Bye Bye Baja

Ahhh the holidays. Its hard to believe we have already passed through Thanksgiving and we are on our way to Christmas in the tropics! In Cerritos we had one of the best out-of-US Thanksgivings ever. Somehow through the grapevine we heard that a restaurant called “Don Felipe's” would have a T-day event. Little did we expect that Don Felipe would cook seven turkeys with stuffing, two kinds of potatoes, vegetables and cranberry sauce! There were lots of gringos, a gringo band, and food, then Don Felipe ended the night with a little mexican table dance to celebrate!

The next day we packed up and headed over to Los Barilles to see what the start of the kite-boarding/windsurfing season looked like. People were slowly arriving to the arroyo in the middle of town setting up their palapas next to their trailers and waiting for wind. Unfortunately while we were there the wind came, but it was offshore, which meant it was WHIPPING down the arroyo to the ocean carrying a ton of sand and dust! We tried to ignore it by going on bike rides with our friend Dave from Montana who was very happy to see us again though unexpectedly, and meeting up with Bill from well, Montana. It was very hard to leave John, Marcie and Reece and go our separate ways, but we had booked a trip on the La Paz-Mazatlán ferry and we had to stick to our plan of getting out of Baja and onto the mainland.

Last year we took the shorter ferry ride to Topolobompo but this year we decided the extra price was worth the miles, the road tolls and skipping the uneventful highway south. Poor Lobo had to hang out in Tonto for 18 hours and we took some precautions in the van in case he just couldn’t contain himself. Meanwhile we enjoyed a pretty uneventful trip in a beat up ferry with a small sleeping cabin (actually, it had a shower, that’s luxury!) and terrible food. The arrival into Mazatlán at eight the next morning was very picturesque and we were hardly surprised that our kick-butt travel dog hadn’t made a mess of anything and predictably he just took the longest nap of his life. We spent a very pleasant morning in one of our favorite Mexican cities hiking up to the top of the 2nd tallest lighthouse in the world (on a natural formation that is) and having a nice breakfast on the boardwalk.

We looked at the map, and although we knew our destination was Sayulita we tried to make it a little interesting by doing a side trip to what one of our guide books described as miles of deserted, beautiful beach. It even appeared in one of two maps that the road continued across an inlet of water, by some bridge or something, so we wouldn’t have to do an out and back. So much for guidebooks and maps. Here’s the perfect example why we often prefer to just go. The miles of beach were there, they were beautiful, we drove all 14 miles on them setting the cruise control at 40 mph, getting passed by buses all on the beach! Then we hit this HUGE inlet of water, and no hope of crossing with the vehicle. Then we turned back, decided to camp on the beach and consequently got chowed on by jen-jens, nats, midges, no-see-ums, whatever you want to call those flesh eating blood sucking invisible flying objects. There was nothing man, woman or dog could do to keep from getting every part of the body swollen in bites. Lobo had to be let inside because he was crying from the stupid things biting him in his “guard chair” in the middle of the night. John was the hero in the morning when he went outside to get the vehicle ready while Lobo and I cowered in the van. We high tailed it out of there and found our way to Sayulita. Not even a mosquito in site. Just beautiful surfing waves, palm trees and hibiscus trees, clean bathrooms and showers, and lots of new friends. That was over ten days ago..

STEEKERS

The second most famous off-road vehicle race, behind Paris-Dakar Rally, is the Baja 1000. 1296 miles of dirt, rock, arroyo, and cactus are traveled in 53hrs by Baja buggies, motorcycles and trucks. This is a HUGE event in Baja and it is obvious that the locals take pride in participating and supporting the race. Restaurants welcome racers, the ‘supers’ are full of produce and motor oil and people are lined up in the streets to see the race cars being transported to the starting lines. Seeing all the race ‘convoys’ on the highway is a good diversion; flatbed with the buggy first, then three or four trucks for support with huge gas containers fly by in a tight formation Nobody is more excited than the local kids who have been accustomed to gringo teams handing out fliers and ‘STEEKERS’. Since we are clearly in an off-road vehicle, big tires, big lights, big diesel, the kids charge the van with arms outstretched yelling ‘STEEKERS! STEEKERS!’ or holding signs that say: “Stikers”. We can only imagine that the stickers are decorating their school notebooks, furniture and mirrors. On our way out of Loreto we had the opportunity to see a ‘parade’ through town of the 2nd place finishers; a local Mex-US team!

Scorpion Bay, or Bahía San Juánico, is famous for a beautifully long right wave that wraps around one of the four surfable points of land outside of the town of San Juánico. Looking forward to another 30mile dirt road drive in, John bailed out of Tonto and got on his bike for some exercise. Little did we know that the first 20miles would be deep sand and treacherously slow pedaling downhill as well has up. Imagine his surprise when the last 17k of the ride would be on some of the nicest pavement in Baja! Scorpion Bay has its share of beautiful gringo houses, cafes and well, gringos. I am sure that when the swell is really up it is a pretty crowded break, but we were there for a very small swell, so besides a pretty impressive local longboarding dog and owner, and some visiting families from San Diego we had our choice of waves and it was worth it. We decided to boondock on a beach around the other side of the bay and had a wonderful dinner of carillo and wild rice. The next day started with some playing in quicksand that Helleburg found. On the surf break there was marine fog, then wind, and no surf ☹. So after a little relaxing on the playa, we headed south.

As we drive down the highway we are noticing a difference from when we were here last year. Everything is green! Passing through the mountains after Loreto there were steep cliffs that lead down to valleys with cactus and green low-lying plants that gave the area a tropical feel as opposed to the desert landscape we had been traveling through. Yet we haven’t seen a running river, and there is still work being done in Baja to protect the small potable water supply. On our way to Todos Santos for the Thanksgiving week. Looking forward seeing the beaches of Serritos and mountain biking in Barilles and catching up with more friends who have come down for the season. ‘Till next time!

P.S. Accepting designs for a Tonto STEEKER!!! I would love to give some to the kids..

South Through Baja

“Now I feel like we are in Mexico” said John as we drove into the small town of Guerro Negro just north of the Baja Norte/Sur border. Dusty streets, fading signs for “Llantas, Tecate, Abarrotes”, and beat up cars with loud speakers blaring the weekends upcoming fiestas. The search for “agua pura” and more tequila comes after an incredible first two weeks back in Mexico.

Driving 8 hours straight into Baja California Norte our first stop was Punto San Carlos a place renowned for its wave sailing (windsurfing in BIG waves) and surfing. After a 30 mile dirt road in we were so ready for some surf. For three days we started the morning with a surfing session and when the wind picked up the Helleburgs (John and Marcie) got out with the pros to test out the waves. John Hartley hiked up to the top of the Grand Mesa with Lobo while Marcie and Julie took a few more “party waves” in the surf. One of the best surprises about Punto San Carlos is that some regulars to the Solosport campground have maintained and mapped some outstanding mountain bike trails through the rugged Baja terrain. The result is some first class mountain biking through volcanic rocks, packed desert sand, and “the badlands”. Riding your bike on a trail called “Top of the World” was just a great way to watch the sunset after a day in the water and wind.

After three days the wind was definitely getting to us. There had been some Santa Anna winds come through earlier this summer that blew windows out of campers, and we couldn’t even believe that the wind we were experiencing was “mild”. We headed out the road and re-supplied for a long drive to our next famed surf break: Alejandros. After a night of boon docking in some of the famous northern Baja rock and cactus formations we finally made it to the tranquil cove where we would spend the next four nights. Two nights waiting for surf, and three excellent days of a long right wave that gave us 100yrd rides. A few times we had the beach and the waves to ourselves, but as the swell grew, so did the crowd, all the way to three extra surfers! We made friends with Sandra and George who have built a nice house just up from the campground and a short walk to to the break. George wowed us on the first day with some 360s on his longboard, and his friendliness and funny antics on the water. Dutch Sandra gave us some tips for eating the Bismark clams we dug up from the beach, and the langosta we bought from Jorge, the local fisherman, “jefe” and bobcat driver. He is apparently flattening more land for all the tents that show up for the big northern swells this winter. John Helleburg also caught a fish and cooked up some wonderful meals with our abundance of fresh seafood! His idea of heaven was an early morning wake up, a cup of coffee, surf session, a little relaxing, a little fishing, more surfing and then firing up some great pasta and clams for dinner. We had no problem living his dream and helping him finish those plates!

With limited storage for water and food supplies at some point all good things come to an end so we had to move on. Now we are on a short stop in Loreto in Baja Sur for a laundry, internet, car wash, and stock up mission. The next stop will be the famous Scorpion Bay. We are so grateful to John Helleberg for keeping up with the surf forecasts, lending me his longboards, and his enthusiasm for getting us to the surf! Marcie has been a great surf buddy and we can’t wait to play more Frisbee “hot box” to get us in shape! It seems a shame to pass up the beautiful beaches and water of Bahia Conception and the Sea of Cortez, but we are already dreaming of future trips with kayaks and fishing poles.

Insider's Route

So in the next ten hours we will be driving across another border. This time I will be joining John and Tonto as we cross back in Mexico and travel down the Baja peninsula again. Lobo is not so sure he is excited about leaving all the green grass of the north behind. I let him wiggle around in a patch of it near Palm Springs the other day - catnip for mexi-dog.

Tomorrow we will also be looking at the Pacific ocean from the most south-western point of the US. From the most north-western part of the lower 48 most people would have expected beach combers like us to have taken a nice tour down the coast. Who can resist the 101 and the spectacular Washington, Oregon and California coast? We can. That's right. The allure of some outstanding mountains, more national parks, epic bike rides, and welcoming friends who live in really cool places not on the coast kept us pretty much riding as far east in those states as we could. We even had a good time on the Cali-Nevada boarder in Las Vegas and the Mojave desert!

One of the real highlights after the Yosemite whirlwind weekend was passing through Mammoth Lakes to visit 'cousin' Brian and Marissa and then going full speed into Death Valley. It was as if this park was made for Tonto. The 'Baja Tan' color blended in perfectly with 125 plus miles of remote dirt roads, the Eureka sand dunes and the un-earthly rock formations! Death Valley is the second largest National Park behind Denali in Alaska and with only three days to travel through we could only get a glimpse of the northern most part of the park. We attempted an offroad challenge up a canyon only to be turned around because it got too narrow for Tonto. We hiked up Uhebe peak and spent some time imitating rocks on "the racetrack". With less than two inches of rain a year, and an evaporation rate that makes working up a sweat very difficult, there is not much to see in terms of plant and wild life. It was very, very quiet. We did find a cool route through another canyon and really got to give Tonto a shakedown. He performed beautifully!

We had our first "camp guest" when John's dad Fred came to visit. We picked him up in Las Vegas and warned him that he was in for a real Tonto Treat! There is a route through the Mojave Desert that is a famous trail from Indian trade routes, to early settlers, minors, and now off road vehicles. It didn't dissapoint. While not as challenging as some of the more rocky terrain, the sandiness and remoteness of the area offers its own challenges. We had a great time with Fred taking turns riding on the motorcycle, watching spectacular sunsets and listening to car talk! Fred was a great guest and Lobo really enjoyed the opportunity to snuggle up in the guest tent with him!! Lucky dog..Lobo too...

We spent some time around Las Vegus to finally get a leak in the exhaust in front fixed, and find the PERFECT extra gas and water cans and NOT to stop in at any "Little White Wedding Chapels". However my sister did entice me with the idea of bridesmaids dressed in sequins... Anyway, we found some outstanding boondocking and mountain biking in Red Rock Canyon only a few miles outside the city.

And then there is another national park that is not to be missed. Joshua Tree! Here is another climbing mecca (of course we didn't have the gear or the time...this time) with spectacular geological formations and the wildest looking trees! We had read about an offroad trip through Berdoo Canyon and it did not disappoint! Very tight canyon with some great rock drops that made the route exciting.

And now we are here. In San Deigo with our friend John and Marcie and their dog Reece. It is great to see them again after our visit in Mt Hood and it is a real comforting feeling to be driving down in a caravan over the boarder and down south. We are really looking forward to the end of running errands and the fruits of all our preparing as we sit on the sand, watch a sunset, and catch some surf.

Will write soon!!!.....

Sparkle

Spending a weekend in Yosemite has always been an exciting idea for me, and when it worked out that John, Lobo and I could be here on my birthday weekend it seemed just perfect in itself. John was also really exited to make sure that we hiked up to the top of Half Dome that he had done a few years earlier. Friday night (my birthday) we had a lot of fun packing bags, making sandwiches and opening birthday presents! On Saturday morning John and I headed up the trail to Half Dome around 7am. We could have started earlier since John didn’t seem to be sleeping and I kept waking up all night to hear him moving things around the van, taking apart the fan, and whatever else. So finally we just decided to forgo our granola and yogurt to cook up a big breakfast and get going! Bags packed, we hit the trail – 8.5 miles with a 4,800ft gain to the top of one of the most impressive geologic features in the US. We charged through the mist, past Vernon and Nevada falls and before too long the weather cleared and we were zooming up the trail to the base of the famous “cable climb”. If the last 800ft of the trail to Half Dome are crazy steep, the very last 400ft are ridiculous; granite slabs at almost 60 degrees with several steel cables bolted in for those who forgot they are hikers and not climbers and don’t have ropes with them. The curve of the rock is pretty extreme in some places so while your shoes are gripping pretty well, you can still see the 4,800+drop in your peripheral vision. Still, this is what we do, so up we went.

At the top we had the most spectacular view of what Yosemite has to offer all to ourselves. The deep Yosemite valley, Merced river, expansive meadows and glacier carved cliffs were dazzling our eyes with color and contrasts. John suggested we sit on the edge of Half Dome and dangle our feet over for a look. Sure, no problem. What a spectacular place “We should do something memorable” he said and told a simple story of a man in New Jersey in 1939 who fell in love with a woman Susanne Suitch and when he knew he didn’t want to live his life without her he gave her something special: his name was Fredrick John Hartley Jr. (John’s Grandfather), and this is what he gave her. And then MY John (Fredrick John Hartley IV) gave me the same beautiful antique ring, 68 years later. I giggled, and apparently it was hard for me to stay focused, and who knows what I said, but in there somewhere it was pretty clear that I feel the same way he does and I said yes! What a wonderful weekend in Yosemite!

Fresno Fix-Up

Notes from the trail: Oregon has some great things to offer. Rain forest, to dry desert, and Crater Lake. Definitely worth the stop even if it was freezing.

As we made our way south through Orgeon we were just waiting for the California border with hopes of sunshine and NO MORE RAIN! Our first look of Mt Shasta sounded something like this “Is that it? The huge mound with a fat cloud sitting on it? Wow, I don’t know..but it’s the bottom of something HUGE!” We stayed the night with John’s aunt Susu in Shasta and in the morning while walking Lobo I got a great glimpse of the giant. A perfect volcano shaped mountain coming out of nowhere.

On our way to Truckee we ran into a mechanical problem that ended up being a complicated low voltage output from our battery. It was replaced quickly due to some crafty internet searching right from the vehicle and we were on our way the next day. Jeremy (from the winning “Boondockin’ Daddy’s” rally team) was a gracious host and showed us around Truckee on bikes in the rain and snow, and walking up around Donner pass. He and John spent many hours “hooting” over each other’s SMB, motorcycles and garage ideas.

One of the things that we have come to “miss” about a home is having some work space. That is, workspace equipped with drills, saws, and other heavy equipment for doing repairs or fix-ups on the vehicle. Most of the time John is amazing with what he can accomplish with a screwdriver and a socket wrench set, but there are just times it would be nice to be doing repairs out of the rain, mud or side of the road. Fortunately, this stage of the trip had the aim of getting some work done at the big Sportsmobile shop in Fresno. We also lucked into finding our friend Chris Snideman at home in South Tahoe and in return for delivering his sportsmobile to Fresno he let us use it for a night while Tonto was in the shop! He also had a galley box and air compressor that were gladly traded and installed on our van! (more below)


What we had done:
Solar: Not to be outdone by our good friends the Reynen’s (who have one of the finest solar arrays in New Jersey), Tonto is now solar powered, well the electrical part of it is. We chose a Kyocera 135W panel and mounted it on the front of our top. It sends current thru a Blue Sky controller which tells us how many amps are being produced and what the charge on the house battery is (the one that runs the accessories in the living space of the van). Prior to the solar addition, we had to find a way to plug the van in every few days to charge the battery – no longer necessary!

Water: The onboard water tank was increased in size from 10gal to 16.5gal. Coupled with the 7gal can we carry on the back, we should be able to go up to 2wks in extreme backcountry situations.

Air: Onboard “Extreme Air Max” compressor and 2gal tank. In many offroad situations it’s preferable to run lower air pressure to improve traction and ride quality – sometimes it’s mandatory (deep sand, for instance). The problem is that when you leave the trail and return to pavement, low tire pressure can cause lots of problems. The only real solution is to have a method to refill your tires remotely. We considered many options but decided on the air compressor. Though variable by altitude, we’re finding it takes about 2min to increase our 35in tires by 10lbs (per tire, that is). We’ve already used it twice – In Death Valley and the Mojave Desert.

Alarm: We didn’t have one – now we do…

New Furniture: Not quite, but we had the foam, stuffing - whatever you call it – replaced in the sofa. The old stuff had the resilience of a tired kitchen sponge. Much better for movie nights…And back in Calgary John did some crazy carpentry and took out the microwave and made a nice BIG drawer for all the cookware and plates.

Torque Arms: The Sportsmobile guys noticed was a crack in one of our torque arms (there are 4 of them – they stabilize our front axle/differential). Upon closer inspection, 3 of the 4 were severely cracked! Apparently there had been a service bulletin about these but we hadn’t seen it… Luckily they had the parts on hand to replace all four for us.

House Battery: It’s the size of 4 regular batteries – a deep cycle marine model. Had it replaced to be on the safe side for our travels south.

Galley Box; In an effort to move weight off our top, we had a lockable aluminum box installed on the back of the van. It replaced the open tray/box that we had previously. We’re now able to store, and lock, our grill, motorcycle helmet, and snorkel gear back there instead of inside the van.

Rocket Box: Through a combination of moving the gear to the new galley box and shipping two big boxes of gear/clothes home, we were able to get rid of the rocket box from the roof. This has resulted in a much lighter top weight and makes it much easier to raise and lower the top. Now we can “pop our top” with much less hassle. Thanks to Jeremy for storing the box in his beautiful Truckee home.


While all this was done, we did a little exploring of Kings Canyon, Sequoia National park. When we got the van back the Fresno area Walmart parking lots became our area to explode the van and figure out how to mount or remount bikes and panels. We also spent some time in REI, a variety of hardware stores, the FED-EX shop, the USPS, and autozone.

Tonto Troubles!!!

It has happened. Tonto has hit the shop for some unexpected repairs. We had been noticing a little stutter in the engine while driving south through California, then it didn't start right up as usual after a lunch stop, and then during an internet poaching stop it just didn't start at all. We had pulled off the highway to get a minute of internet service and check on our progress ordering a solar panel (ended up buying one from RV solar electric in Arizona) in a small neighborhood of Redding, CA. And then the engine didn't start. We replaced our Cam Positioning Sensor that is a general remedy of diesel engines, and nothing happened. So John called for "a wrecker". That made me a little worried that Tonto was really in trouble, but then it was explained that its just another name for your average "tow truck". Only what showed up wasn't your average tow truck. IT WAS HUGE!!! Somehow the agency that sent the truck didn't believe our RV could be so small and yet weigh so much. Tonto was towed to the local Ford dealership and they have been working on identifying the problem; weak battery output, exhaust leak (but not where the new PIPE is!)...we'll see. Lobo and I are holed up in the La Quinta hotel. Such is life on the road. Glad it happened close to civilization. We should be on our way to SMB and other mechanics in Fresno before too long.

Oregon North to South

NEW TIRES! With a little bodywork done in Calgary to trim back the wheel wells and fenders our new 35” Mud Terrains look and work great! Little did we know we would also find “Carl” in Vancouver, WA to do a great alignment job, replace some bushings on the front end, and just next door John finally got something he has been hankering for. A new exhaust system! Known as “the pipe” this is the largest, shiniest exhaust pipe I have ever seen. But now Tonto runs and sounds great! Just over the hum of the new tire tread you can really hear the turbo wind up, and then with increased air flow from “the pipe” we can keep the engine temperature down and really get up those pesky mountain passes on the freeway! Can’t wait to see what it will climb off-road. Thanks to Pat and Michelle for putting up with us, Lobo and some serious car-talk for two days!

After a too-quick stopover in Portland to see friend Sadie Carney, and cousin Meredith Theis, we headed to the outdoor sportsmen-uh, persons mecca- Hood River. After finding a beautiful spot at Bitteroot Farm with John and Marcie Helleburg, we went for a sunset hike up ‘Sincline Trail’. This is a special memory for the people we were with, but also because it really felt like the first time we had seen anything but rain since a few hours up on the Olympic peninsula! After some world-class mountain biking, and arts fair, some shopping, and food we headed south again. We soon discovered that traveling north to south in Oregon can be entirely done on National Forest land. Our favorite for views (See the video of Tonto spinning-up the new 35’s in the snow at Mt Hood!!) and boondocking!

As always, we look at the map and pick a place. Anything that says hot springs is worth a look. Unfortunately last night’s boondock required a swim across a river…it didn’t happen. Lucky for us, John and Marcie tipped us onto biking the Mackenzie River Trail, and it “ends” at a great hot springs resort! We’ve enjoyed a FULL 6hr day of shredding up and down a smooth running trail along the river, through lava fields and shrouded with the super green northwest rainforest and rewarded ourselves with a night here to plug in the van, eat ice cream, and soak in the hot pools!

Northwest Passage

As we worked our way towards Salmon Arm we were still in awe of the green, lush, woods that touched the wide and deep glacial lakes all around. Tonto found its way to Paul and Jill Dixon’s driveway and after only two nights, a bike ride, a hike in the rainy woods, a stroll down main street, and a game called “Battle of the Sexes” (the girls won both games!) we felt right at home in Salmon Arm.

Then we followed Paul and Rachael through the dry hills of Kamloops and on south to the famous Allison Lake. The family history on this lake is incredible from both sides. The Dixons and the Stouts have looked under hoods, built roofs over their heads and dreamed by wood-burning stoves here for over 40 years. Susan’s grandparents ran a dude ranch at the end of the lake and though the original ranch is gone, many family members have a piece of the land with cottages fashioned after the original buildings. Their cottage has been in Mark’s family for over 40 years, and here with the whole Dixon clan we got to live close to the land; picking vegetables from the garden, cutting firewood from high in the forest, shaping wooden kayak paddles with our hands in the workshop, fixing stuff on the truck by committee. I was so looking forward to seeing the place where Claire had grown up and Kees had so recently enjoyed and it didn’t disappoint. Paul had been telling me he would take me barefooting and within minutes of arriving, and the sky clearing of rain, I donned the dry suit and went at it. At times I felt like I had an ice cream headache (due to the 45F temp and constant spray in the face), at times I thought my eyelids were going to rip off in a crash, but it was a pure rush. After another biking adventure and a sad farewell Tonto hit the road toward Vancouver.

On the way we spent one night boondock-camped high on a remote mountain dirt road. In Vancouver we caught up with my cousins Thomas, Francesca and Nick. It was a very different kind of campsite than we have had before – a back alley in a very hip part of a big city. We spent a couple days catching up with friends and family and stretching our legs for runs, and more board games!

One of the best things about traveling in Tonto, is that at the start of a day we may have only a general idea of direction but really no idea of where we are going until something on the map catches our interest. We knew we had to head south to escape the cold weather that was coming down the west coast, to find our new tires (more later) and to meet up with more friends! But first with a few days to kill we decided to head out to the Olympic peninsula and it didn’t disappoint. After a short stop in a surf shop we headed for the coast. In fact it was Cape Flattery – the most northwest point in the lower 48!! So now we can say that Tonto has really been east, south, north and west!

The main goal we have these days is to get new tires for Tonto, and since we won a set of free tires in the sportsmobile rally in July actually getting the tires has been some sort of goose chase. John has been really tough about getting on the phone with people and hunting down the supply chain so that FINALLY we will be getting our tires in Portland, Oregon. We have opted for the 35” BF Goodrich Mud Terrains – hopefully to keep the dust down when we are traveling through the desert climates and since they run with lower tire pressure we might be able to make it across beaches easier and have a smoother ride. And they look great.

Going West in Canada

Sometimes when you are traveling on the road you need a vacation. We took a ‘vacation’ back to the east coast to visit family at Salter’s Point and Lake George, attend weddings on Saturdays, meet up with friends at the beach and teach a willing few the finer points of riding on the air chair! Lobo traveled with us and he loved chasing balls on the golf course at Salter’s and swimming and hiking off Turtle Rock. It was a busy trip and by the end we were ready to come “home” to Tonto who was parked in Calgary.

Tonto had an appointment for a bit of bodywork around the fenders to make room for new bigger tires. After a lot of looking we found a great guy, Mike who agreed to take on the cutting, folding and molding of a custom job. Tonto also now has new Mag-Hytec transmission pan and rear differential cover. These are heavy-duty, high volume parts that will increase reliability on long, bumpy, dusty backcountry roads.

Our friends Neige, Nick and Solei were great hosts again while we were in Calgary. And Don and Fiona hosted a great BBQ and band at their farm where we danced the night away for our first night back on the road! The next day we did a great bike loop outside of Calgary in the Kananaski forest with a group of friends. The Aspen trees were turning, the air was cool, and there were smiles covered in dirt all afternoon. That night we had the interesting experience of finding a boondock about 40 feet from some very active train tracks. We were so tired that we decided to see if we could make it through the night with these HUGE cargo trains rumbling by. It was an early morning departure.

We headed towards Canmore to get supplies and some internet time. Just as we were pulling into the Safeway supermarket we went over a speedbump and heard a huge BANG and a dragging sound! The motorcycle carrier had dropped off! Luckily the motorcycle was saved because the straps holding it up held, and it was a clean shearing off of the weld job on the 2” extension we had added in Cedar City. Sadly we were too stunned to get a photo of the moment. But now what? Of course there were friendly Canadians all around who lead us from one place to another to find a welder. On the third try (the first was out of business, the second too busy) we found Lee who agreed to do our emergency job. He did some fantastic work welding the pieces back together, adding gussets and paint and we hitched the carrier back up and were on our way!

The Canadian Rockies are spectacular at every turn off the road. We didn’t stay for more than a few moments at some overlooks this time through but the national parks along the Trans-Canada highway deserve a return trip for some exploring. We had heard there was some good mountain biking in Revelstoke and it was a town I was looking forward to visiting. Revelstoke is going to be growing very fast with the opening and expansion of the new ski resort. It is a place set in an incredibly beautiful valley with National parks at one end and endless wilderness, mountains, lakes, and rivers around. We hit some green mossy trails with good climbs and descents (they like their downhill bikes around here) and then we took a ferry across Upper Arrow Lake to look for the hot springs. The next day was spent soaking in the natural hot springs on Halfway River and it was a great way to unwind and ‘get back to nature’.

Last night we took a small cable ferry across Upper Arrow Lake at Arrow Park to access some forest service roads and our own little piece of lakeside boondocking. Today we will head on a big loop (requiring two more free ferry crossings) away from the Trans-Canada (away from the train) through Nakusp, to Salmon Arm and Kamloops for a weekend with the Dixons. Looking forward to some mountain biking, water sports and good laughs.

Canada at Last!

What a long road it has been, but so easy when you have friends along the way! After a fly-through of Yellowstone (Old Faithful = Done), and a stopover in an unexpected paradise of a boondock spot near Chico Hot Springs (where??), we were wondering around Missoula and the first person we met (another John) offered us his driveway for us to stay the night! This was no ordinary driveway, it was a beautiful spot right next to a river, steps from a farm that had an evening concert, and a short pedal to some of Missoula's best mountain biking in Rattlesnake park! We finally caught up with our friend Bill that John had met in Baja months before in a coffee shop right as we were leaving town!

From Missoula we moseyed our way up to Columbia Falls to drop in on our friends Dave and Carol. We weren't really sure if they knew we were coming, but in true Baja style they were so hospitable when we arrived at sunset! We all wish we could have spent more time exploring with Dave on bikes (he pulls a bob trailer at all times...just in case he doesn't want to come back) and visiting the local pizza and beer dives with Carol!

But it was a quick fly through again of Glacier National park and a late night arrival in Calgary. Once again there was an open door, a parking spot and a couch at Nick, Neige and Soleil's house. They met John while traveling in their van in Baja so of course we took off the next morning for a great campsite just outside of Calgary! It was more than just a campsite..it was a real 4x4 boondock site with a great river crossing! We had a great time including a great game of glow-in-the-dark ring toss and Indian food buffet!

This is a video of "the ladies" driving Tonto through a deep river with AC/DC all the way!

Travels Near and Far

It has been a whirlwind of trips for Julie, John, Lobo and Tonto! While John and I returned to the east coast for a short trip, Tonto and Lobo were busy entertaining John's mom and stepfather, Julie and Dennis. We were really fortunate that they decided to boondock up in the Unitas Mountains outside of Park City when we flew back to meet them and we spent a few (rainy) days camped together high in the mountains. After we relocated back into Tonto we decided to head for the Wind River Range in Wyoming for some backcountry adventure. We got some great advice from "Fred" at the Outdoor Store in Pinedale, Wy and headed into the Bridge-Teton National Forest. We left Tonto behind at the Big Sandy parking lot and began a beautiful four-day trip through three passes in a huge loop passing glaciers, lakes, and lots of high alpine views. Stunning scenery, good weather, moose, and friendly hikers keep us and Lobo very entertained. It was Lobo's second big hiking trip, but this time he had to carry his own weight and he got LOTS of compliments on his very stylish bag and sleeping pad! He enjoyed every minute of it!
After a great trip we headed over to Jackson and have been spending the past four days with Myles (BIG sailor boy), Pruett (drugstore coyboy) and his friend Jennifer. They have been wonderful hosts feeding us Elk burger, Elk steak, and Elk pasta dishes as we have been busy cleaning Tonto..bumpers, wheels, floors, carpets look so good. If Cinderella only had a wet-vac she would have been SO much happier...I am!! It was great to finally get to Jackson and get a great mtn bike ride in with Myles, just like old days. Talking about coming back when the ground is white...
Working our way north through Yellowstone, Glacier, Columbia Falls (got to check on the kayack at Dave's house) and then Calgary.

Tonto Wins BIg at SMB rally!

Team Boondockin' Daddy's Rocks it at the Sportsmobile Rally in Kamas Utah. We had a great three days with our other teammates: Sam, Jim, Jeremy, Kathy, Pat, Jen, Wendell and Jan. There were three full days of activities from "Pit Challenges" such as electrical malfunction detection, Tire repair, and winching challenges and "Road Challenges" like log crossings, and a slow drag. We went to the final four with the most points for the three days, but we still had to complete a special tradition in the SMB rally - the "dunk n' drive". The set up was a SMB that had a special chair mounted to the front that had a balloon in a cage full of wall screws above the chair rider's head. John and Jen started...and they took it all the way to the finish line! We had been given five balloons to try to make it, but due to superior spotting by Jen and driving by John team Boondockin' Daddy's blew the competition away!

Now we head from Salt Lake back to the East Coast for a wedding, Dad's (Hans) birthday, and some family time. More photos and videos to come in the next quiet moment.

Tonto In Colorado

It is finally here! A place to just sit and blog about where we are and what we are doing. We hope to post the past issues of TontoTrails somewhere here so you can see more photos and read about our Mexico adventures.

Right now we are spending the weekend in Telluride Colorado at the 34th Annual Bluegrass Festival. After crossing back into the USA around Memorial Day weekend we spent some amazing time in southern Utah and now have a perfect spot to camp in our friend Beverly and Ben's driveway in Utah. We met Ben and Bev in Sayulita Mexico and hit it off so well we can't wait to travel with them when they get their own Sportsmobile!

It is sunny and warm here with chilly evenings, killer mountain biking and hiking trails, friendly people and fabulous food..and great music from 11 am until 12 pm. John is doing a great job getting us upfront spots at the shows by sitting out in the lines at 6am! So excited to see my sister and friends for the weekend and next we meet up with John's mom and stepfather for a week of exploring Colorado!