Off the Grid : My Ride From Louisiana to the Panama Canal in an Electric Car

Intro; Title Page; Copyright; Contents; Foreword; Weâ#x80;#x99;re Off; One Day Earlier; Drug Lords and Federales; Donâ#x80;#x99;t Come; Latin Electricity; Out of the Desert and Into the Tropics; The Riddle of Mexico; Ancient Mexico; Second Thoughts; Highway to Hell; Topes and Potholes; Bouncing into the Clouds; Stranded by a Snowstorm; Land of the Maya; Crazy Drivers, Big Mountains; Photos; The Car Steals the Show; Southern Summer of Love; Guatemalansâ#x80;#x99; Hospitality and Short Memory; Guatemalan Math and Bridges; We Ainâ#x80;#x99;t in Orange County; Fleeced or Robbed?; Poets, Volcanoes, and Hugo Chavez.;The rollicking tale of a first-of-its-kind adventure#x97;driving a Tesla through Central America. Only a week after the nation's newspapers were filled with headlines of the first cross-country trip in an electric car, two Louisianans slip quietly across the Rio Grande in south Texas in an attempt to do the unthinkable#x97;drive a factory electric car across seven Third World countries to the #x93;end of the road," Panama City, Panama. Without support and armed only with a toolbox, a bag of electrical adapters, and their wits, author Randy Denmon and his friend Dean trudge on through jungles, deserts, vol. The rollicking tale of a first-of-its-kind adventure—two friends driving a Tesla through Central America. Only a week after the nation’s newspapers were filled with headlines of the first cross-country trip in an electric car, two Louisianans slip quietly across the Rio Grande in south Texas in an attempt to do the unthinkable: drive a factory electric car across seven less developed countries to the “end of the road,” Panama City, Panama. Without support and armed only with a toolbox, a bag of electrical adapters, and their wits, author Randy Denmon and his friend Dean trudge on through jungles, deserts, volcanoes, rivers, and crater-sized potholes, all the while trying to avoid the drug cartels and corrupt border guards that could mean a quick end to their adventure . . . and their lives. Through it all, the same enormous problem loomed daily: how to charge the car in such a primitive and desolate setting? Despite the numerous setbacks, Randy never lost his sense of humor. Off the Grid is as much a spiritual journey as a physical one about two guys who dropped everything for one grand twenty-first-century adventure: traveling back in time in a car that seemed to come from the future. “This good old-fashioned story of a road trip through stunning landscapes reminded me not only of Mark Twain, but also of Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods and Neither Here Nor There. This was a most enjoyable book; one I’ll remember a very long time.” —Bret Lott, author of Jewel (an Oprah Book Club selection) “A great read and an on-the-edge of-your-seat ride to remember! Entertaining, funny, and a definite page turner!” —Tom Berenger, Academy Award-nominated actor and Emmy and Golden Globe winner “[Denmon] strikes a nice balance here between adventure and misadventure (the road to Panama was not always a smooth one), with some moments of comedy and danger thrown into the mix. It’s an entertaining tour of Latin America.” —Booklist “A travel quest for the modern age. . . . This book shows that the human spirit will always seek harder, more difficult ways of doing things simply for the challenge and for the satisfaction of being ‘the first’!” —Steve Davey, author of Around the World in 500 Festivals The rollicking tale of a first-of-its-kind adventure—driving a Tesla through Central America. Only a week after the nation's newspapers were filled with headlines of the first cross-country trip in an electric car, two Louisianans slip quietly across the Rio Grande in south Texas in an attempt to do the unthinkable—drive a factory electric car across seven Third World countries to the “end of the road," Panama City, Panama. Without support and armed only with a toolbox, a bag of electrical adapters, and their wits, author Randy Denmon and his friend Dean trudge on through jungles, deserts, volcanoes, rivers, and crater-sized potholes, all the while trying to avoid the drug cartels and corrupt border guards that could mean a quick end to their adventure . . . and their lives. Through it all, the same enormous problem loomed daily: how to charge the car in such a primitive and desolate setting? Despite the numerous setbacks, Randy never lost his sense of humor. Off the Grid is as much a spiritual journey as a physical one about two guys who dropped everything for one grand twenty-first-century adventure—traveling back in time in a car that seemed to come from the future. "Only a week after the nation's newspapers were filled with headlines of the first cross-country trip in an electric car, two Louisianans slip quietly across the Rio Grande in south Texas in an attempt to do the unthinkabledrive a factory electric car across seven Third World countries to the "end of the road," Panama City, Panama. Without support and armed only with a toolbox, a bag of electrical adapters, and their wits, author Randy Denmon and his friend Dean trudge on through jungles, deserts, volcanoes, rivers, and crater-sized potholes, all the while trying to avoid the drug cartels and corrupt border guards that could mean a quick end to their adventure . . . and their lives. Through it all, the same enormous problem loomed daily: how to charge the car in such a primitive and desolate setting? Despite the numerous setbacks, Randy never lost his sense of humor. Off the Grid is as much a spiritual journey as a physical one about two guys who dropped everything for one grand twenty-first-century adventuretraveling back in time in a car that seemed to come from the future."--Publisher's description. "Only a week after the nation's newspapers were filled with headlines of the first cross-country trip in an electric car, two Louisianans slip quietly across the Rio Grande in south Texas in an attempt to do the unthinkable-drive a factory electric car across seven Third World countries to the "end of the road," Panama City, Panama. Without support and armed only with a toolbox, a bag of electrical adapters, and their wits, author Randy Denmon and his friend Dean trudge on through jungles, deserts, volcanoes, rivers, and crater-sized potholes, all the while trying to avoid the drug cartels and corrupt border guards that could mean a quick end to their adventure . . . and their lives. Through it all, the same enormous problem loomed daily: how to charge the car in such a primitive and desolate setting. Despite the numerous setbacks, Randy never lost his sense of humor. Off the Grid is as much a spiritual journey as a physical one about two guys who dropped everything for one grand twenty-first-century adventure traveling back in time in a car that seemed to come from the future." -- Front jacket flap Intro Title Page Copyright Contents Foreword Weâ#x80 #x99 re Off One Day Earlier Drug Lords and Federales Donâ#x80 #x99 t Come Latin Electricity Out of the Desert and Into the Tropics The Riddle of Mexico Ancient Mexico Second Thoughts Highway to Hell Topes and Potholes Bouncing into the Clouds Stranded by a Snowstorm Land of the Maya Crazy Drivers, Big Mountains Photos The Car Steals the Show Southern Summer of Love Guatemalansâ#x80 #x99 Hospitality and Short Memory Guatemalan Math and Bridges We Ainâ#x80 #x99 t in Orange County Fleeced or Robbed? Poets, Volcanoes, and Hugo Chavez. Through the LobbyIn Mr. Twainâ#x80 #x99 s Footsteps Just Another Border Crossing Highway of Death Gringo to the Rescue Touch and Go Redneck Engineering The Real Jungle Saved by the Marriottâ#x80 #x94 Again Sometimes You Just Have to Wing It Postscript.