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Albert Preparations

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Took Albert up to  Jonathon last week before visiting Rod and Colin at Southam Mini Metro Centre.for a bit of a check up and major service prior to our trip to Ireland and Scotland in July.  This is all in preparation for our North American road trip and will give us a chance to make sure all is hunky dory before he's shipped out in December.  Albert was with Jonathon a little longer than expected due to some unexpected repairs needed in addition to the replacement of bushes, seals and nipple greasing. A few months ago we drove through an humungous pot hole and while it seems that Dick did sort out the obvious issues caused,  Jonathon and Tom fou nd some serious  damage to the eye bolt on the  tie bar which has been exacerbated over time so some welding required. Also the pothole caused damage to the near side damper which  means replacement dampers needed to both sides. Anyway suspension and bodywork all sorted now so it was down to Rod a
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Interior Updated

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Gave  Albert 's storage area a quick covering of paint before installing this great little storage unit I've found. This is going to make storage of food and other loose items much easier. Also once I put a bit of beading on the top I'll have a great shelf for more storage for luggage, tent etc. I also had a brainwave and attached a couple of thin pieces of steel to the interior roof and can now use my inspection light to illuminate the inside. No idea why I didn't think of this before. Added a piece of wood to the storage unit to create a lip so I now have a usable shelf. Hooks added for a bungee to stop drawers coming adrift. Just need a couple of hooks in the bulkhead for a bungee that will make storage of tent, sleeping bag, mat and other light stuff much easier. Can't wait to see how these improvements help when doing the Wild Atlantic Way in July.                                   
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Simplified Route (Sort of)

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I've been looking at simplifying the planned routes as it's proving really difficult to get everything I want to see and do in.   I've tried to break the initial route into two distinct routes. Mileage estimates are very rough as I intend to keep off the Interstates wherever possible. The first is based mainly around the National Parks. This route starts from my cousin's in Greensboro NC and if shipping goes to plan and with visiting my brother while in Florida I'm guess ing I should be starting this by the third week of January. I need to leave Alaska by end of June when the initial 6 months of my visa expires. The second route is based around places to see, people to visit and Route 66. The first route links with this at Boston and after visiting New York, Washington and New Orleans has Chicago as a common crossing point. I intend to start with Route 66 then up the Pacific Highway to Seattle (possible service at the Double M garage in Port Townsend) then b
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First Stab at Route Planning

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First stab at planning my US road trip. The map is based on the USA Road Trip maps and see me flying into Miami in January and, at the moment, leaving in December in time to be home for Xmas.  Albert  will be shipped into and out of Jacksonville. The first part of the adventure starts with me visiting family in Florida and North Carolina before heading west to warmer climes. I'll zig zag across the States (visiting anyone who'll have me) aiming to arrive at Denali NP,  Alaska , for mid-May arriving back in the US end of June or early July. Once back from Canada I plan to visit Peter Hays in Chicago and then follow Route 66 back to Los Angeles with a stop off at the Grand Canyon en route. Turning north and heading for Oregon then back east to Boston, Washington DC and then back to visit family again before heading home. I haven't worked out all the details but at the moment this looks workable and takes in most, if not all, must see places in the US and Canada. M
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Decision made.

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I've definitely decided to spend my 65th year doing another big trip in Albert and so have started planning for our 2020 road trip the USA, Canada and Alaska but before deciding on routes and shippers I need to make sure we can get car insurance for our trip as no insurance would mean no trip.  It's proving quite hard to find companies that will insure foreign vehicles that are temporarily imported into the States but I'm hopeful we'll find something. If anyone reading this has any advice or can assist then that would be much welcome. Current thinking is to ship Albert to Jacksonville, Florida and start from there as it's significantly cheaper than the West Coast and I get the chance to visit my brother at the same time  . From there as you can see we have plenty of options. Routes from the book Road Trip USA So, things to do before I go; Renew passport Get USA B1/B2 visa Find shipping company Establish requirements for temporarily importing Al
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Location: United Kingdom
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