A week before the trip I had my Toyota 4Runner checked out to make sure it was OK for the trip. It was not. My mechanic discovered a leak in the head gasket that was pushing coolant out of the radiator. Not a problem that you want to take with you into the desert 500 miles from the nearest tow truck. Since this was a problem that was likely to get worse I had to leave the 4Runner behind and put a new engine in it when I got back. Kate DesLauriers was going to be in Belize for most of the two weeks that I was going to be gone, so I sweet talked her into loaning me her Toyota Tacoma truck. (When we came back, I put on two new tires, four new shocks, and had the front end aligned as part of the thank-you. I suggested that the other people on this trip could help pay for the use of this truck by voluntarily "sponsoring" one of the new shocks. So far I have sold five of the four shocks!) It is a small truck, two wheel drive, and could only carry two people instead of the three we had planned on. With two other cars already going we were able to re-arrange gear and people and make it work.