15 Days Under the Hood

A trial 1st post to our trip blog, figuring out how the whole blogging thing works...
Eight days to Blastoff... we've been using our Spring vacation to collect/organize gear and do a trial packing of the van. I spent the previous 2 weeks attending to long-neglected mechanical issues: transmission fluid leak, change transmission fluid and filter, engine oil and filter, air filter, and then a lot of time fixing the parking/emergency brake, including filing all new teeth on the foot pedal ratchet! (See photo)
At this point, the calm is unnerving me: I feel like I must be overlooking some huge critically important step of preparation that will hit me like a bus only after it's too late to possibly address it, but right now things seem on-track and relaxed. We're getting some responses to our mass email, and making arrangements to see some folks along the way... very exciting!
I'll close here, as it's stupid-late, and I don't even know if this post will publish. I think Carroll thought she posted something before, but it didn't show up, so who knows?