getting ready for the trip

So, it is Thursday and I am still packing.  There are so many things to consider...will the airport think I am a terrorist if I bring my pocket knife?   Check my pack, or carry it on?  Is it excessive to bring the ipod along with the GPS?  Maps, fire permits, fuel, food, and bear mace will have to be purchased in California, but everything else has to somehow fit into my pack, weigh nothing (or as close to floating as possible), and yet accommodate several different climates...and what appears to be a very rainy season.  The news today said the California coast was getting hammered by hurricane force winds, and a fair amount of rain.  What is fair about that?

My flight is at 6:05 am from Manchester, NH on Saturday, January 5, 2008 and I should arrive in San Diego by 3pm.  I am looking forward to more hours of daylight and balmy 45 to 59 degree temperatures.  Outside, here there is what appears to be three or more feet of snow...and temperatures that only wish they were above zero.  I guess all this snow will be a distant memory in less than a week...with sunny San Diego on the horizon...and locally grown produce at every market.  Now, if I could just figure out which sleeping bag to bring....

The news today said the California coast was getting hammered by hurricane force winds, and a fair amount of rain. What is fair about that?

Jessica