Expedition vehicles: These are typically custom built vehicles. Often built on military chassis. Google Unimog to see some samples. They are sold with the idea that they are go anywhere do anything vehicles. I do think they are very cool, cool in what a 10 year old would draw up cool.  In following a number of blogs, we think they are a poor choice:

• They tend to be very expensive relative to other options. $200-300,000 being fairly common numbers for new rigs.
• They require special parts not typically available and often expensive. One couple reported being very happy they found tires at $400 each. They had been told to expect $1200 each and to have to custom order them. For a military convoy they are go anywhere but military convoys can take spare parts and mechanics to keep the trucks running. Not so practical for a solo vehicle.
• Let’s say you actually use that off road capability. Who is going to pull you out when you get a 10 ton rig stuck 30 miles from the nearest truck route? I’d rather get stuck just off the main road where help is easy to come by.
• The living space tends to be small compared to similar size rigs.
• At least a some are underpowered by modern standards. One blog we are following mentions a top speed on level ground of 50mpg. Even modest hills have them slowing down to 30-40mph. They have low enough gears that they will eventually make it up steeper hills but only at slow speeds. On top of that, the fuel efficiency is pretty bad (well under 10mpg).

Cab Over Panel Truck Conversion: We’ve seen a couple of these and if you are willing to build them out yourself, they could be a good option.  This basically a mid-size delivery truck with a big box on the back. They have high ground clearance and a pre-made box that should be relatively simple to convert to a living space. Some of the japanese models are common in both north and south america which hopefully would result in easy repairs. This may or may not be true. Every blog we’ve followed that choose a rig based on universal availability found that even when it looked the same, the mechanical systems were not so universal. There are trade offs:

• Panel trucks can be purchased at reasonable prices as there is a large market for them.
• They automatically put you in the diesel market, which is good for durability and fuel economy.
• You can build it the way you want it. Don’t care about hot water? Skip the water heater (keep in mind resale value will drop substantially if you leave out basic amenities..
• If you want all the appliances of a typical RV (fridge, pressure water system, toilet, furnace, AC, etc…), they can get expensive. If you just want a secure space to sleep and keep your stuff, the cost could be kept pretty low.
• The biggest downside is it requires a fairly substantial build. Pay someone to do it and the rig gets expensive. Do it yourself and it requires a substantial commitment of time.

While most just say it for something to say, some are actually curious how we do it, so below is a general outline of what it takes.

• Our plan originally started with the rather fuzzy idea that we would retire at a typical 60-65 years old, buy a 50-60ft boat and sail off into the sunset.
• As we worked for a few years and we had the Silverton (31′ power boat), the plans started to gel, we saw that if we saved aggressively, we could retire in our late 40′s on a 40-50′ boat.
• I’m the nerd (mike) and I keep the household budget on a spreadsheet. One day for no real reason, I took the budget and looked at the retirement formula from the opposite direction. Instead of figuring how much we need to save, I looked at how much we needed to spend. Once you got rid of the ongoing expenses of living in a house and commuting to a job, it turned out to be very inexpensive to live on a boat. I brought this up to Tammy and next thing you know we are planning and taking action to make the plan a reality. We’ve been lucky but planning has been 90% of why we can do this.

Prep work:

• Get debt free and on a budget!!! This the key to making this work. If you are still trying to pay a mortgage, car payments, credit card payments and the bank account is always running dry, it is always going to be a controlling factor and it makes it 10 times harder both to save up and cover your day-to-day expenses. It’s not as hard as it sounds. It just takes a little discipline. The only hard part is the first 6-12 months while you shed your old lifestyle and the debts that go with it. The banks and credit card companies are not doing you a favor by lending you money. Eventually, you still have to pay for what you buy and then you have to pay the interest. We followed the Dave Ramsey plan which I will outline in a general terms.
• Set up a budget for the next month that includes any and all expenses (do your best the first month and fix what isn’t right in future months). If it’s not in the budget, you don’t spend money on it. PERIOD. The budget for expenses must not exceed the income. This isn’t all about pain and going without. Other than not spending more than you bring in , you can spend the money on whatever you want. If you want to spend $2000/month eating out, that’s fine as long as it’s in the budget up front and you are covering all you other bills. If your goal is an early retirement and getting rid of debt, $2000/month eating out is pretty silly but the point is you must consciously decide up front what you are spending money on. When you do that, you will find that many extras cost a lot more than you realize and it’s easier to focus your money on items that are really important to you.
• If you don’t have one already, set up a small emergency fund (say $1000). You don’t want to keep taking out new debt every time the car breaks down (of course, you should cover maintenance as part of the normal budget but until you have been updating the budget for a few months, there may be things you miss). Once you are debt free, you can quickly set aside 3-6 months in an emergency fund.
• Take all the extra money you can squeeze out of the budget and after making minimum payments on all your debts, put everything on the smallest debt. When the smallest gone, go after the next smallest. If you apply yourself, you will be surprised how quickly the debt disappears. Unless you have an insane amount of debt, you should be looking at 6-12 months if you attack it aggressively.
• Consider selling “stuff” that won’t be going on the trip with you. I’m not talking about selling grandma’s wedding ring but if you have a new car with a $30,000 loan, sell it. Even if you only get $25,000 for it, you can buy a $10,000 used car and you have cut the amount you owe to $15,000. Snowmobiles, ATV’s and similar toys are good options to sell. Garage sales to get rid of junk in the attic are another great idea. This will speed the debt free process greatly.
• If it’s for a short time, consider a second job. If you are already covering your bills, all of this money can be used to get debt free. An extra $10,000/yr can go a long way toward clearing out your debt.
• If you are a couple, it is absolutely critical that you both agree to and follow the budget. If partner 1 badgers partner 2 into the budget then partner 2 ignores it and spends more than budgeted, you will fail and probably have a lot of arguments in the process. 
• Future Budgeting: Once you get the idea of budgeting down, make a copy and start updating it based on your best guess at your future travel expenses. No it won’t be perfect but it gives you an idea of the ongoing income or savings you will need to make the trip a reality. As you research your trip, you will find tidbits about expenses and also how to control them. For example, if you pay for marina slips on a nightly basis they typically run $30-60/night. If you sign up for a week or even better a month, those rates often come down to $10-20/night. So if you plan for a few moves in quick succession followed by a period where you don’t move, the costs are much lower than moving every 3-4 days.
• Retirement Savings: We had been aggressively saving for retirement and while we slowed down, we have continued to save for retirement over the past 4 years. That money is not to be touched until we are truly ready to retire.
• Find a used boat/rv that meets your needs.
• New is just crazy. Our Gemini is still being built and sold new. Last I checked it goes for around a quarter million dollars. We paid less than a quarter of that. If your budget won’t handle that much, it is possible to get a boat for under $15,000. It will be smaller and not as nice but it’s doable with some research. Remember to stick with the plan to do this debt free.
• When looking at options understand, you won’t have the space of even a one bedroom apartment but also look at what you minimum living conditions will be. We’ve met the rare cruiser without refrigeration. They were happy. To us that is insane. Also look at the boat from a practical point of view. Imagine using everything on the boat.
• Most people at a boat show never consider using the oven. We use ours at least a couple of times per week. It’s an important feature along with the stove.
• Can you close the door to the bathroom while using it?
• How long will you deal with kicking each other in that V-berth?
• Imagine all these things while bouncing along in a seaway.
• Then step back and remember there is no perfect boat that meets all your needs.
• Look at fuel efficiency, maintenance and other hidden costs.
• Slower with smaller engines is usually the most efficient.
• A well thought out outboard will be easier and cheaper to maintain than an inboard diesel (Many small monohull sailboats have lousy outboard setups that won’t work in any significant waves.)
• An old rusted out drivetrain could cost more to replace than the boat.
• Catamarans often get charged extra due to their width (the Gemini is an exception being only 14′ wide that usually gets us out of this.)
• Work while traveling, saving for the trip or some combination:
• So far in our travels, we have been able to continue working remotely with internet and phone communications.
• We know of people who stop for a few months at a time to work and save up before they move along for a few months then repeat the process. This can work well if you go to popular tourist locations in season where they are desperate for workers during the peak but then don’t want to keep you on during the off-season.
• Working out of the country can be more difficult if you don’t have skills that are in demand. There are usually rules against it and you are often competing vs locals who make far lower wages than americans are used to.
• For our next trip, working regularly will be difficult as we will be in remote areas at times with limited internet access so the plan is to save up enough to cover a few years and then work when we can to stretch that money even further. This sounds hard but we are already used to an inexpensive lifestyle. As long as we stick to it, the bump up to full-time work and Tammy picking up a few groups should make it go pretty quickly.
• How much to budget?
• This is a trick  question. It all depends on how you want to live.
• On the low-end, if you anchor out all the time, sail whenever possible, do all the maintenance yourself, dumpster dive for spare parts and upgrades (yeah, we’ve pulled a few nice things out). You could probably get it down to $1000-1500/month but you will always be hesitant to start the engine, you won’t have air-conditioning, you will have to row the dingy in rather than staying at a dock, many of the museums and other touristy activities will be outside your budget.
• On the high-end, the sky’s the limit. Eating out every meal, private tour guides, rental cars, and so on.
• We fall somewhere in between.
• We tend to stay at marinas/campgrounds most nights but tend to slow down in cheap areas and move quickly thru expensive areas with an occasional free stop away from facilities.
• We travel slowly which helps with fuel efficiency.
• We go out to eat 2-3 times per week at low to moderately priced restaurants.
• We get a rental car probably every other month for a few days to a week when we can get a good deal or there are sites we want to get to. (some marinas have courtesy car available that you can borrow for free if you replace the fuel. We will generally use these marinas if the nightly rate isn’t substantially higher.)
• We do most basic maintenance and upgrades ourselves but occasionally farm it out if it requires skills we don’t possess.
• Below is a sample of our budgets (plural).  Some of the numbers have been rounded and you should enter your own where you have more accurate info.
• explanation:
• This table was developed to compare RV’ing in Europe to the Pan America. The other budgets were pre-existing:
• Present/Apartment: This is our current situation living in downtown detroit. It does include keeping the boat in a marina for the summer which is much cheaper than traveling about with short stays. It also includes a large value for saving up for the next trip. If I get extra hours or Tammy has a group, we can actually put aside more than this.
• Old/Boat/RV: This based on our last couple years where we owned and maintained both the boat and the RV. Getting rid of one of those would cut costs a bit. Before we got the RV, the costs were probably $2-300/month less.
• Europe & Pan America: These are a first crack at what we think it will cost based on our previous experience and what we have found for similar people on-line.
• One big question we haven’t decided on yet is what to do with the boat and 5th wheel. If we will be traveling for 3-5 years, it seems silly to pay for storage when we aren’t going to be using the boat. Plus storage seems to put more wear and tear on the boat than when it is in use. But far more than our houses, the boat is “home”. There is a sentimental reason to consider keeping her. If we do wind up selling it, that money will be set aside to buy another boat when we get back.
• Emergency: This has always been something we have maintained. It is our emergency backup plan if something went horribly wrong and we had to survive on as little as possible. It’s not something we would want to do for any length of time.
• Utilities: At marinas/RV parks, utilities are typically included. If you get a monthly rate, they sometimes meter your electric but it’s so much cheaper that there is no need to keep track separately.
• The insurance categories are self explanatory
• Phone/Internet: We have been using a cell phone and internet broad band card. When we leave the country, we will probably become more dependent on wi-fi/Skype at pay as you go phones.
• Cable: We will have to figure some of this out as cable or satellite we currently use won’t be available.
• Laundry: Self explanatory
• Groceries: We bumped up Europe based on past experience.
• Spending money: We have it broken down into 3 categories. This is something we figured out many years ago. We found that one or the other would wind up using their spending money when we went out to dinner or did some other joint activity. Eventually we separated out a combined spending category for joint activities. Within reason, you can spend your spending money on whatever you want (it does include clothes). The combined spending money must be jointly agreed on. We find this works very well.
• Rent, giving, presents are straight forward.
• Vacation: Minor vs Major. This was an issue we ran into. Either we couldn’t afford a big trip because we had spent the vacation fund on little visits to nearby stuff or we were skipping nearby stuff to save up for a big trip. We finally split it out so we could better account for it.
• Even on the Pan America there will be big side trips we don’t want to miss out on. For example: if we are in Ecuador, we don’t want to miss the Galapagos.
• Maintenance: This covers repairs and upgrades as needed to the boat or RV. It should be lower over the next few years, as we will only be maintaining a single RV.
• Fuel: straightforward. Estimated based on expected miles, local fuel price and fuel economy.
• Marina/RV Park: Covers the fees associated with that.
• Dog fund: Food, vet bills & occasional stays at a kennel.
• Several items are stockpiled items (maintenance, dog, vacation). If one months money is not used, we keep track of it and save it for when we need a big expenditure.
• There will be one time costs to factor in also (shipping the RV, border crossing/visa fees, etc.) Try to account for those up front as much as possible.

So if anyone knows where that couple hundred thousand in secret money is? Please let us know so we can take a decade off.

It was an uneventful flight over if you don’t count the group being frisked at the Frankfurt airport on the way over. They take security seriously going to the Holy Land. Even though we had already cleared security the gate area for the flight had another security screening and this wasn’t just a quick once over with a wand. Not a big deal though.

We arrived at Tel Aviv late in the afternoon and after getting to the hotel, we had dinner and went to bed.

The next day was Saturday with is the Sabbath day so rather than head into Jerusalem which is highly religious and most things will be shut down, we headed north toward the Galilee area. On the way up we stopped at Caesarea to see the ruins of the roman city.

From there we worked our way up to Cana & Nazareth. Obviously wine was a big item in Cana and we renewed our wedding vows. We finished the day stopping in Tiberius on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

The next morning we headed out for a trip on the Sea. It’s a little cheesy with barges dressed up to like old-fashioned boats but it was fun and it gives you a good feel for the lay of the land.

An interesting side note: The “sea” is only around 7×12 miles and is fresh water. So why is it called a sea? It’s a dry desert area and they didn’t have a name for “lake” since there weren’t any others.

After the boat ride we caught the motorcoach up to the Mount of Beatitudes for mass and a lovely view of the sea.

From there we went up to the border with Lebanon to see the springs that are the source of the Jordan River. No particular concern but there are still signs in some fields warning of land mines.

The next day we did a few more stops visiting what is believed to be Peter’s house and then worked our way south along the Jordan River (actually a few miles to the east since it is the border with the country of Jordan).

We caught shuttles up to the top of Mount Tabor to have mass at the church there. Looking for an option for lunch with a tight schedule our bus driver stopped and found picnic supplies and we had lunch at the Springs of Gidian. Something a little different but people seemed to love it.

Just as we came in sight of the Dead Sea we turned east and went into Jerusalem.

Highlights included side trips to Bethlehem (really a suburb now) to the Church of the Nativity, the Via Dolorosa (the way of the cross), Church of Holy Seplechure (includes Calvary and the Tomb). We also stopped by the Wailing Wall and saw the Dead Sea Scrolls.

On our last day we took a short trip out to the Dead Sea. We drove past Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. The travelers got to dip their toes in the sea (we hung out at the beach bar since it was 5 flights of stairs down and we’ve done it before). The sea is drying up since much of the Jordan River is being diverted for agriculture. There were spa complexes that are now a mile from the shore.

From there we went up to see the actual Jordan River. In Michigan, it would be just a large drainage ditch but in a desert world, a continuously flowing river was a life line. From there we stopped for lunch at Jericho for more shopping.

The whole country is pretty dry but the north end is a lot of scrub brush. As you move toward the south end, it is truly desert with almost nothing growing.

The next morning we had an early flight out to Rome. We had an overnight in Assisi so it was on the bus and head out (you can’t get into hotel rooms until late afternoon anyway so it’s better to keep the group occupied). We stopped for lunch and mass at Orvieto which is a midevil hilltop town and fun for an afternoon.

The hotels in Assisi are always fun. We try to stay in the old city so people can wander in the evening but the hotel is in a building that is several hundred years old so they get pretty creative with the facilities. We had a shower/tub that was only 3′ long. Not a big deal but the floor was two tier, so I felt like the Captain Morgan commercial while showering. After touring the town the next day we made our way back down to Rome.

Familiar territory for us and we felt very much at home. Tours of the basilicas, ancient Rome… We did get mass at the Tomb of Peter. After a papal audience, the next day we were off for home. Overall a good trip.

Today, we will talk about some of the upgrades and items to add:

• Truck
• Limited Slip Differential: Probably won’t follow thru on this one but we don’t have 4×4. It is feasible to replace the rear differential with a limited slip version. Given the weight of the camper on the rear axle, this would be almost as good as 4×4. If it was a couple hundred dollars, we would probably go for it. From what I can find, we are looking at $1000-1500 and we will still probably have pretty good traction with the weight of the camper on the back, so this probably won’t be changed.
• Vehicle Repair Manuals. Both english and spanish versions. Far easier for them to track down parts if they have the part numbers and there is no guarantee the mechanic will be fluent in english.
• Suspension upgrades: The idea is to get a moderately sized camper, so these shouldn’t be needed. We may look into adding air bags for the rear axle or upgrading the springs. Based on reviews from some other folks doing the trip, I am leaning toward springs if we need to upgrade. With all the dirt road driving, the airbags eventually wear thru and they are not available south of the border so repairs are difficult.
• Tire pressure monitoring system: Not sure on this one yet. They are becoming more economical. By giving us early knowledge of an impending flat, we can hopefully pull over swap out the tire and just have a minor repair as opposed to getting stuck in a narrow spot in the road and totally destroying the tire and possibly the rim.
• Locking fuel caps and lug nuts.
• Ignition kill switch: Another one I’m not sure on. Keep the truck locked and hopefully with it being an old scruffy truck it won’t be a problem.
• Front License Plate: Some countries assume you should have one. Not sure if Michigan would issue a second one. There has been a suggestion to get a fake one that matches made up.
• Spare parts and maintenance items: This one will be a balancing act. We want to avoid difficulty finding replacement parts but we don’t want to take a second drive train due to limited storage space.
• Brake Pads
• Oil and Filters for at least 1 extra oil change
• Spare fuel filter
• Fan Belt and tensioner arm
• Transmission fluid
• Head/Tail Lights
• Fuses
• Alternator
• Tires:
• Standard US pickup truck tires are hard to find the further south we get. One couple that did it recommended switching to 7.5×16 or 8.25×16 wheels as these are what most of the mini-buses use. If the busses use them, they must be available.
• Two full size spare tires, One on the standard mount under the rear and another mounted on a rear bracket.
• A can or two of “fix-a-flat”. It’s compressed air in a can with sticky goop that hopefully will seal (at least temporarily) a leak. Good for if we get a flat in the middle of no where, so we can make it to a repair shop.
• Misc Add Ons:
• Front Mounting Rack: We already have a generator and this will allow us to run the air conditioner even if we don’t have access to 110V AC. But we need a place to store it. A front mounted rack should do the trick. Just need to make sure we can secure if from weather and being “borrowed”.
• Small AC Air Compressor: The little 12V units are next to useless but not sure if we want to give up the storage space for a small 110V AC compressor.
• Tow Strap
• Winch & Land Anchor: The land anchor could simply be one of our spare anchors off the boat. useful if there are no trees or other solid objects to attach to. The winch could be as simple as a manually powered come-along. This would make a small, inexpensive option. As long as it is rarely used, it should be adequate.
• Sun Shower: We already have one of these on the boat. It’s basically a black bag with a hose coming out. You set it out in the sun and after a few hours the water is quite warm. We may want to rig up a shower curtain enclosure that mounts to the truck so we can shower outside if in an isolated area.
• Safe bolted to the truck: This is another item we aren’t sure on. It would take up a lot of space and we don’t plan to take a lot of valuables with us. It may be better to find some hiding spots.
• Spare fuel jugs probably mounted at the back. We will need at least one for the generator and possibly a second for diesel. We have pretty good range with the truck so the diesel one should be optional.
• Swivel Wheel Trailer: Probably won’t follow thru but this is an interesting idea if we feel we need more storage space. This is a specialized trailer. It uses swivel wheels like the front of  a grocery cart, only larger, pneumatic and they don’t wobble. Rather than using a ball type hitch like a normal trailer, there are two attachment points on the rear bumper that act like a hinge. The advantage is, it acts much more like a part of the truck. When you back up it can’t jackknife.

The apartment is a little sparsely furnished but comfortable anyway.

The skyline shots are from our balcony.  If you look closely, you can see the new campground the city has established. If we had known we would have just pulled up with the 5th wheel. That’s the ball park in the background. In the foreground is the people mover track and we have a stop right next to the building. With another stop next to the office, cold winter days shouldn’t be a problem.

The last photo is Diego’s new litter box on the balcony. He’s slowing picking up on the idea. It’s a lot more convenient than getting dressed, taking the elevator down and then going outside.

Spring of Year 3: Once we get the truck shipped across and follow ourselves, we will likely wind up in Cartagena, Columbia. From here most folks head due south thru Ecuador and Peru. Recently we’ve found some people who have taken an alternate route and it appeals to us.

Instead of going south, we turn east and head to Venezuela, working our way along the Caribbean Sea. Then turning south we go inland. Getting into the three small countries in the northeast of the continent (Guyana, Suriname, & French Guiana) doesn’t appear doable at this time but we will see when we get closer.

Summer of Year 3: Turning south we visit Angel Falls, the worlds tallest then head into the Amazon. There is a road that runs all the way to Manaus, Brazil, where we can do more touring of the jungles and rivers. Late summer is dry season in the Amazon so hopefully the roads will be in good shape.

With the new bridge across the Amazon (the 1st and only bridge over the Amazon River), you could continue south by road. Instead, we found that trucking headed east is taken by barge down the Amazon River to Belem. We will see about hooking up with a barge for a river journey.

Fall/Winter of Year 3: (Note: I’m keeping Northern Hemisphere seasons but remember they are reversed) From there we will follow the coast around to Rio de Janeiro and on to visit our Brazilian Family.

Spring of Year 4: We head south and visit Iguazu Falls, the Niagara Falls of South America. It’s where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay come together.

Summer of Year 4: Over the summer we tour Uruguay and Northern Argentia.

Fall/Winter of Year 4: As summer winds down, we slowly work our way south to Patagonia with our ultimate southerly destination of Ushuia, the worlds most southerly city on the Beagle Channel.

With our North-South maximums covered, we start slowly working our way north up the west side of the continent.

Spring of Year 5: We work our way up into the southern Andes of Chile & Argentina.

Summer of Year 5: As summer comes in we go into the Bolivian Highlands with visits to the Salar de Uyuni, the worlds largest salt flats, La Paz the worlds Highest major city and Lake Titicaca the worlds highest navigable lake. Hopefully we can take a drive on the Bolivian Death Road. Sounds worse than it is. There is a new alternate road so the road has become more of a tourist attraction than a pratical driving route. One couple we have been in contact with reported the discovery channel trucking show was there driving empty trucks just to make it look scary.

Then on into Peru. Possibly another visit to the Amazon Jungle and see Lima on the coast. One of the big highlights of the trip should be Macchu Pichu.

Fall/Winter of Year 5: As summer winds down, we move up into Ecuador with visits to Quito where we likely will catch a flight to the Galapagos Islands. Then up thru the southern border of Columbia as we retrace our route up thru Central America and eventually back to Michigan.

As we said, this is a rough idea of what we plan. The actual trip will probably look much different and include many other interesting stops.

So back to the post:

What’s to see that’s so great you would want to take a year (more likely a few years) to travel so far besides the obvious? What follows is a very rough outline of our route with some highlights listed. Obviously when talking about 2 continents, the list won’t have every interesting item. These are some of the items we would like to include.

The actual trip will probably turn out drastically different from the plan. Our Great Loop trip was supposed to take a year not four. But without a plan, you wind up trapped in suburbia mowing the lawn in summer and shoveling the drive in winter.

The plan as it currently stands is five and half years. It could easily be shortened by a couple of years or it could stretch on to a decade or more. Some thought was put into timing the seasons. Also, we’ve seen people zip thru countries because they have something planned further up the road. We wanted to start out planning enough time to actually enjoy each country. Some of the time frames look really long but keep in mind, we only like to travel 100-150 miles in a day and don’t like to travel more than 2-3 days per week with occasional stays of a week or more. Things will probably work out a little different as we will probably be working less than we did during the Great Loop Trip (especially as we travel more remote areas).

Spring year 1: Ideally, we would like to head out in the spring from Michigan heading west. The first stop being Yellowstone. Hopefully we time it so we are after most of the snow has melted off but summer vacation doesn’t have the place packed.

Summer year 1: As the weather warms we turn north to Glacier National Park, Banff then work our way northwest to Alaska. There is some thought to drive all the way to Barrow on the Arctic Ocean but we’ve heard varying ideas of what the road is like. We will do more research and also consider a flight for the last jump if it’s not too expensive.

Fall year 1: As the weather starts to cool, we will turn south running along the Pacific Coast. If prices are reasonable, we will take the ferry down the inside passage. Sites include Vancouver Island, Portland, Pacific Coast Highway and Yosemite winding up in San Diego.

Winter Year 1: As winter sets in, we cross the border and work our way down Baja. After exploring, we catch the ferry over to Mazatlan. A side trip to Copper Canyon then slowly work our way south exploring mainland Mexico winding up in the spring in the Yucatan.

Spring/Summer Year 2: In the spring and summer we explore the countries of Central America. Diving in Belize, the Ruins of Tikal in Guatemala, live volcanoes in El Salvador, jungle tours in Costa Rica. In Panama, we will try to hook up with some cruisers who need extra deck hands for a trip thru the Panama Canal.

Darien Gap: Between Panama and Columbia, there is a gap in the road network called the Darien Gap. Dense jungle, rebels and concerns with disease transmission have kept this area closed. We will need to arrange shipping for the rig then make our way to Columbia. While air travel is simplest, there appears to be a small industry traveling by charter yatch with stops in the San Blas Islands.

More to come….

Seriously, it’s a nice place right in downtown a block or so from the ball park. It’s close enough for Mike to walk to work or we have a People Mover stop next to the building so he can take it if the weather is bad. It’s a high-rise with a parking structure and security to get onto the elevator so we aren’t too worried about safety.

We’ve signed up for a 6 month lease and in the spring we will see what we want to do. Most likely we will be keeping the boat at a marina on the north end of the Detroit River. Still close enough for an easy commute to work and since we will be getting a slip for the boat regardless it saves us rent for the summer.

Pan-American Hwy Planning:

We’ve started putting some thought into the trip and I thought I would post some of our thoughts from time to time. Today we will break down the vehicle choices:

New vs Used: This fell soundly in the “used” category for a few reasons.

• We are saving up to cover the cost of the trip. The less we spend on a rig the sooner we can take off.
• We will be traveling thru many areas that are less affluent. We don’t want to make ourselves targets by appearing too wealthy.
• If we wind up with a diesel vehicle, “new” would require modifications. Modern diesels since around 2007 require ultra low sulfur diesel fuel. Outside of the USA and Canada, they generally don’t have it available.
• We are going to be putting a lot of miles on often rough roads. To take a new vehicle and abuse it seems wrong. If we have an inexpensive “used” vehicle and the engine blows, we can gather up our valuables, sell the scrap to a local guy and move on.

Brand: There have been suggestions to try to match the brands common to the areas you are traveling. The problem is the Toyota you buy in Wisconsin is not the same Toyota you buy in Ecuador, even if it’s the same model. One couple is in an old air-cooled VW van with the idea that they can be worked on anywhere. Even there they have difficulty finding matching parts. Plus even in the third world, they have moved beyond air-cooled engines. Finally the vehicles that are popular in one country are not necessarily popular in the next, so you better hope your break downs happen in the right country. In the end, I don’t see this as a big issue as long as you avoid odd ball vehicles.

Gas vs Diesel: Diesel is nice for fuel efficiency and durability but they often come as an extra expense of several thousand dollars. Fuel economy is unlikely to make up for the extra up front cost.

Vehicle Type:

• Passenger Car: Starting at the small end, some folks have gone with small passenger cars.
• Pros 
• The vast majority of locals in these areas do not have 4 wheel drive so they should be more than capable if you don’t go off roading.
• They are inexpensive and easy to come by just about anywhere. If it dies, you can just buy another, move your stuff and keep going.
• They are fuel efficient (25-35mpg)
• They are easy to maneuver on tight city streets or if you wind up on a dead-end road, they should be relatively easy to get turned around.
• Cons
• Storage is very limited for a long trip.
• There is no on board sleeping facilities which means finding a hotel or hostel each night which will eat up most if not all of the cost savings from being fuel efficient.
• If you are in an area with no hotel, that means tenting in possibly an undesirable area.
• With no kitchen or bathroom facilities, you are roughing it or paying for restaurants.
• Conclusion: Out due do the lack of onboard sleeping, cooking and bathroom facilities.
• SU: Moving up in size a fair number of folks use medium to large SUV’s (a van or pickup with cap on the back have similar abilities)
• Pros
• If you want it,  they are often available in 4×4.
• With a little planning the back can often be set up with a sleeping platform.
• Still fairly efficient and nimble for city driving (17-25mpg)
• Cons
• Still pretty limited storage.
• No kitchen or bathroom facilities.
• Sleeping on board is still pretty makeshift, so we would still wind up in hotels or hostels most nights.
• Conclusion: Same as a passenger car when we consider long term travel.
• Travel Trailer/5th Wheel
• Pros
• We are already set up with a 5th wheel.
• Much more space and amenities than the passenger vehicle options.
• Once you disconnect, you have a separate vehicle to drive around in (this does assume you have a secure place to stay)
• Hotel costs would be much lower since the rig is more comfortable. (Hotels would be occasional treats as opposed to necessities.)
• Cons
• Will it hold up to thousands of miles of rough roads?
• Driving in cities or getting turned around on a dead end roads can be an issue.
• In many areas, folks camp in secure parking lots of hotels and hostels. Most of these will not facilitate such a large rig.
• Fuel efficiency is much worse (8-13mpg)
• Conclusion: The maneuverability and durability rule out trailers.
• Class A Motor Homes: These are the large bus style rigs.
• Pros
• Similar amenities to a travel trailer
• Lower Hotel Costs
• Cons
• The wost fuel efficiency (6-8mpg)
• Most of the maneuverability issues of a trailer but unless you tow a car, you don’t have a separate vehicle when stationed somewhere for a while.
• Expensive even when purchased used.
• Not even remotely common when it comes time to work on them.
• Most of have long rear overhangs behind the rear axle. This can be problematic on rough roads and in tight urban areas.
• Lots of complicated systems that break or require frequent maintenance.
• Questionable durability on rough roads.
• Conclusion: With the high expense and similar problems to trailers, Class A motor homes are out.
• Class C Motor Homes: These are the motor homes with the front end of a van. We need to split these into two categories. The larger ones basically mirror the Class A Motor Homes. The smaller ones have the following pros & cons:
• Pros
• Full sleeping, eating & bathroom facilities.
• Fairly maneuverable.
• Decent fuel economy (11-16mpg)
• Savings on hotels
• Many inexpensive older units are available.
• Cons
• Durability questionable on rough roads.
• Not as spacious as the bigger options.
• Repairs will be for an odd ball vehicle.
• Conclusion: This is an option we would consider if we found a solid unit at a good price
• Class B Motor Homes: These are the van conversion types and can vary substantially in terms of bathroom and cooking facilities.
• Pros
• Pretty maneuverable.
• Save on hotel costs.
• Durability should be decent.
• Decent fuel economy (13-18mpg)
• Cons
• Less space and storage than a typical RV
• Headroom in many is relatively low.
• Full size vans are not common vehicles south of the border.
• Conclusion: Not completely out but unlikely unless we get a very good deal.
• Pickup Camper
• Pros
• We already have a truck set up for a pickup camper.
• Fairly good fuel efficiency (14-18mpg)
• Frequently used for rough road conditions, so it should hold up decently.
• Maneuverable.
• It can be demounted if we will be staying somewhere secure allowing the truck to be used for driving around.
• In the first half of the trip, the truck can be replaced fairly easily if there is a major problem.
• Cons
• Smaller living space but still provides dedicated sleeping, cooking and bathroom facilities.
• Limited storage compared to larger rigs.
• This is our most likely option. It’s inexpensive, provides adequate living space, is maneuverable and flexible. With the extra weight over the rear axle it should be pretty good off road even though it isn’t 4×4. We will mostly likely go with a medium small unit so we don’t have to beef up the suspension on the truck.

We’ve had a relaxing few weeks. We took a weekend to drive down to Nashville where Tammy’s cousin showed us around. We went drove back to Michigan to take care of some business and for Mike’s Godson Tommy’s wedding.

Now we are back in Kentucky prepping the boat for storage but will soon be back in Michigan on a semi-permanent basis. Mike has an interesting project to work on but it requires him to be available on site for meetings and looking at the longer term adventures, we need more flexibility as they involve areas where we may not have ready access to cell phones and internet, so we are going back to Michigan and will be working full time for a few years to stock up the cruising kitty.

We’re still sorting thru options but will likely stay in the RV for a month or two, get an apartment for the winter then have the boat hauled up and live on that next summer. Not sure of details beyond that.

We’ll probably only have occasional posts to the website as people probably aren’t interested in reading about cubical life. When something interesting comes up, we will make a post.

It was OK there but there isn’t much in town, so on Tuesday we decided to move on. We cut across the canal to Lake Barkley and headed up river a few miles to stop at Eddy Creek Marina. Not much around but our goal was Nashville and this moved us in the right direction. We were planning to stay till the weekend.

The heat has been miserable for a while now and it comes with high humidity. Low 90′s is something we look forward to because it’s cooler. As the weekend approached we had one of those talks. It would be 4-5 medium long runs to get into Nashville with brutal heat and no AC while we travel. That didn’t sound fun. We stepped back and asked ourselves why we were going that far up the Cumberland River and came to the conclusion we were only likely to spend a couple of days in downtown Nashville anyway and this marina was only a 2 hour drive by truck, nice air-conditioned truck!

We checked on the price for a monthly stay at Eddy Creek.They had a covered slip at a reasonable price and lucky us we hadn’t got around to putting the mast up yet. We slid around from our uncovered end slip to the covered slip and the AC has been able to keep the boat 6-8 degrees cooler. In the direct sun the interior was in the upper 80′s by late afternoon. We did have to slide back a little so the solar panels still get some morning sun.

So over the weekend we picked up a rental car and ran up to Grafton to get the truck. Low and behold, they are dealing with a LOW WATER problem! Apparently the flood gates at one of the upstream dams has broken in the closed position. The downstream dams are holding back as much as they can but the docks close to shore are in danger of sitting on the ground.

It is interesting to see the islands in the river. Before you just saw tree trunks sticking out of the water. Now there are nice sand beaches that the boaters can pull up to and hang out swimming and playing.

We’ve been light on pictures of late and it turns out we didn’t think to take any on the Mississippi. Here’s a couple from Grafton.

One night Tammy went to the bathroom and when she came back to bed she groggily mentioned a shark was eating the dock. We both rolled over and went back to sleep. The next morning we thought it was a strange shared dream and didn’t think much more of it.

A couple of days later we found out that it wasn’t a dream: