I like to carry a rechargeable hand held spotlight so I can see conditions ahead of me before I commit to some back roads.

One last thing before you go.

Do you have a passport (or other document on this list)?

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go/air_travel/documents_needed.xml

You may not need it to get into Canada, but it will make your return trip to the US easier.

Yeah, I have had one since I was a wee lad.

That's good. Based on percentages a majority of many countries don't. One less thing for you to deal with.

A few notes on the Vehicle list:


- spare clothing pack
- food pack and biggish pot
- closed-cell foam sleeping pad (multiple uses, especially great for kneeling on when changing a tire)
- glad to see you're adding extra sandbags to give more weight in the back; a pickup with an empty box is scary on icy roads; depending on your load you may choose to carry even more
- don't forget extra sunglasses; the glare off snow can be intense
- water: I find the 2-litre soda bottles very tough and convenient; leave 20% volume for freezing; in a pinch you can cut the bottle off the ice block and melt it in the pot
- a couple of those flashing bicycle tail-lights; saves your main battery if you're stranded; important so you aren't clipped by another vehicle or snowplow
- windshield washer fluid (avail. everywhere); this contains alcohol to reduce freezing; also useful for washing parts in freezing conditions, but avoid skin contact
- methyl hydrate (called gas line antifreeze); you won't be using this with a diesel, but it's great for unthawing frozen locks and switches on equipment; avoid skin contact/vapour inhalation
- in remote areas, a good length of steel cable and a come-along can help you self-extract from the ditch (unless you have a winch on the truck); not fast but it works
- ? starting fluid: this is an ether/volatiles mix in a spray can, used to help start engines in extreme cold; I've used it for both diesel and gas engines in extreme cold, and it works, but spray in too much and you could blow the engine; not sure it's advisable for a modern pickup; but it's only a couple of bucks, and I wouldn't take a diesel off the beaten path in winter without it, if only for emergency use

LOL -- guilty as charged. No doubt you endured a fair bit of ribbing from self-satisfied Albertans when you worked out here.

Not really. Almost everybody I met in Alberta was from Newfoundland

Makes one heck of a fire starter also, you don't even have to get close....

Yeah, maybe, but I'm fond of my eyebrows (and face too, such as it is).

This stuff is used when gasoline isn't volatile enough to get the job done.

For firestarting, saturate a rag with it, use a flaming arrow to light it, and watch your kindling spread out in a high, smoking arc over a 25 yard radius. (Just to be clear: this is not a recommendation.)

I should send Blast a can for Christmas.

Well, after much indecision, the company has decided to take me from independent consultant status to regular employee. They have even given me an approximate leave date for going North (one week to leave/two weeks to report).

Now (after all my winter preps), would anyone hazard a guess as to where NORTH is since it has been up in the air a bit????????????











OKLAHOMA

Thank You to everyone who contributed their help. I was born and raised in Oklahoma, I have got that one covered....