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
A Tale of Two Cousins in Oaxaca de Juarez
I had a last few days in Zihua – sunsets, and managed to see Alex and Maude again the day before I left. Andrea and I had delicious meal at a Thai/Mediterranean place we love, and there was a belly dancer for entertainment as well. I somehow also got horrific muscle spasms in my back the day before leaving. I woke up in agony and could barely move. This of course made me nervous about having to fly and lug all my stuff the next day! I went into Zihua early to see about getting a massage from one...
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Zihuatanejo
The heat and humidity that hit you when you first arrive in Zihua is always a favorite feeling for me. I changed into a dress and flip flops before getting off the bus, and packed away my sweatshirt and leggings, not to be seen again for a very long time. It has now been just over a month here in this tropical oasis I adore. It has been a good mix of staying with friends, working, time alone in town, sunsets on the beaches, and so much eating! I was very excited to eat ALL the foods I was...
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Closing 2025 – Travels Sans Rita
I finished off my time at the beach, working, enjoying sunsets and preparing to leave Rita alone and finally escape Sonora for a while. It was a huge amount of work and worry to make sure Rita was going to be OK all closed up for a month or more. Shutting down all the systems, making sure all food that could go bad was out and anything else not in a glass jar was in a sealed plastic bin (in case of critter invasion). I also wanted to completely empty my fridge and deal with some terrible rust that was...
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Rolling Rita Right Into Winter
I’m back on a quiet beach and winter is forcibly moving in. The transition away from the house was busy, stressful, painful and exciting. It was such a mix of feelings – letting go of the free water, outdoor hose showers, (usually good) WiFi, having my bike parked like a normal person (not heaving it up and down from the rack, inevitably getting chain ring grease on my shirt) and being able to have my stuff out and easily work on projects. The heat noticeably dissipated within a couple of weeks. I was turning the AC off as soon as the...
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