Sorry to hear about your touring troubles, Dengidog, but really glad to hear how much help you got when you needed it, and that the difficulties didn't deter your drive to try it again. I have also encountered some incredibly helpful people on tour, and it always changes my perspective on people in general. I think we often read so much negativity in the news that it's easy to start thinking about most people in negative terms. It's a great thing to get out there first hand and discover that just isn't true.

On the numbness issue, what kind of handlebars do you have? I used to have flat bars with bar ends and often experienced numbness. Switched to trekking bars with lots of tape, which has made a big difference.

I used to have a dream of retiring somewhere in Mexico, and Lake Chapala was near the top of the list for a long time. Ended up here in Oregon instead. I know what you mean about wanting to ride spontaneously. I'm like that too - not much of a group rider. Hope you find a solution. Best of luck.