Hurricane Florence

Hurricane Florence is coming in! It's been both fascinating and stressful to keep track of Florence's path toward North and South Carolina. In addition to my own news sources and research, my sister has been tweeting me articles and helpful hints from her home in California. (She and her husband have a second home in Emerald Isle, so she's rightfully concerned, as well.)

My work has instituted the Severe Weather Policy for half of today and all of tomorrow. That normally doesn't happen until the thick of winter, when ice is in the forecast. I'm glad we're able to go home and stay home tomorrow. The huricane's path is predicted to go farther south now, so we might just get rain and wind in our area. Still, there's a chance of power outages, so I'll be getting prepared for that. I think we'll have enough food and groceries to get through.

Getting Roadtrip Ready

On Tuesday's daytrip to Merhcants Millpond State Park, I noticed a big sign (hard to miss) about ticks, which included not only a picture, but tips for avoiding them. I made me think about what I would do if I found a tick on me while I was still on the road. I didn't have any tweezers, not to mention a full-fledged first aid kit, with me in the car! I started thinking about what I should have on hand in the car for future trips, whether daytrips for the NC Odyssey Project or longer trips/vacations. Here's a list I've started:

First-aid kit
Bug Spray
Change of clothes
Flashlight and extra batteries
Current American Automoble Association (AAA) card
Medium-sized cooler and ice packs
Umbrella
Spare key(s)
Spare cash ($20?) tucked away in car
Jumper Cables
Notebook and pen
Blanket
Car charger for cell phone
Spare trash bag(s)
GPS for car (don't have one built in--any recommendations?)
Sunglasses

Okay, so this is what I've come up with so far. Can you think of anything to add to the list? What items have come in handy for you while on the road? Is there anything you've wished you had while on the road?