53 Miles to the Gallon turns 25 - First Stop, New Orleans

Myself, Lacy Greer (SMr Logistics Volunteer) and Eli Baylis (SMr’s Photojournalist) wrapped up some last minute details, said our goodbyes, and began chuggin' down the road in our old trusty rusty. We call her Shaky Shakira, she's a 1982 VW Jetta that we scored for $300. She's the faithful steed we're driving down to Nicaragua from Vicksburg, MS. She was chosen for the sole fact that a VW Jetta built in the 1980's happens to be one of the most common vehicles in Central America. The car in itself is camouflage for us, so we will not be scoped out as any sort of target. Plus Eli helped restore the old girl, and is just thrilled with the idea of driving a certified antique through 5 countries.

Destination: Managua, Nicaragua - Team Sierra Madre Research Drives Supplies to Central America Reading 53 Miles to the Gallon turns 25 - First Stop, New Orleans 3 minutes Next There's Always Time for Baseball

By Madre AdventurerOct 10, 20130 comments

SMr Road Trip Mississippi to Nicaragua

Day 1 - October 3rd - Vicksburg, MS to New Orleans.

The SMr Team (minus Amanda) together for the last time before heading our separate ways en-route to Nicaragua

Myself, Lacy Greer (SMr Logistics Volunteer) and Eli Baylis (SMr’s Photojournalist) wrapped up some last minute details, said our goodbyes, and began chuggin' down the road in our old trusty rusty. We call her Shaky Shakira, she's a 1982 VW Jetta that we scored for $300. She's the faithful steed we're driving down to Nicaragua from Vicksburg, MS. She was chosen for the sole fact that a VW Jetta built in the 1980's happens to be one of the most common vehicles in Central America. The car in itself is camouflage for us, so we will not be scoped out as any sort of target. Plus Eli helped restore the old girl, and is just thrilled with the idea of driving a certified antique through 5 countries. The air conditioner is broken, the fuel gauge works only every once in a while, and the once 53 Miles to the gallon burns out fast now due to the weight of Eli’s KLR motorcycle and SMr supplies on the trailer.

Shaky Shakira 1982 VW Jetta. Of course she'll make it... She's a VW. Right?

Shaky Shakira Loaded Up!

With the broken fuel gauge and zero experience driving Shakira with a trailer, we were not yet sure how fast she was burning through her fuel. Luckily we ran out of diesel on the side of the road in Louisiana rather than the "dangerous" first 200 miles into Mexico. We quickly deterred the situation as Eli rode off on his motorcycle to get diesel.

Broken down

Hittin' the Highway Again

That evening we met up with Amanda Braun (SMr International Relations Volunteer) in New Orleans finally completing the SMr Volunteer team.

I was excited to finally meet Eli and start this journey together with him and Lacy. It’s a big jump in friendship and trust to go from being complete strangers to embarking on this type of trip together! He has prepared so well for this trip and Shakira is a much nicer ride than I had imagined.

— Amanda

The Three Amigos finally all together

The first long day was coming to a close, so we raced down to Jacque-imo’s and got to relax and enjoy the evening over some delicious Cajun Cuisine. We laughed and chatted, jittery with excitement about what was to take place over the course of this incredible journey that was set before us.

Jaque-imo's