I did not part with Randal for free in Costa Rica. I was able to arrange a sale by word of mouth. In return, I received 200 USD and a wooden bowl.
Closure and blog over.
Friday, August 24
Friday, August 10
The Contest Summary
The other way we were shown pre-trip love was through bets placed on Randal's final resting place. Our investors, as we began to affectionately call them, had varying degrees of confidence in Randal's longevity. Guesses ranged from Tennessee to Panama. The chart below shows the distribution of bets:
Early guesses like Tennessee had some validity since we experienced stalling right from the start. These stalls, however, were all while the car was idling, so they had little impact on the car's ability to cover vast distances at high speeds. As soon as we got on the road to San Antonio, the car ran well. The second day’s drive was also devoid of major mechanical issue. I soon rolled into Guanajuato, Mexico. After these first 2 days of driving, we already knocked out 13 of 25 of the choices presented in the contest details. Only one investor had selected these choices though, so nearly everyone still had a shot at the prize.
Mechanically, day 3 presented some challenges. It was the first time I got stuck in 3rd gear. The stick only lasted about 30 miles before a toll booth slow down stalled the car and normalcy returned. For a moment, I though the guess of Mexico City might reward Esther Chon and Phil Karash, but the 3 day park in Mexico City provided Randal the rest needed to continue.
Southern Mexico, despite its high mountains and stretches of dense forest, didn’t present any issues for Randal. We quickly passed Matt Leonard’s guess of Chiapas. It wasn't until our unexpected crossing of El Salvador that issues began to arise. We started to experience the gear locking I wrote about before. I briefly wondered how betters would take to a breakdown in country we didn’t announce as a destination. In the end it wouldn't matter. We powered through the loss of 4th gear, topping out around 60 mph and stopped for lunch when the engine started to overheat. With the same issues rearing up, we crossed Honduras and Nicaragua in much the same fashion. Sorry Jordan Barone and David Zurbochen, never say die.
The slower pace was apparent as we got into southern Nicaragua. 200 miles drives were taking half the day. Gas mileage was also a factor. The combination of these factors claimed Costa Rica as the final stop and transformed one Lindsey “Sunshine” Getches into a contest winner. Here is a picture of her sporting her newly acquired swag.
Over the course of the drive, we put 5,882 miles on the car. The odometer read 125,023 when we left it in San Jose. I estimate we probably averaged around 45 mph because even though we touched speeds of 90+ mph in Northern Mexico, once we hit Guatemala, engine issues and the omnipresent topes (large speed bumps) make it impossible to average more than 35 mph. In Mexico City, we were lucky to average 15 mph. This average speed means that we spent close to 130 hours in the car. The total mileage means that we racked up nearly 5% of the total car's mileage in 27 short days. In Clarence Rahn's terms, we accumulated 9.5% of his total driven distance from 17 years of use. Clarence totaled the 5,882 miles put up in 27 days every 19.5 months. That's a road trip.
Early guesses like Tennessee had some validity since we experienced stalling right from the start. These stalls, however, were all while the car was idling, so they had little impact on the car's ability to cover vast distances at high speeds. As soon as we got on the road to San Antonio, the car ran well. The second day’s drive was also devoid of major mechanical issue. I soon rolled into Guanajuato, Mexico. After these first 2 days of driving, we already knocked out 13 of 25 of the choices presented in the contest details. Only one investor had selected these choices though, so nearly everyone still had a shot at the prize.
Mechanically, day 3 presented some challenges. It was the first time I got stuck in 3rd gear. The stick only lasted about 30 miles before a toll booth slow down stalled the car and normalcy returned. For a moment, I though the guess of Mexico City might reward Esther Chon and Phil Karash, but the 3 day park in Mexico City provided Randal the rest needed to continue.
Southern Mexico, despite its high mountains and stretches of dense forest, didn’t present any issues for Randal. We quickly passed Matt Leonard’s guess of Chiapas. It wasn't until our unexpected crossing of El Salvador that issues began to arise. We started to experience the gear locking I wrote about before. I briefly wondered how betters would take to a breakdown in country we didn’t announce as a destination. In the end it wouldn't matter. We powered through the loss of 4th gear, topping out around 60 mph and stopped for lunch when the engine started to overheat. With the same issues rearing up, we crossed Honduras and Nicaragua in much the same fashion. Sorry Jordan Barone and David Zurbochen, never say die.
The slower pace was apparent as we got into southern Nicaragua. 200 miles drives were taking half the day. Gas mileage was also a factor. The combination of these factors claimed Costa Rica as the final stop and transformed one Lindsey “Sunshine” Getches into a contest winner. Here is a picture of her sporting her newly acquired swag.
 |
| Hat and booze provided by Costa Rica |
Over the course of the drive, we put 5,882 miles on the car. The odometer read 125,023 when we left it in San Jose. I estimate we probably averaged around 45 mph because even though we touched speeds of 90+ mph in Northern Mexico, once we hit Guatemala, engine issues and the omnipresent topes (large speed bumps) make it impossible to average more than 35 mph. In Mexico City, we were lucky to average 15 mph. This average speed means that we spent close to 130 hours in the car. The total mileage means that we racked up nearly 5% of the total car's mileage in 27 short days. In Clarence Rahn's terms, we accumulated 9.5% of his total driven distance from 17 years of use. Clarence totaled the 5,882 miles put up in 27 days every 19.5 months. That's a road trip.
Tuesday, August 7
Bordering America Mix Tape
We've loved all the support you've showed us through blog hits, comments, and emails. Truly one of the greatest parts of the adventure have been communicating with some of you throughout. Before we even began to drive we asked for support in several ways. One of the ways we felt support was through responses to the call for roadtripping music. I'd like to provide some conclusion in this area by releasing the Bordering America Top 10 song list:
10. Fetts Vette- MC Chris (Submitted by Isaac)
9. Bonfire- Childish Gambino
While Childish Gambino's lyrics can be inappropriate at times (or all the time), they are also some of the wittiest. I found myself repeating lines long after the song had ended and still getting a laugh. Another benefit of this song is the pacing which seems to will the car forward. By the end of the journey, it was a nighttime 'must play.'
8. Want U Back- Cher Lloyd
This song was introduced to Andrew during pop survivor and it was pretty new to me as well. As soon as the damage done during the early repetition wore off, it reentered our play list as the third song played each morning of heavy travel. Cher's growls and grunts seemed to convey our frustration with ambiguous Spanish directions and her melodic refrain 'want you back' betrayed our eventual homecoming.
7. A Favor House Atlantic- Coheed & Cambria
It is no secret we both love the musical stylings of Coheed & Cambria. I think the opening lyric to "retrace the footsteps that led us this favor," rang particularly true for us as we consistently questioned the combination of luck and skill that brought us to one fantastic destination after another. We also identified with the questioning chorus asking "Are you in or are you out?" as it applied the many friends who feigned interest in joining us only to realize the insanity of our plan and duration of our travels.
6. Highway to Hell- AC/DC (Submitted by Andy Fogel)
This seems like a staple of a good road trip mix. Although we adamantly refuse that our destination was hell (it seemed we arrived at paradise), the route was definitely highways. Additionally, this was one of the better interactive listens on our list. We got rowdy and sang along each time it was played.
5. Barracuda- Heart (Submitted by Andy Fogel)
Barracuda gained immediate support for the lyric "If the real thing don't do the trick No! You better make up something quick." This applied to more than one situation we got ourselves into. The rhythm of the song was also a key selling point. We could play it in heavy Mexico City traffic and still feel as if we were moving forward.
4. She Doesn't Get It- The Format (Stolen from a pirate radio broadcast by Jeremy Vaida)
While I was a 'The Format' fan prior to departure, the band slowly grew on Andrew throughout the travels. This tune headed the list largely due to feel. It was capable of stirring feelings of sadness associated with departure while constantly reminding us that we had one more night to keep pushing and see where the roads would take us.
3. Drive it Like you Stole it- The Glitch Mob (Submitted by Jake Horwath)
This song was the second one played during the beginning of each driving leg of the journey. The mash up featured Drake pumping us up and instructing haters not to play with us. It is probably because we shouted the lyrics loudly that we didn't experience any major run ins with law enforcement or cartels. The song title also lent itself to instant love. Going 130 km/hr in a 80 km/hr zone felt like living up to the charge of driving it like it was stolen.
2. Lazy Sunday- Lonely Island (feat. Chris Parnell)
Andrew and I worked tirelessly to master the give and take Parnell and Samberg demonstrated in this rap. We got pretty good by the end of the trip killing many hours of potentially unexciting car travel and preparing us to the be the main event at our next social event.
1. Panama- Van Halen (Submitted by Andy Fogel)
This seems like no brainer given the intended destination of our trip. It led off each day's driving. It was able to reunite Andrew and I in our main objective, replace breakfast with its rich cries of "Panama," and excite us for the adventure that lay ahead. It continues to play through our heads as a potential destination for future endeavors.
10. Fetts Vette- MC Chris (Submitted by Isaac)
MC Chris was the fast talker we needed to deliver a loaded song with high relistenability. He gets through so many lyrics in this three and a half minute song, it took us several takes to put together some of the rhymes. Even better, almost all the lyrics are understandable if you take the time to separate them. Andrew's soft spot for Star Wars probably allowed this jam to beat out other MC Chris favorites like Hoodie Ninja. It even provided the opportunity to school me in the highest grossing movie franchise (this stat probably needs to be adjusted for inflation or something).
While Childish Gambino's lyrics can be inappropriate at times (or all the time), they are also some of the wittiest. I found myself repeating lines long after the song had ended and still getting a laugh. Another benefit of this song is the pacing which seems to will the car forward. By the end of the journey, it was a nighttime 'must play.'
8. Want U Back- Cher Lloyd
This song was introduced to Andrew during pop survivor and it was pretty new to me as well. As soon as the damage done during the early repetition wore off, it reentered our play list as the third song played each morning of heavy travel. Cher's growls and grunts seemed to convey our frustration with ambiguous Spanish directions and her melodic refrain 'want you back' betrayed our eventual homecoming.
7. A Favor House Atlantic- Coheed & Cambria
It is no secret we both love the musical stylings of Coheed & Cambria. I think the opening lyric to "retrace the footsteps that led us this favor," rang particularly true for us as we consistently questioned the combination of luck and skill that brought us to one fantastic destination after another. We also identified with the questioning chorus asking "Are you in or are you out?" as it applied the many friends who feigned interest in joining us only to realize the insanity of our plan and duration of our travels.
6. Highway to Hell- AC/DC (Submitted by Andy Fogel)
This seems like a staple of a good road trip mix. Although we adamantly refuse that our destination was hell (it seemed we arrived at paradise), the route was definitely highways. Additionally, this was one of the better interactive listens on our list. We got rowdy and sang along each time it was played.
5. Barracuda- Heart (Submitted by Andy Fogel)
Barracuda gained immediate support for the lyric "If the real thing don't do the trick No! You better make up something quick." This applied to more than one situation we got ourselves into. The rhythm of the song was also a key selling point. We could play it in heavy Mexico City traffic and still feel as if we were moving forward.
4. She Doesn't Get It- The Format (Stolen from a pirate radio broadcast by Jeremy Vaida)
While I was a 'The Format' fan prior to departure, the band slowly grew on Andrew throughout the travels. This tune headed the list largely due to feel. It was capable of stirring feelings of sadness associated with departure while constantly reminding us that we had one more night to keep pushing and see where the roads would take us.
3. Drive it Like you Stole it- The Glitch Mob (Submitted by Jake Horwath)
This song was the second one played during the beginning of each driving leg of the journey. The mash up featured Drake pumping us up and instructing haters not to play with us. It is probably because we shouted the lyrics loudly that we didn't experience any major run ins with law enforcement or cartels. The song title also lent itself to instant love. Going 130 km/hr in a 80 km/hr zone felt like living up to the charge of driving it like it was stolen.
2. Lazy Sunday- Lonely Island (feat. Chris Parnell)
Andrew and I worked tirelessly to master the give and take Parnell and Samberg demonstrated in this rap. We got pretty good by the end of the trip killing many hours of potentially unexciting car travel and preparing us to the be the main event at our next social event.
1. Panama- Van Halen (Submitted by Andy Fogel)
This seems like no brainer given the intended destination of our trip. It led off each day's driving. It was able to reunite Andrew and I in our main objective, replace breakfast with its rich cries of "Panama," and excite us for the adventure that lay ahead. It continues to play through our heads as a potential destination for future endeavors.
Saturday, August 4
5 Vacations in One Trip
Our journey has been a multifaceted one filled with different hosts, activities, and challenges. We have already begun to field questions regarding our favorite stops. One of the best parts of the trip is that this question is really impossible to answer. Even though we traversed Spanish speaking nations of central and north America, the journey felt like several different trips loosely connected by day long drives and interludes DJ-ed by Andrew, Jeremy Vaida, Andy Fogel, or Jess Lavasseur. As the last post mentions, Coast Rica felt like a week long beach trip in a tropic paradise. A beach stay is impossible to compare our time in Nicaragua that was anything but. I wanted to give a little more insight into the 5 different vacations of which our trip was comprised:
1. Mexico: Culturally Focused Vacation
This is the vacation that makes children antsy and adults contemplative. We spent 3 of our days here just exploring ruins. Another large piece of the stay was spent visiting local museums. Even during the evenings, we let loose with our host David with local food from the streets and popular Mexico City nightlife. This was the vacation that the History Channel and Travel Channel combined to recommend.
2. Guatemala: The Party Vacation
We stumbled upon a thriving expat community and felt right at home with college students and recent grads trying to find their way. We got in hikes, but really focused on boat parties, soccer games, swimming in the lake. This felt like a long weekend with a bunch of great friends.
3. El Salvador: The Prison Stay
Albeit short lived, our El Salvador stay was a vacation in the sense that working on Saturday gets you out of mowing the lawn. Our accommodations were hot and sticky. The local street market was a bit grey and sobering. The grocery store trip established a new desire for every want it filled.
4. Nicaragua: The Family Vacation
With limited guidance of where to go, we ended up hitting to top attractions in Nicaragua. We hiked volcanoes and spent time in lakeside towns. This vacation felt like it was planned by our parents to make sure we missed nothing big at the cost of rarely getting off the beaten path.
5. Costa Rica: The Shore
In Costa Rica, we spent the bulk of our time reading, sunbathing, and surfing. This vacation had luxury and relaxation. We sipped tropical drinks but forgot the day of the week enough times to prevent any real exploration of local culture.
1. Mexico: Culturally Focused Vacation
This is the vacation that makes children antsy and adults contemplative. We spent 3 of our days here just exploring ruins. Another large piece of the stay was spent visiting local museums. Even during the evenings, we let loose with our host David with local food from the streets and popular Mexico City nightlife. This was the vacation that the History Channel and Travel Channel combined to recommend.
2. Guatemala: The Party Vacation
We stumbled upon a thriving expat community and felt right at home with college students and recent grads trying to find their way. We got in hikes, but really focused on boat parties, soccer games, swimming in the lake. This felt like a long weekend with a bunch of great friends.
3. El Salvador: The Prison Stay
Albeit short lived, our El Salvador stay was a vacation in the sense that working on Saturday gets you out of mowing the lawn. Our accommodations were hot and sticky. The local street market was a bit grey and sobering. The grocery store trip established a new desire for every want it filled.
4. Nicaragua: The Family Vacation
With limited guidance of where to go, we ended up hitting to top attractions in Nicaragua. We hiked volcanoes and spent time in lakeside towns. This vacation felt like it was planned by our parents to make sure we missed nothing big at the cost of rarely getting off the beaten path.
5. Costa Rica: The Shore
In Costa Rica, we spent the bulk of our time reading, sunbathing, and surfing. This vacation had luxury and relaxation. We sipped tropical drinks but forgot the day of the week enough times to prevent any real exploration of local culture.
Ditch the Ride
Our stay in Costa Rica has taken our trip in yet another direction. The days are best characterized by all the trimmings of a classic beach vacation. I've chilled on the beach pina colada in hand, thrown frisbees in the soft sand, and swam in the warm Pacific Ocean.
I've also learned how to surf. Unfortunately, surfing took a quick hostage. My gopro now lies at the bottom of the Pacific. It is a major bummer to be sure (I am now authorized to use surfer slang), but I am also totally over it. I was being dumb using it without an attached floatation device, and I had enough of a test drive with the camera to know that I will be buying another and being more careful in the future. Bigger than losing the camera, I am disappointed that I won't be able to load any of the sweet sweet footage I was taking at the time. A brief text based recount of the material might first mention my natural aptitude for the waves. It is also important to note my creative style. In tandem with the actual physical stunt, my narration was clear and seamless. It is a real disappointment that these videos are forever lost.
Another Costa Rican activity has been trying to plan for Randal's afterlife. Needless to say, I will not be following any sort of ancient Egyptian and Aztec rituals that involve burial, mummification, or accompaniment of worldly possessions. Instead I will be passing ride to next of kin (Matt is paying Costa Rica a visit next week) and then trying to barter for more transportable goods like spoons, textiles, and currency. Shockingly, based on the difficulty to import cars to Costa Rica, even the 1991 Dodge Spirit has drawn much praise and interest from perspective buyers. Really I would be ecstatic for 200 dollars in exchange. This would make my return flight ticket a mere 71 dollars. I would also be interested in some sort of wall hanging or good that I could point to for the rest of my life and say "Yep, I traded a car for that!" We'll see what sort of arrangements transpire. The most tricky part of the dealing, is that Randal isn't truly a legal permanent import. Instead, I brought him in under the guise of a temporary import. It will take some time and dollars to remove this label.
I've also learned how to surf. Unfortunately, surfing took a quick hostage. My gopro now lies at the bottom of the Pacific. It is a major bummer to be sure (I am now authorized to use surfer slang), but I am also totally over it. I was being dumb using it without an attached floatation device, and I had enough of a test drive with the camera to know that I will be buying another and being more careful in the future. Bigger than losing the camera, I am disappointed that I won't be able to load any of the sweet sweet footage I was taking at the time. A brief text based recount of the material might first mention my natural aptitude for the waves. It is also important to note my creative style. In tandem with the actual physical stunt, my narration was clear and seamless. It is a real disappointment that these videos are forever lost.
Another Costa Rican activity has been trying to plan for Randal's afterlife. Needless to say, I will not be following any sort of ancient Egyptian and Aztec rituals that involve burial, mummification, or accompaniment of worldly possessions. Instead I will be passing ride to next of kin (Matt is paying Costa Rica a visit next week) and then trying to barter for more transportable goods like spoons, textiles, and currency. Shockingly, based on the difficulty to import cars to Costa Rica, even the 1991 Dodge Spirit has drawn much praise and interest from perspective buyers. Really I would be ecstatic for 200 dollars in exchange. This would make my return flight ticket a mere 71 dollars. I would also be interested in some sort of wall hanging or good that I could point to for the rest of my life and say "Yep, I traded a car for that!" We'll see what sort of arrangements transpire. The most tricky part of the dealing, is that Randal isn't truly a legal permanent import. Instead, I brought him in under the guise of a temporary import. It will take some time and dollars to remove this label.
Thursday, August 2
Wednesday, August 1
Cars and Clocks
After another full day's travel, we arrived at a friend of friend's place outside of Playa San Miguel, Costa Rica. Our approach already heavily delayed at the border, we met more resistance from intermittent downpours and dirt roads. A full day of travel behind us, albeit only 5 actually driving, we made our ascent up Marie and Hank's steep drive way.
During the drive, our engine still topped out in third gear. While we were once the car passing tractor trailers and buses on straight-aways, it is increasingly us being passed. Our max speed on this leg was probably 55mph, a far cry from the low 90s of Northern Mexico. The gas mileage has fallen to the lowest of the trip, about 19 or 20 mpg.
Also time has quickly become a concern. We voluntarily spent an additional day in Oaxaca given great accommodations and company. We opted for an additional day in Guatemala in order to be part of the caravan to the El Salvador border. The lost passport of Ometepe cost us a day in Nicaragua and the border fiasco of July 30 cost us an early arrival at the Costa Rica beaches. All said, we are nearly 4 days behind the pace we conceived necessary to reach Panama.
Given the time crunch and the devolving state of the car, Andrew and I had the talk tonight. We are going to investigate ways to make Costa Rica the final resting place of Detroit-born Randal Spirit.
Randal and the American Spirit:
Wires from Taiwan
Fabrics, Filipino
Steel from Mexico
Drempt together in Detroit by Italian-born, Gino
A global patchwork dated in the last century
Before the baseball strike, Friends' debut, or Madoff's stay in penitentiary
This perfect combination left to bake overnight
Rise hope, dreams, diversity, deep wisdom, and insight
This product delighted old Clarence Rahn
He rode proudly amongst carriages and buggies, horse-drawn
But as Clarance grew old, the Spirit would ride
Down to Washington, DC where arms opened wide
To embrace the old paint and youth under the hood
Proudly parked next to Beamers at Booz Allen it stood
Some parts needed fixing and others replaced
Levi in Lantham and Ray in VA lent expertise
Always another journey still lay in store
The essence of both man and machine needed a pour
Because Spirit doesn't sit still, it roams and it seeks
Despite tight mountain passes and low lying creeks
Through highlands and lowlands, freeways and toll
The Spirit began to rumble but continued to roll
Adventures too numerous from New York to Topeka
Will Spirit stir again on the beaches of Costa Rica?
******
Those of you who have seen me with Randal, rode, driven, or just worked the gas pedal, now is the time for parting words.
During the drive, our engine still topped out in third gear. While we were once the car passing tractor trailers and buses on straight-aways, it is increasingly us being passed. Our max speed on this leg was probably 55mph, a far cry from the low 90s of Northern Mexico. The gas mileage has fallen to the lowest of the trip, about 19 or 20 mpg.
Also time has quickly become a concern. We voluntarily spent an additional day in Oaxaca given great accommodations and company. We opted for an additional day in Guatemala in order to be part of the caravan to the El Salvador border. The lost passport of Ometepe cost us a day in Nicaragua and the border fiasco of July 30 cost us an early arrival at the Costa Rica beaches. All said, we are nearly 4 days behind the pace we conceived necessary to reach Panama.
Given the time crunch and the devolving state of the car, Andrew and I had the talk tonight. We are going to investigate ways to make Costa Rica the final resting place of Detroit-born Randal Spirit.
Randal and the American Spirit:
Wires from Taiwan
Fabrics, Filipino
Steel from Mexico
Drempt together in Detroit by Italian-born, Gino
A global patchwork dated in the last century
Before the baseball strike, Friends' debut, or Madoff's stay in penitentiary
This perfect combination left to bake overnight
Rise hope, dreams, diversity, deep wisdom, and insight
This product delighted old Clarence Rahn
He rode proudly amongst carriages and buggies, horse-drawn
But as Clarance grew old, the Spirit would ride
Down to Washington, DC where arms opened wide
To embrace the old paint and youth under the hood
Proudly parked next to Beamers at Booz Allen it stood
Some parts needed fixing and others replaced
Levi in Lantham and Ray in VA lent expertise
Always another journey still lay in store
The essence of both man and machine needed a pour
Because Spirit doesn't sit still, it roams and it seeks
Despite tight mountain passes and low lying creeks
Through highlands and lowlands, freeways and toll
The Spirit began to rumble but continued to roll
Adventures too numerous from New York to Topeka
Will Spirit stir again on the beaches of Costa Rica?
******
Those of you who have seen me with Randal, rode, driven, or just worked the gas pedal, now is the time for parting words.
Cross Fits
When: Yesterday 8am-3:45pm
Where: Nicaragua/Costa Rica Border Crossing at Pena Blancas
Why: We can't really be too sure here, but it was our most frustrating border crossing yet. We were given a couple different explanations, but none fully hold up to our combined scrutiny. Safe it to say we have a great party story once we return home.
And in any case, welcome at long last to Costa Rica!
Where: Nicaragua/Costa Rica Border Crossing at Pena Blancas
Why: We can't really be too sure here, but it was our most frustrating border crossing yet. We were given a couple different explanations, but none fully hold up to our combined scrutiny. Safe it to say we have a great party story once we return home.
And in any case, welcome at long last to Costa Rica!
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