Sea of Cortez: Agua Verde

We left La Pastora Beach outside of Todos Santos and hit the road for our slow return to the states. We had a two day stop in Agua Caliente, which was not so caliente, but the kids found a very small warm pool that they played in for hours. No matter where we stop, they always seem to find something to do! I so love that about them❤️. Then we stoped at our favorite little RV spot in La Paz for a few days to resupply, shower, and do laundry. Of course Crosby made a friend and it was hard to pull him away so we could head to  our next destination on the Sea of Cortez, Agua Verde. It has been a lesson in teaching them that when you travel like we are you will meet many new people, but that also means many good byes. So on to Agua Verde we went! I absolutely loved Agua Verde! So much to offer with solitude, beautiful beaches, shell collecting, snorkeling...you name it! We were there for a week and could have stayed much longer if we were not running low on food and water. Traveling with kids definitely changes your ability to stay out longer with the bare minimum. As soon as the snacks start dwindling, you mind as well cue the whining. So we packed up and headed to town to resupply. Next is Scorpion Bay to hopefully get a chance to do some surfing! 

Six weeks in Baja: 2/6/20

So getting a blog together is quite the process! I have been writing in so many different places, but finally think I might have it down. We have been in Baja for 5 weeks, traveling all over. When we crossed the border six weeks ago we had no idea what we were in for. Many people back home have been worried about our safety while driving through Baja and I get why, but I am here to tell you so far we have felt nothing more than safe and welcomed. Not that we are letting our guard down, but I am glad we listened to our gut and didn’t let the fear of others leak into our decision to drive through Baja. It is a good reminder to re-examine where our fears come from and how we develop our understanding of people and places when we ourselves have never been to that place.

It took us about 3 weeks to get from the border town of Mexicali down to Todos Santos, which was about 1,500 miles. We stopped along the way, sometimes for one night and other times for 5 days. We started in San Felipe, then to San Ignacio to Loreto to El Conejo onto La Paz, then outside of Los Barriles, through Cabo Pulmo and landed outside of Todos Santos at La Pastora Beach where we called home for 2.5 weeks. We have met amazing people along the way who we have camped with, who have helped us when we got our van stuck in the sand and made sure we had all we needed if it happened again, we have been invited to people’s houses for dinner, drinks, warm showers, and campfires, have been invited to their homes along our route up north to Alaska, as well as spent many nights alone together as a family. It hasn’t only been us making new friends, but the kids seem to find someone to play with almost every place we go. Crosby is definitely our little social butterfly. He has made so many friends and even had a sleepover with a family we met on the beach who are also in from Colorado. We have one more month in Baja and we are slowly making our way back up north. We are all looking forward to the journey that lies ahead of us. So much unknown…

Christmas on the Road

Dana Point, CA

So we decided to do Christmas early this year so we could have good weather while we were at Disneyland. When I imagined what Christmas would look like this year I imagined it to look just like it did! I imagined us opening presents somewhere outside with mountains in the background and their annual scavenger hunt being outside. Every year the kids get their most wanted gift from Santa by doing a scavenger hunt. It’s a tradition my parents did for me and my siblings when we were kids. This year they got a two day pass to Disneyland.

We have only been on the road for 9 days, but have done so much! I started homeschooling the kids which has been both fun and extremely frustrating. Getting them to understand they have to do school on this trip has been a challenge, but I know will get better with time. We have spent the last 9 days with no play dates, no school, no time apart. It’s amazing how the very thing you yearn far (less hectic schedules, more family time, time just to be) are the very things that also make you crazy! I’m a super social person...I always have been. I LOVE my time with my girlfriends, after school play dates for the kids and wine for us mamas to unwind and talk about life or quick stop by’s to just catch up. I’ve asked myself many times when planning this trip, “can I not see my girlfriends for 8 months?” Seriously, this was my biggest worry!

So here we are, recharging for a few days before we start the long drive down to Baja, MX. I plan to keep sharing on FB, which is a bit uncomfortable for me. I have always labeled myself as a “vacation poster”...one to only post the highlights of my life, leaving out the details of the struggles my family face (I leave those convos for my girlfriends), but I will try to be real as well. Don’t think for a minute we haven’t screamed at our kids, been bored, thought we were crazy for doing this, worried about money, missed home, or all the other things we all find comfort in, which usually is found in the comfort of the homes we have built. Who knows, maybe that is the lesson in all this...

Our First Week

Goblin Valley, UT — Death Valley, CA — Lone Pine, CA

So we packed up the house, packed the van with all the essentials and drove away! In our first week we stopped in Goblin Valley for a night. We have done many Utah trips over the years and Scott and I both felt the desire to just keep going. We drove into Fire of the Valley, NV late night and just packed up and left the next morning and headed to Death Valley. We stayed two nights in Death Valley, which was beautiful! There was sand dunes, a large crater, isolated landscape, and breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. The final night before we landed in Dana Point, CA for a few days to stay in a condo for christmas was Lone Pine, CA where you can visit Alabama Hills and see a beautiful view of Mt. Whitney which is part of the southern Sierras. Make sure to put this on your list! This is where I decided to do christmas. Living in Colorado you think you are immune to seeing beautiful vistas, but this view proved me wrong.

So we wrapped up the first week on the road. We all survived, we still love each other, and we want to keep going! The first aid kit has been used twice, once after I sliced my finger with a knife and the other when Crosby ran down a large crater and could not stop himself. I saw his arms flailing in the air and then it happened, he went tumbling over, doing a few summersaults.  I waited for a second to see if he was going to do the usual stand up and say, "I ok!" But no, he started screaming! For those that know Crosby, know that he is a pretty tough guy and only cries if he is really hurt. My first thought was a broken bone. So I started running down the crater (being careful not to do the same thing he did) and preparing myself on the way down that a bone would be sticking out or a limp would be distorted. I got there and my first questions (as any mothers know), "Can you move everything? Does anything hurt when you move it? Can you walk?" Fortunately he just scraped up his hands, elbow, knees, and forehead. But no broken bones!  

We have done many trips as a family together. Camping trips that have lasted 4-5 days and family vacations lasting a few weeks. With that said, I feel like we are now going into the unknown for us. We are headed into week two knowing we will continue to be together 24/7, with little refugee from each other.