Thanks for the welcome Mark! Regarding your suggestions:

Yoga Mat: I had read about the yoga mat but it must not have connected in my head (been up since 3am...killer insomnia) I'm sure I have a couple hanging out in the garage somewhere. I also liked the idea of the PCT linked to in the solo adventuring post...going to do that for sure!

First Aid Kit: I usually have a fairly significant first aid kit (it's a nurse thing, complete with first responder items) but I took it out to replace expired items over a year ago but never did replace the expired items or return the kit to my vehicle...not smart so guess what I'm doing tomorrow? :)

Road Maps: That reminds me that I need to get an updated atlas (you think 2006 is a little old?) and see how old my UT/OR/WA maps are...probably around 2006 as well. I don't travel in NM much anymore...we've been almost everywhere that we've had an interest in going in the 20 years that we've lived here.

Blanket/Tarp: Since I prefer blankets over sleeping bags (even though we own about 8 of varying warmth) I'll have plenty of blankets to throw around if needed I also always keep an old one in the vehicle for animal rescues. I'll probably throw in at least a small tarp and some lightweight rope, but since my construction skills suck and I don't really plan to be anywhere long enough to need a shelter it'll be there more for ground covering if a location is muddy/dusty/etc.

Book: Do I own up to it?? I HATE to read!!! I think it was all the reading I had to do in 10 years of nursing school (all different degrees) that killed it as an enjoyable thing for me!! lol! I'll have my laptop with an inverter but I also have a tablet that can be plug directly into the cigarette lighter with a USB plug so that I can surf the web or attempt to read what I have stored on my Kindle app (yeah, right).

Candle: Being in NM where temps are almost always in the 90-100° range in the summer a candle would be an ugly thing to even have in the car. On the other hand it did give me the idea to add a crank style flashlight for those "just in case" scenarios. :)

Handheld CB: That's definitely something I need to look into. My very first long distance road trip in April or May was through MO/IL/IN when they were having the severe thunderstorms, the tornadoes in MO/OK, etc. The only way I kept up with the weather situation was on my phone...but what if I didn't have service? This is definitely an investment in the very near future.

Thanks again for the suggestions and ideas. I'll be sure to post how things go if I am actually able to make the trip(s).

Beth