Overlander Oasis – MacKenzies on the Road

February 18, 2020January 25, 2020

Mexico’s Blackhole

Overlander Oasis…once you enter you may never leave!!! Seriously! I am not kidding. The place is a force of nature with its own gravitational pull.

The name says it all, it is an amazing place for overlanders to stop, rest, recoupe, regroup and repair rigs after an extended time on the road.

Overlander Oasis is owned by overlanders Leanne and Calvin Mackenzie, expats from Canada, (no recent relation, but Darrin and Calvin were quite the pair of wrench monkeys…they have to be long lost cousins!) who have opened their yard, home and hearts for travelers. They have created a small haven for like minded people to congregate, share their stories and traveling suggestions, fix rigs rattled apart by topas and potholes, and recoupe after weeks, months or years on the road.

Calvin – self proclaimed wrench monkey, and teller of terrible jokes, can fix or build anything, or he knows someone down the road or across town that can.

Calvin is a one man fix it with a great sense of humor.
Here he is creating a custom frame for Paco’s spare tire.

Leanne – coordinator extraordinaire is fluent in Spanish and everything local, and can direct you to the best markets, sightseeing places, rides and everything else.

Unfortunately, Leanne left us mid week to visit family in Canada.
We all gathered to wish her a tearful goodbye.

During our very short one week stay, we were lucky enough to share our time with Leanne and Calvin, 2 couples from Germany, 1 couple, and their adorable child, from France, a painter from Pennsylvania, and a last minute visitor from Mexico City. We were an eclectic group who bonded over a shared love of Mexico, travel…and broken rigs:(

Paco and Kat were replacing dead batteries and fabricating a new mount for their spare tire, Otto and Elizabeth were fixing a door lock, building a new rear box to carry Elizabeth’s wheelchair and Calvin was creating a bunch of custom fabrications for their camper, Elena and Alex were fixing a tie rod from a collision with a rock, we were fixing the seals on our turbo, and Jeff, the only person who was not fixing something, was creating new works of art! I almost forgot Benjamin…who was teaching us the history of Mexico, his beloved country.

Calvin replacing a seal on Otto and Elisbeth’s rig.

Otto giving Darrin expert advise…in German! Otto also plays a mean harmonica.

Elisabeth and Matilda…we all became a small family for a short time.

A huge thank you to Leanne and Calvin for all that you do and did. You have truly created an Overlanders Oasis. We are already talking about passing your way again…some day.

February 17, 2020January 19, 2020

Valve Job

Since all of the rigs at Overlanders Oasis had their hoods up with odd jobs being done, we thought we would take the time to adjust the valves on the diesel.

With wrenches and feeler gauges in hand we dove into our first valve adjustment on the Wee Rover’s new diesel motor, although we probably can’t call the motor new anymore!

An hour, or so, later all of the valves had been adjusted, and rechecked. And most important, the motor started right up and purrs like a kitten.

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!