Lyndi and Ozzie

Malo

2009-03-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

Ozzie and I are off to another adventure! We are in the process of moving to Malo,Wa so that Ozzie can build a house for his dad. We decided to move there about a year ago. The cabin above is the bunk house or guest house on Tom's (Ozzie's dad's) property. We are staying there temporarily until we get back on our feet and I get some kind of job.

It is quite beautiful up there, but a little cold, about -8 last week. Tom's house is right next door with a full kitchen. The outhouse and shower are both outdoors. It is very rustic but nice and we like it so far. It was a good transition for me to be on the road and traveling simply so, that having a small cabin now seems like a luxury.

I have already experienced splitting wood for the wood stove, riding a four-wheeler and cleaning out a barn where several families of mice lived. Hard work after laying on the beach for three months. It feels good to do something different.

The people we have met so far have been very nice and welcoming and Tom and Cynthia are taking good care of us.

Here are a few more pictures from there. We are looking forward to spring. Hopefully, the snow will be melting soon.
Inside our cabin.

Ozzie's dad's house.

The outdoor shower.

The view from the porch.

The barn where part is going to be finished into a house.

The Road Home

2009-02-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

Our last few places we visited in Mexico were some of the places we liked the best. We were lucky enough to meet up with some great people living in San Carlos, which is on the mainland side of the Sea of Cortez. What a beautiful place and Bill and Kathy, a couple from Bend, made us feel right at home. We were able to stay in our truck right on the beach next to their condo and they were so kind to let us hang out, eat, shower, do laundry, and sea kayak. We felt very spoiled. Their daughter and her boyfriend were also visiting so we had a great time hanging out with them as well. Such a wonderful and generous family.
The terrain and climate in San Carlos is much like the Baja, so naturally we loved it there. We also went out of town and stayed a couple of nights on the beach across from a beautiful little island, called Cactus Island.

I looked for shells and read and Ozzie hiked in the desert. We could have stayed there a week. However, it was time to head north.
It was an interesting trip home. We were in some very cold weather and also were stuck in Vegas for a day. Luckily, we found some hot springs in Austin, Nevada. Ozzie drove right to this beautiful steamy pool at about 10:30 at night after a long day of driving. The temperature outside was about 5 degrees. We enjoyed warming up in this pool before we went to bed and when we woke up.

It has been fun to visit all of our friends here in Bend. We are going to continue traveling a bit and head up to Washington state to visit our families. Then, our plan is to move to Malo, Washington in the next month. The adventure continues and we will keep updating our blog.
Adios,
Lyndi and Ozzie

Back to the USA

2009-02-12T12:05:00.000-08:00

Ozzie and I made it safely back to the US. It was a pretty easy crossing. We avoided Nogales and crossed in Lukeville, AZ. Our first day back was really cold. The first night we stayed in Kingman, AZ and it was 18 degrees. Luckily, we bought a small heater so we were comfortable. Not exactly a warm welcome. We were very sad to leave Mexico. It really was a wonderful trip. Onward to the cold north.

Yesterday, we rolled into Vegas and the alternator went out. So, we had to stay overnight to wait for a new one. Luckily, it was under warranty. Last night we stayed at the Circus Circus KOA Kampground, a very luxurious campground. I am e-mailing in the TV room and everything is really nice. Of course it is right on the strip so we went to the casino last night to have dinner. We decided to give gambling a whirl and spent 1.50 on the slots. Needless to say we weren't lucky and we couldn't bring ourselves to spend more.

Hopefully, we will get our new alternator today and be on our way. We should be back in Bend by the weekend.

Going North

2009-02-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

About mid-January we realized that it was time to turn around and head north. After the butterfly sanctuary, we went north to San Miguel de Allende. This is a beautiful colonial town with a magnificent cathedral and old architecture. Here we stayed at an RV park to get the basics, a shower, laundry, and internet. We met some great people here, a couple from Oregon, Dr. Wayne and Arline. They adopted us and showed us around the town and gave us some great travel info. One night we headed down to the main square for the festivities. It was a celebration of the birthday the person the town was named after, Ignacio Allende. It was amazing! When we arrived, an orchestra was playing under a large white tent right beside the cathedral. The music was so beautiful. Suddenly, fireworks began going off from the top of the cathedral, huge fireworks. This beautiful display went on and on, more fireworks shooting into the sky highlighting the cathedral while this magnificent music played. I have never seen something so beautiful and, I don’t usually like fireworks. People had tears in there eyes it was so moving. Then, to end the concert, more fireworks were going off of several other buildings right next to the square. In true Mexican style, you had to be careful of the little hot embers that were raining down on everyone. If you were under a tree, you were pretty safe. However, the chance that you could be burned only added to the excitement of the light show.

From San Miguel, we found some other great cities. We only stayed one night in each one, but they were wonderful too. The architecture of these colonial towns makes you feel like you are in Europe not Mexico. The history is so interesting here and the Spanish influence still is very strong. Here are a couple of pictures from these towns.

Near a town called Durango, we camped out off a dirt road in the campo (country). A large farm was near by but we felt that we were ok where we were, not trespassing or anything. It was a beautiful spot and a great sunset and it was nice to not have to be staying in town. We slept soundly and enjoyed the tranquility. In the morning, we woke to the sound of Bozeman growling. He only growls if someone is approaching the truck. Ozzie looked out the window and a lady was walking around. She began yelling, “Senor, Senor”. Uh oh, we thought that we were in trouble. So much for parking in the country, we must have been on their property. Reluctantly, I went outside. People are not as intimidated when they see a woman. So, I approached the lady with a friendly smile and buenos dias. She smiled back, a good sign. I asked if it was ok that we were there. She said that it was and that she was just coming to say hello and see if we needed anything. She invited us to her house and gave us coffee and fresh baked bread. Her name was Rebecca and she also showed us the farm and all of the animals they had in the back. We visited for a while and she was so nice. She told us that we should have stayed at the farm and that we were welcome back anytime. Wow, how generous.

Next, we headed from Durango to Mazatlan. The road through mountains is crazy. It is about the curviest road in Mexico, but the views are spectacular. Here a few shots from the road.
It was not the safest road either. We saw two semi-trucks nearly hit head on a sharp corner. One had to back up around the corner for the other to pass. I still am not sure how they didn’t crash into each other.

We decided to head back to Mazatlan to meet our friends again, Dr. Wayne and Arline. They helped us to make a little bit of money by taking some time share tours, the time share people will actually pay you cash to just listen to the spiel. They had done a few before and showed us the ropes. We had fun hanging out with them again and they helped us out a lot. We spent one night walking around the old part of Mazatlan which is much more interesting and charming than the hotel area.

We are slowly making our way north. Both of us are not quite ready to go back to the cold, but inevitably we have to. Maybe one more week and then we will head across the border. As usual, we don’t really have a plan.

Hope all is well up north,
Lyndi

Monarch Sanctuary

2009-01-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we visited the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary way up in the mountains near a small town called Ocompo. The drive was beautiful as it meandered through a patchwork of fields and little farm houses on the steep hill sides. Once we reached the park, we were met by several children selling walking sticks. Also, as we walked to the entrance, we passed about 50 or more little make shift shops and restaurants for all of the tourists. We were a litte put off by this but kept onward. The walk up was nice and fairly steep. I tried not to feel tired as I walked next to small children, old grandmothers and grandfathers and even mothers carrying their babies up the steep climb. Once to the top we found a crowd of people gathered around several trees. As we looked closer, we could see masses of Monarch butterflies hanging off of the branches. Millions of them piled on top of one another. Simply an amazing sight. People were encouraged to be silent, which was most difficult for the children.
The monarchs are hibernating here in the sanctuary for the winter. This particular colony of monarchs travel from Central Mexico to Florida and Canada, and then back to Mexico. Over the course of the migration five gernerations of butterflies are born. The last generation born in Canada live 7-8 months and make the long trek back to Mexico. Wow. They stay at about 10,000 feet in the temperate forests here and are protected by the trees. We lucked out on the weather, it was nice and sunny, so some of the butterlies were flying around as well. Definitely worth the visit.

Michoacan

2009-01-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

Being up in the highlands of Mexico has been an entirely different experience. Leaving from Colima we climbed up into the mountains to Matzamitla. A beautiful town very different from any of the beach towns we had been to, this was a self-sufficient town up in the pines. It was much colder and there were not a lot of gringos as we could tell from driving around. We stayed in a grassy parking area in town across from a tienda and restaurant. We slept well all snuggled into our sleeping bag, thank goodness we brought it. In the morning, Ozzie walked next door to the store and asked if they had a public bathroom. The owner, an older woman, politely said no. About 15 minutes later, she walked over to our truck and offered her private bath and oh yes would you like a shower as well? She did not know that Ozzie was traveling with his wife. Of course I would like a shower I said. It was so very kind of her and she would not take any money for the use of her bathroom. When I left, I thanked her and she said if we needed anything else to be sure to come back. This is the kind of generosity that we have encountered so far.

Next, we wound through the state of Michoacan, the place I have wanted to see since the beginning of this trip. Even higher up in the mountains still, we drove through several small villages. The women all wore brightly colored long skirts, heeled shoes, no socks, and a beautiful wrap around shawl. They could be seen carrying babies, groceries, wood, and other things with this shawl. These villages were mostly inhabited by the Perupecha indigenous people. The particular villages we drove through were very poor. Small shacks, make shift housing, garbage along much of the road, much like the baja. Women washing clothes by hand, cooking outside, men working in the fields, children running around playing in the street. It definitely felt different than anywhere we had been thus far. No one smiled as we drove through, we often met unwelcoming scowls instead. These scowls did turn to smiles when we offered a friendly wave.

We then ended up in Patzcuaro, the heart of Michoacan. Wow, what a beautiful city. We stayed in the truck right on the main square that was surrounded by colonial buildings and large trees with fountains in the center of the plaza. Since we were not paying for camping, we decided to go out for dinner. In another smaller square a block away, we found all of the taco stands and cheaper food that we had been looking for. We decided upon a chicken place that looked good. The plates they were serving were huge. We sat down at a table that was part of the preparation area and waited for our food, they were very busy. While we waited, I noticed the cook ladle a large spatula full of lard from a nearby five gallon bucket. Yikes. Then a small boy about five years or so tapped me on the shoulder. He was wearing a shirt with Mickey mouse on it and the word “Mickey” printed along the top. I turned around and he forcefully stuck his hand out and said, “Money” in English. I was a little startled by his brazenness and I replied, “No tengo” (I don’t have any) Obviously, he was prepared for this answer an he replied a little too knowingly and quickly “Si, tu tienes” (Yes you do) with a cute little smile. Yikes again. I chose to ignore instead and he went away. After dinner, we did find him and give him our leftover chicken, which he gladly accepted without hesitation.
We were a little cold up in the mountains:) We might have to head back to the beach soon to warm up again.

Adios,
Lyndi and Ozzie

Visitamos el Doctor

2009-01-13T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well, the visit to the doctor was successful in many ways. First, the son of the owner of the campground, Estaban Chico, drove us to his uncle’s house where he has his private office and practice. We all went into the examination room together and the doctor proceeded to ask Ozzie questions about his ailments. Estaban Chico, the son tried to translate some but, Ozzie and I understood a lot of what he said in Spanish. Then, once he determined that Ozzie had bronchitis, he had him breath in some medicine through a vaporizer. Not a common practice in the US, but seemed to help with Ozzie’s coughing. While we were waiting for Ozzie to breath, the doctor seemed genuinely interested in what we were doing and where we had visited in Colima. We politely asked about the rocks that made up one rock wall in his office. They were very old petroglyphs and they had been cemented into the wall of the house about 50 years ago. He became very excited and asked us to come to the back to see the rest of his collection. He had several artifacts in a glass case and he went into another room to bring out a large stone that had been carved into the shape of a baby. These rocks were probably carved out thousands of years ago and this doctor had them in his house. The Grandfather of Estaban Chico had purchased the house along with the artifacts several years ago and it remains in the family. It is located right off of the main square in Central Colima. I joked that he had his own museum in his office. He laughed and said it was a “museo en la sala” All in all the visit cost about 55 dollars and Ozzie received very personal care. The only problem we had was a pesky mosquito that kept biting us while we sat in the office. The doctor was not in a hurry and he seemed very thorough. Also, the mini tour we had of his collection was definitely worth the visit. I did not have my camera with me so I did not get to document our tour. Ozzie is on antibiotics now and hopefully on the mend. He was not happy about going to the doctor at first but realized that it was a good cultural experience for us. Now, we are back at the campground resting and planning on leaving tomorrow.
Adios

Going Inland

2009-01-13T10:17:00.000-08:00

From San Pancho, Ozzie and I drove my parents to the airport in Puerto Vallarta on January 5th. We were sad to see them leave, although it had been a great visit. We were also glad to be continuing on our journey and not heading back to the snow. (Sorry Dad and Colleen)

Then we ended up in Punta Perula just 100 or so kilometers south of Puerto Vallarta. We stayed at an RV park on the beach. It was nice sleepy town and a beautiful beach. Ozzie had caught a nasty bug for the New Year and we decided to lay low for a few days so he could recover. He was very sick, but seemed to get better after a couple of restful days. There, we met a couple from Germany who were driving a Unimog with a camper on the back. They were very interesting and it was fun to visit with them. They had been living in their Unimog for about 2 years and were heading to Canada for work.

Next, we drove to Cuyutlan and stayed on the black sand beach. We rented a sombrilla (umbrella) for the day. (There are about 100 of them on the beach equipped with tables and chairs.) We ate fried whole fish and fresh salsa for lunch and watched the waves and the people. There were several local families playing on the beach that day. It was quite relaxing.

Now we are in Colima, a beautiful Mexican city located 35 miles inland. We are staying at an RV park next to the Autodromo, where the drag racing track is. No races yet, but another couple staying here said that it gets pretty crazy. Maybe we will see one while we are here.

One of our first stops in Colima was at Wal-Mart, which we found randomly driving around the city. It was sort of a weird experience to walk into such an American store. We had been shopping at local markets and marcados, not quite the selection that Wal-Mart has. It was kind of exciting to have so many choices. We bought food, some oil, plastic containers, a fire extinguisher, and some speakers to play music from our I-pod. (see picture below that explains why we got the fire extinguisher) I forget a little what it is like to shop at stores like that, the one stop shopping experience. After that, we parked on a side street in the city and cooked lunch. We drew some attention to ourselves by setting out our camping chairs on the sidewalk and playing cards while we waited for our stew to cook. I think people thought we had lost our marbles or something. I wanted to say; no we are just gypsies moving through, no show today. I don’t think very many gringos hang out on the side of the road like that.
(Why we got a fire extinguisher)

Anyway, I am sitting in a park in the Colima central plaza hooked up to the free wireless internet the city offers. It is really cool. A couple of other people are on their computers too. Technology never ceases to amaze me.

I am taking Ozzie to the doctor this afternoon. The owners of the campground here were very nice and called the doctor for us since he just happens to be someone in their family. They are even going to go with us to the clinic. Ozzie just can't get rid of his cold or flu, whatever he has, and he is starting to have a relapse. Hopefully, he can get some antibiotics or something.

Other than the cold, we are doing ok. We are going to stay at the campground again tonight and then maybe head more inland tomorrow.
Hasta luego,
Lyndi and Ozzie

San Pancho

2008-12-31T10:04:00.000-08:00

We finally made it to San Pancho on the pacific coast a couple hours north of Puerta Vallarta. It is quite beautiful here and it has been fun hanging out with the family. Last year, we were here for Christmas as well. It is fun to return by way of car; it just doesn't feel as far away when you drive there. The beaches are beautiful and my family has a great place to stay. We are parked on the street next to the house so, we get all of the amenities but still sleep in the truck.

The other night we were sitting out on one of the patios, the living room is outside, and I noticed something slithering along the top of the wall. It was orangish and moving very slowly. Yes, it definitely was a snake. We all jumped up to get a better look. It slithered slowly up the tree that was next to the house. It was quite beautiful but a little disconcerting for those sleeping there. We concluded it to be some kind of boa and it was harmless as we later found out from one of the people who lives in San Pancho. Not to worry.

I also was able to go fishing with my parents with a local fisherman, Pondo. He takes my dad out every year and he is a great fisherman and guide. We had an amazing day out. The sea life we were able to see was incredible. It rivaled a National Geographic episode. The high lights were trolling through the swells amongst a group of about 60 or more dolphins. Colleen and I were on the front of the boat watching as the dolphins gracefully swam a few feet from us. Many times they would swim up and look at us and then dive down again. It was amazing.
Another sighting was of a humpback whale. It sort of snuck up on us as we were fishing. The motor was turned off and we were all looking the other way as we heard the whale surface and blow. As if that was not incredible enough, it surfaced again maybe 60 feet from the boat and dove down showing off its humongous tail. Wow!

The most exciting however was the pod of pilot whales we happened upon. We were right in the midst of them and soon they began to follow us. They are about 20 feet long and look kind of like an over sized dolphin with a similar dorsal fin. There were about a dozen of them maybe 10 feet from the boat and one even went under the boat. The best part was hearing them sing and talk to each other as they swam under us. We were in awe! Collen and I kept whispering, "Oh my God" as they got closer and closer. What a terrific day.

We are preparing for the New Year today and hope all is well back home. It is hard to believe that it is the beginning of 2009 tomorrow. How time passes by so quickly. Ozzie and I are going to head inland next and maybe try to find a nice town to hang out in for a while. We want to find something to do. We will see where we end up.
Best wishes for a Happy New Year!
Lyndi

Here are a few more pictures from the Baja.

Would you like to follow our blog?

2008-12-31T09:57:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much for those of you who have been following our blog. I am sorry that I have not been more diligent in my entries. I am definitely going to try to update it more frequently in the future. We are looking for a little help though. The more followers that we have posted on the blog, the better. There might be a possibility that we can get someone that wants to advertise on it, if enough people are looking at it. So, if you want to sign up as a follower, that would be great. All you have to do is click on "follow this blog" which is located by the other pictures of people following. You just follow the steps and enter an email address and password. Thanks so much and Happy New Year to all!

Lyndi

P.S. Send me your e-mail if you would also like me to add you to our e-mailing list. I send out an e-mail when I have updated the blog. My e-mail is lyndimay@yahoo.com and Ozzie's is oscargrove@yahoo.com

Adios to the Baja

2008-12-31T09:50:00.000-08:00

Well, the last month or so that we have spent on the Baja has been spectacular. The people we met and the places we stayed really surpassed both of our expectations. From San Ignacio, we ended up at two of our favorite beaches Agua Verde and Los Frailes. Both of these are on the Sea of Cortez side and very remote, requiring some bouncing and winding down very rough roads to get there. Ozzie caught a few fish and I even snorkeled a bit. It is amazing how many fish are even in three to four feet of water. (I am still too chicken to go any deeper). Ozzie saw huge school of puffer fish and he was out in the deeper areas.

We also spent a couple of days in La Paz getting our vehicle permit, ferry ticket, and new health certificate for Bozeman. All took way longer then expected of course and the earliest we could reserve the ferry was not until the 23rd. So while we waited we spent more time on the beach. Not a bad place to wait. However, we had told my parents that we would try and meet them for Christmas in San Pancho and this put us a little behind schedule. Schedule, what’s that again?

The drive to the ferry proved to be exciting. We managed to find our spare tire dangling from the back, the metal ripped of the frame. Luckily, we stopped for a bathroom break and noticed it leaning off the back. Bad for the frame, but amazingly we didn’t lose the tire. Then we passed a guy who popped off his radiator cap and was sprayed with boiling water in the face as we drove by. We quickly turned around to see if he was ok. He was, only minor burns on his cheek. He needed water though, so we filled his car up and off he drove in his pretty blue mustang. Then right before the ferry terminal we drove by a wrecked semi who had seemingly ran into a bull-dozer. Crazy! We made it no worse for the ware and on time despite the drive. Just another day driving on the Baja...

The ferry was a logistical nightmare. People lined up to board three hours before departure and the ferry only had one loading and unloading side, unlike the Washington state ferries. The one hundred or so semi-trucks that loaded onto the ferry had to back on. Most cars ( around 200 or so) also backed into spots. There were four car decks and 3 passenger decks. It was more an ocean going ship than a ferry. Ozzie and Bozeman parked on the lowest deck in the hull. Poor Boze had to stay in the car for around 10 hours in the hull of the ship where it was very hot. Poor guy, he made it though. He is such a good dog. We slept in the ferry parking lot when we arrived at 10:30 at night, which we were told was the safest spot to stay.

Now, after a full day of driving we are in Mazatlan at an RV park right on the beach. It is Christmas day and so beautiful. We are taking a day to relax and recuperate from our two long days of traveling. Tomorrow we head to San Pancho to visit with my family.

The Beautiful Baja

2008-11-30T13:02:00.000-08:00

Baja California has the most beautiful deserts I have ever seen. Huge saguaro cacti grow and form beautiful prickly forests. The dirt roads are very unforgiving but reward you with less traveled beaches and quiet towns. We have found some great beaches on the Sea of Cortez so far and are enjoying the rugged terrain. Where the desert meets the sea makes such a wonderful contradiction.

Ozzie has done some fishing and we lived off of fish tacos for about 3 days. I am enjoying the beach, looking for shells, and just drinking my coffee to the sounds of the sea. Bozeman of course loves the swimming and has finally figured out how not to drink the salt water.

We arrived in a small oasis town a few days ago called San Ignacio. There is a river that runs above ground for short distance here and is surrounded by date palms and lush green grasses. We are camping right on the river. It doesn't feel like we are in the desert anymore even though it is less than a 1/2 mile from our camp. The town square is beautiful and is located in front of a large mission that was built in the 1700's. It is still used to hold church services. People seem happy here in this town. Water is so scarce here on the Baja. It will be difficult for us to leave. We have already spent three nights here and plan on spending a couple more.

Yesterday, the owner of our campground took us on a tour to look at some hieroglyphics that were made about eight to ten thousand years ago. It was interested to see and imagine what the people were trying to communicate with their symbols and pictures. The desert was beautiful as well. However, being the klutz that I am, I was the only one who managed to get stuck by a cactus. I was much more careful walking after that. Our guide knew a lot about the plants and we tasted some different things.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. It passed with no ceremony here. Just a chicken dinner at a local restaurant with a fellow traveler we met while we were there. We mentioned in passing, "Isn't it Thanksgiving today?" In which the response was,"I think so." That was the extent of it.

I posted a slide show below of some of the places we have been so far. I didn't include any pictures yet from San Ignacio.

We miss everyone,
Cheers,
Lyndi and Ozzie

Crossing the Border, Baja 1000, and San Felipe

2008-11-22T13:48:00.000-08:00

Thursday was the big day. The day to cross into Mexico, finally. The truck was newly remodeled and ready for rough roads and we were ready to take on the Baja. On our 14 mile drive from San Diego to the boarder crossing, I organized any paperwork, passports, copies etc.. of what we would need to cross. Anticipation rose as we saw cars slowing. We drove and drove looking for the border patrol to stop us. Finally, we came to the realization that we did not have to stop. I was pretty much in shock of the anti-climatic crossing. We decided that mostly we could take care of paper work in Ensenada, so we kept going. Later we discovered that because of the free trade agreement, you are allowed to cross without stopping as long as you stay within 25 miles of the border. So on to Ensenada we went.

Driving to Ensenada was a breeze. The road was really nice because it is a toll road. After paying about 8 dollars total, we made it. We knew that the Baja 1000 (a famous off-road race) was going on but we had no idea how big of event it really is. There were people everywhere. As we drove down main street it was packed. Finally finding a place to park, we went to check out what all the excitement was about. We made our way down to the where the race officials were checking out the rigs. The trucks and cars are amazing that race the Baja. Mucho dinero is spent in preparation for this race. We met a team that had 80 people for their support crew.

The next day, we headed to San Felipe. The race had already begun and so as we drove we could see about 5-6 helicopters flying over the desert following the race. Huge plumes of dust could also be seen from the road to mark where the racers were. Once we arrived in San Felipe we found a good place to sleep for the night and then went out to the desert to watch the race.

People lined the track and cheered as racers came through. Mostly we watched some motorcycles stop at the pit. These guys had already been riding for about 7-8 hours and had 5-6 more to go. Crazy! Then the trucks and cars started flying by. They would cruise through at about 70-80 miles per hour. It was quite a site and a bit scary. People were only a few feet off the track, us included, and one of the trucks, if they lost control, would have the potential of taking out 20 or more people. Even more crazy! Ozzie was in heaven of couse and so we stayed for a couple of hours. It was pretty cool to watch.

Today, we walked on the beach and read our books while watching fish jump out of the Sea of Cortez. Very relaxing. Boze had fun too and dug a huge hole and then layed in it. He swam and chased the birds, he was pretty much in dog heaven.
Onward south tomorrow to Puertocitos. We heard it is nice and quiet there with some beautiful beaches.
Hasta luego,
Lyndi

Entramos Mexico!

For the past month, as our excitement grew, we have talked to what seems like hundreds of people about our trip. And in response they have come up with what seems like thousands of ways we will die within just miles of the Mexican border. My response to all of them is hah! We have made it at least 200 miles, as I originally expected, still alive. What a huge build up for nothing, minutes before crossing the boarder (which was unmanned) i realized, What if all these people are wrong?, I haven't made any plans for the rest of my life:) Now I am stuck here in this awful, crook riddled country soaking up rays on one of the most beautiful beaches I've seen with my two best friends with no plans! Looks like aside from possible pulling the fishing gear out for some fresh pesca, we may need a little more leisure to figure out what to do.

One of the fun suprises for me upon arriving in S.D. was our trip accidentally coincided with the baja 1000. For those who are mentally chanllenged about these things like me, this happens to be a huge dirt race with bikes, trucks, and buggies.
Yesterday after noon, in the desert outside of San Felipe, we pulled dopey up trackside to get a first hand look at the action. It turns out this ain't no pleasue cruise. These machines were flying past us on a straight with woops at maybe 60-80 mph! The awsome noise and excitement was stamped in your memory, nose and eyes with a constant lingering cloud of dust. Seeing something like this on tv will never do again.

Looks like tomorrow we will search for even more beutiful beaches on this placid sea, and try to forget all that plagues us, though that's not too much.

Sorry to disappoint all those pessimists so far.
Sure hope The old USA can cope without us.

ozzie

The Remodel

2008-11-18T21:32:00.000-08:00

We have been driving around San Diego for the past few days looking for what we need for the truck. After driving 1300 miles, we have decided to make a few adjustments. We moved our bed to the cab-over to adjust the weight of our stuff to the floor. Ozzie also added and extra leaf spring to our suspension to help with the tippiness. A great guy named Steve, legthened our driveline, and let us camp out out in front of his business and he let us use his shower! It was a great place to be and he even printed out maps and gave advice of where to find things. We were very lucky to find his place. Thanks Steve!
Tomorrow, Ozzie is going to add lights and get our fan working. We just need to pick up a few more things and then we plan on crossing the border early Thursday morning. Our first stop will be in Ensenada. This is where the Baja 1000 race begins on Thursday. We are interested in watching part of this crazy off-road race. Mostly, we just want to take a few days to relax after we cross the boder and plan our route from there. Here are a few more pictures of the camper remodel.

The Redwoods to San Fran

2008-11-18T20:53:00.002-08:00

Winding through the Redwoods on the coast of California was an amazing drive. There were so many little towns and beaches tucked away all along the coast. We took our time and explored any spot or beach that interested us.

This beach was in Shelter Cove. A beautiful spot where the King Mountains come straight out of the ocean. We found tons of tidepools and sea creatures. Bozeman played with the crabs until he got pinched on his lip.

Next, we stopped in San Fransisco to visit our friends, Brad and Mary. They have a great place right down town. Parking was a bit sketchy with the big rig. However, people were fairly forgiving of the truck because I think they were trying to figure out what it was we were driving. We had a great time and a taste of the city life.

We found our way out of the city after a couple of days and headed for San Diego. Driving through Monterey, Malibu, Santa Cruz, Laguna Beach and Los Angeles proved to be a tour of mansions, BMW's, Bentleys, Mercedes, and Porches along the highway. We felt a little out of place, but we did still get some thumbs up and smiles along the way.

Next we head to San Diego and then the Baja!
Adios,
Lyndi and Ozzie

Not So Dopey or Tippy Canoe?

2008-11-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

We made it to the north coast of California today! We have been driving on some very curvy, bumpy, sunken grade, off camber roads and the truck is super tippy. (Tippy Canoe?) Well I guess we wanted an adventure. Who knew we would find it so soon?
Once we finally swerved our way to the coast, all three of us took a nice long walk on the beach and enjoyed the moment of actually being there. Bozeman had fun on the beach for the first time tasting salt water, playing in the surf, and rolling in some very fine dead animal perfume. He was very tired after and snuggled in for a nap. (after a bath of course)
Last night was our first night camping in the camper. We slept in a church parking lot in Selma, Oregon (see the picture above). I enjoyed cooking on our camp stove for the first time too. Our menu was corkscrew pasta with marinara sauce and chicken tomato sausage with a semi-fresh salad. It was all prepared by the dim light of a headlamp because, we have no working lights in the camper yet.
Next, we will head to San Fransisco to visit some friends. Afterward, we plan on stopping in San Diego before we cross the border to make some modifications and adjustments.:) We want to have everything ready before we hit the Baja.
We are having a great time and will let you know how the rest of the drive goes.
Adios,
Lyndi and Ozzie

Pura Vida

2008-11-06T08:48:00.000-08:00

After months of hard work and planning, we are finally ready to begin our adventure! It is a bittersweet moment as we are sad to be leaving our family, friends, and co-workers but; the anticipation of lounging on the beach on the Sea of Cortez is enough to keep us going.
Many people have expressed some concern for our safety on our trip through Mexico and Central America. We are aware of the risks and these things have also been a concern of ours as well. However, Ozzie has put alot of thought in the design of our camper, as it is pretty much indestructible and very safe. We have bars on the windows, a very sturdy metal door, and a "mean" sounding dog.(He's not really, but he sounds mean and growls at stangers who approach us:)
I once read that an adventure was something you enjoyed after the fact. In the moment it sometimes can be scarey, exciting, and dangerous. However, what else is there in life if you don't take risks? What stories would we tell?

My good friend Kim gave this quote to me that I think speaks well to this.

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole exprierence it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure." ~Helen Keller

Off we go to expose ourselves to the elements of living! Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. You can e-mail Ozzie and I through lyndimay@yahoo.com We will be hopefully checking it weekly and updating our blog as much as possible as well.

Hasta luego,
Lyndi and Ozzie

Every drive a parade; Every stop a car show

2008-10-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, we do feel this way sometimes driving around town. The truck attracts quite a bit of attention, especially from Landcruiser enthusiasts. We get alot of inquiries, compliments, thumbs up, and at least a gathering of one or two people wherever we stop. The truck is beautiful and it is nice for Ozzie's hard work to be appreciated.
Today was also an exciting day! We finally finished the outside of the camper and put it on the back of Dopey. It looks so cool and I included some pics from the building of the camper below. Even though we are still not quite finished, we are planning to depart on November 3rd if possible. We shall see.

The Cruiser

2008-10-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

It has been a long process planning our adventure. This trip has been a dream of ours for about five years and we are getting anxious to begin our adventure.Our plan is to drive our 1966 Landcruiser pick-up to Costa Rica and back and we hope to take about 5 months doing it. Ozzie has been working very hard on the truck since March and it will soon be ready. We think about 2 more weeks and we will be off!
Our '66 Landcruiser pick up truck has been transformed from a jalopy old rig to a sparkling "new" cruiser. I can even drive it now that it has power steering and a manual stick shift. Our official name for the truck was Dopey and now that it is looking a lot newer, we now refer to it as Not So Dopey. It is a conglomerate of many Landcruisers, I think around 6, and many different years. (kind of like the Johnny Cash song.) We are now working on the camper part, which is homemade of course. It is a frame at this point and we hope to be finishing the outside of it by the end of the week. Then, we will have a week to outfit it with everything we need and then we are off.I have included some pictures of the restoration. It is really cool to look back at all of the hard work Ozzie has put into it so far. Enjoy! We will keep you updated and hopefully have a departure date soon.