Meet Rita (short for Chaparrita) - 2000 Ford E450 Skoolie
I (Jenn) adopted Rita from her creator, Craig, in June of 2024, in Sausalito, CA. She's been converted for full time off-grid living. Craig put a lot of love, thought, effort and countless hours into building her. She's 22 feet long, so she's considered a shorty - like me (5'1").
This blog will document our time together...for however long it is and wherever we roam. The good, the awesome, the bad, the ugly and the hysterical.
Rita and I were built for adventures, risk-taking, saying YES to the unknown and spreading smiles wherever we go.
That's just how we roll.
Latest News
9 Months with Rita
March 7 marks nine months since I agreed to buy Rita. Thought I would celebrate with an in-depth look at the more real-world, material aspects of this life so far. Sort of a pros and cons list (spoiler alert: the pros win!) Things I Love About Rita Her LENGTH – 22 ft is short enough to go just about anywhere and plenty roomy inside. Rita gets a bath! Her LAYOUT – she is designed perfectly for me and how I live. She feels like a Tardis – she looks small from the outside, but feels huge on the inside....
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Bus Life in San Carlos / Guaymas
Aside from figuring out where to buy food, get water and finding the best places to pass the nights, my critical project was finding a mechanic. Rita needed an oil change and was also leaking transmission fluid. I had posted on the San Carlos FB page looking for referrals. I had collected a number of options, as well as random friend requests and messages from people who wanted to be helpful. I began contacting mechanics, understanding all too well this was going to be a process. One woman contacted me and sent me several messages and even called me –...
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San Carlos Nuevo Guaymas
As I approached San Carlos / Guaymas, the road became more highway-like and things felt more urban. I did not have an actual destination, so that made it a little difficult to know when I arrived. I stopped at the San Carlos sign with a view of the distinctive peaks of Tetakawi. In 2016, I sailed into this area aboard Summer. We first arrived in Playa Algodones, looking to Tetakawi from the north. In Rita, we were arriving from the other side – but the peaks are unmistakable and it was fun to be arriving to something somewhat familiar. It...
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The Border – and Beyond
In all of my anxious imaginings of what could possibly happen at the border crossing, with my entire house, I never in a million years could've dreamed up how it actually went... I spent the night about 15 miles from the border and was on the road at first light (past experiences were always that super early on a Sunday were best) and got to the border with no problem. There were only about 5 cars ahead of me. A woman officer came walking out directly to me and said (in Spanish) "You have to back up and turn around...
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