Welcome to Notes From The Road, a monthly recap of where we’ve been and what we’ve been up to over the last 30 days.
This edition of Notes from the Road is coming to you from the place we call home, our property in Western Colorado. A few days ago we woke to the unusual sight of snowflakes falling from the sky, a vast departure from the summer-like weather that accompanied us for all of March and most of April in Mexico. Our travels this year, more than ever, illustrated how much the weather changes, and subsequently the ecosystem, as you make your way closer to the equator.
Equal parts of April were spent in Baja, the desert Southwest of the US, and on our property in Colorado; three different flavors of travel making for one enjoyable month. Here’s a recap of the highlights…
Winding down our winter in Mexico
Making the official call to depart Mexico for the winter wasn’t easy to do, especially after hearing from locals that April is the best month for weather in Baja. We could have stayed all month but were starting to feel the pull back to the Rocky Mountains. And with Semana Santa (Holy Week) right around the corner, we decided not to stick around and find out for ourselves just how big of a party this 7-day Mexican celebration really is.
We were grateful for an easy crossing at Mexicali East and the well-maintained roads that awaited us in California. But it felt strange to be back to the fast-paced life of the US. We can’t wait to return to Baja again at the end of the year.
If you missed the last post in this winter’s daily post series which includes reflections on our 7,000 mile road trip around Mexico + some of our favorite photos from the trip, check it out at the link below.
Giving the truck some TLC
Our first stop back in the US was in my hometown of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Thanks to the generosity of my cousin and his wife, we were able to give the truck some much-needed TLC. First was a deep clean of the truck and camper, followed by two days spent replacing the exhaust header gaskets and oil cooler gasket. Mark had discovered that both were leaking way back in Oaxaca, and luckily we didn’t have any serious issues in the thousands of miles between there and the US border. The odometer now reads over 312,000 miles. We hope that with Mark’s ongoing exceptional care and preventative maintenance, the truck will continue to be our home-on-wheels and adventure-mobile for many miles to come.
Utah
I’d say the best part about driving back to Colorado from Baja is that we have to go through Utah. The terrain in Utah, in the southern half of the state especially, is unlike anything I’ve ever seen anywhere else. Our time there was even sweeter thanks to the fact that we intersected paths with our friends and fellow nomads, Josh, Darci, & Hannah. We ended up hunkering down near the AZ/UT state line to ride out a windy and chilly cold front, but having friends to commune with makes every place better, no matter the weather.
Returning to Colorado
It was a surreal scene to return to our property after five months of being away, and everything looking exactly the way we left it. This was the first time we’d stored our travel trailer here for a winter, and there were no signs of leaks, damages, or rodent habitat. We breathed a sigh of relief and then moved back into our spacious 150 sq ft abode. For the entire week that we’ve been here, that much space has felt like a mansion compared to living in the truck camper. And yet, funnily enough, I missed being in the truck camper almost immediately. This year has shown me just how much I love living in a tiny space as well as having the ability to easily take our home anywhere we want to go, whether that be the most remote areas of the US or another country entirely.
Travel content we’ve enjoyed this month
- Book: Monkeys on the Road: One family’s vanlife adventure south in search of a simpler life
- Video: Sailing La Vagabonde: 7 days at sea to find this!
- Podcast: Scott Brady on the XOverland podcast: Thriving while overlanding
Come see us at Overland Expo
I’m excited to share that we’ll be speaking at this year’s Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, AZ. On Friday 5/16 at 4pm we’ll be talking all about how to take your first trip to Baja in our “Baja Beginner’s Guide” presentation. On Sunday 5/18 at 10am we’ll be presenting a travel slideshow of our winter travels titled “135 days in Mexico”. We’d love to see you there!
Check out our secret podcast on Patreon.
In this month’s podcast recording, Mark and I recap April’s travels, talk about the differences between living in our travel trailer vs. the truck camper, and reflect on some of the contrasts about life in the US vs. Mexico. Consider joining our Patreon for full access to our monthly recording!
Thanks so much for following along. We love sharing our travels and hope we inspire you to get outside and enjoy all that the great outdoors have to offer whether it be a walk through the woods or a grand adventure to unknown places.
Cheers,
Mark & Michele
