Well friends and family and fellow Overlanders, here we are again. Three years of comfortable living with great jobs, a new marriage and mortgage, and we just couldn't ignore the itch for adventure and authentic Mexican tacos any longer. So, we packed up a few of our favorite things in our 1995 Ford Econoline Conversion van coined Peggy-O, rented our house and said goodbye to Portland for the second time.
The grand plan is to take eight-ish months and drive our big blue Peggy-O down through Mexico and Central America, then ship or ferry her to South America, where we will continue our southbound exploration, our southernmost goal being Ushuaia, the farthest south one can drive in the Western Hemisphere.
As the seasons are opposite from the United States, it will then be winter in Chile, and Brian has been dreaming of a month of ski-bumming in Santiago to wrap up the whole shebang. Doesn't sound too bad does it?
"Haven't you guys done this before?" Some of you may ask. The answer is yes, as you can see from the posts below. This time around we plan on taking a slightly different route, but making sure to drop in on some of our favorite places. We are also really excited to be a part of the Muskoka Foundation, a non-profit organization that will help coordinate and connect us with volunteer opportunities throughout the Americas. We want to do good as we go.
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| Our 4 year old niece Reagan Was REALLY excited to have us in town for a while. We even made it in the family portrait. |
Preparing for your second Overlanding adventure I would bet is much like preparing for a second child. You think you know what to expect and already have some of the stuff you might need. When planning for our first trip in 2011, a solid year of research, reading and preparation helped pave the way down the PanAmerican highway. This time around was a little more…relaxed. But the beauty of Overlanding through the Americas is that you can never really prepare for what will happen. You can only live it day by day.
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| Playing cool at Fort Worden, Pt. Townsend, Washington |
We left Portland and headed North to Tacoma, a little confusing since our sights had been set on crossing the Mexican border for the past few months. But we had a very important acquaintance to make and welcome my sister’s new baby, Laine Elise into the world. It was a much needed few weeks of rest and relaxation (thanks Mom and Dad!) and seeing some of our favorite Pacific North West faces before embarking on this grand adventure.
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| Happy Birthday Laine Elise! We love you already. My sister had a home birth and I was honored to be a part of their little family's really special night. |
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| Everyone loves Peggy-O! Thank you Mom and Dad for letting us buzz around your heads for a few weeks! You're the best!! We miss you already |
Our last few days have been a cannon ball run down to Tucson to see Brian's family and friends before we cross the border. Tonight I write to you from a parking lot at Walmart in Las Vegas watching the security guard occasionally circle us. Poor guy is a little confused. Not everyone hears the siren song of Van Living.
Lindsay had a little too much fun during her first time with the slot machines. Winner winner chicken dinner!!
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| Grandma D isn't sold on the function of the Go-Girl. (Dont worry it was brand new out of the package!) |
Check up on us for stories of adventure and misadventure of two kids making their way down the Pan-American Highway. Again.
