Is solar the way to go?

profdant139 wrote:
Wait a minute -- reed, you just got back from Ecuador and now you are off to Labrador?? Wow! Do you have a blog, by any chance? (Not to hijack the thread, but that is some kind of traveling!!)

We flew down to Ecuador/Peru and left rig in daughter's backyard in Las Cruces, NM. Machu Pichu, Galapagos, Amazonia, Nazca Lines were on our bucket list (we will be 75 in August) and figured we had best do them now. We met a Brit couple of 85 traveling about (12th time to Peru and were finishing up 25,000 km of travel in South America). Saw 250 new birds. Galapagos was the best: 8 days on a great boat, great crew, chef, licensed naturalist, and 14 other great passengers. Two snorkels and two walks a day. Snorkeling is flying to Elaine and it is "not drowning" to me.

The Trans-Labrador Highway has been open for about 4 or 5 years. Talked with Newfoundland/Labrador Tourism Board and they strongly suggested not taking the 600 km of gravel highway to Red Bay and then the ferry from Blanc Sablon to Newfoundland until July since it takes that long to redo the gravel from winter. Need to find a way to protect windshield from flying gravel. The RCMP will issue you a satellite phone for emergency service on that road. We have two sets of brand new spare Michellin tires (on rims) for 5th wheel. You can always get good tires for pickup almost anywhere but tires for 5th wheel are a bit more difficult to find outside of big cities and probably not at all in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala where we hope to spend the winter (if Mexican Insurance and customs every work out cancelling the Temporary Import License for the totaled pickup and trailer near Puebla, Mexico of three years ago.

We were told by tourism board that there are lots of places to boondock along the Trans-Labrador (probably no RV parks between Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Cartwright or Red Bay. Plan to take the official mailboat up the coast of Labrador (5 days out to Inuit village of Nain and back) and tourism bureau said there is a place to safely leave the rig. The gal from tourism bureau said she takes the trip almost every year since it is so much fun. Private cabin will run us about $1K.

We did have a blog once and may do it again. Trying to figure out how to do a personal message to you so I can give you information on our travels without boring and annoying everyone else - having hijacked this thread sufficiently.