Day 4 - Just east of Scranton, PA

When I woke early this morning it was with visions of getting an early start, but, consistent with this entire enterprise, that was not to be. After letting the dog out twice in the night, I finally got up at about 8. Shortly later I discovered that the shirt I was wearing yesterday had a fresh blood stain from one of the minor scrapes and cuts I've been accumulating with my dry skin. So, having accumulated a little laundry. I started that process. Then had to deal with the leaking plastic bucket of gesso. (Gesso is what you put on canvas or masonite to prepare it for painting.) That meant going to the hardware store for new buckets, then digging an mixing the gesso in the original container to be able to transfer it. After breakfast and coffee, packed the truck with the remaining items, and went to the warehouse where I gave pallet #2 another wrap of shrink wrap for good measure. Also packed and wrapped the gesso and a can of thinner so they will travel better than if they were exposed.



All that consumed most of the morning, so I didn't leave Portland until shortly before noon. Got to the garage in Mass. where the boat and trailer were, hitched them up and was at Jess's at 4:00. Lot of bounce from the boat in that 10 miles. Spent about an hour getting things out of the boat and back of truck, then repacking the back of the truck and the boat. All the spare tires are now inside the forward section of the boat, and it handles much better over the road than it did before. Weight is distributed better between truck and boat, and in the boat.



Before leaving Jess's, checked the weather, and found that I was going to be driving into the face of a storm. Because it is a storm that will be driven by coastal influences, I decided to get as far west as I could in hopes of missing it. Arrived here at 11:30 PM, and desk clerk says the snow is supposed to start in the early morning.



If it does, I'm not going to drive in it with a trailer in tow, and with a restaurant right next door, and internet access here at the Comfort Inn, and my Rosetta Stone Spanish course, I'll have no problem staying parked here until the storm passes and roads are clear again. And so it goes...

Day 3, still in Portland

Spent the morning running errands, getting cash to pay for the axle, flares in case of more breakdowns, etc etc. In the afternoon recorded what is on Pallet 2, then wrapped it up. The photo here is of the first one I did, the one today is slightly smaller.

I have to record what is in the truck, what is in the boat, and what is on each pallet both for insurance purposes, but more importantly for Mexican and Belize customs. Has become a tedious process as I continue to shift totes and boxes from one place to another.

Didn't get done with this process until 5 PM, so decided to spend another night in Portland. With our most excellent friends Mikki and David we got takeout from the Veranda Thai restaurant, and played canasta into the night. Great fun, and tomorrow I set out again to see how far south and west I can get in the face of a gathering storm.

Day 2 - back in Portland

Called Michael at Northest Sailboat Rescue in Freeport this morning to get a price on a used trailer and his take on my situation. Used one would be $3000, and I would have to figure out how to get the boat and non-functional trailer back to Freeport. Then went to the yard where the boat/trailer were taken last night and talked with them about the repair options. Replacing the axle with a new one that had the same 2000 lb weight rating would cost $900, Moving up to one with a 3500 lb rating plus an additional rim and spare will run about $1200. So that's what I opted to do, and I'm told it will be ready by the end of the day tomorrow (Friday). Must say here that I was in a pretty vulnerable postion, but so far I feel that the guys at Interstate Wrecker Service in Canton, Mass, have been very reasonable with me.


When talking with Michael, he reminded me in evaluatinf the tires to include the weight of the trailer, estimated at 800 lbs. The boat weighs about 1800 lbs, so boat and trailer, but no gear, are 2600 lbs. Tires are rated at 1650 lbs each. Since I had put a lot of non-boat stuff in the boat for lack of room in the truck, I believe I was overweight for the trailer and the tires. So back to Portland.


Unloaded some of the truck and set up a second pallet to ship. Then went and got some big double wall panels of cardboard and corners so I can wrap the pallet tomorrow. Came back to Gleckler , emptied the truck of what is still in it, and repacked it. Tomorrow I'll wrap up the pallet, empty some of the overflow out of my cab and set it up better for the road, run some errands and go back to Mass. Start out from there on Saturday morning.


I'm glad I have a Sirius radio in the truck, because today I was listening to one channel that is nothing but old radio shows , or TV soundtracks from the fifties. Then listened to one that is nothing but cuts from comedy albums. Funny stuff that brightened the day.


So that was my day, the one word description would be "backwards"!

Finally on way - sort of..

Finally departed Portland at 3:30 this afternoon, truck and boat a bit overloaded, but not so badly that it would cause steering problems. ( Photo above was taken last August with NO loading!) My plan was to go the 150 miles to my step daughter's home in Norfolk , Mass, figuring this would be a shakedown for the 3800 mile journey, and let me know if I was going to have handling or overheating problems. As I drove, I was wishing I had set up a second pallet so that I would not be carrying so much weight.

Bang! Shortly after turning south off 128 onto 95 toward Providence, the axle on the trailer broke. Fortunately it was on the right side, away from the streaming rush hour traffic. It happened just past an entrance, so I had to drag the broken trailer 100 feet or so to a point where there was a wide breakdown lane. Bummer.

Called AAA, but because it is a boat trailer and not a vehicle, they don't cover it. They called a local wrecker service, the first truck was too small, but we got it onto the second one they sent. They say their mechanic can fix it, so tomorrow AM I'll find out what the $ damage is.

Altough I did not plan for or expect this dilemma, it was only 10 miles from my step daughter's home, so I get a chance to spend time with her and family while the issue is resolved. I'm so glad it happened here instead of several states away, or in Mexico. So in spite of the calamity, I'm grateful.

And so it goes...

deja vu all over again

The photo here was taken when I headed off to RISD in the fall of 1966. I had transferred in, and because the school did not have student housing, my roommates and I rented an apartment in a gray neighborhood across town. 3rd floor, 5 rooms, $35/month. That's a gas stove in the truck - which supplied our heat. The truck was one I picked up for less than $100 - a former phone company truck, it had a chipped tooth in first gear and reverse. In time it had no gear in either, which made parking in Providence a real challenge! But I digress...

The truck is loaded, and I've finally worked out the transportation of the pallet. Because the truck was overloaded, I also had to unwrap the pallet and add another level to it. However, working with a trucking broker here in Maine, I am shipping it to a broker in Camden, Alabama. They then put it on a ship that will take it to Big Creek , Belize, which is just across rhe lagoon from Placencia! Total cost will be considerably less than if I had sent it to Brownsville, and then done a roundtrip through Mexico to get it, or if I had had it trucked through Mexico. So the delay helped me find the Big Creek option.

I'm thinking now that I will depart on Wednesday. Tomorrow I'll pack the odds and ends, do some cleaning, finsh loading the truck, and get the cash I need for the trip.

Will post a picture of my current old truck, with boat, and the snow I'll leave behind...

more delay....

Although this is a solo trip and adventure, it is hard leaving behind my relationships with friends from the hood, AA and church. In addition, it is the last time I'll see my stepdaughter Jess and her daughter and husband, and also the first time in 10 + years I will see my sister and her husband in Marietta. My plan is to drive to Norfolk, MA, on the first day to see Jess and family. That will be a shakedown to make sure the load is ok and roadworthy.

Now Jess's schedule and weather systems come in to play. She'll be out of town Thursday AM through Sunday night, and we are slated to have snow develop Wednesday night into Thursday. That means that to see her, I have to put off my departure until Monday the 24th. While that doesn't please me, I will allow me to be more deliberative in my packing the truck, as well as really set up my front seat for the trip, and get more familar with the electronics, including Sirius radio and a GPS. It also allows me to do some cleaning here at home before I hit the road. So there are lots of good reasons for accepting the delay, and using it to its full potential, but I still don't like it.

Loaded the truck today, and I have a little more space, but more stuff than will fit in it. So tomorrow I can rearrange, perhaps shift some stuff into the boat, and decide what to leave behind. I still have to pack my clothes as well. So I actually may depart in a rested state instead of exhausted from pushing, but emotionally I am ready to go!

Less than a week..

Truck is finally ready to go, most stuff is packed, I have what's being shipped at a locker and tomorrow I'll set up the pallet and wrap it. Then home to finish packing. I've said goodbye to my AA group, which was hard - I've attended the same meeting for 22 years, and know there will be nothing like it in Belize. Sunday I say goodbye to my church family, important to me, but not as long or personal a relationship as AA has been.

Will probably depart Wednesday, weather permitting, and go the first 150 miles to my stepdaughter's home in Mass. That will give me a shakedown, to make sure the truck and boat handle ok with the weight distribution, and also give me a last visit with them for a spell. Next full stop will be in Marietta, GA, to visit my sister and her husband.

There is a lot of finality to my activities, I'll miss a lot of people, and will miss Portland, a city I've come to love in the state I love. That said, I'm still ready for this adventure, and anxious to get going!

Progress..

Finally got the truck back today. Monday it goes to another shop to have the suspension improved, and to have a transmission fluid temperature gauge installed so I don't blow the transmission by pushing it too hot/hard. Have decided to send some stuff on a pallet to Brownsville, TX. I'll take the rest myself in the truck, take it to Belize, then go back to Brownsville and get what I've shipped. Separated it out today, weighed everything, and it comes up to 1009 lbs! Glad I'm doing it, because even with the improved suspension I would be way overweight. Got estimates on shipping the pallet, and they ranged from $500 to $2500!

Celebrated Kev's birthday tonight, and tomorrow will see Alana and I hope her friend Cassie.

Patience, patience...

How frustrating! My truck has been in the shop for a week now. An oil pressure issue has been hard to solve, and has led to the need for some crankshaft bearings, and because the truck is so old, they had to be ordered. Ford only sent 4, instead of the 8 needed. Also having it tuned up, since it hasn't been tuned for 8 years! Not so shocking when I've only driven it 15K miles in that time. Once I get it back from the mechanics, it goes to a company that specializes in suspensions to beef up the back end. I suspect my higher power has made this a frustrating process because that will be the name of the game when I get to Belize. Things don't happen in a hurry there, and can go wrong very easily, so I must prepare my psyche for that...

In the meanwhile, tomorrow I'll try to nail down the option of shipping a pallet to Brownsville, which is looking better and better as an option. Will substantially reduce the amount of weight I'm carrying, and space won't be an issue. Spent much of today running errands, so tomorrow must make headway on packing the final totes.

"Excess baggage"

Now that I think I have a solution to the weight issue, I lay awake early this morning worrying about the volume of stuff, with doubts it will all fit. Options are: 1) do another sort, and either get rid of or store the excess; 2) ship the excess to a warehouse in Brownsville, TX, and after making my first run to Belize, go back to Brownsville to get it; or 3) leave the excess here, take the first load to Brownsville, store it, then drive back to Maine to get the excess. Don't like any of the options, and there really isn't much that at this point I would truly call "excess", since I've already shed a lot of "stuff". It does bring to mind the fellow I met on the bus to Boston last February. We were both headed to Belize, he was a retired school administrator from California, and was planning to spend several months exploring Belize. He had a small knapsack, that was it. I had a carryon suitcase for my 1 week.

May have to go through my lists of what's packed (made for customs) and rethink what I should define as "excess"...

Closing in on my departure

It’s been too long since I last posted here, but I expect it will be much more frequent now that my date of departure is close at hand. Multiple reasons for delays, including, but not limited to, the need to prepare my 17 year old truck for the trip. Had I known how much money I would end pouring into it, I probably would have opted to buy a more recent one. Latest issue has been one related to oil pressure, which has been erratic. Now appears the new oil pump is defective, and the crankshaft bearings are worn and scored, so also need to be replaced. I am electing to have a transmission fluid temperature gauge installed so I can monitor it, especially on long climbs. Can wreak havoc if it gets too hot and starts breaking down.

My packing is just about done. The biggest issue facing me now is whether it will all fit in the truck. It will be close, and if it doesn’t, I’ll have to take it out of the truck and prioritize. I sure hope it fits, I’ve already eliminated much of what I owned.

What will I do in Belize? For fun I hope to do a lot of sailing. Also want to learn to play piano, so I gave myself a keyboard for Christmas. I already have an electric base and a dobro that I also want to learn. In addition, I’ve purchased the materials and equipment needed to take up oil painting again. I last painted when a student at Colby College. Every time I go to a gallery I want to get back into it, so it’s now time to pursue that dream. I’m also bringing a lot of books I’ve purchased but haven’t read. Goal is to read them and pass them on to the local library that is yet to be established.

For work I have many enterprises in mind. I’ve already invested in one – a technology called magicJack. It’s a device that plugs into a computer, and then you plug a telephone into the device. The upshot is that I now have a Portland phone number, and anytime someone calls it they’ll either get my voice mail, or if I’m connected to high speed internet anywhere in the world, if the phone is connected to my computer, it will ring. I can in turn call any phone in the US or Canada for free. Will be a boon to American and Canadian expats in Belize, so I have become a reseller. Not a lot of margin, but it may help me make comnections and build a network.

I also am going to be a distributor of the Logix ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) system. It is a building technology that is especially appropriate for coastal Belize, both in terms of the reduction of cooling energy use and cost, and the resistance to hurricane force winds and debris.

Last summer I studied and took exams to become a Certified Professional Bookkeeper and a QuickBooks Pro-Advisor. Passed them all, so I hope to pick up some work doing bookkeeping as well. My stepson Bradley has also suggested I join him in his Century 21 Agency, so that also might happen. Also hope to do some wedding and other commercial photography, so am taking my equipment with me. Bottom line? Have to make sure I can support myself, but also need to give myself the time to pursue my music and painting goals!

That’s all for now, will start updating on a more regular basis!