Leaving Mexico, stranded in Van Horn Texas

March 28^th to April 1^st 

A) Guaymas, Mexico --- departure point

B) Tucson, Arizona --- change trucks

C) Van Horn, Texas --- break down

D) Clear Lake, Texas --- destination goal

Friday was our last day in Guaymas.  We cleaned up the boat, finalized everything, and took a test run around the yard.  Rafal’s Dodge 3500 Diesel pulled the boat no problem.

Claire made our last breakfast in Mexico. Chorizo scramble with biscuit cakes.

I did a last load of laundry.

5 gallon bucket.

Rafal doing a test lap.

Saturday morning at sunrise we departed the yard.  Claire, Piña, and I followed behind Rafal as he pulled Splendid Isolation.

Rafal pulling us through Mexico

Claire's road-snacks!

one of our favorite sites heading North towards the borders.

We stopped about an hour south of the border at a security checkpoint, the guards were super interested in the boat.  They searched both our vehicles, put luggage through the conveyor belt, similar to an airport check.  One of the guards shimmied up onto the boat and took a quick peak inside.

Claire following Rafal and me

About half an hour up the road from there, we stopped at the Temporary Import Permit office (TIP). And signed the boat out of Mexico.  In La Paz we had to buy a 10 year TIP for the vessel.

At the United States border, we waited in line for about an hour.  Once we got to the gate, we were asked to pull aside for an Agricultural Inspection.  Rafal had a few apples in his truck that they confiscated and we were on our way! Easy, smooth, and simple! 

waiting in line to cross the Mexico/USA border at Nogales

Rafal took us up to a Pilot truck stop just east of Tucson.  We paid him for our fuel cost and he went on his way to Phoenix.  

Claire, Piña, and I spent the night in La Sancha parked beside our vessel of a home. The boat is loaded up with gear and our dinghy so not much room inside there for sleeping right now.

Claire chose fried chicken with mashed taters and gravy for her back in the USA meal. 

sweet tea of course.

where we slept at the Pilot east of Tucson

Sunday morning, Brian, our next ride, showed up.  We met him through our ad on Craigslist.  He planned to purchase the trailer for a sailboat he was inheriting.  The trailer would be his for a discount after driving us to Clear Lake. We hitched Splendid Isolation up to his Dodge 1500 and continued east on I-10.

Brian hooking Splendid Isolation up to his truck

Flying down the freeway, everyone passing us was amazed.  Waving, taking photos, breaking their necks on double takes.  Every gas station we were bombarded with questions.  

Not too common to see some kids hitchhiking a 28 foot sailboat from Mexico to the Texas Gulf!

checking the fluids and cooling the engines

Flying down the freeway, everyone passing us was amazed.  Waving, taking photos, breaking their necks on double takes.  Every gas station we were bombarded with questions.

heading east down I-10

Not too common to see some kids hitchhiking a 28 foot sailboat from Mexico to the Texas Gulf!

Claire hopped in Brian’s Dodge and kept him company while Piña and I followed behind in La Sancha.  Brian used to live on a 44’ sailboat that he acquired in New York.  Him and his wife sailed down the east coast to the Caribbean, where they lived and worked for a few years.  Island hopping produced their son James.  Not long after his arrival they decided it was best to sell their boat and move back to the states. 

After about 6 or 7 hours land yachting east on I-10 we started smelling some burnt scents from his truck.  We thought they were his brakes at first.  A few pull overs off the highway and we determined that we should slow down, play it safe, and stop for the night in Van Horn.  About 20 miles out side of Van Horn, Brian’s big blue truck started billowing smoke. La Sancha’s window was covered in a rain of hot grease.  We pulled over immediately.  Sitting on the side of the highway we thoroughly inspected both his vehicle and the trailer.  Still thinking it was his brakes over heating, we were confused.  Checking the trailers brakes we found that the bolts holding the calipers on had wiggled loose and fell off! NOT SAFE!

I climbed up into the boat on the side of the highway.  I have a ton of spare nuts and bolts onboard and was hoping to find a match.  No luck. Brian and I being like minded with jerry rigging, we decided zip ties were our only option! Very risky.  We took it slow the next 15 miles and hobbled into Van Horn.   Getting a room at the Taylor Motel, where we stayed before, coming west with La Sancha and the empty trailer.

Monday morning Brian took his truck to the shop to diagnose the smoky situation.  He blew out his diferensial! We were pushing his Dodge 1500 a little too hard up those desert hills… Splendid Isolation being about the max towing capacity for his vehicle.  All of us, extremely bummed out, knew we needed to strategize.

 A semi carrying elephants broke down and was at the shop with Brian's truck!  

This cool dude would open and close the door when you asked him what's up!?

Brian convinced that he should not tow the boat he would be inheriting, decided maybe that purchasing our trailer is not an option for him right now.  

We spent the day walking the streets of Van Horn.  Making a full circle around town, we met EVERYONE! Asking every truck owner we saw for a lift.  No luck.  We met a load of cool locals.  We really do enjoy this town, too bad there’s no water to put our boat in!

Main road down Van Horn.  

Before the super freeway of I-10 was put in, this was the road everyone drove down to get across the country.  Crazy that putting in a huge freeway 200 yards to the North, building chain restaurants and gas stations, has put a huge damper on this towns economy.

Brian and myself representing our Texas adventures together

Claire giving quarters to a friend we made.  He gave Claire a hat and told us he owns all the gumball machines in town.  She thought it'd be nice to pay him for the hat through his machines.

decrepit motels, abandoned because of the new highway and franchised motels 

how many eras of vehicles have parked here and stayed the night!?

if only...

motorbike, satellite, A/C, surfboards, dinghy, etc...

T-shirt I found in town.

Tuesday Brian received his truck back from the shop, fixed. We also found bolts for the trailer calipers and fixed those back up. We all agreed that it was not worth it for him to continue pulling us.  Risking another breakdown, not cool.  Brian decided to cut his loses and head back home to his family and job.  We are honored to have met him.  He was extremely helpful and kind to us.  A great new friend that we will definitely keep in touch with.

Brian found this pin outside our motel room and left it with us!

So now we sit.  Claire, Piña, and I at the Taylor Motel in Van Horn Texas.  With La Sancha and Splendid Isolation parked out front.  Riddling this giant Rubic’s Cube of a situation in our minds.  Weighing out our options to get our home the next 650 miles to Clear Lake, Texas.

If you would enjoy helping us out...

We weigh about 8000 lbs. We could really use a 3/4 ton truck to take us the rest of the way.  Feel free to email me at michaelcalvino@gmail.com if you have any input.

We've rattled our brains and been down many many paths of options to get our home the rest of the 650 miles to Clear Lake.

Check back soon for updates as we figure out this delema...