THE END OF VAN LIFE? (leaving our van in Mexico)

Foreign.

We only have a few days left of this Baja adventure, and then once we get to Cabo, we are saying goodbye to the van, potentially forever. This isn't for sure the end of van life, but it very well could be. We'll explain everything later, but first we're gonna go enjoy our last few days in our home.

Let's go.

This video is kind of all over the place.

What in the world?

So we split it into chapters. We're calling Chapter one, the Rough Start, Chapter two, Redemption. And chapter three is saying Goodbye.

Today we are seeking out one of the best surf breaks in all of Baja. But we've been told it will be quite the journey to get there. There are several ways to get to Scorpion Bay, but the route that we're taking today is supposed to be the smoothest, although it's a very roundabout way of getting there.

Oh, my gosh. We just saw our first Road Runner. It just ran across the road. I honestly thought it just a cartoon character. That's the most interesting thing that's happened in the last hour and a half. We're just on a long, straight road through the desert.

The road has turned into one giant pothole.

I was wondering why Google Maps said we still had 2 and 12 hours when we only had 40 miles. And now this makes a lot more sense. These waves better be really good.

Well, are we sure?

I don't know.

This is what way Google Maps said to go. And I'm very glad that it's still light outside. I mean, there just aren't any more roads out here. This is it. I do feel like I should have read somewhere about this road.

Yeah, maybe it, like, turns into pavement at some point.

Do we have to ford a river? No.

What in the world?

There's no way, right? You're not going over it, are you?

We're not driving over that. Where are we?

So it looks like we missed something back here. I don't think the road that we're on is even on this map.

Well, that makes me feel better.

So, I mean, we could go back, but, like, according to Google Maps, that road doesn't exist.

What do we trust more, Google Maps or this map?

Currently, that is the way that Google Maps is trying to take us. I mean, it's very shallow. I feel pretty confident that the van could make it, but it also says we're still 40km away. So the question is, if we make it past this, what's next? I feel pretty confident that this is not the correct way, but, man, is it beautiful. Out here.

All right, I'm about to attempt to back out of this mess.

Great.

The backup camera is not working. I love it when that happens.

I can't really see you.

Hey, come towards me.

Is that not what I'm doing? Yeah, I think I'm good. All right, we switched. Nate's doing the steep part.

Hallelujah.

Oh, gosh. Oh, my gosh.

We made it out.

Yeah.

Okay. My purse and towel fell. Not a big deal. A whole bunch of spices and cans fell. Oh, wow.

Yep.

Literally the entire top shelf of my spice rack. I'm just gonna go ahead and put this. This little guy over here. All of my produce just blew out of the basket. All right, we're back on the paved road. And not too long ago, we passed a sign that said sun. Where are we going? San Juan. So plan B is we're going back to that sign, and we're going to turn and just see what happens.

Here we go.

Oh, there's another sign confirming that we're going in the right direction.

Oh, my gosh. Oh, I'm so hopeful.

I'm feeling really good about it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

There's street lights. It's a miracle.

It's only 7:30, but it feels like midnight.

It really does. The moment the sun went down, it was dark. I feel like I just held my breath. I don't know how the sun works. Oh, goodbye, Pedro Hugo.

I'm not falling for this again.

Yeah, let's keep. Keep going on the paved road. Scorpion Bay restaurant and camping. That's where we're going. I'm so relieved.

We'll see if it was all worth it in the morning.

After all that, I don't want to sound negative or ungrateful for this beautiful spot that we're camping in, but we did come here specifically to surface. And the best way I could describe the water this morning is a bathtub. But our campsite is beautiful. That was a pleasant surprise. When we woke up this morning.

The.

Closest we got to surfing was sitting on top of our van looking for waves. The next good swell wasn't supposed to roll in for three more days, and we still had a couple places we wanted to check out before our trip drew to a close. So we reluctantly said goodbye to our cliffside home in search of a new adventure and better wa.

Goodbye, Scorpion Bay.

Real quick, we want to say a big thank you to athletic Greens for sponsoring this video. AG1 has been a part of our daily routine for two years now. I know there are some of you who don't Believe me and think we only drink it for the ad, but we truly drink it every single day. And we love it. I think it tastes great, it makes us feel great. Which is why these ads are so easy for me, because it's really changed my life. Just one scoop. Contains 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source ingredients. And all sorts of other stuff like superfoods, antioxidants, prebiotics, probiotics. All things that would never fit in the cabinet of our van or in our suitcase. Which is my favorite thing about AG1. It's just all in one convenient drink. Since we are constantly traveling, our diets are super inconsistent, which is why we start every day with AG1. Because then we know no matter what happens the rest of the day, our bodies are getting the nutrients they need. So when we're traveling in the van, we keep this jar in the place fridge. But when we're traveling abroad, I stuff as many of these travel packs in my suitcase as possible. So if you would like to try athletic greens, which I highly recommend that you do, if you click the link in the description below, you can get the AG1 immunity bundle, which includes the shaker, the jar, five free travel packs, and a year supply of vitamin D drops which support your immune system. Give it a try. Trust me. Okay, back to the video. You've probably seen enough shots of us driving our van through Baja at this point, so let me quickly sum up a very, very long 10 hour drive. We found some delicious tacos, stopped for coffee, ate popsicles, went a little crazy, and finally, we arrived at a very remote beach just as the sun began to set. There's a whale. She's welcoming us.

After two weeks, we have officially made it from the US border to the tip of the Baja Peninsula. Which makes me feel accomplished because we did it, but sad because it means this trip is shortly drawing to a close. But more importantly, we have finally made it to a beach that actually has a wave. And based on the number of people who are in this very remote location, it must be a pretty good one. This place is like a parking lot full of pro surfers. And this morning I woke up before sunrise and there were already at least 10 people out in the water.

Massive whale.

Okay, now that it's nice and warm outside and I'm caffeinated, it's time to go surf.

We had hoped to be pro surfers by the end of this trip down the Baja Peninsula, but as you'll see, that dream didn't really pan out.

We know it doesn't look pretty, but we have so much fun in the water, and that's what really matters, right?

Surfing makes me so hungry, and I'm about to make some lunch. It's a dish that I've been wanting to try to make since we got to Mexico. I'm kind of making it up, but it's like a Mexican corn salad. We'll see how it goes.

While Kara is cooking, I'm gonna head up to the roof and do a little solar experiment.

All right, first, and chop some veggies.

Hi, darling. You want to come live with us? I am completely obsessed with dogs. But no, we will never, ever, ever, ever, ever have one in the van.

Sorry.

I hate to admit it, but ever since I installed the roof rack, our solar has been struggling. It's currently completely filthy. But I have a feeling that it has a lot more to do with storing the surfboards up here on top of the roof than it does with the solar panels being dirty. So I'm going to clean the solar panels, but I thought it'd be fun to do a little test. So with the dirty solar panels, we're getting 4.3amps of current, and we're getting 55 watts of power.

This might be called cilantro salad.

How beautiful is that? Okay, now for the fun part, slash the part where I'm completely making it up. I'm going to attempt to make a creamy jalapeno cilantro sauce out of cashews. How hard could it be?

Wow, these things are so hot. Completely filthy. I think I'm just moving dirt around. Pretty satisfying, though.

In order for the cashews to work, you're supposed to either soak them overnight or boil them for a few minutes. I'm kind of doing a hybrid of those things. I soaked them whenever we went in the water to surf, and then I just poured boiling water. Pretty much the same thing.

Nooch.

Of course.

Chili powder, lime.

Jalapenos, lots of cilantro.

Need to turn the power on.

Yum.

That is amazing. Wow, wow, wow, wow.

So somehow cleaning the solar panels is now giving us less current and less power. I'm just as confused as you are. But yeah, let's go ahead and throw a surfboard up here and see what happens.

All I have to do is cook the corn.

I can never light the stove unless I close the door. Okay.

We'Re super close.

Can I try the sauce? Yes.

Well, I'm not so sure. I need another. I need another chip.

Wow, that is so good.

Are you lying?

Sometimes I Tell Cara I'm not so sure. Just so I can have another bite.

Do you love it?

Yeah, it's so good.

So many colors.

So after adding the surfboard to the roof, the current is at negative 3.5 and our power is at negative 44 watts. Which I guess just means the stuff that we have plugged in inside the van is pulling more power than what we're producing up here on top of the roof. Unfortunately, all the people in the comment section on the video where I installed this roof rack who were calling me dumb, we're probably right. Apparently, your solar panel is off only as strong as its weakest cell. So if only the corner of your solar panel is being covered, you're still losing a massive amount of solar. It's pretty much non existent.

I had the best idea earlier. I'm gonna use this as a cup. Brilliant. And now a scoop of my cashew jalapeno, cilantro, onion lime sauce.

What about chips? Ooh.

Stored them in the bathroom and they can be like our croutons. It really is like a Mexican salad. Lunch is served.

Oh, my gosh.

It's amazing.

You're like becoming a real chef. I'm kind of feel right now.

I have a hiccups. Darn it.

Fun fact about Kara. When she eats spicy food, she gets.

The hiccups every time.

Did you just throw up a little bit? What happened?

Maybe.

Oh.

Today is the first day of the whole trip that we're not eating tacos.

Oh, my mouth is on fire.

I think this might be the very first time I've served twice in one day. I feel so cool.

Wake up.

That was fun, but I own gold. Oh, this water's so warm.

So we really wanted to wash all of the salt and sand off, but we're running low on water, so we've just dipped our loofahs in salt water, added some soap, washed ourselves, and then we'll rinse off with the fresh water in our shower. Can you get clean washing your body with salt water? If you add soap.

This is almost like Ragbrai just freshening up. Hurry. All the soap is drying on my body.

Okay.

You feel clean.

I do.

I think our hack works.

Nate fell asleep at approximately 8:47pm surfing twice in one day really took it out of us.

Good morning. Today is our last day in the van in Mexico, and it just might be our last full day in the van ever. When I had this realization last night, I seriously got so emotional. And Nate and I just laid in bed until we fell Asleep reminiscing about all of the times that good and bad in this van. I just can't believe it. We'll explain everything later, but first I have to deep clean because we are getting two new roommates today.

We've. We've really moved in here more than any other spot on this trip.

I think there's going to be standing here forever. There's so much sand in the bed. So this Mexico road trip was actually a one way journey for us. Nate's parents are on a plane right now to Cabo and they're going to drive our van all the way back to Tennessee for us. If this mess doesn't scare them away as soon as they get here. I'm actually really embarrassed. I know we can be pretty gross and dirty, but you really realize it when you like picture someone else living in here. Like not taking a real shower in over a week. Conserving water by just kind of wiping the pan out instead of actually cleaning it. The list goes on and on.

Ooh. Just gave me the shivers. All right, we're shaping up back here. How's it going in the front?

Oh, gosh. Getting every last drop of it.

You know.

The vacuum just died, Lambie.

Pretty bad. When you can sweep your bed.

Thanks.

No way.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. It took us two hours to get here and an hour and a half of that was on a dirt road.

And it took us 15 minutes to get to the pavement.

This time I've got to air up the tires.

It should be going.

Going.

Last time when we were on the side of the road taking the air out of our tires. And now this time when we're stopped on the side of the road putting air back in. Every local who drove by stopped to see if we needed any help. So sweet.

Okay, now I'm realizing that this is probably.

Our last drive together in this van, just the two of us. I'm feeling all of the feels. As weird as it sounds, I'm happy that we're sitting sad we're ending on.

A good note, the best note.

Pinnacle of van life.

But at the same time, I'm so grateful that international travel is a possibility again after two years. I am so excited for my parents. I have been as excited for them to take this trip as I was for us.

For them to be put in this situation and just forced to figure things out. Like, it really reminds me of our first year of travel. And they deserve this vacation more than anyone in the world.

I'm not sure. That they feel like they're going on vacation. I think they feel like they're helping us. So when they watch this back, they may giggle, but.

But it is.

We may be giving ourselves a little too much credit here.

You're welcome, Christy and James, for changing your life. Hi, Ms. Donkey.

All right. Why am I nervous?

You know, like, if they come and it's not a good time, like, it's our fault.

Should I have gone to that parking lot? We can't fit, so it's an option. I don't think we can drive up.

Oh, this is authorized vehicles only.

A blessing. The van is too tall to park. Cinco minutos.

Wow.

Vip.

Vip.

Cuz I told them we were too.

Tall to go to the parking lot.

Took it so low.

I think it's better if it comes in here.

We don't have much of a trunk.

We definitely don't have room for the suitcase in here. All right, all right.

So exciting. Jim Benitos. Oh.

So thoughtful.

We are very excited y' all are here.

We drove Nate's parents to a secluded beach about an hour north of Cabo and did our best to teach them everything they needed to know about living in our van over the course of a single afternoon.

Daddy didn't even watch the demonstration.

I'm most worried about the electricity and the pee funnel. And I'm most excited about the snack box that's right up there in that top corner that I can reach up in there anytime.

Well, you can be excited about the trip, too.

And the trip that's next.

The whole adventure is what I'm most excited about. And of course, I love nature. I would love to see whales paddle boarding and maybe the turtle release. All that. Most worried about don't want to get sick. And I guess navigating. We got a paper map. We can do it.

This is Karen and I's bed for the night. The van's not built to sleep. Poor people. I hope it doesn't blow down in the middle of the night. Good night.

Good night.

Good night, Daddy.

All right, see you in the morning.

Enjoy your nice, safe home.

Thank you.

This is home for the night. We moved our memory foam mattress from the van to the beach. We're splitting pillows with my parents, so we get one and they get one. I think what I'm most scared of tonight is getting peed on by a stray dog.

Oh, gosh.

Good night.

I don't know how to turn the lights on.

It's the little knob by the side sink.

Oh, gosh.

I'm very excited. The stars are in.

This sounded like a better idea a couple weeks ago when I was planning it. Good night.

Good morning. The plan did not work. Look at this.

It got really windy last night, and the tent would not stay up. So at about 11:30, we woke up, and it was literally just laying on top of our faces. Look how wet it is. My face is frozen. Not a bad place to wake up, though.

So this is where I slept, and everything else is soaking wet. Oh, what a funny night.

Scale of 1 to 10, how'd you sleep?

Maybe like a 3 second half of the night. I didn't wake up as much. I don't think about, like, every 30 minutes for a long time.

Good morning.

Y' all. Get as cold as we did.

We are officially moving out of the van and back into suitcases. This is for sure the end of Baja van life, but is it the end of van life forever? We honestly don't know. What I can tell you at this point is we have no plans to sell the van. But our calendar is also completely full through the month of August, and we have no plans to be back in the van. And most of our plans include being in another country.

You never could have told me I would be this sad to move out of the van and leave the country in a suitcase.

2022 has truly been an incredible grand finale of van life. Between the month we spent in Colorado and the month we spent here in Baja, I think if it weren't for these two months, the van would 100% be sold.

We're never selling it. Night two of our Baja road trip, we joked this might have to be, like, our finale trip. We just might need to retire after this because it doesn't get any better. I was kind of joking when I said it. Like, we were having a great time, but, like, I didn't think it would actually be as good as it was. I'm so sad it's over, but I'm also so happy we're ending on a good note with the van.

You know, we'll see you next week in a new country that we didn't get to by driving.

Why is that so funny?

I spent too much time on my knees on the top floor because somebody kept talking.