Head South

Paul and I are finishing up our summer work contract in Pemberton, BC and are laying the groundwork to begin preparing for the long road south. This summer we opted to live very cheaply so that we might be able to go further during the winter, and ended up living in a 10 x 12 canvas wall tent. Living in a tent is not without it’s challenges (bugs, bears and lack of showers) but has been over all, an awesome change of pace from the constant information inundation we experience when we have access to internet and television. Our tent is situated just north of town right at the edge of Lillooet Lake, and has some excellent views of the surrounding mountain ranges that overlook the Pemberton valley.

As our season draws to a close, we are in the process of shopping for a vehicle that will make the trip south. This purchase is going to play a large role in what kinds of terrain we are able to access, how conspicuous we are as travellers, and how much money we will spend on fuel for the 50 000 odd kms we plan to cover over the next two years. It would be fairly straightforward to get something that would comfortably travel on pavement the whole way, but we are looking to get a bit more out of the trip vehicle than that. The journey down Mexico’s Baja peninsula alone will take us off road more often than not, while the trip up north may or may not happen through snowstorms and on ice roads.

So far, our search for the perfect ride has come up with quite a few options. While we are conscious of the fuel economy, the liveability, the ruggedness, and the ease with which it can be camperized, our main concern is the PRICE! Doing the trip in a brand new vehicle is much less of an adventure than cobbling something together that may or may not still be with us when we reach the tip of the Americas. Within a few weeks we will hopefully have found something road-worthy, and be on our way north!