As for the stuff, when I went homeless for my first big tour, I donated/sold everything I could bear to part with and got a storage locker for the rest. Years later, when I finally moved into a real place of my own, it turned out that 90% of the stuff I had been storing wasn't worth moving half way across the country, so I got rid of it after storing it for years (d'oh!). That would have been different if I was staying in the same town, though.

Your highlights are great, I hope you get to do that route.