The LLama Butchers: So Close, I'm Beginning To Smell The Tidal Wrack

July 09, 2008

So Close, I'm Beginning To Smell The Tidal Wrack

A month from today I will be puting my hooves up on the deck rail of the Llama cottage in Maine, adult beverage in hand, and staring idly at the lobster boats working their way across the bay below. Mayun am I ready for a break this year.

This reminds me of a bleg for you: I am ~~looting~~ bringing home some of Dad's old effects this year. We won't have enough room in the car for the Llama-ettes plus everything we take up with us plus everything we bring back. My suggestion that we simply leave one or more the of Llama-ettes until we feel like retrieving them has been kyboshed by Mom (who would have to deal with them), so I have been forced to fall back on the idea of either buying or renting some kind of exterior luggage thingy to strap onto the top or back of the ol' Llama Cherokee. Any suggestions about what works best and where to get it? I saw a streamlined U-haul mini-trailer for the first time the other day that looked like a distinct possibility, but I don't want to have to mess about with hitches n' stuff if I don't have to.

Posted by Robert at July 9, 2008 10:31 AM | TrackBack

Comments

We got one of those soft-sided cargo bags for the top of our Subaru Forester. It straps onto the built-in luggage rack on top, and it's good protection for stuff like clothes & other "scrunchable" stuff. I wouldn't put anything that can be broken into it, but putting some of your regular stuff on the roof will make room for heirloom stuff in the back of the Cherokee.

IIRC, the bag plus all the straps was something in the neighborhood of $50 or so about 3 years ago. Lord knows what it'll cost today.

Posted by: Russ from Winterset at July 9, 2008 10:56 AM

When we drove to Alaska and back, we bought a fabric luggage carrier. It wasn't quite as water tight as we would have liked, but wrapping everything in big black garbage bags kept it all dry. We chose the fabric kind because it was cheap, lighter weight and folded up small-ish when not in use. It did mean, however, that we did not trust its safety in hotel parking lots and had to take it off the car roof every night and bring it in with us.

We still use it on occasion though and haven't had any major complaints about it other than the waterproofing.

Posted by: Jordana at July 9, 2008 11:00 AM

You are a lucky man Robert. My siblings decided to sell the whole lot (other than what they could loot prior to the sale.) My children, so used to going to Maine for the summer began to agitate and I said "You want to go to Maine, well here we go!"
We camped out in my mother's empty house for 3 weeks... My mother's pastor took pity on us and provided a card table and 4 chairs plus a TV.
I will never forget it. Bittersweet doesn't even begin to describe that trip. We only had memories to carry back. They fit inside the car...

Posted by: Babs at July 9, 2008 03:11 PM

Isn't it possible to just strap the gels to the front of the hood, deer style?

Posted by: rbj at July 9, 2008 05:03 PM

Just be sure to poke holes in whatever contraption you get so the gels can breathe.

Posted by: bobgirrl at July 9, 2008 08:08 PM

Have you considered UPS/FedEX Ground shipping?

Posted by: JB in Florida at July 9, 2008 09:45 PM

We have a Yakima Rocketbox, although not cheap, it has been well worth the money. We got it 11 years ago and use it every year for our twice yearly treks up north. It is lockable and weather proof. It is awkward to store, but it is lightweight enough that I can drag it in and out of the crawlspace and get it up on top of the van by myself.

Posted by: Sarah G. at July 9, 2008 11:29 PM

Thankee all for your helpful suggestions! As tempting a proposition as bungeeing the Llama-ettes to the fenders is, I think I'm leaning more towards Sarah's Rocket Box concept (although I'd have to clear it with the Orgle Manor comptroller, first).

Posted by: Robbo the LB at July 10, 2008 11:12 AM

Saw a hitch cargo carrier on the road today and thought of you. It does involve a hitch - if you have one. We have used the brand a couple of times for towing trailers over the years. They also have roof carriers as well.

drawtite-hitches dot com

I'm sure the Llama-ettes would fit in large trash bags that you could bungee to the carrier!

Thanks for all the laughs. I thought you could at least punch a few holes in the FedEx/UPS boxes and throw in a few sports bottles and Ipod batteries and have the whole problem licked!

Posted by: JB in Florida at July 10, 2008 05:06 PM

Posted by: Age of Conan at October 26, 2008 02:49 AM

Posted by: lotro gold at October 26, 2008 02:50 AM