Earplugs are the best! Still work up early but not from the rooster. It rained until about 8 this morning and we took the opportunity to sleep in. It was also super fun to watch the clouds from bed. 

We had coffee In the van because of the wind and rain but that did not stop Annabelle from getting cozy. 

I made some quesadillas for breakfast. I think I have been eating quesadillas 3 meals a day this whole week. 

Annabelle got some super fun play time in with the neighbor dogs this morning! She was very pooped and happy to have a long nap after. 

I was planning to move south tomorrow so I had to fix a few things on the van. One of my light boxes has been flapping while I drive so I added some screws. I also had to do some adjustments to my surfboard rack. But now everything is ready to rock. 

I made a good list for the store and headed off to stock up for my trip south. 

My van was still clicking and was giving off some hot smells… this is not good because there is not much south for the next two days so I want to ensure I won’t get stranded. 

I did my shopping and landed at a very western bar for a margarita. I sat outside and Annabelle enjoyed getting some pets! Most of the locals are not thrilled about a big dog that wants so say hi. So the westerners gave her all the love.

Our neighbors in our camp have a dog as well and they LOVE Annabelle which makes me happy. She always gets some love and attention when they come outside. The woman is British and her husband is from California. They are so sweet and I really enjoy their company. 

The wind is super bad tonight so we are hunkered down inside for dinner and some pod casts. 

Today I woke up at 6:15 to the rooster crowing next door… I need some earplugs. 

I joined Lindsey and Conner in the hammocks for coffee and the sunrise. My biggest goal for today is to not leave camp and relax. I also needed to get Annabelle some training time in as she has been cooped up for a few days. So we did just that.

Lindsey, Conner and Peo all headed south and I was just left with another couple. Relaxation engage. 

I read a little, made lunch and had a few beers. All in my hammock of course. I chatted with the full time travelers next door and we enjoyed a fire with all the neighbors.

It was great to be able to ask questions like border crossing things and how the military checkpoints have been going. We all agreed they kinda don’t care and I totally should have brought more Costco food in with me!!

Annabelle got training in today but I’m not confident with her off leash yet. It was a struggle today but I’m still hopeful for tomorrow. Also we found sea glass! Not all over the place but there is some of you look! So I have of course been collecting.

Waking up so early means also headed to bed by 8:15…. but I did some water colors and dragged out bedtime a little. 

We woke up this morning and headed to Winco for some last minute things. You would think I had already picked up every last minute thing ever but alas I still have a list.

Fly strips were recommended to me and I bought a ton! More dog treats and ice. 

We got back on the freeway and south we went. I pulled off right before the border to grab gas, Butane and exchange some money. 

Then we crossed! Being a big van we had to be inspected. The border patrol spoke very little English and I speak almost zero Spanish. He asked what Annabelle’s name is and checked a few drawers. He was more confused about why I was by myself than anything. 

They waved me on. I asked for a forma imagration and in our broken spanish and english it was decided I pull off and park and walk into the office. I did this and got my form. The officer again was confused why I was alone. 

Off we went! Following signs for San Felipe! My google maps said it was offline (someone forgot to turn data roaming on) #thanksdad. So good thing there were lots of signs and I had my ioverlander app maps to go off of. I drove straight to San Felipe. It was a two lane road that was much longer than I wanted it to be.

One military checkpoint. They opened the same drawers and looked at the same things as the border… Strange. Also asked Annabelle’s name.

I rolled into San Felipe and stopped at the Calimax for some groceries and beer. I needed a few beers after yesterday and 5 days in the van on the road. 

Got some avocados, limes and cheese, Modelo and juice. Then I headed to Camp Turistico #1. I found this camp spot on my ioverlander and my friends Lindsey and Conner happened to be in San Felipe and staying there tonight! 

I rolled up, cracked a beer and was happy to see some familiar faces! I talked to the owner and paid up for 4 days. I wanted nothing to do with driving and Annabelle was needing some routine. $18 USD per night wasn’t bad for hot showers, clean bathrooms, wifi and beachfront palapas. It is also pretty quiet as we are on the north side of town with a big hill in between.

We also met another neighbor Peo. He is from Quebec and traveling in his van as well. He purchased his van from someone in California that had renovated it. I was pretty proud that I did all the work on mine myself, well myself my dad and my brother. 

The four of us had some tequila as celebration and then headed into town. 

Peo needed to go to town as did I for cash. So I left the van and hopped in with him. Plans to meet back with Lindsey and Conner for dinner in town. 

We went to autozone for some oil for Peo’s van and then the store so I could hit the ATM. I was very impressed by everyone’s Spanish and know I need to work on mine. But I was able to order my own dinner so it’s a start! 

We walked the Malecon (promenade) with some beers and watched the sunset.

Then Lindsey and Conner took us to their favorite taco place. We had amazing tacos and they came with a huge board of toppings. Surprisingly my favorite taco was the intestine.

We loaded up and met back at the camp. Tequila and vodka by twinkle light.

We got up this morning and as we were descending into San Bernadino I had an additional warning light come on in the van. Well shit. I guess this means I should actually do something about it now. I drove to the Dodge dealer and they let me know that I was not their priority and they couldn’t get me in for a month. Cool thanks bro. Then I headed to Eddy’s auto repair. I explained my situation and they said to come back at 11 and let them diagnose. 

When I returned they got working right away and yep I needed my pressure sensor replaced. Come back in 4 hours when its done.

They said they would drive me to the Denny’s not too far away and I could wait there. As a server that makes me cringe but for a 24 hour Denny’s I didn’t think I would be the only one waiting around.

There was a YMCA across the street and I asked for a day pass and she said she could give me a 7 day pass and it was free. So I got a shower and headed to Denny’s. 

Reliving my hiker trash days with bumming showers and wifi from everywhere I went. 

Turns out Denny’s serves mimosas so of course that’s where I started followed by a Gluten free english muffin and a chocolate milkshake.

I finished up and took a Lyft back to the shop. They said everything was going well and offered to have me get Annabelle out for a walk.

Annabelle and I hung out in the waiting room for many hours. The Owner came in about an hour to closing and said they replaced the part but there was a clicking noise and it sounded like the part failed already. So they needed to replace it again. They offered to put me up for the night if they couldn’t get it done by closing.

I really just want to stay in my own bed with my own things. Luckily they all worked very hard and fast and I was on my way at 5pm.

Bringing a dog into Mexico you need a certificate of health from a vet within ten days of departure. Well since Annabelle was in training we zoomed to the nearest vet and begged to get us in. Our experience was awful. They took Annabelle in the back to examine even after I asked to just have the vet look at her while I was there. Annabelle came back in a panic and was super upset. We then waited an hour and a half for the vet to draft up the wrong form and ask a million questions through his assistants and never actually met me until he gave me the paperwork at the end. Jerk.

The second I started my car in the parking lot, there was a clicking noise…. Immediate tears.

I called Julia and vented and cried and she was such a trooper listening about my awful day. 

I called my dad and also just cried. Thanks for always being there Daddy. Started the car back up and no clicking… Decided to just keep on our way and not try and stay another night in this town. 

We hit the road, costco dog food and ice cream in hand. We decided to pull off at a casino and park for free. It was pretty loud with the freeway close by but a secure free place to stay is always nice. Nice encouraging texts from my Mom were a good way to end a terrible day. Thanks Mommy.  

Embarking on such adventures that I do, I would like to think I am independent and don’t need help from others. But today I was at the mercy of so many people and had fantastic support from my parents and Julia.

Finished my night with some peppermint hot chocolate in bed.

Tomorrow Mexico… Hopefully. 

We woke up to a buzzing truck stop. Most trucks had left including the one right next to me… I am a hard sleeper luckily. We headed off for a long day of driving. Not super sure where we were going to end up but south. 

I started Mindy Kealing’s book Why Not Me? And finished it before the sunset. 

My route changed a few times over the day as I decided what my plan was. It was super challenging to have to pull off to do any research. I need a co-pilot that has thumbs. 

With some help from my phone a dad, I was able to make a plan to head towards San Bernardino to swap out Annabelle’s E-Coller. Needing a bigger one for her and this was the last Amazon box that I could have it delivered to over night. 

I really enjoyed when I switched up my destination and got to skirt the country roads instead of fighting LA traffic. It was really boring for a while but then got to be gorgeous. Especially with the amazing sunset. Annabelle enjoyed sniffing around before being loaded back up.

She has been a trooper the last few days. I plan to get to Mexico and find a good spot to rest for a few days. We both need some sunshine and adventure.

I didn’t really have a specific destination in San Bernardino and when I came into the city with traffic and tons of people on the road I was a little overwhelmed. After getting gas I was really ready to get out of there. It was not a great part of town and I just had some bad feelings. 

Decided to go back 30 minutes the way I came and pull off in the forest service land. I knew it was legal and away from people.

Finally made it. No cell service here which is not surprising but the first night I have been without. Catching up on my blog and might even read before I pass out. Annabelle is currently snoring. It’s funny how my van is set up in that she has the bottom bunk and I have the top. I love this girl. 

Last night we had a great quiet night at the rest stop south of town.

We woke up to a 28 degree morning. Seeing my breath I put on all the layers and immediately started the car to thaw the icey windshield. Give me some warm weather.

Running Annabelle is making me get creative as we don’t always have a park. So the parking lot dirt worked okay.

No luck at the mechanic. After occupying myself for a couple hours I was called back to find that I had some rust issues on some important bolts. No luck in getting my check engine light fixed today. I had them sew it all back up and off I headed.

Shortly after leaving I had to go back because of a loud hissing noise. Turns out they didn’t get a hose on tight enough. Back on the road. 

I hate driving… Which is surprising since I bought a van to travel in. But I hate it and tried to drown out my day with podcasts and audiobooks. I am always blowing through them so fast and need more recommendations if you have any. Latest favorite podcast is “The Cut on Tuesdays” It is amazing and all about women.

We stopped a few times so Annabelle could play/train and we went from a 28 degree morning to 75 and sunny! I lost a few layers and broke out the sandals!

I read about a truck stop that might allow overnight parking for vans. Pulled in and asked just to be sure. I was told yea no problem and found a spot behind the building with 100 big rigs. 

There was a fenced in dog run at this place… There bathrooms were amazingly clean and everything was very well kept. It was not how I would have pictured a truck stop. 

Made some dinner and tested my hand at some watercoloring. Retired life requires crafts! Julia (The Girlfriend) offered her watercolors for me to take to Baja and my Mom did the same! I have not done any watercoloring for over a decade and it showed.

It was actually warm so I had to open some windows and turn on my fan for some air flow. What a concept after freezing for a few nights. 

Annabelle and I had a great night on some Forrest Service land. We had a view of the sisters and got to practice some recall! It was pretty chilly but we both got bundled up and I had enough phone service to watch the two most recent episodes of Greys Anatomy so that was a win.

This morning we had coffee, Annabelle relaxed in her “place” command in the van on her bed. It was tight quarters but it was nice to allow me some time to make lists for the day and plan our afternoon.

I called around for a mechanic in Bend to look at my Check engine light that has been on and bothering me now for a few weeks… woops. No one was available so I called down to Kalamath Falls and was able to make an appointment.

We headed back to Flash Dog Training for our final lesson. I had compiled a list of questions this morning that needed to be answered. I was having a hard time getting her into her crate and she was testing me all night and morning to see if she was the boss or me. I have never said no to a dog before. This kind of training was always ingrained into me as bad for some reason. All positive all the time did not work for us.

Kerry (Trainer) and I decided I needed to practice in the mirror. =P

I got all my questions answered and we practiced some tough recall circumstances. I am excited to bond with Annabelle over the next few weeks with the understanding that she is no longer the boss.

We drove to Kalamath Falls and I rolled into the mechanic to see what was up. They couldnt fit the repair in this evening so tomorrow first thing we will be there. Having work done on your home is very weird as we will have to vacate and go somewhere for the two hours they need it.

Guess we will get some exercise in!

Not a great place to stay in this area. There isnt any good forrest land or BLM Land so we scoped out a really nice rest stop south of town.

In Oregon you can stay at a rest stop for 12 hours. California its only 8. So we decided to head to a park to do some practicing.

Annabelle did great and we were able to load up into the van multiple times with no issue.

She got to watch a whole bunch of little kids walk by here on her place and was a dream! I already am able to give her so much more freedom with the ability to call her back!

Well I am driving to Baja Mexico. Today. Kinda.

I have been building a van over the past 6 months to be able to camp in. I have been camping in it with Annabelle a lot over the last few months and now we are taking it for a two month road trip down to the Baja Peninsula.

My van has a bed, running water no bathroom.

Today we start. I picked up Annabelle today from a 3 week training at Flash Dog Training in Bend, OR. She was starting to have horrible recall, barking at other dogs on leash and pulling a ton.

Flash Dog Training took her in for 3 weeks to teach her correct behavior and train her on an E-coller.

That girl worked so hard and now it is my turn. I am nervous that I will do it wrong, that I will correct her wrong or I will be to lenient. I need to concur these fears and remember she has just put in the work. She is ready. And so am I!

We have some homework to practice tonight and one more training session tomorrow then we head south from Bend. The plan is to head south pretty fast to exit the US and get into the land of sunshine and not freezing weather in our van without heat.

I am at a bar having a beer after the stress building up to today. I am going to plan our camp spot for tonight and hit up a store for some last minute training needs! ALL THE TREATS.

Abi & Annabelle

After returning from the PCT in 2017 I went back to work, lost my dog Harlem, suffered from severe anxiety, left work, sold my house and went to Iceland, Portugal and London.

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Upon returning, I found myself at the Oregon Coast.

 I moved into a tiny cottage on the river and settled in for winter.

I worked at a Boutique hotel until spring. At which time I decided to follow the money and transfer to the brewery with the same owners and make the summer tips. I was able to save up to take off most of October, November and December! Here we are, beginning of November and I can’t wait to start blogging again about what has happened and what is to become over the next two months.

As I prepare to take some more time off, I thought it might be time to reboot my blogging adventures. I have had many family members and friends very interested in hearing more about my travels lately so here we are!

In 2017 I took some time off to hike 1600 miles on the PCT. I blogged a ton while I was on the trail and you can check that out here. More to come on what I have been up to since then! And my next adventure!

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