Chaper I: Epilogue to the winter journey 2008-2009

Settled in on the Taneycomo Lake at Branson Lakeside RV Park
Stormy and the HHR resting after a long journey


One-half mile from our RV site is the historical town of Branson


We have finally arrived at our summer destination

“I have not told half of what I saw” were the last words of Marco Polo on his death bed when asked if there was anything else he could share about his adventures of the Far East. I will copy his words. The trek across Mexico was a splendid adventure. One of the best! And I have only told half of what I saw and experienced. We will have to be very creative to top this trip on our next winter adventure. Back to Mexico, perhaps a trip to China, or who knows – we have six months to formulate our plans.

We are looking forward to a pleasant and rewarding experience this summer in Branson, MO. We enjoy our work with Camping World as Goodwill Ambassadors as we will call on many of the campgrounds in the area. We will take in the many shows and events, cruise Tabletop Lake, boat on the White River (perhaps catch a few trout), and meet many new faces as we tour the Ozarks. Of course, we have already purchased a season pass to Silver Dollar City and look forward to the festivals they are presenting this summer and fall.

The economy – well, when you are served lemons, make lemonade. Savor what you have and don’t worry about what you don’t have. Our success is not measured by the dollars we make, but by the quality of life we are able to achieve.

So ends this blog… "Many a trip continues long after movement in time and space have ceased," wrote John Steinbeck, who also wrote "We do not take a trip, a trip takes us." Lynne, please send me notice of your blog and future journeys. And thanks to Charlotte, Shanon, Dana, Kathy, Walt and Rosy, Homer, and Brother Tom for riding along with us.

Problems along the way

Weird clouds overhead -- all bark, no bite

In addition to the Windy Tale story, we did have a few minor incidents – nothing really happened to endanger ourselves or our rig. There were a few bumps along the way that I could share with you.

After we crossed the border into Mexico, we took the Libre (free) road to Matamoras by mistake – the road was in very bad repair and full of pot holes. I thought that if this was a sample of road conditions along the Gulf Coast, I might rethink the trip. After leaving Matamoras, the roads did improve but the RV was given a through bump test. Other roads along the way gave us some cause to consider, making for a long day’s journey. We only averaged 30 miles/hour in our RV on most of the Mexican roads (I average about 50 miles/hour in the states). Topes and numerous small pueblos added delays. By my count, there were 1,745 topes along our route (if you haven’t already guessed, I made up that number -- but it is a close estimate). I advise that you take a Cuota (toll road) whenever possible.

I sideswiped a bridge lamp post in Poza Rica with my passenger side mirror. Good-Bye mirror. Replaced it in Catemaco with a school bus mirror, but lost that one on the way to Acapulco. The roads were very narrow in a few locations and although my RV body measures 8’-0”, it measures 10’-0” across with the mirrors. In my own defense, I noted most of the highway signs posted close to the highway had all been hit at one time or another. I was lucky, I only hit the passenger mirror less than 10 times with overhanging limbs and various road signs. Bought a new mirror in Acapulco and at present, it is still intact.

The brakes overheated on the way to Catemaco, but we were able to stop before it became too dangerous to drive. As mentioned earlier, we did replace the back brake pads in Catemaco. I did not tow the car down the Cuota from San Cristobal to Tuxtla Gutierrez (an altitude drop from 7000’ to 2000’). I was concerned about the brakes and transmission. I also did not tow the car along sections of the highway along the Pacific Coast. All went well to Tuxtla Gutierrez, but our brakes did overheat twice while towing the HHR over the mountains,

Getting lost – at least a dozen times, but we managed eventually to get back on track (I do that here in the states). We read the news about the problems at the border. We had a safe trip, no incidents, however, we did not travel at night, we did not visit border towns, we did not go to questionable areas of a strange city, we stayed at campgrounds or a Pemex station at night, and we are not in the drug business.

All in all, we had a good trip and a great adventure!