The Plan

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May 09 Monday
Making the final preparations on departing. The Irish have an expression "Monday for health, Tuesday for wealth, and Wednesday is the best day of all". Since health is the most important I try to always leave on a Monday for health but seem to be leaving on a Tuesday so I guess it's for wealth. I assiduously avoid leaving later in the week as the saying goes on to say "Thursday for losses, and Friday for Crosses, and Saturday is no day at all". My mother is from Ballinasloe about 30 miles from Galway in Ireland. She went to England during the war to serve as a nurse and so that is where she met my father who was in the American Army Air Corps. So most of the expressions and beliefs I embraced while growing up are Irish.
In any case I decided I really wanted to enjoy another day in the warm embrace of my family before I left so I decided to go on Tuesday.
I spent the day of Monday washing clothes, repacking some things, doing some last minute shopping, and remaking the bed of my sleeper in my truck setting it up more for warm weather instead of cold.
It was tough on my mother me leaving again (because mothers always worry about their children) but she understands this is my dream and I am finally getting to do it. I told her I would be back in a few weeks and resolved to leave in the morning before she got up so she would not have to go through the goodbye again.
For this trip I am planning on going across East Texas on hwy 30 out of Bryan to Huntsville, then on 190 out of Texas to De Ritter Louisiana, figuring on camping in the Kisatchie National forest Northwest of De Ridder. Then on La 10 to Opelousas where I will catch 190 again to Baton Rouge.
At Baton Rouge I will take scenic route 61 north to Natchez where I will get on the Natchez Trace going Northeast.
My intention is to explore as many Civil War battlefields as I can as well as Washington ,DC and New York.
Then back to Texas to leave the truck and fly to Europe for the late summer and Fall.
So that's the plan.

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Photos

My "Sleeper"
I have made a "sleeper" behind the seats of my truck by removing the bench seat and making a bed. I intend to stretch my funds by camping out and "boondocking" as well as utilizing budget motels