An American Journey: Preparations

…Continued from An American Journey.

Now with a car and a long trip ahead of me, I went in search of supplies.  There was no way I was going to end up stranded if I could avoid it.  On December 13, I went out to get an oil change & supplies.  I started at Wal-Mart where I bought various tools, then had an oil change done at Meineke, and bought a set of fuses at the auto parts store next door.  Knowing I would be driving through the Rocky Mountains in winter, I asked about tire chains, only to find out they are illegal in Wisconsin.  If I decided I needed them, I'd have to buy them along the way.

I later decided I wanted a license plate frame with a clear plastic cover for the paper temporary license plate, so I went to another auto parts store on the 16th and bought one.

On the 18th, I returned to Wal-Mart to stock up on automotive fluids and other general necessities for the trip.  At Wal-Mart, I also stumbled upon an Argus DC1512 digital camera for the low price of $19.67!  At this price, I had very low expectations, but I figured for less than 20 bucks, why not?  I couldn't afford a good digital camera, and I wasn't going to waste film taking pictures while driving with a 35mm camera.  Most of the pictures on this page were taken with this camera.  It was about what I expected.

Here is what a $20 digital camera looks like:

Here is a summary of my supplies:

Wal-Mart – 12/13/2003
Tool Set	$17.84
Jumper Cables	$4.44
Duct Tape	$1.44
Flashlight	$1.97
Funnel	$0.64
Tire Gauge	$0.97
Window Scraper/Snow Brush	$4.86
Snow Shovel	$7.86
5.6% Sales Tax	$2.24
Total	$42.26
Meineke – 12/13/2003
Oil/Oil Filter/Air Filter Change	$21.74
5.6% Sales Tax	$1.22
Total	$22.95
Advance Auto Parts – 12/13/2003
Fuses	$3.18
5.6% Sales Tax	$0.18
Total	$3.86
Checker Auto Parts – 12/16/2003
License Plate Frame/Cover	$7.99
5.6% Sales Tax	$0.45
Total	$8.44
Wal-Mart – 12/18/2003
Paper Towels	$0.50
Cassette Adapter for CD Player	$19.96
Digital Camera	$19.67
Atlas	$7.95
Alarm Clock	$3.82
Hose Clamps	$2.87
Batteries	$1.88
5 Quart Oil	$4.17
Window Washer Fluid	$1.97
Fuel Injector Cleaner	$1.47
Electrical Tape	$0.97
Vinyl Protectant	$1.88
Power Steering Fluid	$1.47
Brake Fluid	$0.78
6 Quarts Transmission Fluid	$11.82
Antifreeze	$4.48
5.6% Sales Tax	$4.80
Total	$90.46

The total for these supplies was $167.47.

Continue to Westbound…