Wife and I want to go to Oshkosh this year in our '46 Champ.
It's about 850 - 900 miles from the east coast, and we'd
like to camp along the way and after we arrive.

I'd love any suggestions, but here's some of my thoughts and
questions.

1) We've no source of power other than the main battery and
any extras we carry. We're carrying camping gear so in a
Champ, every ounce is critical. I've got to have radio for
Oshkosh, and can't be certain I can charge anything enroute,
so I'm thinking about going mostly NORDO.

2) No transponder, so Flight Following is out - correct?
Even if I had power for radio.

3) I'm considering some solar cells - sitting on the panel.
I run a 14 volt battery system (radio doesn't like 12
volts). Has anyone else done this - results? The specs
seem to say they run a max of 16+ volts. That's a fully
charged 14 volt battery, but I suspect they put out almost
no current at that voltage, and are designed to supply their
power to a nominal 12 volt system, not nominal 14 volts.

4) Am I crazy to think of taking the Chicago shoreline? I'm
not comfortable with the lake crossing even with LRS, and
the western route around Chicago adds an awful lot of miles,
plus it's less scenic. I'd run GPS handheld during this
stretch to help with the airspace issues, but tentatively
plan to remain NORDO. Would I be likely to get into the
class D's near Chicago along the shoreline for transition
considering I'm slant x-ray, or should I just go
over/around?

5) How would you handle in flight weather to minimize radio
use? We'll carry a pair of cellphones, one that's web
browser enabled. Any good sites for weather that I can get
on the phone?

6) How about some camping at Oshkosh tips or checklists.
I've got the notam.

7) Can I ship stuff to Osh for use there, so I dont have to
carry it? Where do I ship it to?

8) I'm an EAA member, does my wife need to join?

9) Is there a store (Walmart etc. for food, batteries,
gear?) Is it likely I can buy/borrow a hammer there to bang
in the tiedowns. Is there any chance it will be cold -
we're thinking of some sheets and a light cover rather than
sleeping bags - the former are lighter.

10) We want to shoot photos, but we're digital. Any
suggestions on getting our memory stick photos onto CDs?
I'm hoping some kind soul will have a laptop and burner,
then let us read the cards via USB and we'll bring the CD's.

Thanks for any comments.