Taking my 60 for a long drive - Alaska, Yukon, BC, Western US, Mexico and More?

[WideAngleWandering]

Gonzaga Bah

2012-09-20


Gonzaga Bay Pastels and Bird by WideAngleWandering, on Flickr

I woke up early, sweating, as the sun was up and over the horizon. The fridge drained my battery overnight so I cooked all the perishables and had more machaca/chile/lime tacos than any person should need in the morning.

After breakfast I went out and explored the rocky beach and went for a swim. The water was shallow, warm and very clear with small grey minnows and bright yellow fish that looked like they belonged in a small freshwater acquarium. Later I regretted this swim as it caused blisters, like little chemical burns on my skin.

READ MORE: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2012/12/gonzaga-blah.html

Click through for more photos and the exciting conclusion. Will I turn into a half-shark half-human supercreature? Wrestle a jelly fish to shore? Stumble into a real estate deal, meet a Bajeña and spend the rest of my life in Gonzaga? Or just drift on to the next spot?

Sorry about the teaser - I'm getting lazy about copying/pasting/fixing links/swapping HTML for BBCode, etc to copy these posts to the various forums.

 

[WideAngleWandering]

Coco's Corner

Full Post http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2012/12/cocos-corner.html

2012-09-21


Bahia de los Angelos Sunset by WideAngleWandering, on Flickr

Yesterday I left Gonzaga Bay and headed towards Coco's Corner, not sure if I was after a deserted beach with no grumpy conversations or if I'd make another stab at finding the overland track, if there even is one in Mexico right now.

Heading south, I drove through beautiful desert landscape with ocotillo cactus swaying in the breeze, tall saguaro's standing solid and many rocks covered in spray-painted graffiti from thoughtless passers-by. This is pretty inhospitable territory and I have a hard time imagining the early inhabitants, conquistadors and missionaries making their way through this place. Stopping to take a break and some photos, I saw two vehicles pass by. Both made a point of stopping and making sure I was ok.


Click here for the full post, with photos and links and all that happy stuff.

(sorry for the teasers. i don't really care if people go to my blog, there's not an ad-word or an attempt at profit to be found there. I'm just tired of reformatting/fixing links/writing UBB code to convert blog posts to forum posts)

 

[WideAngleWandering]

Screw the Whale Sharks

Full post: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2012/12/screw-whale-sharks.html

2012-09-22


Dawn Breaks over Bahia de Los Angeles by WideAngleWandering, on Flickr

This morning I woke up just before dawn to hear the fisherman getting their gear ready. I was sweating in the humidity despite leaving all my windows open to let the breeze through. I watched the sun rise from my tailgate, which motivated me to get out of the truck and shoot a few images from the beach.

I took my time organizing my gear and set off to explore the town and decide if I would stay or go. Maybe even see some whale sharks (hopefully not entangled in a Gonzaga gill net). First I stopped by the Brisa Marina, where the sea turtle hatchery is located. It was shut down and in disrepair.

Read on for the full post with photos, links, etc

 

[WideAngleWandering]

Ciudad Antigua (fleeing mortars and rockets)

Full Post: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2012/12/ciudad-vieja.html

2012-12-08 (Please note the dates. I'm now posting in whatever order I please.)


Rickety Rocket Launchers by WideAngleWandering, on Flickr

The chicken bus stopped unexpectedly. The driver said something I didn't make out and everyone began to get off. I stepped off the bus and looked up to see the top of a rusty ferris wheel against the backdrop of a volcano. As I was wondering what the problem was with the bus, I heard the twin thwumps of mortars being fired. They exploded high overhead, sending cardboard shrapnel to the ground. I followed the crowd and rounded the corner to find a flatbed truck full of angels and demons blocking the road.

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful, though after finishing my business in the city, I found myself walking back to Antigua, wondering where the return buses were.

2012-12-09

The chicken bus followed the normal route today. After a fruitless visit to my mechanic, I walked to the centro to find some food. A sizeable crowd was picking their way through the aisles, shopping and eating. I bought some water and a tortilla with sausage and fermented cabbage (Mayan sauerkraut?) and sat down by the church. A banner on the wall depicted a wrinkly old white guy with a gold, jeweled staff topped with a crucifix. Inside, a pre-recorded sermon read by an overly-inflective voice actor played, followed by hymns. Outside, dozens of bells clammered for the attention of potential ice cream customers.

After a few minutes, the music changed to flutes and drums. Suddenly the bells stopped and the ice cream vendors started pushing their carts down the road. I thought a religious procession, the bizarre mix of the solemn and the raucous, might be displacing the vendors but suddenly the people on the street began to run. I stood up and looked for danger; the last time I'd seen a crowd move like that it was followed by a group of riot police firing tear gas. A short distance away, I saw a burst of smoke quickly followed by a loud report.

Read more ...
(sorry for the teasers - copying/pasting/fixing links/converting HTML to BBCode for the various fora has become a burdon)

 

[WideAngleWandering]

I am way behind on updates. In the meantime, here's a link to a photo essay I put together for World Travel Buzz.

http://worldtravelbuzz.com/overland-travel-americas-photo-essay/

 

[WideAngleWandering]

I continue to be lazy / behind on blog posts. I did, however, talk on this podcast thingy about my experience roadtripping.

http://webtalkradio.net/internet-ta...travel-alaska-to-tierra-del-fuego-and-beyond/

 

[WideAngleWandering]

Why Climb Volcán de Agua?

Full post: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/02/why-climb-volcan-de-agua.html


Volcán de Agua by WideAngleWandering, on Flickr

We drove from Antigua to Santa María de Jesús early in the morning to meet our guide outside the travel agency on the town square. We'd made arrangements to hike to the summit, spend the night and hike back down the next day. Back home, I'd have made a trip like this with a light pack but this being Guatemala, we needed a horse and horse-guy, a cardboard box full of food, a rollaboard suitcase, a couple miscellaneous tote bags, a trip coordinator and a guide.

Read the full post, if ya wanna: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/02/why-climb-volcan-de-agua.html

 

[WideAngleWandering]

The Bureacracy of Lingering

Full Post: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/03/the-bureacracy-of-lingering.html

2013-02-14


Waiting for the Rum by WideAngleWandering, on Flickr

Somehow, in the aftermath of liberation from Spain, the people of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador were stricken with the ugly, self-indulgent sense of nationalism. They fought over territory and trade and eventually defined some imaginary lines to mark their borders. At these borders, each posted low-level bureaucrats and armed enforcers to make sure anyone crossing those imaginary lines knew just how important their nation was with respect to the others. That became onerous, since we're talking about nations the size of New England states , so they came up with the CA-IV agreement, making it easier for Central Americans and harder for everyone else to travel in the region. Today they have about as much hassle as I do driving into California from Arizona. Also like California, they can only aspire to someday be as sensible as Iowa and Nebraska are with their borders.

More on my adventures with Central American visa & vehicle import rules.

 

[WideAngleWandering]

The Human Element

Full Post: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/03/the-human-element.html

2013-02-15

A lot of people talk about the human element to border control and bureacracy with great disdain. They curse the corrupt, angry gatekeepers to their travels. They talk about border crossings as if they were parole board hearings populated by gremlins. What one has to keep in mind is that it is the system, the mob, that is chaotic and broken – the individual workers are just humans caught up in it's machinations along with the rest of us.

Read on for lawyers and maps and begging and how it all works out.

 

[WideAngleWandering]

Semana Santa - Antigua Gone Wild

Full post: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/04/semana-santa-antigua-gone-wild.html

2013-03-28


Alfombra by WideAngleWandering, on Flickr

I have managed to avoid Semana Santa in my previous trips to Latin America. I've always had a sense that in most places it would be more spectacle than cultural experience. More of a haven for pick-pockets and parking scams than for connecting with people. A few folks I know who normally live in Antigua leave during Semana Santa, citing trash, traffic jams and amazingly enough – decreased business. But, for whatever reason, I stayed and fought traffic, often driving the wrong way down trash-strewn one-way streets.

Full post/photos/video: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/04/semana-santa-antigua-gone-wild.html

 

[Acetylene]

Will there be a forth coming update?

 

[WideAngleWandering]

Well, there should be ... it's been a helluva a ride.

For the moment, you can watch the goofy timelapse driving videos I've been putting up on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/wideanglewandering/videos

 

[WideAngleWandering]

Two Weeks in Antigua

Full Post: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/05/two-weeks-in-antigua.html


Clouds Over Antigua by WideAngleWandering, on Flickr

Two weeks in Antigua. I'm in that space where I need to settle in or move on. Unfortunately, Betsy is still in the clutches of a good but very slow mechanic for fuel injector service. I'm getting my cake and eating it too, however, with the help of Club 4x4 Guatemala.

See The Rest