Our last few days of the slowcarfasthouse“beta-test” were spent in Bahia de Kino.
This wonderful, little fishing village was our home many years ago. We enjoy going back to see old friends and check to see if the island has moved. It hasn’t. Still quiet, slow-moving, peaceful and unreliable water service!
“Beta-test, I thought you were leaving?”- you ask.
Yes, this first 4 weeks turned out to be the perfect opportunity to test our mechanical systems and the new transmission as well as the basic packing and organizational systems. We learned a few things that we needed to change and we developed complete confidence in the transmission rebuild completed by AZ Transaxle and installed by Air Cooleds Only. The opportunity to head back to the family shop (formerly BB’s Project VW) was coupled with Mike’s invite to a class reunion. Everything fell in to place.
We pointed the front end towards Arizona and visited the kids along the way. (We have three grown sons in Tucson, Tempe and Phoenix) Then we could work at the shop for a few days. It was cold when we got here- so we had to break out the winter clothes. 
We found lots and lots of important mail to read-
And while we were on the road, Mike learned of a class reunion going on back in West Virginia. So he made arrangements to fly back East for his class reunion.
When he returns we will wrap up a few more little changes to the van and hit the road again.
“Hit the road, for where? – you ask”
Well, the easiest answer is “Baja”, but that is not the complete answer. Yes, we are going to head to Baja California, Norte and Sur for a few months. Folks call that area “Mexico-lite” because the travel is easy, the towns are welcoming and the simplicity is genuine. But for us, it is something a little different. We have already driven through Mexico once; in 2012 we drove from Hermosillo to the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize, and back. So this next time we will take some new routes and also repeat some areas we enjoyed. But since our trip to Latin American and South America does not have us returning (as we did before) we have some other things that we want to do first. So after a winter in Baja, we are coming back to the USA again.
“When are you leaving for South America and the Pan-American Highway?”- You ask.
We now live in our van full time. But we will start that part of the trip next year. We have some other things to do and see before we leave the country permanently. We had always hoped to do a tour through some of the National Parks, as well as see some friends and family in the East. We would like to see the Florida Everglades and then head to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. After that we will cut across Canada and head to Alaska. In Alaska we will pick up the Pan-American Highway and begin our journey down that fabled road.
We currently are estimating that our final departure from the USA will be in the Fall of 2015. We will cross the border to Mexico and then keep on driving. We are not on a timeline at all. Essentially, because we live out of the van we can take the Pan-American Highway as a fast house, not a slow car. We may stop along the way to volunteer or look around and we may venture off the path to explore other countries and opportunities. After we finish the trip to South America, we will probably ship the van (and ourselves) to another continent. Once Alta leaves the USA in the Fall of 2015 she will most likely not return.
Until then, we LOVE the opportunity to visit family and friends. We hope to be invited to park in your driveway and buy you a dinner. So if you see that we are headed your direction, please be sure to turn up the hot water heater and prepare for guests! We need a shower and your house looks like the next stop on our list!
Keep asking your questions! Remember you can reply to this post or send me a private message through this website. Thanks for following along.