Travel deals

January is typically a slow month for the travel industry. Most people took time off at Christmas, and they will go back to work on Monday when their children go back to school. And they spent a lot of money at Christmas and don't have any left to spend on travel.

And so the January deals start.

Rest stops while on a road trip

When we're in the motorhome, we don't often travel on the major 4 lane highways. Usually, we're not in that much of a rush, and we enjoy the scenery and the slower pace of the secondary back roads. But during our recent road trip to Nova Scotia, we used secondary roads while going there, and the main 4 lane highways coming back.

Yesterday was a looooong travel day...

We got up at 4:00am yesterday morning. We made a plan to take the Canadian route home...

Party

We all went to a party last night. It was kind of another celebration of Lindsey and Justin's wedding from October 3rd...mostly for relatives of Justin's Dad's and stepmom Jane's side of the family who couldn't make it to the wedding back in Ottawa.

Bald Eagles

About a 20 minute drive from here is a really good spot to see bald eagles. The eagles normally go south during the winter, not because the cold bothers them, but because it's easier for them to find food when there's no snow on the ground.

Laptop stuff

We don't do Christmas presents, but my mother gave us each some money to buy something for ourselves to put under the tree at Lindsey and Justin's.

So I bought myself an external DVD drive. Here's why...

Merry Christmas!

Well today is going to be a coasting kind of a day for us!

We made it to Lindsey and Justins place around 4:30pm yesterday. Relaxed for an hour or so, and then went to Justin's Mom's place about a half hour away. More driving! But at least I didn't have to do it. We had supper there, and then sat around and

Made it!

So we made it to the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia!

Some very variable weather along the way...

Nova Scotia today

Up early again today...probably another 8 hours in the car ahead of us, and then we can relax for a few days.

Looks nice enough outside though...temperature has warmed up to about 0C (32F).

Made it to Bangor!

After 12 hours in the car!

We were an hour late picking up Alex in Plattsburgh. Made it through the border into New York State and hit a blizzard. It snowed pretty hard for a couple of hours, and so between the snowplows and the overly cautious drivers, it was pretty slow going.

We're off...destination for tonight is Bangor, Maine

Up at 4:15am....ugh. On the road by 5:00am!

We'll try and put a post up tonight to tell you about our drive.

House sitting

We are currently house sitting here in Kingston, Ontario for 4 months while the owners are away. They wanted somebody to live here and look after things until they get back. So we shovel the snow, and bring in the mail, and generally make the place look "lived in"...because it is being lived in!

Driving to Nova Scotia...the trip plan

Well, 2 more days until we head for Nova Scotia!

The plan is that we'll leave here at 5:00am Wednesday and head for Plattsburgh NY to pick up our son Alex. We should arrive in Plattsburgh about 8:30am. Then we drive through Vermont and New Hampshire and the White Mountain National Forest, into Maine and to our overnight stop in Bangor where we are staying with a couchsurfing family.

Bought a new camera

I love getting a deal, which is why we always try and buy used instead of new. By buying used, you know you're going to save at least the 13% tax here in Ontario.

But I had been looking for a good used digital camera for a couple of months and hadn't been able to find what I wanted.

Ferry service to Nova Scotia

I see that they have discontinued the ferry service from Maine to Nova Scotia.

Ferry service cancelled

This particular route ran from Portland or Bar Harbor Maine, to Yarmouth NS.

Bay Ferries operates several other routes, including one from St. John, New Brunswick to Digby, NS.

Internet and wi-fi security...or lack thereof

We've been going over two years without any "anti virus" program running on our laptop. I've decided that there is very little possibility of having a virus problem, provided you use a little bit of common sense. I would certainly never pay for one, and I find that the free ones slow down my system.

First of all, never open an email attachment if you're not positive as to what that attachment contains.

Dreaming of Mexico

Today is the coldest day we have experienced in over two and a half years! I'm guessing that the last time we felt this kind of cold was in March of 2007.

This morning, the temperature here in Kingston Ontario is -16C (3F). Fortunately, Kingston is on the shores of Lake Ontario, and it doesn't get quite as cold here as it does in other nearby areas. Ruth is visting her Dad today, and she tells me it's -21C (-6F) there, and that's only a two hour drive away.

Free wi-fi internet access

Good news for motorhome travellers!

There are 14,000 McDonalds restaurants in the U.S., and 11,000 of them offer wi-fi internet access.

Starting in mid-January, internet access will be FREE. Canada is following the American's lead, however the rollout to Canadian locations will be sporadic, apparently starting with Metro Vancouver.

Buying an RV in the United States and bringing it back to Canada

We bought Sherman (our motorhome...he drives like a tank!) in New York State.

When we started shopping, I quickly noticed that prices in the U.S. were much lower than prices in Canada. How much lower? Well it depends somewhat on how much money you're planning on spending, but I'll use our experience with Sherman to give you a real life example.

How did we become motorhomers?!

In July 2007, we had never been in a motorhome. By October 2007 we were living and travelling in one!

How did all that happen? Here's the story...

Restaurant food

We don't eat out very often. The main reason for that is that I can't justify the cost, however we also happen to like our own cooking. Far too often, we have had a restaurant meal out, have paid the bill, and said to each other, "well, that was just okay...".

If we're in the mood for something different, or it's a special occasion, we would much rather buy something we don't usually buy in the grocery store, and cook it ourselves. Usually, this would be a good rib steak on the barbeque!

I smell a rat!

The house that we are sitting does have a clothes dryer in the basement, but Ruth prefers to hang the clothes to dry. We never had a dryer at home, and they are expensive to operate. Anyhow, one day a couple of weeks back, Ruth noticed that a sock had disappeared from the lower drying rack. She found it around the corner behind some boxes. She kind of shook her head, but didn't think anything more of it.

Canada - Part 2

Despite the fact that I don't want to live here, I do agree that Canada does have some fantastic natural scenery, and for that reason it would be a nice destination to come on vacation. Here are some of our favourite places, coast to coast...

Canada

I've got it figured that Canada is NOT such a great country. And it's possible that I'm thinking this way because of the rotten weather the last two days...but in general comparison to most other countries, they are better. And please don't bring up our "free" health care...that is a subject better left to other forums.

We have terrible weather for 5 months of the year, and no where in Canada to go to avoid it. Don't talk to me about Victoria...their winter weather sucks too! Canadians have nowhere to go but south...and of course many do.

Snow

Well, there's a big snowstorm happening in Eastern Ontario today, so we are missing the warmth of Mexico and we were reminiscing a bit. Last year at this time, we were parked in a farmers field among the palm trees.

We don't watch TV

At least not much. Occasionally we do tune in to Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!

However we do watch a lot of movies. When we settled the motorhome into the Kingston KOA last May, we signed up at http://www.zip.ca/

This is an online movie rental service available anywhere there is mail delivery in Canada. We find it so convenient! You make a list of movies you'd like to see from their 74,000 online titles.

Sunday afternoon drive

We went for a nice drive Sunday afternoon. I was born in Belleville, Ontario but my parents moved to Ottawa when I was two, so I don't have any memories of it. And, we wanted to do the Loyalist Parkway from Kingston to Belleville, and go across the Glenora-Picton ferry. This would be a very nice drive in the spring and summer, with lots of choice spots to stop for a walk or a picnic along the way.

Couchsurfing

Last night, we went to a pot luck dinner. We didn't know anybody there, but the event was hosted in a private home through a website all the attendees were members of. There were 18 of us there...people from Australia, Sweden, Ireland, and some from other parts of Canada.

What have we been up to...

We stopped writing our last blog because it was a trip journal...and our 18 month long motorhome trip was over. You can still view it here:

http://www.mytripjournal.com/kevin_ruth

So we decided to settle in Kingston, Ontario for the time being. Ruth got a part time job at the Kingston KOA, so that's where we lived in Sherman the motorhome.

Last Minute Travel from Canada

We haven't done a last minute trip for quite a while, but whenever we need a quick week or two away, we like to book at the last minute. The main benefit is that you can get a great price. For example, today you can book an all-inclusive trip to Varadero, Cuba from Toronto for $435 CAN per person and that's TAX INCLUDED. That's your airfare, meals, hotel, and drinks...all included!

You book today...and leave tomorrow. How great would that be?!

Welcome to our new cyber home!

We'll be posting here every day...even when we're not travelling. If there's something going on in the world, we're probably going to comment on it. You may not always agree with us, but that's what makes the world an interesting place. Sometimes, Ruth and I don't agree with each other! And feel free to leave a comment or send us an email...we love hearing from the people who follow our travels.

Staying in Kingston for the winter

I apologize for not posting for a while, and we appreciate the concern from all who have sent us notes.

Ruth's Mom had been suffering from Alzheimers for the last couple of years and we didn't expect that she would make it through the winter. So we made plans to stick close to home for this winter. We've been lucky enough to come across a nice house sitting opportunity in Kingston, so will be spending the winter here. Unfortunately, Ruth's Mom passed away a couple of weeks ago, but now that we've made the plans we're going to follow through and stay here. Sherman will be parked for the winter.

The bright side to this plan is that we hope to head to Yukon and Alaska in May of 2010, and spend the summer exploring the north!

Oh, and we've been living in the motorhome full time for 2 years, as of this week. And, loving it...

New job

Boy, I have been lazy with the updates!

We continue to wait for summer to begin. Well, we’ve been getting the odd nice day, maybe highs of 23C (75F) or so, but certainly not as warm as it should be, and too much rain as well.I started a new job, while adjusting my hours at the RV place. First time in my life I think, that I have worked two jobs at the same time! But between them, they only add up to 36 hours per week. I enjoy the difference between them, so it doesn’t feel like working full time. All so that we can go back south this winter! Anyhow, I picked up a contract courier route between Kingston and Perth…about 85 km’s (52 miles) each way, 5 days a week. It’s very good money for 3 hours per day.

Road trip!

Unfortunately, with just the car.

Sherman will stay put, parked up at the Kingston KOA.

We're off to visit our daughter in Nova Scotia and to see her college graduation ceremony. It'll be a whirlwind trip...leaving tonight at 4pm, driving through the night and arriving at her place Monday morning sometime...1,600 kms (1,000 miles) each way. We both have to work again on Thursday, so will be leaving Nova Scotia on Wednesday morning to return to here.

Back in Kingston

Well the last week went by very quickly. We left last Sunday at 4pm and drove all night to get to Lindsey’s place in Kentville, NS. We took turns driving, but still found it difficult to get any sleep on the road. Driving 1,600 kms (1,000 miles) straight through is a LOOOONG drive!

Kingston, Ontario

Saturday May 30…7:45am

Well, we have been a full month at the KOA Kingston. Work is going well, and there’s not much else going on. Ruth has been given extra hours working at the campground…she’s now in charge of cleaning the pool as well.

Kingston, Ontario

Friday May 15…9:30pm

Okay, time for an update. After writing this journal almost every day for the last 18 months, I needed a break!

Kingston, Ontario

Sherman and our car at the Kingston KOA Kampground


Friday May 1…11:00pm

Drove down to our summer parking spot today. We are parked up at the KOA near Kingston, Ontario for the next 6 months. About a 2 hour drive from either of our parents, so close visiting distance.

Ruth will be handling the “workamping” responsibilities, which involve 16 hours per week of work at the campground in order to pay for our full service campsite. We also get free internet, and free use of the laundry. Any hours over and above the 16, she will get paid for. I will go into Kingston and get a job…hopefully something within bike riding distance from the campground, although we do have our small car with us.

Galetta, Ontario

Wednesday April 29…11:00pm

On the road at 7am, and our first stop before leaving Plattsburgh was to fill up with propane. Even with the exchange rate still at 1.25, we are cheaper filling up here before entering Canada. The propane level in the tank had never been this low, and I was hoping that maybe by filling it up, it would fix our problem with the fridge not running on gas. For whatever reason, this did not fix the problem. Not a big deal, because we’ll be plugged in to electric for the next 6 months.

Plattsburgh, New York (day 7)

Monday April 27…11:00pm

It warmed up again today, and peaked with another record high, this time at 92F (33C)! Very strange weather.

Plattsburgh, New York (day 6)

Sunday Apr 26…11:30pm

How quickly the temperature changes! Yesterday was a record high 88F (31C), and today we were lucky if it hit 55F (12C).

And they played baseball again, so Ruth and I sat and watched the games while wrapped up in our sleeping bags. Have I mentioned we don’t like the cold!? Anyhow, they were great games, and Plattsburgh won them both, 6-5 and 10-9.

Plattsburgh, New York (day 5)

Saturday Apr 25…11:00pm

We were at the ballpark for 12 noon, and it was shorts and t-shirts weather. High today turned out to be a record 88F (31C) so it was fantastic. Plus the baseball was great.

Plattsburgh, New York (day 4)

Friday Apr 24…11:00pm

Got up this morning and the fridge was making funny noises. Sounded like the gas flame would light and then go out, and then light again, sputter, and go out. I couldn’t see that the burner would be dirty again, because it wasn’t that long ago that I took it apart and cleaned it…but I took it apart again anyhow. Put it back together, and this time it wouldn’t light at all. Now, I know that our propane is low, probably lower than it’s ever been but that shouldn’t make a difference until it’s actually empty.

Plattsburgh, New York (day 3)

Thursday Apr 23…11:30pm

Again didn’t do much today. It’s supposed to warm up tomorrow, and be a nice hot sunny weekend…so we can’t wait for that. Our suntans are starting to disapppear already!

Ruth did some grocery shopping with Kathy.

Plattsburgh, New York (day 2)

Wednesday Apr 22…11:00pm

Didn’t do much this morning…too cold outside, and still showers on and off so we stayed in the motorhome.

But around noon, Kathy (who’s driveway we are staying in) asked us if we were going to the baseball game. We weren’t going to because it looked like it might get cancelled, and it’s an hour and a half south of here in Vermont. She said she wouldn’t mind going, but she didn’t want to drive. Then she asked if I would drive if we took her car. I said sure, and so the 3 of us took off to Middlebury Vermont to watch baseball. They ended up getting the whole game in, but they lost 5-7…and then it started raining right at the end.

Plattsburgh, New York

Tuesday April 21…11:15pm

When checking email this morning, we found that Alex’s baseball game was cancelled for today due to wet weather. And when checking the weather forecast for Middlebury Vermont, it’s not looking very promising for tomorrows game either.

Verona, New York

Monday April 20…10:00pm

Slept fine in downtown Fredonia.

We decided to take some of the backroads through the area south of the New York Thruway. We could have taken the Thruway, and it would probably have been faster...and even though the tolls are pretty reasonable, it was a very windy morning. Sherman doesn’t like the wind. Either does Kevin when driving Sherman in the wind!

Fredonia, NY

Sunday April 19…11:15pm

It was only an hours drive from Erie, PA to Fredonia, NY. We found the ballpark with no problem. Temperature was about 55F (12C) and it started off sunny, but it got cloudy and cooler as the day went on.

Erie, Pennsylvania

Saturday April 18…11:00pm

Got on the road early, but there sure was a lot of traffic for a Saturday morning. Everybody out and about I suppose. Tons of busy stores around Lancaster, Ohio. You’d never know there’s a recession on.

Lancaster, Ohio

Friday April 17…10:30pm

Used the shower at Anne and Ed’s house this morning. It’s funny because their bathroom is almost the size of our motorhome!

Lexington, Kentucky

Thursday April 16…10:30pm

Not a bad sleep at the Walmart, except for the parking lot cleaning machine doing it’s job at 3am. Oh well…what do you expect for free! But the noise didn’t last long, and otherwise it was fine.

Bardstown, Kentucky

Wednesday April 15…11:30pm

We left Nashville around 9:00am. Thanks for the parking space, Tom and Beth!

Nashville (day 2)

Tuesday April 14…10:00pm

We walked down to the mall at around 9:45am to catch the bus downtown. It was only one bus, a 50 minute ride, and it took us right to the center of Nashville. Cost was $1.60 US ($2.00 CAN) each, one way.

Nashville

Monday April 13…11:30pm

Got on the road before 7am, and visited a couple of the nature sites along the last section of the parkway. We were only about 75 miles from Nashville, so didn’t have that far to travel.

Meriwether Lewis campground (day 2)

Sunday April 12…10:00pm

A relaxing day today.

Went for a walk with Whiskey this morning. Then Ruth and I went for a bike ride around the park, and to visit the monument marking Meriwether Lewis’ grave site.

Meriwether Lewis Campground

Saturday April 11…10:00pm

We were up at 6:30am, and we hit the road right away. The next free campground, at the Meriwether Lewis site, was 200 miles (320 kms) to the north east, so we had a fair bit of driving to do today.

Jeff Busby Campground

Friday April 10…11:00pm

For some reason, it never got cold last night. I figured it would get chilly again, but I woke up in the middle of the night with too many covers on and checked the temperature and it was 23C (73F)!

We got another early start and made it to Jackson, Mississippi (pop 178,000) around 9:30am. Stopped and filled up with gas at $1.789 per gallon ($0.60 CAN per litre). Stopped at the Walmart for groceries and internet, and decided there wasn’t anything worth seeing in Jackson.

Rocky Springs Campground (day 2)

Thursday April 9…9:30pm

It was totally quiet for us last night. At one point I woke up and specifically noticed that I couldn’t hear a single thing!

I did some cleaning of the windows while Ruth was getting a picnic lunch ready for us. I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing some rain over the next several days, so I treated the front windshield with Rain-X. I was checking back, and noticed that we have not had any real rain since January 15th. I think we had a little drizzle around February 1st, but hardly enough to count as rain.

Rocky Springs Campground

Wednesday April 8…10:30pm

Had a good sleep at the visitor center. Left there around 9am, and made our way around the town of Natchez towards the entrance to the parkway. Our GPS unit has maps that are a few years old now, and they’ve built a new road and interchange so by following the signs we get to the new entrance to the parkway. The road itself is in brand new condition, and has a 50 mph (80 kmh) speed limit. It’s a pleasure to drive on.

Natchez, Mississippi

Tuesday April 7…10:00pm

We woke up early, but stayed at the Leesville, Louisiana Walmart until about 9:00am taking advantage of a good internet connection.

Drove about 128 miles (206 kms) today, and made it across the mighty Mississippi River to Natchez, Mississippi.

Leesville, Louisiana

Monday April 6…11:00pm

Had a great nights sleep at the Walmart in Livingston, Texas. Left there early and headed towards Louisiana.

We made a minor detour to the Leesville Lake Reservoir State Park in Louisiana. Actually, it was a really nice spot, and we paid the $2 US entrance fee for the day use area. Too bad it was such a windy day again, but we still managed a nice walk on their nature trails and still enjoyed a blue sky day. Found a little turtle…he sure didn’t seem like he wanted his picture taken, but at least we didn’t step on him!

Livingston, Texas

Sunday April 5…10:30pm

Got up early and stopped for internet before leaving Victoria. When we did leave, it became fairly windy. It was a strong cross wind, and I really had to hang onto the steering wheel at times.

Very boring scenery until we got to Houston. We decided to take the toll road that rings around Houston, but even on a Sunday it was fairly busy. Reminded me again of why I will never live in a really big city like that.

Victoria, Texas

Saturday April 4…10:45pm

Well we got up in time for the sunrise this morning, but it was too cloudy on the horizon!

We got an early start, and were on the road by 7:30am. Once we got off South Padre Island, Highway 77 is 4 lanes, with a 70 mph (113 kmh) speed limit in most sections. We only do 55 mph (90 kmh) at the most though, and that’s what I had the cruise control set at for much of the day. The road surface was near perfect (especially compared to Mexican highways!), and with Sherman’s new suspension, tires, and wheel alignment it was a very comfortable drive.

South Padre Island (day 2)

Friday April 3…10:15pm

We planned on waking up in time for the sunrise, but we missed it by ten minutes!

We walked Whiskey on the beach, and then Bill and Bonnie came over for pancakes mid morning.

South Padre Island

Thursday April 2…midnight

We made it to the suspension and alignment shop at about 8:00am. They got to work right away, and we sat in the motorhome while they worked.

Mercedes, Texas (day 3)

Wednesday April 1… 10:30pm

Made it to the Goodyear Tire Center in Weslaco, just about 7 miles from the RV park, at about 9:30am, and it was almost 1pm by the time we had two tires installed and one wheel moved from front to back. To be fair, I had said we weren’t in a rush and to look after anybody else first, and they were pretty busy.

Mercedes, Texas (day 2)

Tuesday March 31…11:00pm

I spent most of the day researching my tires on the internet. The size for our motorhome is a 7.50R16, which is an oddball size that is very difficult to get. There is a comparable size in the newer metric standard, P235/85R16, but most sources mentioned that they are slightly wider and will possibly touch the sidewalls of each other on the rear. I finally found some trustworthy info that said it would be okay to use the slightly narrower P215/85R16 and the local Goodyear dealer confirmed that this is the way to go. So I have an appointment to bring it in tomorrow morning at 9:30am. Then on Thursday, I will get new springs and a wheel alignment on the front end.

Back in the USA!

Monday March 30…11:30pm

What a day!

We left Allende at about 8am, and headed towards the border at Reynosa. Leaving Allende, we had to go north towards a toll road that would take us away from the outskirts of Monterrey. As is usual in Mexico, there is a choice between the toll road or the free road in the same basic direction.

Allende, just outside of Monterrey

Sunday March 29…9:45pm

We left Matehuala at about 8:15am, and drove north on the Mex 57 highway. This is a four lane highway, through a desert area. For the most part, it was in good condition, and we averaged 80 kmh (50 mph). Lots of truck traffic, but because it was a Sunday morning it was pretty quiet otherwise.

Matehuala (Real de Catorce)

Saturday March 28…9:30pm

We had set the alarm for 6am, and got up at that time.

Had a quick breakfast and coffee, took Whiskey for a short stroll before leaving her in the motorhome for the day, and actually made it to the front office by 7am. There was a different person there, and we asked if he could call us a taxi. He got on the phone, and less than five minutes later, a taxi arrived. It cost 40 pesos ($3.60 CAN, $3.00 US) for the ride to the central bus terminal.

Matehuala

Friday March 27…10:00pm

We were up before 7am, and Ruth went to make sure Alejandra and her son Antonio were awake as well. They came to Sherman to have a coffee and juice with us before we left. Antonio was excited because we promised him a ride around the block in the motorhome. He has decided that his mother should sell the house and they should buy a camper!

Zacatecas (day 2)

Thursday March 26…9:00pm

Alejandra took us into Zacatecas on her way to work. She didn’t have to be in early this morning, so it was about 10am when we left her place. Then, she gave us a quick tour of the historical area before dropping us off at the entrance to the El Eden silver mine, which is very close to downtown.

Zacatecas

Wednesday March 25…11:30pm

We actually had a pretty good sleep parked at the Pemex gas station. We were expecting it to be a bit noisy because of the trucks that use their engine break on the hill going into town, but it wasn’t too bad at all.

Just north of Jalpa

Tuesday March 24…8:30pm

We were up early again, before 7:00am. They filled the various swimming pools with fresh water, as they do every day, and Ruth and I went for a swim. The mineral hot springs water that they fill the pools with is a constant temperature of 39C (98F). You’d think that’s too hot for swimming in Mexico, but it feels just right, and it sure is easy to get into the water.

Villa Corona (day 2) - Guadalajara

Monday March 23…8:00pm

At about 9:30am, we walked up to the main highway to catch the local bus to Guadalajara. It’s about 50 kms (30 miles) from the town of Villa Corona to the centre of Guadalajara. The bus showed up, and it was 28 pesos ($2.41 CAN, $2.00 US) each, one way.

Villa Corona

Sunday March 22…9:45pm
We got up at about 6:30am, but it was still about 8:00am before we drove out.

Valle de Juarez (day 3)

Saturday March 21…11:00pm

Another couple here, Ryan and Joanne, just bought an old Jeep because they are staying in Mexico for a while. They invited us to go for an open air tour of the nearby mountains to a place called El Tigre.

Valle de Juarez (day 2)

Friday March 20…10:30pm

We had a great sleep last night, using our comforter on the sheets for the first time in weeks. Temperature in the motorhome when we got up at 7am was 11C (53F). But by the time the sun started shining in a few minutes later it only took an hour or so to warm up.

Valle de Juarez

Thursday March 19…10:30pm

We were up at 6:00am, and we left the city of Colima at 7:15am.

Colima (day 2)

Wednesday March 18…8:45pm

Had a great nights sleep in the Sams Club parking lot. In fact, I woke up at one point during the night, and couldn’t believe how quiet it was outside.

Colima

Tuesday March 17…10:15pm

We were up before 7am, and I took Whiskey outside to do her thing. I’m standing overlooking the beach, and I see a couple of baby sea turtles making their way to the ocean.

Maruata (day 2)

Monday March 16…9:30pm

We went for an early walk along the beach this morning before it got too hot. There were a lot of sea turtle tracks going up to the sandy area of the beach.

Maruata

Sunday March 15…10:30pm

We were on the road at 8:45am, and only had another short distance to travel. But the road from here to Maruata is very twisty and windy.

Tizupan

Saturday March 14…10:30pm

We planned on a short 50 km (30 mile) drive to Caleta de Campos. And we made it there in about an hour.

Playa Azul

Friday March 13…9:45pm

We were up at 6:30am, and on the road at 8:45am. It seemed to take forever to get out of Zihuatanejo…the roads are bad, and we made one wrong turn that fortunately wasn’t a disaster because we got back on track pretty quickly.

Zihuatanejo (day 2)

Thursday March 12…

We decided to stay put for one more night. We have what seems to be a perfect free parking spot…shade in the morning, and then just enough sun to fully charge our batteries, and then shade for late afternoon.

Zihuatanejo

Wednesday March 11…9:45pm

We were up in time to watch the sunrise at about 6:45am.

Piedra de Tlacoyunque

Tuesday March 10…10:45pm

We got ready to go this morning, and left the Acapulco Trailer Park at around 9:20am.

Acapulco (day 3)

Monday March 9…9:45pm

Tonight marks 500 nights sleeping in a motorhome!

Acapulco (day 2)

Sunday March 8…10:00pm

We left the trailer park at about 9:30am and wanted to catch a bus into Acapulco.

Acapulco

Saturday March 7…10:30pm

We were up before 7:00am, and on the road by 7:40am.

Playa Ventura (day 2)

Friday March 6…10:00pm

Walked with Whiskey on the beach this morning back towards town.

Playa Ventura

Thursday March 5…10:30pm

Sure enough, we were up at 6:30am, and we hit the road at 7:00am.

Playa Zicatela (day 2)

Wednesday March 4…10:30pm

We thought about leaving this morning. But by 10am, that thought had disappeared.

Playa Zicatela

Tuesday March 3…10:15pm

We got up and spent some time getting Sherman ready to move. Marie and Alfredo came by and said they wanted to take us to another beach today, but they had to go into town first.

Near Puerto Escondido (day 8)

Monday March 2…11:00pm

When we went over to the house this morning, the 20 chickens were already getting ready for dinner!

Near Puerto Escondido (day 7)

Sunday March 1…11:00pm

Marie and Alfredo made us Enchiladas for breakfast. The sauce they use is very different. It’s made with apples, bananas, garlic, jalapeno peppers and other stuff. Very spicy for breakfast!

Near Puerto Escondido (day 6)

Saturday February 28…10:30pm

We took Whiskey for a long walk along the river. We have found a very nice path that goes right to the ocean and there are no other dogs or traffic, so Whiskey likes it.

Near Puerto Escondido (day 5)

Friday February 27…8:30pm

We relaxed for the morning, and then around 11:00am Marie came by and asked if we wanted to go into town with them. We thought that maybe we could go to the market and that I could use the internet, so we agreed to go with them.

Near Puerto Escondido (day 4)

Thursday February 26…10:00pm

We took Whiskey for a walk in the river this morning. The river is pretty wide, but you can cross the whole thing on foot at this time of year.

Near Puerto Escondido (day 3)

Wednesday February 25…10:30pm

For some reason, Whiskey let us sleep in this morning. She must have known we got in late last night, because she didn’t wake us up until about 8:20am…this is definitely sleeping in for us!

Near Puerto Escondido (day 2)

Tuesday February 24…after midnight

Mary came by at about 9:15am to tell us that breakfast would soon be ready. She had said yesterday that her mother in law would be making enchiladas, but that has been put off a day, so she thought we’d like to come for something else.

Near Puerto Escondido

Monday February 23…8:30pm

Glen and Steve had been parked on the next lot over from us, and they came round just before 8am to say goodbye. We do expect to see them again over the next couple of weeks, possibly as soon as tonight because they are headed the same route as we are.

Playa Zipolite (day 5)

Sunday February 22…10:30pm

Another walk down the beach…more reading…Ruth went in to play in the waves…more reading…

Playa Zipolite (day 4)

Saturday February 21…10:00pm

Did our usual morning walk down the beach, then sat under our palapa and read. I spent hours looking for whales, and we spotted 3 or 4 throughout the day, as well as a school of dolphins in the distance, some of them even fully jumping out of the water. I wish they had been closer.

Playa Zipolite (day 3)

Friday February 20…9:30pm

While on our morning walk, we stopped to chat with a couple from near Barrie Ontario, Clem and Barb.

Playa Zipolite (day 2)

Thursday February 19…10:00pm

Before it got too hot, we walked with Whiskey all the way to the end of the beach. Lots of other people out walking and jogging and doing various exercises such as yoga. Many with no clothes on.

Playa Zipolite

Wednesday February 18…10:15pm

Had a better sleep tonight, and again woke up to see a beautiful sunrise out our back window.

Near Playa La Entrega (day 2)

Tuesday February 17…9:15pm

Didn’t have a good sleep last night. Apparently the lighthouse is used by the younger crowd to come and party at…until 5am in the morning sometimes!

Near Playa La Entrega

Monday February 16…10:30pm

When we woke up, it was actually cloudy! First time since we got here really, although you can usually see the odd cloud in the distance or a bit over the mountains behind us.

Huatulco (day 6)

Sunday February 15… 9:45pm

Went for a walk on the beach one more time with Whiskey. One lady came up and remembered her name from yesterday. We enjoy telling our story of driving down here…it’s kind of funny getting some peoples reaction.

Huatulco (day 5)

Saturday February 14…11:00pm

An hour or so before lunch, we went for a walk next door to the Barcelo Premium all inclusive resort. We stood in the lobby area wondering who we should talk to about a tour of the resort.

Huatulco (day 4)

Friday February 13…9:00pm

Ruth and I rushed this morning in order to get on our bikes and explore a bit before it got too hot. So we left here about 8:45am, and headed west.

Huatulco (day 3)

Thursday February 12…9:30pm

Just a relaxing day today. Ruth and I took Whiskey for a walk on the beach before it got too hot, and then (after Whiskey enjoyed her celebrity status once again) Ruth and her settled down on the beach for a couple of hours. In the meantime, I went back and helped Steve fix a little wiring problem he had on his motorhome.

Huatulco (day 2)

Wednesday February 11…10:00pm

We slept fine last night, until about 6:45am when we heard somebody try and open our side door.

Huatulco

Tuesday February 10…10:00pm

We left the Hogar Infantil orphanage at about 9:30am, and stopped for gas just outside of town. At the time, our plan was to stop somewhere before the town of “La Ventosa”.

Hogar Infintil Orphanage (day 6)

Monday February 9…10:30pm

Ruth defrosted the fridge and freezer this morning, and then did a bunch of laundry by hand.

Hogar Infintil Orphanage (day 5)

Sunday February 8…10:30pm

A pretty relaxing day today. Took Whiskey for a walk up on the hill again, but this time Ruth and I followed a path that went along the hill rather than try and go straight up it.

Hogar Infintil Orphanage (day 4)

Saturday February 7…10:00pm

Relaxed this morning until Angel and his brother Orbi came over around 11am to go for a walk up the hill behind the orphanage.

Hogar Infintil Orphanage (day 3)

Friday February 6…10:00pm

The excitement of this morning was when another RV’ing couple was leaving.

Hogar Infintil Orphanage (day 2)

Thursday February 5…11:30pm

We were invited to go for a drive with Douglas, Thomas, and Diane. Dougs wife Darlene stayed behind.

Hogar Infintil Orphanage

Wednesday February 4…11:30pm

We had a much better nights sleep. Ruth was still not 100%, but decided she was well enough to go on the boat for a couple of hours, so we did. The weather was perfect, so if you have to look at the bright side of our delay, this was it.

Chiapa De Corzo (day 2)

Tuesday February 3…10:30pm

Not a good night. We think we have done too much eating out recently, and that increases your chances of getting a stomach ailment.

Chiapa De Corzo

Monday February 2…10:30pm

We left the expensive Bonampak Campground at about 10:30am and went across the street to the big Chedraui grocery store. We did a bit of stocking up, and were ready to head out at around noon.

San Cristobal (day 3)

Sunday February 1…10.00pm

It got a little chilly last night. When we got up at just before 7am, it was 11C (52F) inside the motorhome.

San Cristobal (day 2)

Saturday January 31…8:30pm

We relaxed this morning while Bill tried to sort out their lack of internet. We’re parked side by side, and I can get on the internet just fine, while neither of their laptops will connect properly.

San Cristobal

Friday January 30…11:00pm

As we figured, we had absolutely no problems last night. When we woke up, Max the dog was lying with one eye open on the vestibule of Keenan and Jeff’s tent in between our motorhome and Bill and Bonnie's truck camper. Max did a good job protecting us!

Agua Azul waterfalls

Thursday January 29…10:45pm

We left the Maya Bell campground at just after 10am. We stopped at the Pemex gas station to try to check the internet, but couldn’t get on a network.

Maya Bell Campground (day 4)

Wednesday January 28…10:30pm

We walked back up to the museum that is part of the Palenque National Park. We didn’t know if you have to pay, and as we entered, the person at the desk was looking after a tour group that had just come in.

Palenque Ruins

Tuesday January 27…11:00pm

We left the campground at about 8am, and walked up to the Palenque ruins entrance.

Maya Bell Campground (day 2)

Monday January 26…11:00pm

Because we are in the jungle, there are howler monkeys here. We haven’t seen them yet, but you can sure hear them. I was awake early because I had heard almost what sounds like a lion roaring.

Maya Bell Campground Near Palenque

Sunday January 25…10:30pm

Had a good sleep, although there was a little bit of truck traffic through the night.

Centanario

Saturday January 24…10:45pm

We were up at 7am, and ready to go by 9am. The big Chedraui store in Chetumal was on our way out of town, so we stopped to do groceries.

Calderitas (day 13)

Friday January 23…9:00pm

Today was sunny with cloudy periods and a high of about 24C (75F), although it did get a little windy this afternoon.

Calderitas (day 12)

Thursday January 22…8:30pm

We got up at 6am. The weather forecast must have been pretty close, because it was 14C (60F) inside the motorhome when we got up. It did end up a nice sunny day, but only a high of about 22C (71F).

Calderitas (day 11)

Wednesday January 21…10:00pm

A little cooler today…high about 24C (75F) and sunny with cloudy periods. I had checked the weather forecast, and it’s supposed to get down to about 12C (55F) overnight.

Calderitas (day 10)

Tuesday January 20…9:45pm

Another beautiful day. Sunny, the odd cloudy period, and about 26C (78F).

Calderitas (day 9)

Monday January 19…10:00pm

Another beautiful day. Sunny, and 26C (78F).

Calderitas (day 8)

Sunday January 18…10:00pm

It was a beautiful day today…sunny with the odd cloud and about 26C (78F). And because of all that solar energy, our batteries were pretty much recharged by noon.

Calderitas (day 7)

Saturday January 17…10:00pm

The morning started off cloudy, but by noon it had pretty much cleared up. It’s supposed to be warm and sunny the next several days.

Calderitas (day 6)

Friday January 16…10:00pm

Another overcast day. It didn’t rain at all, but we didn’t see the sun at all either.

Calderitas (day 5)

Thursday January 15…10:30pm

It rained on and off throughout the night. When we got up it was raining, and it rained all morning.

Calderitas (day 4)

Wednesday January 14…10:30pm

Our taxi showed up here for 9:15am, as we had arranged. He took us about 10 km’s to the dentist office, and the fare was 70 pesos ($6.37 CAN, $5.15 US).

Calderitas (day 3)

Tuesday January 13…10:30pm

It had rained some more overnight, and by the time we got up in the morning it was raining pretty steady.

Calderitas (day 2)

Monday January 12…10:30pm

We did have a great sleep last night! Didn’t hear a thing.

Calderitas

Sunday January 11…9:30pm

We were packed up and ready to go by 8am. We were a little concerned about paying our bill.

Xpu-Ha Beach (day 8)

Saturday January 10…10:15pm

This morning, we walked north up the beach, towards a point where there is another resort which has been abandoned due to hurricane damage in 2005.

Xpu-Ha Beach (day 7)

Friday January 9…10:30pm

Not much of interest today. This morning, Ruth and Whiskey went to their spot on the beach, while I had some internet time.

Xpu-Ha Beach (day 6)

Thursday January 8…10:15pm

Ruth, Whiskey, and I went to the beach this morning. Ruth likes a little spot down where the abandoned resort is. They still have palapas on the beach for shade, and Whiskey likes to dig herself a cool spot in the sand and go to sleep.

Xpu-Ha Beach (day 5)

Wednesday January 7…9:30pm

Ruth went into Playa Del Carmen with Ernie and Stephanie, a couple who summer in Barrie, Ontario and who are staying here at Xpu-Ha beach for most of this winter.

Xpu-Ha Beach (day 4)

Tuesday January 6…10:15pm

I know, more of the same…but this place kind of grows on you. Besides, nobody ever comes to collect the rent! I’m sure we’ll end up paying it all, but still, it’s kind of strange.

Xpu-Ha Beach (day 3)

Monday January 5…8:00pm

Another beach bum kind of a day. Sunny, cloudy periods, temperature about 30C (86F). Pretty much perfect.

Xpu-Ha Beach (day 2)

Sunday January 4…9:45pm

We didn’t do much today. Sat on the beach this morning and then walked a bit. Ruth made a stew and we had S&G and Dean and Pinar over for lunch and Pinar brought some kind of Turkish cabbage dish and a salad to go with the stew.

Xpu-Ha Beach

Saturday January 3…10:00pm

Another great sleep in the jungle! We were ready to go by 7:15am or so because we wanted to get past the unbelievable traffic that is now at Playa Del Carmen and beyond, plus we wanted to get to the beach campground before anybody else showed up because we knew that when we left yesterday there were only two spots left.

Sacbe (day 2)

Friday January 2…9:30pm

We had a great sleep last night. We got up at about 7:30am, and we could hear that Lynn already had neighbours visiting for coffee.

Happy New Year from Sacbe

Thursday January 1…9:30pm

Happy New Year!

Whiskey let us sleep in for a bit, and we didn’t get up until 7:45.