February 2020 – Page 2 – MacKenzies on the Road

February 13, 2020January 19, 2020

Diesel Mod #??

Prior to heading into Mexico we stocked up on a few spare parts for the Wee Rover’s diesel motor; oil filters, fuel filters, etc.. One of the items was a set of seals for the used turbo on the motor.

After travelling from Oregon, down the length of Baja, and traversing the mountains of mainland Mexico, the seals on the old turbo began to leak a bit of oil. Every so often we would leave a small white cloud, or a small puddle of oil (even by Land Rover standards!)

So, we arrived outside of Oaxaca to “Overlanders Oasis”, our latest camp spot, and we find a true overlander’s oasis. Calvin, the owner, noticed the few drops of oil, and he asked about it. After a quick talk, Calvin, states, ‘my turbo guy can install those seals if you want’.

So, we pulled the turbo, and a neighbor, Antonio, was gracious enough to offer us a ride to drop off and pick up the turbo. The next morning the new seals had been installed, and the turbo was ready to go back in!

I have given up trying to keep him clean…but the turbo is out and ready to go to the shop.

And voila 24 hours later the turbo is all rebuilt and ready to go.

And the old parts are ready for recycle.

February 12, 2020January 16, 2020

Mugged in Mexico

We arrived at the temple of Teotihuacán and found a small hotel where we could camp in the back. We started setting up the Wee Rover and that is when the trouble started. There was a local gang of ruffians who immediately surrounded the rover and us. Everything worked out ok, and it only cost us a few photos! People warned us about Mexico, I guess they were right after all.

The school group was fascinated with us and the Wee Rover.

We showed them the map of our route and the inside of the Wee Rover. What a wonderful group of kids!

The next morning the fireworks woke us at 5, apparently it was the patron saint day of the town. This meant the fireworks were pretty much continuous for the 2 nights we were there. Since we were up, we packed snacks and lots of water and off to the temple we went. We were one of the first to enter the temple, due to the fireworks giving us an early start. We were ahead of the tour busses from Mexico City and had the place to ourselves for a few hours.

Amazing place!

Just watch out for the gangs!

Looking down the Avenue of the Dead from the top of the Temple of the Moon. We walked all the way up it and back down. A lot of steps at elevation!

The Temple of the Moon from the top of the Temple of the Sun. We definitely got our cardio workout today!!

Selfie from the Temple of the Moon. We are getting good at these selfies. This one only took 5 tries!

Jaguar fresco. Apparently most of the temples were originally painted red.

It is very important that us old farts keep up with the selfie trends…

February 11, 2020February 11, 2020

San Migel de Allende

A beautiful city in the heart of Mexico!

Cobblestone streets and Mexico’s vibrant colors.

A former convent turned cultural center.

And I made a new friend😁
It’s okay Puppy…Kitty isn’t coming with us.🙀

February 10, 2020January 9, 2020

Swinging By

Today’s blog is a bit different. We asked Joyce, one of Darrin’s oldest friends, to write a guest blog. Joyce was one of the first people we told we were going to embark on our 2 year adventure and she has been following along on our journey since the beginning.

Since I have been following On The Road with the Mackenzies each day, I never expected that their road would intersect with me in Mexico.

I saw, on the blog, (that I look forward to reading when it appears) that Darrin and Melissa were going into Mexico, but it sounded to me as if they would be going down the coast and not inland.

One morning I got an email from Darrin asking where I am staying this winter in Mexico. He tells me where he is.

Well, it’s less than an hour away.

We decide to rendezvous.

We have been rendezvousing for a number of days now and it is such fun to be with Darrin and Melissa — to watch how relaxed they are walking around and enjoying everything.

They are such good travelers, beyond good, one needs to make a new category for them. They are loving, good natured, responsive and interested. Great ambassadors for humans in the world.

I am so glad they were able to “Swing” by!

Thank you Joyce for entertaining us, housing us and for writing the guest blog. We had a fabulous time and look forward to seeing you back home in Vermont this summer.

February 7, 2020January 7, 2020

Minas de Mineral de Pozos

We spent an afternoon hiking around the old mines near Mineral de Pozos. The ruins of the old structures are beautiful. They must have been gorgeous in their hay day…of course the flip side is that they were built on the backs of the local indigenous people who toiled long hours in the mines below. Always the Yin and Yang.

February 6, 2020January 7, 2020

It Was Just Breakfast

Three days into our travel across Mexico, we needed a break from the traffic, cities, noise and our fast pace (Ok, I melted down and needed a break, a city girl I am not, I need regular periods of peace and quiet).

Darrin searched iOverlander and found Posada Valerio, a camping spot run by a family in the small mining town of Mineral de Pozos. It was on our trajectory and exactly a days drive…perfect!

We arrived at Daniel and Martita’s gate late in the afternoon. They greeted us like we were long lost friends. Showed us the perfect spot out of the wind for our rooftop tent. Gave us a tour of the gardens and casitas for rent. And generally made us feel very welcome. We settled in for our best night’s sleep in over a week.

The next morning we stumbled out of the Wee Rover a bit later than usual. Across the garden, Daniel waved us over and invited us into his house for a wonderful breakfast of tamale, huevos(eggs), and jamón(ham). It was just breakfast but after days of driving being given the opportunity to sit down and enjoy the company of two lovely people was exactly what I needed.

Martita and Daniel grew up in this house. Behind Martita (by the water jugs) is the oven/grill her mother used to make tortillas. The new stove is almost as big as Martita.

Tidbit: Daniel speaks some English and insisted that while we were there, he would speak English and we would speak Spanish. My vocabulary has already improved greatly! After 3 months…I should be fluent, or know just enough to be dangerous!

February 5, 2020January 7, 2020

The Heartland of Mexico

Once again, we have chosen the road less travelled. This time it was less travelled by overlanders like ourselves.

When we made the leap to go to mainland Mexico, we decided to bypass the touristy Pacific Coast. We weren’t interested in the resorts or the crowds. We wanted to see Aztec and Mayan ruins, swim in the Cenotes of the Yucatan and visit the colorful markets of Guatemala. And find weather a wee bit warmer than December in Baja.

When our ferry docked in Mazatlan, we chose to head due east up the mountain to Durango and the high plateau and then follow it southeast toward Mexico City. This bypassed the coast and got us up into the highlands quickly (remember the drive on Mex 40/The Devil’s Backbone in the previous blog.)

Once we left Durango, this route took us directly across the heartland of Mexico, an area very few turísticos visit. I think we may have passed one overlander during our 500 mile drive through the cities, ranches, farms, and industrial areas that make up Mexico’s high plateau.

As most of you know, this is not our usual mode of travel, 3 long days of big cities, fast roads and a lot of traffic, but we are glad we did it. It gave us a glimpse into another side of Mexico that few tourists see.

February 4, 2020January 7, 2020

All in 24 Hours – Part B

After 14 hours on the ferry, it is hard to believe that we are here in mainland Mexico starting the next phase of our adventure. We decided we weren’t interested in the busy Pacific Coast beach life. Instead, we decided to take the less travelled Mex 40 straight inland and then drop down toward Mexico City.

But, first we had to make our way out of the port area which was busy with ferry traffic and cruise ship turísticos who were all boarding buses and small tour trucks along the busy, narrow street.

And then navigate the back streets of Mazatlan.

Out to the busy main road out of town. Darrin and the Wee Rover did a great job, but I think it was my navigating that really made it a breeze to find our way through the busy streets:)

We found Mex Route 40 and started up, and up, and up. That is our road behind us.

Mex Route 40 was the first road to connect the two coasts of Mexico. It was a huge feat to complete and was the main transportation and trucking route until just a few years ago when Mex Route 40D was completed.

It is also known as The Devil’s Backbone because of the many twists & turns and massive elevation gain (sea level to around 9,000 ft). They say it would be jammed with traffic for hours while trucks tried to jockey by each other. We only met a few trucks since most traffic now uses the new road.

The road was soooo twisty that before we reached the top, my stomach gave up the ghost and I projectile vomited out the poor Wee Rover’s window. Darrin being a smart man didn’t take any pictures.

The views were spectacular, but by the time we reached 8,000 ft, the rain had moved in and the temperature had fallen to 45 degrees. We moved right along to stay ahead of the storm.

The storm truly caught up with us as we neared el Salto. We quickly found a small motel with hot showers, a fireplace for heat and a nice warm bed. Darrin made good use of the pine pitch we collected months ago to get a roaring fire going. We quickly made friends with the wood guy by giving him a nice tip.

So, in 24 hours we went from Baja to mainland, sea level to 9,000 ft, and 75 and sunny to 38 and cold rain. Time to settle in and enjoy the fire while we wait out the storm. The next adventure will just have to wait.

Sweet dreams everyone.

Gorgeous snow (since we were staying in a little hotel with a fireplace and not camping).

It snowed enough that they shutdown the road. There were miles and miles of trucks, buses and cars waiting overnight to head down the mountain.

*We wondered why our quiet little mountain hotel filled up right at dark. I think every room was taken by families heading home from New Year’s. Quite the loud hopping place!*

Tidbit: Turns out motion sicknes wasn’t the culprit. D and I both had our first run in with the Mexican stomach. A few days of feeling under the weather and we are right as rain.

February 3, 2020January 7, 2020

All in 24 Hours – Part A

The past 24 hours have been a whirlwind. We have gone from Baja to mainland Mexico, from 0 ft to 9,000 ft, and from 72 and sunny to 38 and pouring cold rain.

But, I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the very beginning…that brings to mind a song!