Blog 405: Adios America
As many of you know, Jan, our Pups, and I have been motoring across America as full time RVers for 15 years, taking in the extreme beauty of many natural areas of the US, meeting many wonderful people along the trail, volunteering at really cool places, and blogging about our experiences.
What a journey! Marvelous sights. Great friends. We are famously lucky.
Here are a few of our favorite pics from the 405 past Motoring blogs:
Tiring of a Good Thing?
But there comes a point in time where traveling to places that once triggered awe now still bring about smiles of satisfaction but at a lesser level of appeal. We’d had our latest motorhome for 10 years and loved the ride, the space, and the comforts. But upkeep on the coach had always been high, and it became increasingly harder to get replacements as old age and the fatigue that comes with it was setting in.
Finally, the November presidential race was coming, complemented by hardening views, rigidity, and growing animosity that had the power to turn once close friends into enemies—oh no. How to avoid this time of divide?
So, what to do?
Picture in your mind a beautiful, vibrantly colored vista complete with white sand beaches, rugged mountains, mysterious volcanoes, tropical vegetation, and abundant exotic wildlife. Feel the warm breeze…smell the flowers…taste the fresh fruits while juices ooze down your chin.
Jan was all in...the Pups showed no resistance. We made our decision in Arizona. We’d spend some time visiting family and friends and then head south and keep going on to Costa Rica!
Should be easy-peasy, a piece of cake, perfectamundo, a walk in the park, cut and dried, done and dusted, correct? Well, maybe…not so much. In an my new blog, Cruising Costa Rica, I will share with you the realities of our transition just like you are sitting in the Jeep’s back seat (by the Pups), seat belts low and tight.
Assumption #1: Planning and preparing for this move would not be a big deal, as Alex was a sophisticated business executive, proven problem solver, and a savvy, experienced world traveler.
Oops!
Read on below, and in future blogs, and you will see how that worked! It wasn’t three weeks before we contracted with a “Move to Costa Rica” consultant to help us plan, prepare, and implement the necessary many, many moves.
Assumption #2: Selling the motorhome would not be a big deal.
We had kept our 45-foot coach in good shape for 10 years, performing regular maintenance and dealing with the inevitable problems (lots of them) of RVing as they came up. Plus, she was loaded and one good-looking big girl!
The plan was easy—get the few issues needing attention repaired ASAP and get the coach for sale by owner by Memorial Day, traditionally a good time to sell, and before the Southern Arizona weather turned into Serious Summer. Realizing the market might be a little slow due to high interest rates, I was going to allow up to two months to get her sold. Solid plan right!
However, a “must fix” issue occurred requiring significant service. Our window of opportunity first edged close, and then it slammed shut. The anticipated warm weather arrived with vengeance, earlier than expected, with extreme record-breaking heat. After a couple of weeks of sweat-filled misery we went with Plan B—I found a reliable business close by and put the coach up for sale on consignment. Good folks with a great track record, but record-breaking heat made their job even more difficult.
The positive side of this action was that now we could get to Costa Rica a couple of months earlier than originally thought. (Well, maybe.)
Note: We put the coach up for sale June 6. We received our payout check December 6. Six months. Oh boy, but we sold her!
Assumption #3: Driving our Jeep to Costa Rica and using it there for transportation was a practical, smart move.
Our 10-year-old Jeep was a battle-proven 4-by-4, fun to drive and excellent at handling challenging conditions. Lots of miles, but still in good shape. What an experience we would have driving her to paradise! Sounded like a great opportunity to see new stuff with lots of photo ops along the way.
The map shows the route: 3,077 miles from Tucson, Arizona, to San Jose, Costa Rica. An estimated 64 hours of driving with just a few country checks along the way. Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and then into Costa Rica.
As always on any subject, there was lots of information online, and driving to Costa Rica was no exception. There were a few examples of folks who had done the trip, and they shared some practical advice. So, yes, driving to Costa Rica could be done.
However, the US government had recently issued a very strongly worded warning not to attempt driving to Mexico, in Mexico, or anywhere beyond Mexico. In addition, the overwhelming response of all the folks with some awareness and experience of the region was “DO NOT DO IT!” Concerns of possible theft, probable breakdowns, and personal harm were cited in most all comments. Yes, that caused me to pause. Yet, the deciding clincher for me was this online comment that a Sunshine State guy like me could directly relate to: “Really? You are going to drive down thousands of miles through hostile countries with Florida license plates! Jesus be with you!
OK, we would not drive to Cost Rica.
Assumption #4: Shipping the Jeep down to Costa Rica was a realistic alternative.
Not having a car in Costa Rica was doable, as lots of people don’t have one. There are no trains or boats available for transportation, but rental cars, buses, and taxis can be hired. But most all buses don’t allow dogs, only some taxis do, and rental cars were pricey. We much preferred having a car in Costa Rica, and if we couldn’t drive the Jeep down, it seemed a good choice to ship it down. But upon investigation, many negatives showed up here as well:
Well, that sucked. So, shipping the Jeep became a no-go.
(I’ll address getting around in Costa Rica a little later.)
Assumption 5: Getting us and the Pups to Costa Rica was straightforward.
So our priority now was getting us and the pups to Costa Rica. It did not take long to confirm that there was no way to get the Pups to CR via ground transportation or boat, so all of us had to fly. The airline rules were strict and straightforward, meaning that little Toby could fly in the cabin, but Jack must fly below in cargo. We didn’t like having Jack in cargo, but what could we do? We booked a direct flight out of Charlotte, North Carolina, that was the fastest way on what was the latest one available (and, hopefully, the coolest in cargo).
So, with that decision begrudgingly made, it meant that we’d drive to North Carolina and base at Jan’s aunt (Aunties) in Matthews, right next to Charlotte, for preparation.
Driving East
We cleaned up and cleaned out the motorhome, and loaded up the few things we couldn’t live without in the Jeep. We headed east from Tucson, spending some time with family and friends. Things went smoothly with nothing bad happening (well, except for Toby falling out of the car once.) But the issue of Jack’s challenging flight was always on our minds. My worst nightmare was opening up the cargo bay door to find a stone-cold, toes-up Jackson—boy did that suck.
What happened next, you ask? Watch your email for Blog #1 in my new series, Cruising Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
P.S. Note that we will automatically transfer your email to our new blog, unless you notify us otherwise.
What a journey! Marvelous sights. Great friends. We are famously lucky.
Here are a few of our favorite pics from the 405 past Motoring blogs:
Tiring of a Good Thing?
But there comes a point in time where traveling to places that once triggered awe now still bring about smiles of satisfaction but at a lesser level of appeal. We’d had our latest motorhome for 10 years and loved the ride, the space, and the comforts. But upkeep on the coach had always been high, and it became increasingly harder to get replacements as old age and the fatigue that comes with it was setting in.
Finally, the November presidential race was coming, complemented by hardening views, rigidity, and growing animosity that had the power to turn once close friends into enemies—oh no. How to avoid this time of divide?
So, what to do?
- Continue the motoring journey looking for new vistas? Not enticing any more.
- Find a place in North America and settle down? But where? Alaska is sexy but oh, those winters! Vancouver is very nice but pricey, Colorado is beautiful but getting really busy, Mexico is awesome but unpredictable as always, and Florida is full to overflowing.
- Permanent ocean cruising? Not good for the Pups. And possibly boring.
- Any other choices? Yes!
Picture in your mind a beautiful, vibrantly colored vista complete with white sand beaches, rugged mountains, mysterious volcanoes, tropical vegetation, and abundant exotic wildlife. Feel the warm breeze…smell the flowers…taste the fresh fruits while juices ooze down your chin.
Jan was all in...the Pups showed no resistance. We made our decision in Arizona. We’d spend some time visiting family and friends and then head south and keep going on to Costa Rica!
Should be easy-peasy, a piece of cake, perfectamundo, a walk in the park, cut and dried, done and dusted, correct? Well, maybe…not so much. In an my new blog, Cruising Costa Rica, I will share with you the realities of our transition just like you are sitting in the Jeep’s back seat (by the Pups), seat belts low and tight.
Assumption #1: Planning and preparing for this move would not be a big deal, as Alex was a sophisticated business executive, proven problem solver, and a savvy, experienced world traveler.
Oops!
Read on below, and in future blogs, and you will see how that worked! It wasn’t three weeks before we contracted with a “Move to Costa Rica” consultant to help us plan, prepare, and implement the necessary many, many moves.
Assumption #2: Selling the motorhome would not be a big deal.
We had kept our 45-foot coach in good shape for 10 years, performing regular maintenance and dealing with the inevitable problems (lots of them) of RVing as they came up. Plus, she was loaded and one good-looking big girl!
The plan was easy—get the few issues needing attention repaired ASAP and get the coach for sale by owner by Memorial Day, traditionally a good time to sell, and before the Southern Arizona weather turned into Serious Summer. Realizing the market might be a little slow due to high interest rates, I was going to allow up to two months to get her sold. Solid plan right!
However, a “must fix” issue occurred requiring significant service. Our window of opportunity first edged close, and then it slammed shut. The anticipated warm weather arrived with vengeance, earlier than expected, with extreme record-breaking heat. After a couple of weeks of sweat-filled misery we went with Plan B—I found a reliable business close by and put the coach up for sale on consignment. Good folks with a great track record, but record-breaking heat made their job even more difficult.
The positive side of this action was that now we could get to Costa Rica a couple of months earlier than originally thought. (Well, maybe.)
Note: We put the coach up for sale June 6. We received our payout check December 6. Six months. Oh boy, but we sold her!
Assumption #3: Driving our Jeep to Costa Rica and using it there for transportation was a practical, smart move.
Our 10-year-old Jeep was a battle-proven 4-by-4, fun to drive and excellent at handling challenging conditions. Lots of miles, but still in good shape. What an experience we would have driving her to paradise! Sounded like a great opportunity to see new stuff with lots of photo ops along the way.
The map shows the route: 3,077 miles from Tucson, Arizona, to San Jose, Costa Rica. An estimated 64 hours of driving with just a few country checks along the way. Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and then into Costa Rica.
As always on any subject, there was lots of information online, and driving to Costa Rica was no exception. There were a few examples of folks who had done the trip, and they shared some practical advice. So, yes, driving to Costa Rica could be done.
However, the US government had recently issued a very strongly worded warning not to attempt driving to Mexico, in Mexico, or anywhere beyond Mexico. In addition, the overwhelming response of all the folks with some awareness and experience of the region was “DO NOT DO IT!” Concerns of possible theft, probable breakdowns, and personal harm were cited in most all comments. Yes, that caused me to pause. Yet, the deciding clincher for me was this online comment that a Sunshine State guy like me could directly relate to: “Really? You are going to drive down thousands of miles through hostile countries with Florida license plates! Jesus be with you!
OK, we would not drive to Cost Rica.
Assumption #4: Shipping the Jeep down to Costa Rica was a realistic alternative.
Not having a car in Costa Rica was doable, as lots of people don’t have one. There are no trains or boats available for transportation, but rental cars, buses, and taxis can be hired. But most all buses don’t allow dogs, only some taxis do, and rental cars were pricey. We much preferred having a car in Costa Rica, and if we couldn’t drive the Jeep down, it seemed a good choice to ship it down. But upon investigation, many negatives showed up here as well:
- To import our Jeep was over $3,000.
- Obtaining approval, passing inspections, and buying licenses could take 7 to 14 days.
- Jeeps are rare in Costa Rica—not many mechanics are qualified/capable/smart enough to work on them.
- It can be very difficult getting parts, especially for an old car.
Well, that sucked. So, shipping the Jeep became a no-go.
(I’ll address getting around in Costa Rica a little later.)
Assumption 5: Getting us and the Pups to Costa Rica was straightforward.
So our priority now was getting us and the pups to Costa Rica. It did not take long to confirm that there was no way to get the Pups to CR via ground transportation or boat, so all of us had to fly. The airline rules were strict and straightforward, meaning that little Toby could fly in the cabin, but Jack must fly below in cargo. We didn’t like having Jack in cargo, but what could we do? We booked a direct flight out of Charlotte, North Carolina, that was the fastest way on what was the latest one available (and, hopefully, the coolest in cargo).
So, with that decision begrudgingly made, it meant that we’d drive to North Carolina and base at Jan’s aunt (Aunties) in Matthews, right next to Charlotte, for preparation.
Driving East
We cleaned up and cleaned out the motorhome, and loaded up the few things we couldn’t live without in the Jeep. We headed east from Tucson, spending some time with family and friends. Things went smoothly with nothing bad happening (well, except for Toby falling out of the car once.) But the issue of Jack’s challenging flight was always on our minds. My worst nightmare was opening up the cargo bay door to find a stone-cold, toes-up Jackson—boy did that suck.
What happened next, you ask? Watch your email for Blog #1 in my new series, Cruising Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
P.S. Note that we will automatically transfer your email to our new blog, unless you notify us otherwise.