Gualby Nation : Bocas Bound Part I

We decided to make the move to Bocas del Toro. We felt Elwood was sturdy enough to make the five-ish hour trip and we were itching to get back to the ocean and salt air. We took one last walk up the mountain trail by our cabana and bid farewell to the Caldera River that kept us cool and to the breath taking views we had become accustomed to. Bubby said his good byes to his new neighborhood doggy friends. Since Penny is a grumpy old lady who doesn't like other dogs, she didn't have anyone to say bye to. She just carefully watched me pack to make sure she wasn't going to be left behind.

We loaded up the bus and hit the road. Penny couldn't have been happier with the seat arrangements for the trip. I wanted to sit in the back with Elwood so Pen rode up front with Conor while Bubby had to stay in the back with me and El. She kept looking back at us with this smug expression on her face, as if she was saying, "finally, the rank has been corrected in this family!"

We weren't sure how the five-ish hour car ride would go with Elwood wanting to nurse anywhere from every 30 minutes to every 3 hours so we left early to give ourselves plenty of time. The day was beautiful, sunny yet cool with a nice breeze. The ride was comfortable, the bus was running great, we had good music playing, Elwood was snoozing in his car seat, we felt good to be on the road to one of our favorite places, Bocas del Toro. El lasted about an hour and a half before he started giving us clues that he would need to eat soon. Con pulled over at a perfect little spot on the side of the road. El got a snack, the dogs got to run around, we enjoyed the great view and then we loaded back into the bus. Great stop--traveling with a baby is easy! We had one more easy stop a few hours later and we were feeling happy and excited to be getting to Bocas with time to spare. The windows were down, the cool breezes blowing through our hair and dreads, Con and I were singing along to Jack Johnson, Elwood was jamming in his seat, we were about an hour away from where we would catch the car ferry to Bocas. Good happy energy was all around us and then. . . the engine stopped. It didn't make a sound, no loud, smoky drama, just silence. We coasted to the side of the road and pulled the emergency break. Damn, everything was going so right.

To be continued. . .