Wednesday, January 1, 2014

MEXICO BOUND


Yep - the Wood Clan is headed to Mexico!!!!

After a cold and wet summer and a cold and wet past three months we are completely done with cold and wet. 

Give us some

Somewhere during our trip from Hendersonville, NC to Nashville - blame it on the boringness of the I40 - we decided that we were going to have to make a return trip to Mexico this year if there was going to be any hope of hot temperatures.

To know us is to know that we LOVE hot.

We were completely fooling ourselves when we thought that we would be ok with cooler temperatures this winter. 

Our destination? Well, the main one is Palenque, specifically the Palenque Ruins and the Maya Bell RV and Camping Park. If you recall we had almost decided to travel there last winter but then decided it was all a bit far based on the distance we had already come down the west coast. This year it was an obvious choice since we are on the east side. 


Since I don't have my own pictures - yet - of Palenque and Maya Bell I figured I rip a couple off for you to see. 

May as well take from those you know - right?! 
Thanks Croft!



Here's the map.


Far from exact I'm sure - my best guess at the moment. 
Google map tells me we are about to travel about 1,600 miles (2,574 km) to get there.

From here - New Braunfels, we will make our way down to McAllen. Rather than straight down we'll have time to meander a bit. Stops include the Luling City Market for some real Texas BBQ that Pastor Jerry told us about, Victoria for a couple of e-cig shops for Derek - and to look around town since we haven't been there yet. Then, we may as well head to Rockport and Fulton along the coast - we haven't been there since our first winter down in 2008. From Port Aransas to Corpus Christi and then south. We'll probably have about a week for this trip.

We are dragging our feet a little because we have arranged to meet our friend Chris, of Living and Boondocking in Mexico, in Reynosa on the 16th. We will follow him back to his and Juan's place just south of Monterray. We wanted to stop in and see them on our trip north last spring but our schedules didn't jive. After a few days of visiting and a Mexican mind meld, we'll continue our way south.

Since we've arrived here a few days ago I have been busy with my Mexico research. Since it wasn't in THE plan this year I have a lot of catching up to do - fast. I have a bit of an idea about our stops and such because we were planning on making this trip a few years ago - which never happened. 

And of course there is a ton of information out there - from the Church's Guide to Mexican Camping to On the Road in Mexico, to all of our Mexican travel blogging friends such as Travel with Kevin and Ruth, Croft's Mexico, The Golden Years and of course Living and Boondocking in Mexico. Darn do they make it look easy!

John Kobak's Mexico Trip Reports will be very useful this year because he and his wife travel down the east coast and over to Chetumal every winter. John provides extensive information about routes and sleeping spots with maps.

Our 3 1/2 month trip to Mexico last year definitely prepared us for this year. Although we are still apprehensive - as we are before any trip, at least there are many hurdles we crossed last year  - so we feel pretty ok with it this year. 

We've never been worried about our safety in Mexico. Many people wonder about that. You can find trouble anywhere. Not once last year in Mexico did we feel unsafe in any way. And the roads? Well, there is the added trickiness of some of them especially with topes - but really - driving around the SE States of the USA or even with the really high speed limits here in Texas, isn't always a piece of cake either.

One of the things I do as the navigator is spend a lot - and I mean a lot - of time on google map. You know that little yellowy orange guy? He can show you a LOT of stuff. Because I'm the one looking for signs, that are at times not so easy to see, I use him to show me the signs before we even head out.  I have already looked at many spots on the roads we will be traveling on. LOVE that. It takes a lot of the trepidation away for me if I have a bit of understanding as to what the road is like. Of course - there will always be surprises - but that is traveling and dare I say some of the fun of traveling. Aren't we travellers kinda hooked on the thrill of the unknown?

So, there you go. The posts here at Rantin' n Raven are about to take a dramatic turn and get really interesting.

We're excited - we hope you'll join us for the ride. 

Where are we going after Palenque? Who knows. We may go east or we may go west. Were not sure. Ultimately we will go north though - we are thinking to be back in the USA - most likely at the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez crossing mid March. 

As always - remember to pass along your ideas, advice and places that you suggest we check out.

Now, back to my research!

Hmmmm - sure hope the all the rain Mexico is getting right now tappers off before we get there…..

Teresa

If you are looking for more of Rantin' n Raven we are not hard to find out there in the social media world. We are on FacebookTwitter and Pinterest. See you there!








24 comments:

  1. Looking forward to reading your blogs about Mexico. I am keen to go, but hubby is a bit nervous about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We can definitely understand his nervousness - especially with a rig the size of yours. However, we did see lots of larger rigs and in fact our friends Bill and Carol have an Alfa that they drive around Mexico. They blog over at The Golden Years. http://lifeinbrowncounty.blogspot.mx They are in Mazatlan right now.

      Actually, traveling in Mexico is much easier than we thought it would be - just people living their lives and fairly good roads. If you get a chance check out the blogs I linked - they all make it look easy. Also, if you look back in our archives you can go over our 3 1/2 months there - I usually take pictures of the roads so you can see what it is like during a travel day. The Church's book is a must by the way.

      Thanks for commenting!

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  2. An interesting switcheroo! Looking forward to it.
    Happy new year to you all.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Peter - to you as well. It'll be an adventure any way.

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  3. I grew up in Edinburg! That's where my family has lived for a long time! My grandmother that recently passed away lived there most of her life... my cousins now live in her house (the same one my dad grew up in) and my brother lives in McAllen. Great place to grow up but its very different now...

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    Replies
    1. Interesting growing up so close to the border. Different I am sure….

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  4. We travelled three months in Mexico from Nogales to Mazatlan along the coast. Would love to explore some more, but we did find it much less expensive here in the USA, we use our membership camping, so do not need to pay much for camping here, no need for Mexican insurance here. But LOVE Mexico.
    The beauty of this life style is plans are written in chalk.
    Enjoy and travel safe.

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    Replies
    1. Other than the membership camping I think it is cheaper in Mexico - although that seems to be changing. We'll see how it is this year for us. The east coast parks do seem more expensive.

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    2. East coast is expensive, but In the southwest we can dry camp all over the desert in some really great places. Not much membership here available in Jan, Feb, March, unless we plan ahead and we don't do that much, but we do love Mexico.
      Have too much fun.

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  5. Good for you. We have had great weather down here on the Isla this winter.

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  6. Mexico??? Imagine my surprise!!! lololol

    Safe Travels........

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  7. Great plan! Yes this constant crappy weather can wear one down. On tiny suggestion... The stretch from Veracruz to Minatitlan... I think you would be much happier with 180 rather than 145D (the Cuota). 145D is very poorly maintained, expensive and very bumpy. We took 180 one year and it is a much better highway, Plus, you can then visit Catemaco with it's nice RV park and lake and take a boat ride to the “New Age” Reserva Ecologica de Nanciyaga up the lake where Sean Connery filmed "Medicine man".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ya - I noticed my map was off already cuz I do have us down for Lake Catemaco. Looks like a place to stay for a bit. We like when the RV parks are close to the town. I'm up for the cigar factory - was that a roll of the eyes I saw from Derek.

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  8. Oh yes, don't miss the waterfalls at Salto de Eyipantla near San Andres Tuxtlas. San Andres Tuxtlas has cigar factories where Sir Winston Churchill had his cigars made. It is an interesting area.

    http://croftsmexico.blogspot.com/2009/03/salto-de-eyipantla.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Need a small vehicle to get there the Church's say. Come give us a ride?

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    2. I would't try a motorhome on the road but you should be OK in the van. Maybe without the trailer. I can't really remember the road so it couldn't be that bad.

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  9. Villahermossa has a nice hot pool complex much like Villa Corona. Paying for the RV park gives you free use of the pools. Cassia will like the pools.

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    Replies
    1. I googled that Croft but can't find it - have a link?

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    2. Found it! On your blog….that was back in 2009 - have you been since. Off to see if they are still open.

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    3. It is still in the Church's book. It was a thriving operation. I can't see it closing, but it IS Mexico. Watch the KM markings as you get near, the road to the pools is dirt and not well marked. We were there in March of 2010 as well. It is called the Recreativo El Gordo Y San Pancho.

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  10. That 's one long curving route on your map...WOW! Love to gather some of your planning skills! I have a hubby not too interested in crossing the border...guess for now I'll just take in the view from this side of the lands. You're amazing with your posts..knowing you spend a lot of time getting them right. Believe me THEY ARE so RIGHT! Great job. Have fun...I'll be watching!

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    1. Ya - the roads in Mexico tend to be a bit curvy! No magic - I just work out the RV Parks in Mexico and connect the dots! I can understand his hesitancy - it took us a few years to work up the nerve. Now that I know that it is fairly easy I wish we had started sooner! What we'll do to get some warmth!

      What was your former job? Cheerleader? LOL Thanks - I'm blushing!

      We like fun!

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