Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Countdown to YarnFest: Travel Arrangements

In just four short weeks (give or take a day; this was supposed to have been published yesterday) I'll be leaving Carlinville to drive to Loveland, Colorado, where the Interweave Yarn Fest is being held. Although I'm beyond excited at the prospect of attending such a prestigious national fiber arts event, I'm also a bit nervous as I prepare for this journey.

First of all, I've never before driven this far on my own. Because I've enrolled in several spinning classes, I have to take my spinning wheel with me; because overhead storage compartments in airplanes don't accommodate spinning wheels, I have to drive. Fortunately I'll only have to drive one way, as Mike will be taking the train to Denver over that weekend, and catching a shuttle to the motel, then he will drive home with me on Monday and Tuesday.

Among the items on my preparation timeline are: oil change, check (and replenish if needed) all fluids, replace wiper blades, and pray for an uneventful drive. I'll be swiping the emergency starter box from Mike's van and taking that with me, and we've just signed up for an introductory AAA membership. I'll have to figure out what apps I can delete on my phone to make room for the AAA app, and then plan on not needing either roadside assistance or the starter box.

If Mike were driving we could easily make the trip in two days; however, because I'm not accustomed to driving long distances, I plan to leave on Monday and spread the driving over three days, making quick overnight stops on Monday and Tuesday nights. My bags will be packed so that I'll be able to only take one small bag inside with me for the motel stops (well, yes, okay -- actually one small bag PLUS a knitting bag of indeterminate size...) in order to expedite the stopping and starting process. I'm hoping to do the bulk of the driving in daylight and planning to arrive in Loveland sometime Wednesday afternoon, to allow time to get settled in and well rested before the event starts at 9 a.m. on Thursday.

It's going to be an amazing adventure and I look forward to getting started!

Next up: class preparations

No comments: