Hello!
This edition of Notes from the Road is coming to you from the sprawling corn fields of the midwest. Ever since spending five months south of the border, we’ve been craving the opportunity to reconnect with friends and family. For the next few weeks we’re making a huge loop around the Great Lakes region before making our way back to Colorado for wedding season. Summer has hardly begun and I can already tell it’s going to be a good one.
Before we venture in to June however, here’s a look back at all the highlights from where we’ve been and what we were up to in May…
Overland Expo West
In mid-May, we made our way to Flagstaff, Arizona, for what is arguably the biggest overlanding event in the country. The three-day event drew 28,000 attendees that came to see and experience the 400+ exhibitors and over 300 classes, seminars, demos, and activities. Mark and I once again tried our hand at public speaking with the hope of inspiring others to get outside and explore this beautiful world that we live in. Our “Baja Beginner’s Guide” class was chalk full of helpful tips and advice for anyone interested in traveling the Baja peninsula, while our “135 Days in Mexico” presentation gave attendees the chance to see what it’s like to road trip and camp around mainland Mexico. We also got the opportunity to sit on three different panels geared towards specific topics, such as making a living while living on the road and surviving overlanding as a couple. It was an awesome opportunity to share our knowledge and answer various questions from curious folks that attended each panel discussion.
An event as big as Overland Expo is a stretch for us introverts but is made entirely worth it by the people we get to meet and connect with that we wouldn’t otherwise see. We met some incredible travelers fresh off their multi-year journeys on the Pan-American Highway and also got to spend time with new friends that we recently made in Baja. We were exhausted by the end of the weekend but in the best way. So far, public speaking hasn’t scared us off (it’s actually been quite rewarding), and so we plan on being at Colorado’s Overland Expo Mountain West in August. We’d love to see you there!
Camping at Overland Expo is festival-style. We got to camp in a designated instructor area that gave us easy access to the expo grounds. 
Mark & I giving our “135 Days In Mexico” presentation.
Back to Utah
The drive from our property in western Colorado to Flagstaff is one of the most beautiful in the country and was a good enough reason for us to make the trip to Arizona for Overland Expo. There are endless sights to be seen starting at I-70 (following Highway 128 along the Colorado River to Moab) all the way to Monument Valley near the Arizona / Utah border. I could do this drive time and time again and never tire of it. If Utah is on your bucket list, make sure this region is on your radar.
We’d love your recommendations for the Midwest & Great Lakes region
We are now working our way east to Iowa and on to Michigan to visit friends & family. Anything east of Des Moines is all new territory for us and so we would love to hear any and all recommendations for Wisconsin, Michigan, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Whether it be a place to camp, a great hike, or a restaurant worth stopping at, we would love to hear from you.
Our Baja Camping Guide is now available on Amazon
The tangible magazine version of our Baja Camping Guide: a detailed guide to road tripping Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, is now available on Amazon! This is your go-to reference for embarking on what might be one of the greatest road-trip destinations of all-time. We’ve compiled all you need to know about crossing the border, driving in Mexico, how to find campsites, how to travel safely, and more. Fifty pages of tips and insights combined with awe-inspiring photographs that will leave you equipped and excited for all that Baja has to offer.
Click here to purchase the magazine version on Amazon. Or, purchase the electronic .pdf version here.
In case you missed it, these are the posts we shared in May…
- The uncommon pursuit of less
- Interview: Full-time truck camper travel with Heather & Dana
- 12 things I love about living on the road
Thanks so much for following along! Wherever this finds you, we hope you are enjoying some sunshine and time well spent in the great outdoors.
Cheers,
Michele & Mark
P.S. Join our Patreon for access to our monthly podcast!
That’s wonderful your Expo presentations went so well! Sounds like you had a lot of fun. The one picture of your presentation with the big screen looked awesome! Kudos to both of you for getting out of your shell! I also loved seeing the different modes of camping styles where you stayed. Lots of you appeared to have different vehicles and set ups! I loved that picture!
There’s a larger variety of vehicles than you could ever imagine. It’s really fun to walk around and look at everything.
Hi Mark & Michelle…. It’s great to see your book is now online at Amazon…. Come on people… buy buy buy!!! We’re already in Eureka CA… we had to flee the scorching inland heat… we found an amazing campsite on the water in Samoa, CA
Thanks Bill! I hope your trip north continues to treat you well!