TWO HAPPY CAMPERS

Altavista, Nayarit to Mazatlán, Sinaloa  //

At 9 am, we’re waving goodbye to José and departing Altavista RV Park. We don’t need to be in Mazatlán for two more days but have failed to find anywhere appealing to camp between here and there. While the town of San Blas offers a variety of options, we’ve read nothing but reports of the no-see-ums being horrendous. Mazatlán, here we come.  

There’s about 250 miles of ground to cover. We choose to split the drive between the free highway and the toll road to mix things up and save a little money on tolls. The two-lane highway all the way to San Blas weaves its way through rolling hills of tropical forest. We make a lunch and ATM stop in San Blas and on the way out of town, pull off at an overlook known for crocodile sightings. Sure enough, right there on the shoreline are three crocodiles with another half dozen in the water behind them. I’m grateful for the chain link between us and relieved we haven’t camped anywhere with crocodile neighbors.  

Once we get onto the 15D toll road, the speed limit rises to 100 km/hr. Traveling down a highway at 65 mph feels like we’re flying. Over the last month, we’ve mostly avoided toll roads. While it’s nice to have the option to move faster through the country, I’m glad we’ve chosen to spend much of these last few months on mainland Mexico seeing the country from small two-lane highways at 35 mph. It’s a completely different experience from zooming past everything on a toll road. It’s like seeing the US from an interstate vs. a two-lane highway. The interstate is about the destination, the highway is about the journey.  

Arriving in Mazatlán feels surreal. Two and a half months ago, we arrive here on the ferry and set foot on mainland Mexico for the first time. We had no idea what we were doing or where we were going. We knew next to nothing about the geography of the country, the terrain, or the camping options. We were simply thirsty for knowledge and adventure. Over 3,000 miles traveled and 14 states visited, and I can now speak about mainland Mexico as though I know a thing or two. I can name many of the 31 states, and I have a map in my head of how to move around the country.  

Although I’m feeling nostalgic in this moment for all the good that we’ve experienced, and the bad that we have not, I shall refrain from waxing poetic until our time here has truly come to an end, for I fear I might jinx us. Anything can happen in Mexico. Even though we’ve paid for our ferry ride and confirmed our reservation, I won’t believe we’re getting a ride back to Baja until we’re loaded on the boat and pulling away from the port.  

Two more sleeps, and then we’ll get to find out.  

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