Halloween Retirement

I can't believe it. Tomorrow is our last day as working people. What a strange feeling it will be to not have to get up and go to work.

Next week it's off to South Dakota to become residents of that state (no state income tax!), visit relatives, then back to pack for the move to Mexico.

Can We Get There From Here?

Our neighbor just sent photos of the main road to our future home in Mexico. We plan to make the move in about 6 or 7 weeks. Unfortunately the area suffered quite a bit of damage from Hurricane Jimena and Tropical Storm Olaf. The roads are in horrible shape. We're beginning to wonder if things will improve enough in 6 weeks to tow our loaded cargo trailer.

Below are some pictures a neighbor sent us:

One of the smaller arroyo crossings on the dirt section of the road

This is the area that gives us the most concern. It's a cement culvert that crosses a large (normally dry) river. The culvert has been washed away in places. As long as water is flowing, repairs cannot be made. I'm not sure if the river will dry up allowing repairs to be made before we make our move.

This is the "good" paved part of the road

This unfortunate driver was trying to deliver gravel for someone's construction project. Judging from the pictures, I'm amazed he made it this far before getting stuck.

Buying Used

After scrutinizing Craig's list and the Trader Magazine, we narrowed down our search for a cargo trailer to a nice looking 16 footer, about an hour's drive from our house. The guy was asking about $300.00 less than a new one, but he said it had a "custom suspension with 18 inches of clearance". Pictures on the internet showed a real nice, clean looking trailer. Even had a good roof rack. I really liked the idea of the extra clearance because we'll be towing off road to get to our house in Mexico. This one might be worth what he's asking.

After sitting in hideous traffic, inching our way toward our prize, we finally arrived at our destination. I could tell from the street this was a waste of time. The first clue was a rusted out pickup, battered dune buggy, and drooping motorhome with "for sale" signs on them just behind the trailer. As we approached, it became clear. First off, it was a model that sells new for $800 less than he was asking. The springs were bowed, interior thrashed, tires didn't match, and rust may have been the only thing bonding this mess together. The pictures he used on the internet were obviously taken many years ago.

After this experience we decided to buy a new trailer. We could chase down junk for weeks before finding something worthwhile. As it turns out, for only $400 more than this guy was asking, we bought a brand new, good quality trailer.

It's big though...towing on those narrow roads is going to be interesting!