I’m starting to feel a bit overwhelmed about everything that still needs to be done by April 30th, so I made myself a list. It is… extensive. I then colour coded it in red, yellow, and green. The red tasks are the big jobs that will require a lot of time and effort. The yellow jobs are little annoying things I need to do that will require some effort and time. The green jobs are easy little projects. I think that having this list is going to help me stay on track and finish up everything without losing my mind as well as make better use of the days when I’m at work.

I knew the list will help for sure when I finished it and promptly got up to complete one of my green tasks!

Even though I have had no reason whatsoever not to trust the glue holding the new shelf in the toilet room, I just couldn’t bring myself to risk a crash. So, I installed four angle brackets with teeny screws. Such a small thing and took only two minutes!

Another list I’m working on is what groceries and supplies I should be stocking up on when I get to Whitehorse. While I  do hope to squeeze in a run back there mid-summer to replenish my supplies,  I’d like to get to Dawson with a fuller larder than I did last year since I hadn’t anticipated spending the whole summer there! I have access to a large freezer in Dawson, so buying things that can later be frozen is a possibility. It can be nice to head into the known!

The final list is what I want to do and see on the trip I’ll be taking ‘down Island’ from April 13 through to the 16th. Taking a weekend off is going to force me to get a lot done this coming weekend and give me a chance to unwind a bit. Yes! There is more tourism to come during the Great Renovation Winter! 😀

Notice has been given at work and my last day at the gas station will be April 28th. Thirteen shifts (107.25 hours) left!

I’ve made my spending plan up to July, with projections straight through to November, and barring any disasters, I will have a reasonably stress-free return to Dawson City. If the weather is good and I can shoot straight north, I may even be able to squeeze in a detour or two. Unlike last year, I don’t plan to dawdle between the Lower Mainland and Prince George but rather get as far north as quickly as possible, weather-depending, so I can see a bit more of the Yukon this year than I did last year.

I’ve had reports from Dawson that spring is coming very early this year and if the trend holds, I may decide to do something impossibly bold and arrive in Dawson from the west, via the Top of the World Highway, so as to see southwest Yukon and spend some time in Alaska. Having driven the TotWH I feel that I could do it with Miranda and the toad so long as the conditions are reasonable. This is a decision I won’t be making until I get to Whitehorse.

As for the whole Cassiar vs. Alaska Highway debate I’ve been having with myself, it’ll depend on the answer I get about something that could give me more internet independence than I would have expected to get this spring.

There’s lots going on and April is going to be a whirlwind of activity!