What's in our backpack - our packing list!

Since we're going to be traveling in a colder climate for South America we made a few additions to our SE Asian packing list! Here is what we're planning on bringing (still probably too much in Tracy's case but there is nothing new there)!

Tracy's Packing List

Gear	Clothes
Osprey Luna Backpack	2 Pairs of pants - 1 black, 1 brown
Sea to Summit Pack Cover (doubles as a rain cover)	2 Pairs of shorts - 1 regular (tan), 1 athletic (black)
Travel Towel	1 Black skirt
Sea to Summit Waterproof compression sack	Capris - beige
LL Bean Stowaway Pack (used as a daypack and rolled and stowed it away during transport	5 Tee shirts
LL Bean Toiletry Kit	4 Tank tops
Eagle Creek Pack-It CUbes - various sizes	Black dress
REI stuff sacks - used to stow shoes	2 long sleeve - 1 Capilene 3 & 1 black cardigan
REI compression sacks	Swim Suit
Travel blanket - borrowed from airline	3 bras
Sarong	9 pairs of underwear
2 Bandanas - can be used as wash cloths, sweat rags or when diving	3 pairs of socks - smartwool
2 Sporks	Cold weather gear
Headlamp	Marmot ultra light rain coat
Laundry line, plug & soap	Glove liners
Travel umbrella	Hat
Small black bag for storing "just in case" items - first air stuff, tummy remedies, etc	North Face fleece - 1/4 inch
Gorillapod	Under Armour cold gear - top & bottom
Sea to Summit waterproof bag for storing ipod, camera, etc	Shoes
Sea to Summit Sleep Sheet	Merrill hiking shoes
Eagle Creek Travel Wallet	Chacos
PacSafe Lock	Toiletries
Carabiner	Disposable Contacts - 1 pair per day
Electronics	Soap
Canon PowerShot Camera, Charger and cleaning kit	Shampoo/Conditioner
Alarm clock	Razor & extra blades

Ipod Shuffle	Hair product
Just in Case Kit (split between packs)	Hairspray
Sewing kit	Face Soap
Safety pins	Face Moisturizer
Duct tape	Lotion
Kleenex pocket packs	Makeup
Plug adapter	Sunscreen - SPF 15 & 30
Twisty ties	Comb
Ear plugs	Travel brush
Bandaids	Toothbrush, toothpaste & floss
Immodium	Glasses
Aleve	Egyptian Magic
Emergen C packs	Tweezers
Passport, DL, ATM Card & Cash Reserve ($800)	Facial cleansing cloths
Ambien, Anti-Malarials, Antibiotics	Eye Drops
Copies of Passports	Entertainment
Nalgene bottle	Soduko Puzzle book
Eye Shade	2-3 Books
Blow Up Pillow	Notebook & Pens
Miscellaneous	Footprint GUidebook
Sunglasses
Greatest sacrifice: hair dryer & extra shoes

Jason's Packing List

Gear

Clothes

Osprey Crescent Backpack	2 pairs of pants - zip off (doubles as shorts)
Sea to Summit Pack Cover (doubles as rain cover)	Swimsuit (can also be worn as shorts)
Travel towel	5 tee shorts
LL Bean Toiletry Kit	7 pairs of underwear
Eagle Creek Pack-It Cubes	3 pairs of socks
REI Stuff sacks & compression sacks	Fleece
PacSafe daypack	Rain jacket
Leatherman	Under Armour cold gear
LL Bean Travel Wallet	Hat
Sea to Summit Sleep Sheet	Gloves
Headlamp	Winter face mask
Electronics	2 Bandanas
Canon PowerShot & Charger	Shoes
MSI WInd Computer (and charger)	Chacos
Extra Memory sticks & Cards	Merrill Hiking Shoes
Headphones & Splitter	Toiletries
Camera Underwater case	Shampoo/Conditioner combo
SteriPen Water Purifier	Soap
Headlamp	Tweezer
Immersion Coil	Toothbrush, toothpaste & floss
Entertainment	Electric Razor
2-3 books	Fingernail trimmer
Lonely Planet South America	Miscellaneous
Playing cards	Earplugs
Notebook & pens	Advanced PADI cards
Skype Headset	Passports
	International drivers license
Greatest Sacrifice: Sonicare Toothbrush & Nintendo DS for long bus rides

As a side note we made it safely to Cartagena, Colombia on the 27th of January! Look for an update on the beginning of our South American adventures soon!

The countdown to South America begins! One week to go!

We have spent the past few weeks in North Dakota and they have flown by. It's hard to believe that we have only ONE week to go before we set off for Colombia to begin our South American journey! It's time to get busy repacking our bags and finishing our itinerary. Instead of filling you in our last few weeks day by day, here are some of the photos with quick outlines of what we did!

Blowing snow in windy, snowy and cold Sheyenne, North Dakota in -11 Farenheit temps:

Watched as Grandpa was flocked by a bunch of wintering flamingos:

Played with our loving pets that we missed oh so much:

Gambled the night away on several occasions:

Went ice fishing on Devils Lake, ND:

Visited with family:

Experienced -38 degree Farenheit temps:

And finally, celebrated a special birthday (Sara's 28th)!

To see more pictures of our time in North Dakota please click here!

A Cold Christmas in North Dakota!

We arrived in Devils Lake, ND via train at 7 am on New Year's Eve. Our arrival temperature was -16 Farenheit (for you Celcius readers out there that's -27)....it's was so cold stepping off the train took our breath away! Luckily Tracy's mom and dad met us at the train with a warm car and we took off for Sheyenne, ND (Tracy's home town). Sara & Keith arrived that evening and we celebrated a quiet New Year's Eve with family and then a late Christmas several days later.

We will be in North Dakota until the 26th of January when we fly to Bogota, Colombia!

To see more photos from North Dakota please click here!