Baja: The last day

At 5:30 this morning we left San Felipe and began the 3.5 hour drive to the border.  Last year we crossed at Mexicali East where we waited in line for 3 hours and spent another hour waiting in secondary inspection.  By getting an early start and trying a less popular border crossing, we were hoping for a better experience this time around.  At 8:45am we arrived in Los Algondones and 15 minutes later were back in the US.  Crossing the border so quickly and easily really highlighted the fact that a line in the dirt is all it takes to create two very different worlds.  In that moment I felt overwhelmed with privilege to be able to experience both at my leisure.

We weren’t driving on US soil for more than 10 minutes before there was an irritated driver laying on their horn because we weren’t merging in to traffic fast enough.  Just like that we were reminded that we had some adjusting to do to get off of Baja time and back to the US hustle and bustle.  After getting lunch and groceries in Yuma we made our way to Quartzsite where we were reunited with our other home on wheels.  The rest of the day was spent unpacking, cleaning, and moving back in to our 21’ travel trailer where things like running water, sinks, and a full kitchen felt like massive luxuries.  

I’m sure the next few days will be spent coming down off the high of the past 2.5 months.  

In 72 days we traveled some 3300 odd miles, camped on 19 beaches, and ate countless fish tacos.  We met travelers from all over the world, made new friends, and fell more deeply in love with the Mexican culture.  We paddled with dolphins and seals and a massive school of Mobula rays.  We witnessed some of the most magnificent sunrises and sunsets of our lives, we learned that the mountains of Baja are as magical as the beaches, and we saw some of the most spectacular desert fauna we’ve ever laid eyes on.  Of all the beauty we witnessed and adventure that was had, it’s the people and the pace that will keep us coming back.  

While we plan on returning at the end of this year, I know all too well that no experience can ever be replicated. We won’t return in hopes of reliving any of the experiences of this trip and instead will be open to whatever might happen next.  For us, there’s no better way of to travel than with an open heart, an open mind, and without an itinerary.  Baja was damn good to us this year and the winter of 2023 will forever be burned in to my memory as one of the greatest winters of all time.