I spent three days making lists before packing. I obsessed over details and what to bring. I knew I had to pack light, so I limited myself to one bag, plus a camera bag. It was tough. I wanted to bring everything I would need without bringing anything I wouldn't need. I packed the night before I left. Then, the next morning, I unpacked and repacked again. I had two gallon Ziploc bags, one full of toiletries, the other full of medicine and first aid supplies (this was the stuff I ended up not needing, fortunately). I also had four shirts (plus the one on my back), another pair of pants and one pair of shorts (which I ended up not wearing). Plus plenty of reading material.
After my bags were ready, I realized that I hadn't given much though to what was going to happen on the trip. All of my energy had been devoted to packing the bag. I didn't know what exactly was going to happen, but I knew I was excited!
My flight left O'Hare Thursday night. I drove up from Champaign to Chicago and left my car with Mike (my brother-in-law). He dropped me off at O'Hare and my trip was underway. Checking in and flying was smooth and uneventful. I took some Tylenol PM to help me doze away on the flight.
All content and photos Copyright © 2004 Travis Pettijohn.