WHY MEXICO
HEAT SEEKING ADVENTURERS
Mexico is warm! Every winter my friends Bill and Maris remind me to head south. So I finally did!
With an impending storm rolling into Asheville on December 23rd, it was time to get out of town. I rolled out in my super prepared van with my traveling sidekicks: Sweetie and Bondo!
Destination: Mexico… San Miguel de Allende - where Maris and Bill live.
Before my trip, when I would share that I would be driving to Mexico solo with my dogs, many people reacted with alarm and asked “Is it safe?” I certainly appreciated everyone’s concern, checked the State Department’s website, and knew I wasn’t going to areas with high gang activity. I really didn’t know what to expect, but one thing I ran into everywhere was “Don’t drive at night.” warnings. I found out why once I was down there… As general rule though, I don’t drive at night because I’m missing out on the scenery!
A pre destination stop on my route was in Austin - to visit with my niece, Mietra. On my departure day from Austin, I got a late start looking for a laptop cable, and then it seemed to take forever to get to the Mexican border. I chose to cross into Mexico at the Columbia International Bridge (about twenty miles west of Laredo) because it is a small, not-so-busy place. I entered Mexico as the sun was setting. It was beautiful and I realized it was time to find a camping place for the night.
There weren’t any campgrounds nearby, but I did find a place that rented bungalows so I thought I would check it out. The main road led me to a dirt road which became very narrow and rutted. It didn’t feel right and I couldn’t imagine taking this road for another several miles: so I pulled into a field to turn around, and in that turning - faced the most intense post sunset colors and realized I just wanted to stay here. So I did. I trusted my gut and had a good night’s sleep. In the morning I was able to let the dogs run free and I was grateful for this peaceful introduction to Mexico on someone’s very private property.
The next night, I stayed at a proper campground which was eleven miles off the highway, high in the mountains, with a gate that opened and no one around. The dogs and I had the entire place to ourselves with just a brief visit by the owner to collect 70 pesos for the night ($3.50).
Van life in Mexico….