TWO HAPPY CAMPERS

A playa way past Tecolote //

It’s New Year’s Eve and while many people are partying today, we’re in full planning mode.  The first sips of coffee and tea have barely been consumed when we tackle the week’s biggest question…when we disembark from the ferry in Mazatlan are we going east or south?  Mazatlan resides in the state of Sinaloa which has been dealing with on-going  cartel conflict.  No matter which direction we head, it will take us several hours to get to a neighboring state.

Safety is top of mind during this hours long conversation.  The difficult part in trying to make our decision is not knowing which sources are the most reliable.  Between Facebook groups, iOverlander reviews, and US government travel advisories, we’re getting a wide variety of information that feels like it all needs to be consumed with a hefty dose of salt.  Anyone with a keyboard seems to spout out information on Facebook, many iOverlander reviews are old, and as much as I’d like to feel as though I can rely on our government to publish accurate travel advisories, I’m disheartened by the small sentence at the very bottom of the page that reads “accurate as of May 1, 2024”.  I don’t find much comfort in a travel advisory that hasn’t been updated for eight months.

Our round table discussion this morning feels like part therapy session, part planning commission.  We all get an opportunity to air our feelings on our preferred route and our preferred strategy for maneuvering our way through the more potentially dangerous areas of Mexico.  In traveling in a group of 3 rigs there is safety in numbers but there are also more opinions to take into consideration.  I appreciate how genuine and patient everyone is in listening to each other and working through the nerves that some of us are feeling.

It is decided that we will go east into the mountains rather than south along the coast.  However, when we disembark in Mazatlan we will be listening closely to our guts and making changes on the fly based on any new information that comes our way.  

By the time evening rolls around we’ve all but forgotten that it’s the last day of the year.  We each take a turn sharing some of our favorite moments from 2024 which gives us all the opportunity to reflect on what a great year it’s been.  As we do every night, we bid the day farewell many hours before midnight.  Tomorrow is the start of a new year and with it, an entirely new adventure.

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