if he doesn't have extras of everything that he probably won't need?

And yep, some of the cardboard was cut to shape/size for privacy when sleeping wherever it was I decided to spend the night. Figured it would come in handy to keep the inside of the car a touch cooler while parked at Philmont. So, not a total waste of time (or cardboard). And if anyone wants plans for a flip-up storage deck for a Jeep Grand Cherokee, let me know.