I must be crazy! Drive to Costa Rica and vegetable oil!?!

Wow I can’t believe we’re leaving tomorrow! It is so surreal. I can’t really think about it because right now I just have to do what needs to be done. That’s been my mode of operation for the last three weeks actually. I haven’t had much time to process or hang out or even plan because I’ve been so focused on getting the truck ready.

It has been more difficult and more expensive than I thought. I kept running into problems or causing problems that then needed fixing. And then there were the other mechanical issues that cropped up; I needed to replace a steering linkage, replace a shock, and finding out that both exhaust pipes had become detached from the mufflers- one of which was shot through with holes! A few days ago the truck wouldn’t start at all. First the starter, then all the electrical went dead. But it came back and I couldn’t find the problem. I hate intermittent automotive problems.

On this morning I was going to get up early and move the rest of my stuff out to my parent’s basement, but having been up ‘till 4:30 am packing the night before, I was in no rush to get up. Kris was coming to the warehouse at 10:00 am so we could go into SF and get the Inter-American Driving Permits. But instead we decided to hit SF on the way out tomorrow, and she helped me move my stuff.

When we got back I decided to complete the muffler repair, since one of the clamps had come apart. I just decided to weld that one into place. This went pretty smooth. Next was replacing the alternator. With the new equipment installed to pre-heat the veggie oil, we needed more amperage output. At night with the veg-therm and the lights and stereo on, the battery was draining! So I bought a 94 amp alternator to be sure we would have enough juice. I was a couple wrench turns away from completing the job, when I over-tightened the mounting bolt and stripped the cast threads in the alternator’s mounting bracket. Disappointed but determined, Phil helped me drill out the hole to a larger diameter and we installed the alternator with a bolt and a nut on the back.

With the alternator and the mufflers installed, everything else was postponed because it could be done on the road. It was time to get out of the warehouse! Michael Christian and the rest of the folks at the warehouse have been super generous and helpful in this whole process. There is no way we could have made the conversion and all the repairs without use of the space, tools, and spare metal.

Now we finish packing the truck. We tried to think it all through; where everything should go, but we soon realized that when we make our first camp, we’ll pretty much have to pull everything out anyway, so we just shoved it all in there and decide to figure out the organizing as we go. It is actually more organized than that sounds, but Kris and I are both organizers it turns out.

At this point I’m spent. I can barely stand because my legs are aching so much! Marlene arrives and we head over to Acme bar for a farewell drink. It was good to get out of the warehouse, but I’m still so tired that it is hard to be present. And besides it is still just too weird to be looking at someone you love and telling yourself that you are not going to be seeing them for a while. My friend Simone arrives at the bar and Marlene heads home cause she needs to get up early for a yoga class. She promises to come by in the morning to see us off. Simone reminds me to take time everyday to get grounded and connect with my intentions. We talk about amplifying resonance in order to attract the right people and situations. Its a good reminder, and a fitting one for the end of day. We drive back to the warehouse and I climb up into the truck to try out the bed.

Simone talks some sense into me...