Oct 15th, 2007: San Francisco - Inuvik - Puerto Toro - Buenos Aires

Quixote · 07-11-07, 11:04 AM

In a few months we will be leaving for an extended tour of the North and South American continents. We have setup a website to track our progress at:

http://www.alongdrive.com

The proposed route and dates of the expedition are located at:

http://www.alongdrive.com/about/

The preparation and build-up of the truck can be found at:

http://www.alongdrive.com/fj-cruiser/

We expect that the trip will last about 15 months - if any of you are going to any of our destinations we would love to hookup! This will be our first 4x4 expedition any feedback or suggestions will be welcome!

Quazii · 07-15-07, 02:01 PM

Good luck. Looking forward to watching this thread

Chris

gnx7 · 07-15-07, 09:58 PM

That trip sounds amazing!

My friend was one of the video people on this trip:
http://www.drivearoundtheworld.com/

He did the Longitude portion. Approx 15 months! The footage was purchased by Discovery Channel and they will be broadcast about 8 episodes everywhere on TV EXCEPT here in the USA.

That is supposed to happen end of 2007. I'm sure after it is well received in Europe/Canada/Asia/S.America/Europe/Africa.... the people at Discovery will see the light. They averaged about 10mpg and with 4 trucks... you can imagine that added up fast.

On another note: I hope that you speak Spanish. My friend was able to get the team out of many "jams" because he spoke Spanish. Meaning at borders and by harassing police. Mainly Mexico had corrupt police wanting $$$. Other places he mentioned weren't bad at all compared to there. Also carry a copy of the title of the vehicle. This can be a major PITA at borders if you can't "prove" you own it.

Also if you don't have lockers in the front/rear... it is a worthwhile investment. Well worth the $$$. Carry 2 spare tires if you can. You are running 285/16 which is a common size.. however you never know where you may have problems. MTR's if you hit some brutal terrain are known for issues. People seem to prefer the Toyo MTR's. Plan on getting worse gas mileage then you are used to being loaded up and roof carrier etc.

Wish I was going! Sounds like a spectacular trip. If you are leaving in October you may want to search/PM on here with some people have have done long trips up to Alaska. I'm not sure what the surroundings will be like then... ie impassible/muddy/snowy etc.
PM "pismojim" on here. He has been to Alaska with a group and can give you some insight which can't do anything but help.

Quixote · 07-16-07, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnx7

My friend was one of the video people on this trip:
http://www.drivearoundtheworld.com/

Now that is some trip. And for a good cause as well. Since this is our first expedition we're being a little conservative. We made No attempts for sponsorship or charity drives. We will do that on the next one...

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnx7

On another note: I hope that you speak Spanish.

Not yet! Both of us are fairly accomplished in Italian, and my French is reasonable. We're doing a one month immersion spanish school in Oaxaca to try ramp up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnx7

Also if you don't have lockers in the front/rear... it is a worthwhile investment.

I have rear lockers, but not front. The FJC is an IFS rig, so I would be concerned about the physics of a front locker.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnx7

If you are leaving in October you may want to search/PM on here with some people have have done long trips up to Alaska.

I checked with some Canadians about October. They even discouraged me from installing a block heater!

tomatopants · 07-16-07, 01:01 PM

I'm in Sonoma so SF isn't more than an hour, so I could probably see you off or give you silver dollars to give to the poor children in Ecuador or something. Sounds like a fun trip.

Quixote · 07-18-07, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomatopants

I'm in Sonoma so SF isn't more than an hour, so I could probably see you off or give you silver dollars to give to the poor children in Ecuador or something. Sounds like a fun trip.

I'm not sure I'm qualified to give your money away

The more I learn the more I realize that things are not always as they seem - even the simple act of giving money away can sometimes cause more harm than good.

Of course, that doesn't mean that one shouldn't perform charity. It just needs to be done thoughtfully and carefully.

We have no children so eventually all our assets will be donated.

alvarorb · 07-18-07, 12:43 PM

Quixote,

Seems like a very cool trip.
Over the years I've managed to meet Cruiserheads in several Latin American countries. Let met know if you like their info, I'm sure they'll be willing to give a hand or just meet you for coffee/beer.

Regards

Alvaro

Quixote · 07-18-07, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alvarorb

Quixote,

Seems like a very cool trip.
Over the years I've managed to meet Cruiserheads in several Latin American countries. Let met know if you like their info, I'm sure they'll be willing to give a hand or just meet you for coffee/beer.

Regards

Alvaro

Alvaro,

That would be great. Part of the reason for doing this trip is to meet people along the way - just regular folk and not those just in the tourist industry. To share ideas, to share a bit of who you are and to learn a bit about them. Sometimes this can lead to a friendship, other times a fleeting and pleasant memory.

I'm trying to keep this journey more than just tagging two ends of a continent; where reaching the destination is an arbitrary and meaningless goal. The important stuff happens in the middle...

cruiser_guy · 07-19-07, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnx7

On another note: I hope that you speak Spanish. My friend was able to get the team out of many "jams" because he spoke Spanish. Meaning at borders and by harassing police. Mainly Mexico had corrupt police wanting $$$. Other places he mentioned weren't bad at all compared to there. Also carry a copy of the title of the vehicle. This can be a major PITA at borders if you can't "prove" you own it.

The title is not important, it's ESSENTIAL!! Without title in your name you WILL have all sorts of problems along the way.

I have not found the Federales in Mexico to be nearly as bad as they are made out to be here in Canada and the USA. I've heard way more horror stories further south. My advise is that when stopped by a police officer the best is NOT to speak Spanish! That way they are less likely to ask you for a "mordita" or "propina"! If you have an expired copy of your drivers license, take it with you and use that one FIRST. Sometimes the cops will bait you to come in to the station by taking your drivers license. If it's expired, let them have it!!

If you are passing through Guatemala City, stop by and say hi!

Quixote · 07-20-07, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cruiser_guy

If you are passing through Guatemala City, stop by and say hi!

I most certainly will. Will you be in Guatemala in March '08 or in Canada?

cruiser_guy · 07-21-07, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quixote

I most certainly will. Will you be in Guatemala in March '08 or in Canada?

Guatemala till June '08. Arrange it for the spring break and we can do some traveling!

mailking · 07-22-07, 07:02 AM

So it seems whe are meeting somewhere down the road... :-)
Looking forward to it...
If we may give you one advice:

RELAX, and don't worry... [you can't control everything, so don't]

you have the time, so don't be bothered by delays or satback, but enjoy them and see it as the experience you were looking for... If everything is going to smooth, there is no fun and no stories to tell...

Hoping to meet you somewhere in 2008...
Greetings,
Karin-Marijke and Coen

cruiser_guy · 07-22-07, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mailking

So it seems whe are meeting somewhere down the road... :-)
Looking forward to it...

Hey you should stop by in Guatemala too. I'm not totally Dutch but I am 1/2 Dutch and they say "if you're not Dutch your not much"!

mailking · 07-22-07, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cruiser_guy

Hey you should stop by in Guatemala too. I'm not totally Dutch but I am 1/2 Dutch and they say "if you're not Dutch your not much"!

Haha, but I don't think we will make it before june 2008!!! But we would be happy to visit you anyway...

cruiser_guy · 07-22-07, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mailking

Haha, but I don't think we will make it before june 2008!!! But we would be happy to visit you anyway...

As Arnold Swarzenegger says,

"I'll be back!"

In late August of 2008.

Quixote · 07-23-07, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mailking

So it seems whe are meeting somewhere down the road... :-)
Looking forward to it...

Hoping to meet you somewhere in 2008...
Greetings,
Karin-Marijke and Coen

Same here. You are having an awesome adventure!!

In 2005 we ran into Dorrit & Coen, two Dutch who were travelling in a VW camper van around South America and Asia.

Their website is:

http://www.1001-nights.com/

Don't know if you know them or not.

Quixote · 09-19-07, 11:15 PM

Hello all,

This friday my wife and I took one of the most important steps in starting this expedition on time - we resigned from our jobs in the IT industry. Now we can focus fully on getting ready for this trail run and leave on schedule.

Quitting was harder than I thought - I will miss the companionship of my collegues, but after I had done it waves of euphoria coursed through my body!

alvarorb · 09-20-07, 07:00 AM

Good for you!
Seems like you're one step closer

Regards

Alvaro

mailking · 10-08-07, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quixote

Same here. You are having an awesome adventure!!

In 2005 we ran into Dorrit & Coen, two Dutch who were travelling in a VW camper van around South America and Asia.

Their website is:

http://www.1001-nights.com/

Don't know if you know them or not.

Yep, we've run into them in Pakistan on the well known campsite and spend some time with them. This was before they did the America's...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quixote

Hello all,

This friday my wife and I took one of the most important steps in starting this expedition on time - we resigned from our jobs in the IT industry. Now we can focus fully on getting ready for this trail run and leave on schedule.

Quitting was harder than I thought - I will miss the companionship of my collegues, but after I had done it waves of euphoria coursed through my body!

Oooopss, schedule..... that is a dirty word

nah, joking.. Congratulations on your steps... From now on things will get a lot easier... less worries. Don't forget to enjoy this part of your trip too!!!

Have fun.... [we just crossed into Chile]

Quixote · 10-25-07, 09:29 AM

It was sooo hard getting started, but we are now on our way!

The FJC is loaded to the hilt with all our stuff, way too much stuff. Hopefully we will optimize it further down the road.

We are in safe and comfortable downtown Seattle, 937 miles into the long drive. I'll keep this thread updated with our progress - if any of you are free for a cup of coffee/lunch/dinner just send me an e-mail!

Quixote · 01-25-08, 06:49 AM

Hello all,

The progress so far has been exciting. I don't know how many of you are on the Expedition Portal so I have not been cross posting posts from my thread over there. I'll ping-pong the progress reports between here and Expo.

So far we have driven the Dempster Highway in the winter, completed our training to become Wilderness EMTs, and are about to board the Baja Ferry to the mexico mainland.

Quixote · 02-04-08, 05:08 PM

So we made it to Oaxaca without any significant incident. The drive down Mexico Highway 200 along the Pacific Coast had some great camping spots:

There were quite a few Mexicans that discouraged us from taking this route due to security concerns but it turns our that the army is patrolling this area very well and it is quite safe. Most Mexicans don't drive so their information on how safe the roads are is gleaned from the news. And we all know how skewed the news is - if we went by what is on the telly we wouldn't go anywhere!

Quixote · 02-10-08, 07:35 AM

What journey would be complete without exotic foods? Rooting around in the markets of Oaxaca one finds all kinds of interesting items, not the least of which are fried grasshoppers, or "Chapulines"

I must say these are an acquired taste, a bit too sour for my preference. We'll be in Oaxaca for a few more weeks finishing up out Spanish education...

Quixote · 03-09-08, 05:51 PM

The Spanish town of Chiapas de Corzo is almost 500 years old and a great introduction to the state of Chiapas. We were dreading driving into Chiapas due to the troubles but everything is pretty quiet and relaxed. Relaxed, until the next wave of trouble hits...

cruiser_guy · 03-12-08, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quixote

We were dreading driving into Chiapas due to the troubles but everything is pretty quiet and relaxed. Relaxed, until the next wave of trouble hits...

That's just more of the perceived treats rather than the real ones. We travelled through Chiapas first in 2002 and we drove in, following friends who lived in Merida in the Yucatan, at 10:00 in the evening. Our first introduction was when all of a sudden the road lit up and we had come upon a military checkpoint. A little disconcerting to say the least! We had folks there who would not go to Guatemala "because it is so dangerous".

I actually quite like Chiapas and folks there will likely tell you how dangerous Guatemala is!

Quixote · 03-18-08, 02:32 PM

At the ecotourism site of Escudo Jaguar we ran into Helmut and Rosy doing the same trip we are but in reverse - they started in Buenos Aires, went to Tierra del Fuego and are now heading to the USA.

I instantly had vehicle envy when I saw their beautiful FJ70. I wish we could buy those here in the USA!

Quixote · 03-30-08, 10:27 AM

The tiny town of Mani was the location for one of the greatest crimes against humanity, committed by the Franciscan friars. It was here that Father Diego Landa held the dreaded Auto-de-Fe where Mayan "heretics" were tortured and then put to death. A vast quantity of Mayan artifacts and codices were lost forever.

Ironically it is through Landa and his observations that we know about the customs of the Maya shortly after conquest.

alvarorb · 03-31-08, 07:29 AM

Quixote,

I think that Mezo-American culture at the time of the Conquest, was as cruel as the inquisition. People forget the human sacrifices like tearing hearts out, skinning virgins alive only to have priest wear their skin. Drowning children in honor of Tlaloc the rain god. ETC, ETC.

By todays moral standards the inquisition was an abomination, but so are the Mezo-American sacrifices. My point is that as shocking as it may be, we can't judge yesterday's humankind feats with today's moral standards.

Regards

Alvaro

Quixote · 04-14-08, 08:48 PM

Alvaro,

I agree that the Mayans also had a society that was tolerant of atrocities, especially by today's standards. The Spanish, however, were claming the high ground by bringing civilization to the savages. In reality they were just as bad, if not worse...

Quixote · 04-14-08, 08:58 PM

Visiting Mayan sites in the Rio Bec region is an interesting experience. Thinking that the classic Rio Bec site was close by, we ended up driving down a badly rutted road for an hour before we realized that we really couldn't afford the time.

The nearby site of Xpuhil, on the other hand, requires very little time investment to visit...