Monday, October 15, 2012

Boondocking Across Mexico

Years ago I fantasized about driving across the United States in a nice, comfortable motorhome visiting all the sites we have never seen, travelling slowly and aimlessly to wherever the winds blew us. Alas, there was very little time, with busy careers, to nourish this fantasy and it eventually died. This was, of course, all pre-Mexico.  I never really considered us to be "RV" people, but the thought of an extended trip exploring all the nooks and crannies seemed like a nice adventure, if a bit unrealistic for two people who, shall we say, favor slightly posher accommodations.  We went through a phase of tent camping a few years back and I must say that I love a campfire, but sleeping on hard, cold, damp earth is not for me. A nice little cabin in the woods with a decent bed is somewhat better, but a slick hotel or interesting B & B with unlimited restaurants nearby is supreme. No worry of ticks and chiggers which are rampant in our neck of the woods.

Now, remember how Alan and I (well.... mostly I) have anguished over how we will get ourselves and our animals to Mérida? Problem solved. No more relying on the empty promise of a Tampa ferry. No more dreading the thought of transporting our "kids" in a cargo hold that would probably take a year off their already short lives. Well, we still dread driving through the border area, but I've read all the RV forums and it seems that dozens of people do it every day with no problems. I figure having two dogs, who can be aggressive when they perceive that we are being threatened, can't hurt.

The solution? Well, I have to take credit for this brilliant idea. When thinking of driving with our two dogs and the cat in our Ford Escape, with a minimum of eight days on the road, it just seemed impossible without keeping them all heavily sedated. I started reading an RV forum and had the idea that a Class B motorhome would be ideal. They are fully contained, with two captain's chairs, an enclosed toilet and shower, a kitchen area with sink,  small refrigerator,  space for an induction cooktop, and a sleeping area with two twins which can fold out to a King bed. All this is on a gas-guzzling Ford E-350 Van chassis, that is only 20 feet long and fits in most any parking space. It doesn't need to be leveled, and can be hooked up to a campground's electricity when not using the generator fueled by the 35-gallon gas tank.

2004 Pleasure-Way

When Alan came on board with the idea, we started looking online and were flabbergasted by the sticker price. We soon found that there is a market for used Class B's, which is what most people can afford. We tried E-Bay, Craigslist, and for sale by owner. Most used units are well maintained because anyone who can afford a new one is going to take care of it. We finally found one we liked, and last Wednesday I flew to Gainesville, FL and drove it home. It's a 2004, with only 31,000 miles and looks brand new inside and out. We are thrilled - the dogs could not care less, but they will learn that it is just another of our homes, albeit a small one.


Within a few months after we arrive in Mérida, the vehicle will be 10 years old and, if we were told correctly by Girl Friday, we should be able to nationalize it with our FM3's. If anyone can verify this, we would appreciate a comment. Other's have said we need the FM2.

Also, we will be able to make short boondocking trips ( check out  this blog - I met Chris through the RV forum and have had a few nice e-mail chats with him) throughout Yucatán and southern Mexico and we won't have to board the dogs. Here's hoping we can find a good, secure spot to park it. It's a tad too large for our garage.






16 comments:

  1. Wow, that's a great idea! I'm still not sure how we will get our 3 cats to Merida, but you've given me some ideas!

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    1. Carlos and Pat, cats may be easier to contain during travel, but it's no less traumatic for them. That's for sure. I'm inclined to believe that it is quite humane to offer them a mild tranquilizer or anti-anxiety pill!! Valium, anyone?

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  2. Wow ... this is going to be fodder for lots of interesting blog posts! I want to know every detail!

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    1. Yes, we just have to remember which to drain first...black water, gray water, potable water!

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  3. Things are getting interesting with this new wrinkle. I look forward to hearing about your travels.

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    1. Thanks, Marc. This is definitely a new wrinkle that seemed to come out of nowhere, but we honestly did a lot of research before making the decision. We're going to rely on you to provide us with an itinerary for some interesting jaunts in Yucatan and southern Mexico.

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  4. If it's not too much trouble, could you swing up to Connecticut and pick up two guys with just a few pieces of luggage and a chandelier?

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    1. Happily... but the chandelier must be RV size, preferably lacking those little dangling crystals.

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  5. How exciting! My girlfriend had a little travel trailer, and we have so much fun taking weekend jaunts with similar amenities. Enjoy!!!

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    1. Susan, we are really looking forward to our little jaunts. We will have to get your ideas on places to visit. Also, wanted to mention that we will most likely spend a bit of time in Houston ( actually Tomball) on our way down to Merida next summer, so we will definitely meet up with you guys for some great Houston fare.

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  6. Haven't moved to Mérida but and hope to do this next year. In the meantime, I'm going there soon to buy a house.
    I currently have two cats, and decades ago was worried about moving my cats, but (don't know about dogs) I found that cats are mostly adaptable.
    I have been living a somewhat nomadic life for years; my first two cats were flown from London to the US—a traumatic trip for them in the hold and then I found them unattended in their carriers on the Newark airport baggage reclaim floor as if they were suitcase.
    Since then, I vowed not to repeat that experience. So when I moved from Buffalo NY to Vancouver BC we put them (and all our stuff) in a U-Haul.
    We simply had them in their boxes in the front with us. They whined for a while then fell asleep and slept most of the time.
    We stopped en route only once a day to sleep in a motel, where the cats came alive, played, ate, pooped, and the next day it was back on the road. I don't think they enjoyed it much, but I don't think it shocked them as much as the flying would have, however short. The older one went on to live until the age of 20 and the younger one is still with me.
    Now I have to think how I will eventually move them to Mérida, and I tend to favor the long road trip with me to a cargo hold on a shorter plane trip.
    You guys are admirable to purchase an RV just so that you can carry your pets in. I don't have the money for that but I think it's a great idea.
    See you in Mérida, someday...

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Amalia, and for sharing your experience with pet travel. This just seemed like the only viable option for us and our dogs and cat. It's nice to know that others understand. I'm afraid that some think we are absolutely crazy to go to such expense to get them to Merida, but as I said, we plan to travel with our pets once there, so there is a dual purpose to the madness.

      It will be nice to meet you one of these days. Best of luck with your house hunting. It is really so much fun.

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  7. I think you came up with an excellent solution for transporting your pets safely to Merida. We have 4 dogs and 2 cats. we brought three of our dogs back from Merida, one at a time over the past four years. So one day we will bring them back, not sure how though. We do bring one of our cats with us each time we go to Merida, three to four times a year. She only weighs 7.5 lbs so she fits under the seat on the plane. We always fly JetBlue from NY and have never had a problem. This past summer we also brought one of our dogs as our daughers emotional support animal, that was really easy. But we don't have enough family members to bring all our pets. Plus, we don't have a plan yet to move to Merida permanently. We might have to drive them down in our mini van and try to find pet friendly hotels???

    Laurel

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  8. Hi Laurel. I have read on other sites that there are a couple of pet friendly hotels along the way to Merida. We really do have a dual plan for the motorhome in that we plan to travel a bit once there and would like to take the dogs along. The Dog Whisperer would be quite unhappy with us as we have radically spoiled our guys and they just aren't too happy when we leave them behind.
    Being in a totally strange place (for them) will be interesting, to say the least.

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  9. RE: your pool-heating comment on Marc's blog. An on-demand propane heater might be practical. We have two such units at home in Buffalo which have been in service for over 10 years without issue. Brand: AquaStar, made in Portugal.

    Solar, in theory, would be best, if you can find a reliable device. The solar system for heating potable water on our rental is junk, at about five years installed; and it is being replaced this coming week. A seam in the stainless collector tank ruptured. It looks impressive, but obviously needs further design improvement. ~eric. MeridaGOround.com

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  10. Thanks, Eric. We'll look into that propane heater. I agree, solar would be the way to go. Probably costly up front, but over the long term much more economical, unless it has to be replaced frequently, as in your case.

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