Mexico or Bust!

It was a long night last night at the Motel 6. They are good in the fact that they take dogs, but this one was not in the quietest part of town and their was some shenanigans going on. Some people's kids.

With rather drowsy eyes and foggy brains, Mic, the pups and I started the next phase of our journey; crossing into Mexico.We had coffee in hand as we made our way across the Rio Grande and what a sight. The bridge at Laredo is quite high. Greeting us on the other side were a number of different kiosks that you drive past. Unfortunately, the border guards from Mexico, neglected to inform us to keep to the left to make our way to the appropriate customs office. A kind hearted Mexican, for the low price of $1, helped us make our way to the immigration office where we filled out "tourista" cards and obtain the required temporary import vehicle paperwork.

For today's tip, we thought immigration would be a good topic. If you are planning on driving down, be sure to stop in at the immigration office and obtain your appropriate paperwork. The border guards who inspect your vehicle, are not necessarily the best on providing that detail. Thank goodness we stopped to ask or we would have been in deep doodoo. Also be sure to have your current passport, as well as all of Fido or Fluffy's vaccination records with you in the event they ask for them. No one actually asked for the canines' records and the dogs sailed through the border without a whimper or a pat...well, Molly snuck in a few barks at the officials though.

We were off into a terrain that again resembled New Mexico and Texas, and eventually turned into what people would expect of a typical Mexican landscape. We saw some magnificent views and wound our way through the Mexican countryside passing through the odd town and village along the way.

We arrived in Monterray around 12Noon and wow, our first experience of driving in a busy Mexican city was a little intimidating to say the least. The traffic moves at a phenomenal pace with extremely aggressive drivers. Toronto, you have nothing on Monterray.

Monterray is a sprawling city with older sections but seems to be a more modern and progressive city overall. It was pretty much everything you would expect in a major city; beautiful shopping malls, progressive architecture, designer brand name outlet malls and more.

As we cleared Monterray, Mic who drove admirably through the surrounding auto chaos of the big city, and we sighed a deep breath and started to relax a little after that foray. We happily drove through some more beautiful countryside which seemed to become more fertile and lush with our travels south. We finished our day in Ciudad de Victoria after driving over 560 kilometres.

Tomorrow we will be heading more inland and will be winding up our day near Mexico City. We are definitely going to be taking the bypasses there. Until tomorrow from All Paths Lead to Roatan!

From Sand Castles to Mud Puddles

Today's blog will start on a very funny note. Yesterday afternoon when Mic and I were picking up our Mexican vehicle insurance, we took the dogs and had opened the sunroof. I stayed in the truck with the dogs to make sure none of them were too adventurous about the sunroof and possible escape attempts.

We picked up the insurance papers and were headed back to the hotel for the evening. Mic thought he would spray some bug juice on the windshield as it was covered in bug fatalities from  the states we have toured. Unfortunately, he neglected to close the sunroof before he sprayed the juice. Mental note; when in a moving vehicle with a sunroof, make sure it is closed before you spray. We were all splashed. The dogs even looked at him as if to say...what the heck! Pretty funny moment!

Well, today's blog post actually started before we left Uvalde, Texas. At midnight, I was awoken by flashes of light coming through the drawn drapes of our hotel room. The wind was howling and the rain pummelled the dry earth of the drought ridden plains. It was a low level tropical storm, not quite strong enough to be classified as a hurricane, but showing its ferocity with every gust of wind, clap of thunder and the sheets of rain. It was over almost as quickly as it appeared, but left a much needed abundance of water to soak into the parched ground.

We have gone from the wetness of Vancouver, Washington and California to the dryness of the Mojave Desert and back into some dampness.  Crazy weather, even down south.

When we arose this morning, the day greeted us with sunshine and birds singing as we packed up the truck and headed back out on our path to Roatan.  The route we were to be travelling today was closed as a result of construction and last night's downpour, so we quickly redirected with our GPS unit and found a beautiful two-lane highway which wove its way through farmland and ranches (they sure do have a lot of cattle in this part of the country) towards our final destination for today, Laredo, Texas. Tomorrow we will be crossing the border into Mexico.

As expected, the farther south we travel, the warmer it is getting. The thermometer on the truck reached 30C today. We are all feeling the change in the weather and the pups are already sleeping in their kennels for the night.

Today's tip is regarding vehicle (and personal) insurance when entering other countries. In the United States and Canada, it is usually pretty straight forward. Your vehicle insurance is respected north and south of the border. However, when entering countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, it is required to have federally approved insurance from the country you are entering. Be sure to order your paperwork well in advance as it may take up to 24 hours to receive the appropriate documents. Many insurance companies offer packages that are available for purchase online or in brick and mortar offices in border towns of the country you are entering. For example, Mic and I purchased our vehicle insurance policy (during our downtime while the truck was in the shop) in Uvalde, Texas. We purchased it over the phone and stopped by a local office of All-State Insurance to actually pick up the policy. Once you receive it, make sure you have a couple of copies with it in the event that the border asks you for copies of it, or if you just happen to misplace your original.

That is about all for today. Hope you all had a great day! Until tomorrow!

It looks as though we will be spending another night in Uvalde. The truck is in the shop being repaired and we will have it back later today and will be back on the road tomorrow morning. Getting rested up and spending some quality time with the pups. Until tomorrow!

A Day of Rest on the Day of Rest

Well better it happened here than in the middle of the Mexican Desert. We were merrily on our way today on a beautiful two lane highway when our trusty Nissan had a bit of a hiccup. As we reached the small city of Uvalde, Texas, we heard the nasty screeching of metal on metal on the front end...a blown wheel bearing. Oh well, at least we are safe and sound and that this happened in an urban setting.

Being Sunday in Southern Texas, unfortunately nothing is open today, after all it is the day of rest. Luckily we were only 2 km from hotel row and we were able to stop at a Motel 6 who's staff were extremely accommodating by letting us check in early for no additional charges, and even suggested some locations as to where we would be able to get the truck repaired in the morning. Southern hospitality at its best!

Mic is making the most of it and is watching the Daytona 500. Apparently Molly is a NASCAR fan too as she is glued to the television watching the action. LOL.

So for now, some interesting trivial facts about Uvalde courtesy of my big sister. Uvalde is dubbed "The Honey Capitol of the World". It is also the birthplace of one of my favourite actors, A-lister Matthew McConahey. Go figure.

Have a great day all! We are hoping to be back on the road tomorrow.

On the Texas Path!

We departed Lordsbourg at 8 a.m. Good thing Mic remembered the time change or otherwise we would have been an hour behind all day. LOL. The flat lands of New Mexico have even less vegetation than we saw yesterday. Can you say Area 51! Much of the area is a barren wasteland.

It was only about three hours before we entered the great state of Texas. And yesterday, I thought Arizona and New Mexico were generous with their speed limits. Not too far past El Paso, Texas, we were able to reach a cruising speed of 80 mph., and yes, still legally!

Some of the geographic features were extremely interesting today as you could see the formations and marks which were left on the land from the last ice age.

Texas truly is a huge state. We found ourselves driving for over 100 Miles between rest stops and gas stations. Mental note; when travelling the wonderful I-10, be sure to keep your tank full and if you find yourself guessing about whether you should fill up with gas; fill up. Certainly glad Mic and I are both paranoid about running out of gas. We saw numerous vehicles on the side of the road with gas tanks open. Hope their drivers and passengers are all safe.

The vast remote areas of Texas bring me to my tip for the day. When travelling by vehicle on a long journey, be sure to have an up-to-date Road Atlas of the areas where you will be travelling. Better yet, make an investment in a good GPS unit with the most recent downloads. We purchased a new Garmin in Vancouver for $169 fully loaded with maps of North America, Mexico, Central and South America and more. Given that Mic and I are not spring chickens, we purchased the larger screen which is easy to read at a quick glance. It has helped us find rest stops, hotels, and kept us on track even through the crazy LA traffic. By the way, avoid rush hour in LA; lesson learned.

The drive today was a little less remarkable when compared to other days, but it was still a beautiful and enjoyable experience with Mic, Paige, Willy and Molly as we sped down the highway in our trusty Nissan Frontier.

We drove almost 1,000 kilometres today and are stopping for the night in a tiny town called Junction, Texas. Until tomorrow when we will once again be on the path to Roatan.

Note: I do have some pictures I will try to upload later but my connection is very slow in Junction, Texas!

Who Needs Route 66?!

For many years, I have wanted to travel Route 66 throughout the United States. I have been fortunate enough to travel portions of it and it is extremely beautiful. However, today as we were leaving Banning, California on the I-10 and entered Arizona, we discovered a new highway, with a wonderful speed limit of 75 M.P.H. Before I got married and became a Burich, I always knew my initials were rather appropriate Michelle Pamela Hood (MPH). What a treat it was to press the accelerator to new limits (well at least legally). Who needs Route 66 when you have the I-10 in the Mojave Desert!

Our day started on the East side of California with a drive through some beautiful rolling hills which was home to another windmill farm. And we thought yesterday's windmill farm was large, but apparently it was more the size of a hobby farm in comparison to the orchard-like ranch we saw with row upon row of the amazing structures. The area we saw today had 1,000's of white gleaming turbines which seemed to go on forever. Suddenly there were no more windmills, and we entered the famous Mojave Desert.

The sand and sage brush took over the landscape which evolved many times with various types of vegetation. I don't think they need to worry about invasive species there Emily, as not too much of anything grows there.The cacti was extremely varied as we drove through parts of California, Arizona and into New Mexico. By the way, we drove another nine hours today and covered over 900 kilometres.

Arizona is a State that I have always wanted to see. Well, I have been here before, but only to do the OJ through the airport on a few occasions with Steve Millen while we were with ADT, but I don't think that really counts. The terrain is mostly desert, but varies in coarseness and turns to large boulders and changes colours as you travel throughout the vast region. The cacti were fabulous (about the only thing I can grow), and they take many shapes with various varieties as they dot the landscape.

Some of the geographic features that surround the desert seemed to be from out of this world in shape and size. It was also a bit strange to see to towering mountains with no snow. Things that make you go hmmm!

An interesting new aspect in engineering is also taking place across the desert. When you think of overpasses across the highway, you automatically think of the cement monstrosities we usually see. However, Arizona has started to make them into works of art; usually honouring the historic significance of the area you are passing through. They were very nice to see and we marvelled at the artistic design and dedication to detail taken with each new overpass. Sorry, we did not get any pictures of these marvels, but I was driving today.

Something that really stood out to us today was the smog that greeted us as we made our descent into the Phoenix area. The smog above the city was so thick, we thought we were back in LA.

As we continued on the I-10 just south of Phoenix, we noticed quite a few digital signs which read "879 deaths on Arizona Highways last year. Today, one death is too many." The irony however, is that many travel centres/gas stations along the highway serve beer on tap right in the convenience store. Gee, correlation with the number of deaths. It reminds me of a drive-through Daiquiri Bar I saw in New Orleans once, another area where drunk driving related deaths are high. Sometimes it just makes you wonder what people are thinking!

Along our entire journey so far, we have frequented many rest stops on the highways. The United States really know how to do this right. Today's tip is for those of you travelling with your four legged family members, or the rest of your family for that matter. Be sure to stop at these wonderfully designed rest stops and stretch your legs, and let Fido or Fluffy do their business which will make the trip more enjoyable for all; even with a flatulent Doberman...right Molly?!

The stops are kept well supplied with plastic bags to dispose of their business and the restrooms are kept very clean. Some of the new stops are including a fenced dog area where you can let the four legged family members stretch their legs and burn off some energy. You also have the opportunity to purchase water, soft drinks or snacks for the road ahead.

We have settled into our hotel room for the evening, and we are enjoying a glass of wine from the Napa Valley which seemed to find its way into our suitcases. Until tomorrow, we will return to the path to Roatan! Good night all.

The Chicken and the Egg

I am still blown away by how comfortable those Tiny Houses can be. The one we stayed in last night in Petaluma was finished nicely with high open ceilings and a loft area for the kids (okay, the Jacks thought it was just for them). It was fun, but time to carry on, carrying on!

Once again we are on the road. We left Petaluma, California around 9 a.m., and travelled for nine hours which brought us to Banning, California which is a hop, skip and a jump from Palm Springs. Back into the regular hotels for the Burich clan.

Along the way today, again, we saw a variety of landscapes which all had something special about them. The flat lands and valleys were filled with Almond and Pistachio groves that went on as far as the eye could see. These beautiful trees were in full bloom and the air was magnificent with their beautiful bouquet (no wait, that is wine you use bouquet for - well you know where my brain was - back in Napa), I mean fragrance.

During our travels today, we also drove through an area with lush green hills and many windmills. It looked like a setting for a modern photography shoot. It really was a breathtaking site seeing the enormity of the large turbines on a landscape with virtually no trees, the odd cow, and the vibrant green fields. They must be getting some rain in that spot for sure!

The nut groves gave way to beautiful citrus fruit trees which were full of their delectable offerings and ready to harvest. There were many workers in the orchards tending to the trees with loving care and it made you think about what hard, back breaking work goes into each orange we eat, grapefruit  we peel, or nut we shell. We have much to be thankful for!

We also could not help but notice all of the propaganda in support of the farmers using water to grow their fruits, nuts and vegetables which was counter balanced by the environmentalists who blame the politicians for supporting the agricultural activities which go on in this region despite droughts. It is sad but, it comes back to the chicken and the egg. You need water to grow food to sustain the populations, yet you need water to sustain the people who would not survive without the produce. I have my definite opinion on this one, but after working in government for the past 10 years, I know that I would not touch this one with a 10 foot pole!

As we were driving through the beautiful valleys, we were suddenly elevated into a small range of mountains with rugged terrain which was reminiscent of the Badlands of South Dakota; with just more height and dryer. Funny, more ICY signs too.

After a long, steep descent from the range, we found ourselves in the suburbs of Los Angeles (the City of Angels and more caffeine hyped drivers who seem to think the lines are merely suggestions. I guess they were not great at colouring as a child). Los Angeles is a beautiful yet long and sprawling area and unfortunately we hit it at rush hour. That was quite the adrenaline rush as a passenger! We continued through Los Angeles, past San Bernadino and have stopped for this evening in Banning, California. Tomorrow we will be making our way into Arizona. That is all for now from All Paths Lead to Roatan.

Oh wait, today's tip is an important one. When packing for a long road trip, be sure to pack for every type of weather you could possibly experience along the way. We got soaked yesterday in Napa. Go figure a drought-ridden state and we are there for the only rain they have seen in ages and did not bring rain coats with us.

Until tomorrow!