Across the Border! And the final squeeze-ins!

We crossed the Border! We are back in the USA! Our border crossing location was at Algodon, MX. It was incredibly low key and took all of 20 minutes- no cars in front of us! We are very grateful for a smooth return and happy to have completed the logistical hump.

Now just a couple of miles left between us and Portland. LOL!

We completed what we set out to do- travel the length of the Baja California peninsula with our 2 little girls and make the most of most moments in our not-so-big-anymore van! I think we did pretty well. Amazingly well.

I have many mixed feelings, but it is good to have made the big crossing. We loved the wild camping opportunities in Baja California but were somewhat anxious driving due to all the frogger pothole games. We loved all the deliciously fresh tacos and new to us cuisine, but are excited to soon encounter our beloved Tillamook cheddar cheese. Most difficult in the reflection about this beautiful place is accepting the lack of an ecological balance of Baja California. It feels incredibly selfish to travel in a place where marine diversity and fresh water is drying up as we speak.

***

As for the logistics of our return- we figure it is a solid week of driving, at our rate of 200 miles a day. So we have a couple of days to enjoy along the way! Yay!!!

We decided we’re going to visit Joshua Tree, Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite National Parks along the way. It’s still early season- minimal crowds but still snow road closures and cold nights!

Our first night of camping on the US side was at Joshua Tree NP. It ended up being just a quick two night stay for us. We had awesome opportunities to do short 1 mile hikes and see vegetation-as the plants and flowers were just starting.

The rocks were also particularly beautiful because of their similarity in structure yet difference in scale and random dispersal. Curved mounds of boulders.

Perfect for our young bouldering enthusiasts!