ITS GO TIME - Parksville, BC to Yakima, WA

 

ITS GO TIME!

 

So, after trying to get to bed early to bed some rest, I forgot I hadn’t printed my manifest for the Mexican border and had to run back in the house to do so.  Of course, it did not print out on one page so I would have to piece it together later.  And of course, Lorie finally returned and wanted to talk, but I said no, Bedtime, 3AM is friggin early.  So off to bed we went and got what sleep we could.  In woke up before my alarm.  It always happens when you know you need to get up and spend half the night worrying about it.

I am up and out the door putting the last things into place and trying to find 1 specific box to get tape and scissors for the manifest to no avail.  I come back in and Lorie is surfacing wondering who is breaking into the trailer.  Needless to say, she had not had enough sleep to get rid of the drinks she had the night before and with lack of sleep, she was slightly confused at that hour.

We got everything in, added the dog into her nest in the back seat and we were off.  I had booked reservations for the 5AM ferry and you have to be there minimum of 30 minutes before to keep your reservation.  No problem, I took my time and got the feel of the fully loaded trailer and arrived before they even opened the booths.  We had a grumpy employee, measure the length of the vehicles and when I asked how well I guessed, she just grumped at me that she doesn’t know what I guessed, so I clearly had to rephrase it and ask what the actual length was and she finally told me.

We boarded and went up to have some breakfast, as Lorie gets hangry, often and I have a tendency not to stop besides for gas and dog breaks.  It was far to early for me to eat but I struggled down half and brought the rest down to Kahlua.  I then worked on my manifest, creating an arts and crafts project out of it and putting two sheets together to make one page.  We then went down and fed Kahlua her snacks and took her for a walk to the dog area onboard as there was a ferry employee watching to make sure we didn’t stay below deck.  He even came and turned the heat on for us in there.

Before we knew it, we were docking and it was time to hit the road.  How literal that saying would become was not known until later in the day.  We made record time to the boarder and were a little unsure which lane we should take, so I followed the one for RV’s or campers.  I pulled up and handed him my NEXUS card first, then my passport and Lories passport.  He came out to write down and check the license plates and I told him the bike was inside and gave him the plate number as well.  I told him where we were heading and offered my resident card.  I told him that everything was all of my belongings that I was taking with me.  He had a quick peak in the back window, asked about fruits etc, that you can’t take across.  I thanked him for reminding me and told him a few of the snacks that I did have and he okayed all of it.  He gave me an orange card that released me to hand to the guard on the way out and that was it.  No probing questions, no search of the vehicles.  Badda bing, badda bang, we waltzed through customs.  I so love my NEXUS card!

And away we went.  I pulled over just outside the crossing and quickly sent a couple messages, and then of course Mother called to check on me.  We got back on the road while she babbled away and said to message tonight when we stop.  Little did she know she would hear from me sooner than anticipated.

There was major construction and slow down heading into Issaquah but we got there and stopped for gas and a dog break before climbing the pass.  I was a little concern as temps were low and it was quite grey overhead but luck prevailed and there was no snow this trip.  We were still undecided if we would stop in Yakima or carry on a bit further, until.

About 5 kms from Ellensburg, I was passing a slow truck and felt a wobble.  And now I really hit the road!  I looked in my mirror to see something flying, then at the tire which was ground up but still hanging on.  I hit the hazards and checked mirrors, but everyone had backed off and left it clear for me to get to the shoulder.  Thankfully there was a shoulder there and I managed to slow down and get over without a problem.  I was a little shaky but found a number for a tow company that could come out and change the tire for me.  I sent a couple quick messages while I was waiting.  Thankfully I also had cell service.  The fellow arrived quickly to help me out and gave a suggestion to get new tires locally, that could get me in and on my way.  He was super great and when I took the wrong exit, he was following and called me to tell me how to get to the tire shop.  We stopped there and no wait, they were able to fix up the trailer and put the spare back on the roof of the Jeep and we were good to go.  All in from blowout to on the road again, was about 2 hours.

So, we carried on but had decided that this was enough excitement for the day and that we would stop in Yakima.  Give me time to blog and post, get some dinner and get a good night’s rest.  Then we can go for it again tomorrow.  We are in the same hotel that I stayed in last year.  Lorie is curled up on her bed reading, Kahlua is having a nap on the bed with me and Im getting this done, before she gets hangry.

So, if I replay last years route, we may end up outside of Salt Lake City tomorrow night or who knows maybe we will pass thru and go to Provo.  We will see what the road brings us tomorrow.  I will continue to post and share locations so you can follow me travels.  See you at the beach!!

Hasta luego

LOST IN MEXICO RESUMES

 

Well, here we go again, the countdown is officially almost over and its time to pull up roots again.  This time for good.  Most of you knew about my vision to runaway to Mexico well its coming true with an added extra bonus.  But more on that later.

So, it has been a very insane, chaotic summer for me.  The idea has been in the back of my brain ever since I returned home in May but I would say it kicked into high gear in July.  I pretty much hid inside during May and June as I found it so damn cold here and I wasn’t acclimatized to the temperature.  Thankfully late June it started to warm up and I was able to putter around my yard somewhat.  Due to falling in my hallway and just about breaking my ankle, I wasn’t moving to fast or far so the weather was a bit of a blessing being locked inside.  While recovering from the fall, I also ended up with a vicious head and sinus cold that took me out for a couple weeks.  Then at the beginning of July, I ended up in hospital for emergency gallbladder removal surgery.  I swear Canada is trying to kill me!!

I made a quick trip back to Mexico for my birthday and that is when everything changed and the plan kicked into high gear.  To say I really haven’t had a day of rest since then would be an understatement.

I was working on a partnership deal at a bar/restaurant there but I started having second thoughts on the partner.  Between rumours coming back to me about him being a bit of a snake oil salesman and my own questions with his lack of transparency.  Then just before my surgery, he asked if I knew anyone that would want to invest and partner with me and buy him out.  Needless to say, my mind started spinning on who might be interested and how I could get him out totally.  But before I could do anything, I ended up in the hospital.  A week after I was discharged, I was on a plane heading down there to surprise everyone, including him.  So, when I arrived and found out that someone had called him to tell him they had seen me on my way into town, I knew he was not being forthright with information, so I decided at that moment, that I was going to buy him out and take the bar over on my own.  If someone wants to buy in and partner with me later, great, but I was not going to worry about it now. Hint Hint, the option is on the table if you are interested.  LOL.

So, I had papers drawn up and bought him out and sent him running for the Sierra Madres, well at least as far as Merida.  I worked on getting a team together to renovate the bar while I was back in the frozen north.  My team has been doing an amazing job at recreating my vision.  It is quite a large building with interior and exterior spaces.  There is a large palapa, that I had built on the terrace.  It has a stage for live entertainment outside, a games room for darts and pool, a huge kitchen area and then additional office, bedroom and storage space.

I tend to spend half my day on video and phone calls with my GM, (maybe future boyfriend) and ordering things that we need for the renos.  Then I have to get to work on things here for myself to organise, pack, create a manifest for customs, contact and hire a customs broker, buy a cargo trailer, load my bike and build shelves around it, have the Jeep in for maintenance, oh and still find time to breathe and sleep.  My head is spinning from all the things I need to complete.

So, as I pack things, I have to create a complete list of every item in the bin in both Spanish and English with garage sale prices attached.  If it is an electronic item, I need to list the serial number as well.  This process is driving me stir crazy and I already have 200 itemized lines of things and more to add.  But the process will make it much easier to get thru both borders.  Almost everything is packed up and I just need to reorganise the trailer with the bins around the bike and decide what is going in the back of the jeep.  Of course, the last of the kitchen stuff still needs to be packed but that will be on Wednesday.  So, a bit of organising and clearing out the last of the stuff stacked at the front of the Moho and then I can just sit and deal with the last things I need to do for the importation.

Lorie came up to help with the last of the loading before it was time to leave and we got everything loaded and ready to roll down to Parksville for the night.  Of course, in my chaotic state, I forgot a few steps on the motorhome and was getting frustrated that the slide wouldn’t go in.  I took a breath and realized I can’t have the engine running.  I turned it off and all was fine and we were on the move.  I finished the last of things at Lens and tried to have an early night, as we were leaving at 330AM to head for the boat.

So, starting right after this will be the daily blog posts while on route.  Keep your eyes out for my nightly posts.  We are planning on being in Laredo by Sunday.  Spend a day or 2 while the broker nationalizes things and then we will be on our way again with arrival by October 4^th.

Hasta luego Canada,  I’m out.