Well, this is the first posting of Where to Now?

I haven’t a clue,  Today I am setting up this blog of what will hopefully be a trip from Edmonton, Canada, to Boquete, Panama.  A long Drive indeed.  Seeing as none of my friends had the balls to come, this way I can rub it in their face all the way down, and those that have families to take care of can just wish they were me.  Ha ha..  Seriously, that’s just a dig at those who are in the know.  I am hoping that people can suggest places to go and things to do along the way as there are bound to be lots of things I haven’t even heard of.  I don’t know how to reply to, add to, or comment on anything from outside this site, so that will just have to work itself out.

This trip has been three years in the….  dreaming of, starting with accidentally coming across the car I would take there while riding my bike around my neighbourhood one day.

Believe me, it didn’t look like that when I found it.   The amount of work I have done to this car is a list about as long as my arm and the hours spent is upwards of… well, I don’t know.  Days and days and days.  Waiting out the weather, killing time.

It may not be new, but this car will fit right in where I am taking it, and I don’t want to draw any attention.  I just want it to look like an old piece of crap that no one would bother stealing or breaking into, because if they did, well, they would find a rebuilt 350 with headers, performance intake, carb and K&N filter, rebuilt transmission with cooler, 2.41 rear-end (highway gears), front and rear anti-roll bars, front-end bracing (engine compartment, K-frame, radiator), power windows, lock, and trunk (an option none of these cars came with), a 200 W XM ready Alpine deck, subs, 200 W amp, and 12 pack CD changer.  I even ran true dual exhaust by modding the K-member.  Everything that could wear down has been replaced and the interior is all new (pick-a-part) from headliner to carpet.  If you are asking “Why?” then you just won’t understand.

This car rides like a Cadillac, top end is around 150 MPH (I don’t really know because the speedo only goes to 140 KPH), handles flat and easy, and at 26 years old, stays straight as an arrow on the road.  Chevy made a great car when they make the Malibu and what a loss that would be were it to be stolen.  The Craig removable steering wheel should help with that.

What I have is a car that will last ten years, if not more, I won’t have to the hassle of trying to find a good car and mechanic in a place where I don’t speak the language very well, and the look of blue eyes says “money” and nothing else.  In the long run this will be cheaper.

The cost of gas will be a bit of a bitch, but what can you do?  I like some power and I can afford it.  Gas is about 3$ a gallon all over the place now, even down in Panama.  That works out to 93.3 c/L here.  So whatever…

In general, I plan to drive down the west coast to LA, over to Las Vegas for a few days, onto Texas and down into Mexico along the eastern seaboard around to Veracruz, maybe Cancun, down to Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and finally Panama where I will leave the car with friends and fly back in the spring.  Then I will have a reliable vehicle down there whenever I return, which should be once a year or so.