on the road again

With Couchette all loaded up onto her trailer, we headed out on the road, and I soon discovered that two things must change:

1. I must not worry that the trailer was unstable, and likely to flip. Once we hit the road, I discovered that it was all very stable, and my nightmares of the whole ball o’ wax careening into the ditch faded into obscurity.

2. The tarp that I had rigged up to keep Couchetted dry must go. By the time we hit the border about an hour away, the whole blessed thing was in tatters. Why do we buy tarps anyways? The cheap plastic groundsheet that was keeping the other luggage in the trailer dry was in fine shape, and was quite a bit cheaper. I pose this question to the tarp makers of the world: Can you make something that (a) keeps the rain out (b) doesn’t tear at the grommets (c) doesn’t break down in two months of sun (d) doesn’t shred to tatters in anything more than an afternoon breeze (e) actually keeps water out for more than one year running and (f) doesn’t cost more than my garage. Truly, can it be that hard to make something like that. For now, though, Couchette goes naked.