Mainland Mexico: a Celebration

[articulate]

We're back! Do I really have to say that we had a wonderful time? ;)
Original thread is here (http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1263).

Facts and figures:

Loaded to 5740 lbs
Average gas mileage - 16.4 mpg
15 days
8 nights in the Eezi-Awn (no camping until after we arrived in Guanajuato)
2 of those in a trailer parks (no kidding!)
2 stormy nights
7 showers in the Paha Que
47 crabs trapped inside the shower tent
3 refills of the water tank
Countless old missions
1 bottle of tequila
6 Negra Modelos
3 Tecates
12 Pacificos
7 bowls of guacamole
1 Presidential election
1 breakfast in a local's home
15 corn tortillas as a gift from another local
33 wrong turns
1 long trek up Espinazo del Diablo (begins at sea level, tops out at nearly 10,000 feet)
1 water fall 1000' tall
1 marriage athriving


I'll add more details as the days go by. Here are a mere few pictures.

Many thanks to everyone, particularly Roseann, for the helpful input!

And - my goodness - all blessings for my wife who, not days into the trip, told me, "You're going to get us a fridge, right?"

http://www.markdstephens.com/mexico/beach_1.jpg

http://www.markdstephens.com/mexico/brooke_1.jpg

http://www.markdstephens.com/mexico/catedral_mazatlan.jpg

http://www.markdstephens.com/mexico/river_1.jpg

http://www.markdstephens.com/mexico/road_1.jpg

http://www.markdstephens.com/mexico/us.jpg

http://www.markdstephens.com/mexico/sunset.jpg

Here's to the good people of ExPo, and 'round the world. I recall a thread once upon a time about "what makes and expedition an expedition?" It really does have little to do with lockers an lifts; it has more to do with people, the land, and learning about how those two work together. More later.

Thanks, again, for being here.
:beer:
Mark

[pskhaat]

Fantastic! Congratulations on everything and hope to hear & see more soon.

[gjackson]

Awesome!! Sounds like you had a fantastic time! And an election to boot!!


It really does have little to do with lockers an lifts; it has more to do with people, the land, and learning about how those two work together.

Nicely put! Now get that fridge!

:clapsmile

cheers

[Scenic WonderRunner]

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! .....Mark

Pics!......we need more pics please!..........:lurk:




.

[LexusAllTerrain]

Welcome back!
More pictures please!!!!

[Scott Brady]

Just awesome :camping:

Can't wait for the stories

[Nullifier]

Sounds like a great trip!

[seth_js]

You and your fancy pics Mark. :p

Sounds like an awesome trip man. Can't wait for the rest.

[Mlachica]

Nice pics! I like the list of facts, pretty cool. I look forward to more pics and stories :camping:

[datrupr]

Wow Mark! Welcome back, sounds like a great trip! Nice pics, and the Fronty is looking good. And good on Brooke for the fridge comment. Soon, you will hear Scott say "With a fridge, a stock Nissan can go just about anywhere in Mexico.":p Even though we all know your Nissan is not stock.:rolleyes:

[Brian McVickers]

Welcome back Mark & Brooke!
Sounds like a great adventure.

The truck looks great, cool rear tailgate!
and the scenery is wonderful, I like the big green valley!

Can't wait to see more!:wavey:

[BajaTaco]

Ahhhh.... MEXICO! :sunny:

Mark, you just made my morning. Love the list, the commentary and the pics. I'm soaking it up like a sponge... great for satisfying my cabin-fever between trips :D

I love the bumper and the tank! :bowdown: Cool to see you have no fear of making holes in your brand-newish truck. The water-filler looks sooo cool :cool:

You two definitely have to get up here this summer so we can all do some fun stuff on the granite and at the lakes. I smell BBQ... and I think u need to deliver something to me :p (thanks again for doing that)... and Scott and I need to inspect your mexican purchase (starts with a "T") ;)

[goodtimes]

Very cool! Bouncing off of rocks (reference to the lift and lockers comment) is alot of fun, but doesn't compare to convincing your wife that you "NEED" that 12v fridge.....

Great teaser pics too! There should be some great campfire stories come out of this trip.

:camping:

[david despain]

I am glad to hear you two had a great trip. i have been anxiously awaiting your return to hear how the truck and awsome mods performed. hopefully we can meet up some day if you make it up north. :waiting for the awsome pics to come!:

[kcowyo]

Sheeeeeeiiiiittttt..................


Original and uniquely modified Frontier
Cool 2 week expedition to Old Mexico
Professional quality photographs
Only 33 wrong turns
Certainly many entertaining tales to come
One wife who "gets it"
Putting it all in perspectiveThe Ambassador may be ready for royal status....:bowdown:

Can't wait to see and read more......:cool: :cool: :cool:

[articulate]

Sheeeeeeeeesh, boys! Thanks for all the cool comments. There are too damn many of them to respond to each, but know that I read them all with big, fatty grin. Thanks. And for the record: I would have never thought about performing the modifications to this truck without having the shoulders of giants (such as you all) to stand upon. This whole adventure - this lifestyle of adventuring - is a communal effort.

Now that I've had some time to think about what I want to share, I'll start here...

Tale #1

How many times would you expect to try to cross back into your own country? At the end of the trip, we sat in line at the border crossing in Nogales not once, not twice, but three times.

A "Fact and Figure" I left out of the first list. 3 attempts to cross the border.

True story. The border guard on my first passing looked at my truck, turned to his apprentice and said, "You know where I'm going with this, don't you?" Cocky little turd.

"So, how much bad news are ready for today?" he asked me.

"What's the problem?"

"Well, where you been in this thing?"

"All over. We went as far as Guanajuato."

"Uh huh. Exactly. I've got bad news for you, buddy. You're going to have to take this back into Mexico. I can't let you come into the U.S. with all that mud on it. You're getting a second chance, though. You been camping?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have any fruits or vegetables? Trash? Dump it. Can't bring it with you."

"Just so I know, what's the problem with the mud? I wasn't aware of that."

"Do you know anything about science?"

"Huh?"

"How about you, ma'am" looking inside the truck at Brooke, "do you know anything about science?"

"Not really" she responded, but the question didn't make any sense to either of us at first. Now we understand his question was not a question, but closer to an insult.

"It's possible that within all of this mud is a little spore that can get into the soil here and cause problems for our trees, and plant life. You're coming from a long distance, and we don't know where the truck has been. You're a danger. You've gotta get it washed off before you come into the country."

That was attempt #1.

My second time through, I put us in the sentry lane like an idiot. The guard at the little booth smirked a little, and simply said, "You guys are in the wrong lane. You've gotta go back through." It appeared he's said that line a thousand times.

On this re-entry into Mexico, a Federale looked directly at me and pointed. "Oh ****," I thought. "We're going to be rejected from both countries now."

I rolled down the window. "Cuantas veces?" he asked me. I told him my troubles. He gave me a thumbs up. I still don't have a clue what he meant by it, but he was laughing.

Final attempt, oddly, was perfectly smooth. The border guards didn't even search us. But the entire process of being rejected, washing the truck, screwing up, and waiting in line again was nearly 5 hours. When you're that close to home, it really wears on you.

Attached is a map of our route. I think of another story to share soon. Something more exemplary of the actual "expeditioning." :)

Be well,
Mark

[Ursidae69]

One wife who "gets it"



Great point K.C., where do I find one of those??? :D

Mark, this is just great, I'm so looking forward to hearing all about this. Regarding the border crossing, I'm actually impressed the a border guard even knew that the mud might have contain exotic species. You probably got the 1 in a 1000 that knew anything about that regulation. Was finding a car wash a PITA?? I'll be driving that route you took down to Los Mochis, I want to take a ferry from there to La Paz when I go to Baja next spring. I'll be taking notes as you get further in your report! :bowdown:

[gjackson]

I think of another story to share soon. Something more exemplary of the actual "expeditioning."

I dunno, the worst experiences usually make the best stories!

cheers

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Just look at what a nice guy you are Mark.........well....I always knew you were!

You see.........

You just saved all of us 5 Hours of trouble!.......:shakin: (well...maybe 4).....:elkgrin:



....great test of the system!:rolleyes:

[Hltoppr]

Fantastic! I'm having withdrawls myself...it's been 5 months since I've been to Mex....:(

-H-

[pskhaat]

Amazing border story!

The country into which I've ever had the hardest time other than St. Vincent was the US. Well more than a decade ago I crossed European borders with nothing more than a wave, walked miles into island jungles to immigration offices where no one was there (Tuesday at 10am, island time), just a sign that read ``Sign Here''.

Yet, had my old FJ40 searched for hours in Lukeville when coming back from Puerto Penasco, had my shoes cut open looking for drugs in IAH from a return from Paris, and was basically asked to initiate a bribe in Miami. Ever come back to the States through Puerto Rico? You'll stand in line for 3-4x as long as any foreign national. I'm not saying it's not nice to have strong borders, but it truly amazes me what we've had to go through to get back into our country.

[LexusAllTerrain]

Sorry to hear about your troubles crossing the border, I guess I have been lucky most of the times I have pass thru Nogales they all seem more interested in talking and asking about my kiddos ( dogs ):) then were I have been!

[DesertRose]

What a great account, Mark - thank you so much for sharing. And you're so right about the true definition of adventure (though the cool trucks and gear sure are fun).

And seriously funny account at the border - though it wasn't funny at the time, I'm sure. :mad:

The only hassles - the ONLY - we've ever had anywhere in any country in the world with border crossings has been coming home from Mexico at the Nogales entry. We ought to start a thread on this subject!

But welcome home and can't wait to see more superb photos and well-written stories.

:beer: :rolleyes:

[Jonathan Hanson]

I remember one obscenely overweight female customs official in Sasabe who kept complaining to her co-worker about the "spics" while searching my Land Cruiser. Lovely. I was so shocked I never got her name and reported her!

Great story and photos, Mark. Looks like your truck is comng together. It's sort of the anti-Christ of Expedition Portal trucks: Nissan and black!

[HongerVenture]

It's sort of the anti-Christ of Expedition Portal trucks: Nissan and black!

HAHAHAH!!!
Thanks for that... there's coffee all over my keyboard! :jump:

And on topic...
Mark, wow, just wow! Your pictures rival your way with words... or is it the other way around? Thanks for sharing tales from your trip to Mexico.

I especially like how you highlighted the "athriving" marriage. My wife and I have definitely enjoyed the time spent alone (but being together) camping and exploring Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and even around Indiana. I'm a somewhat newlywed... 2.5 years... and it gets me excited to hear of other's finding the same joy in marriage that I do.

[ShearPin]

My wife and I did a similar trip in November '04 for our honeymoon. Brings back good memories. Congratulations and thanks for sharing! Any reservtions I may have had regarding marriage disappeared when I looked up from pulling the top off my transmission at a border crossing to see my new wife patiently reading and sipping orange fanta in a camp chair. I know it has been said already but - more pictures....

Ah border stories, no two border crossings are ever the same. My favorite - I crossed in Nogales, San Diego bound, after my flash flood incident in Belize. The seats hadn'd dried and I had a line of scuz across the passenger windshield about 3/4's of the way up marking where the water level reached. Eeyore was covered in over a months worth of dust, mud, and road grim and the front was splattered with bright colored bug remains, each the size of a fist. When I drove up to the border kiosk with my Canadian passport out the window the guy was already laughing and shaking his head. He pointed to inspections and waived me through.

Two inspectors approached looking bored and took my paperwork. One motioned to the back door and gruffly said "open it". I unlocked and swung open the door. He stuck his head in and recoiled quickly "Damn - what's that smell". I proceeded to tell my story and show the line on the windshield. Other bored inspectors were drawn to the commotion and made their way over. One opened the top of a action packer with some odds and ends "there's still and inch of water in the bottom of this one". Another pointed at my Hella H4 replacement headlamp bulbs, half full of water. The mood had improved and there was a lot of laughter. One handed the passport back and said "go on through."

Henry
www.4x4freedom.com

[articulate]

the anti-Christ of Expedition Portal trucks: Nissan and black!
:D someone's gotta do it.


I'm actually impressed the a border guard even knew that the mud might have contain exotic species. You probably got the 1 in a 1000 that knew anything about that regulation. Was finding a car wash a PITA??
The carwash has a story in it's own right. At first I was concerned about finding a carwash, but we happened to spot one in the thick of the chaos that makes up Nogales. For 60 pesos (close to $6 US), the boys scrubbed for a little over 1.5 hours. Vacuumed the inside, armor alled the tires, and so forth. And they only wanted $6.00, so I gave them $12.00.

To go along with ShearPin's story about his border crossing, the boys sprayed watermelon air freshener in the cab - we had taken on a significant expedition odor. :smilies27 You guys know the smell. (BTW Shear, this photo is awesome (http://expeditionportal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2604&d=1152814605))


I'm not saying it's not nice to have strong borders, but it truly amazes me what we've had to go through to get back into our country.
Like DesertRose said, we could have a thread dedicated just to "attempts at coming home." Two years ago I had my Jeep searched with the rubber glove treatment before, and I really didn't find it inconvenient - we got to watch a dog tear into the seats of an Oldsmobile and locate some "treats." That was interesting. Brooke was bothered by them rifling through her dirty laundry, though. But when they were done, the one guard smiled at us and said, "Welcome home guys." I thanked her for that. I suppose some guards "enjoy" saying rude things or being covertly insulting. Sometimes a trip to the grocery store goes the same way. Know what I mean?

I'll come up with a few more pictures....sorry for the delay. I'm going bonkers getting back into the swing of things.

[Boston Mangler]

Very Cool Mark!

Only one question, does Brooke have a sister? :D

Also, PM me on the fridge, i may be selling mine for a bigger unit

Thanks

[DesertRose]

I especially like how you highlighted the "athriving" marriage. My wife and I have definitely enjoyed the time spent alone (but being together) camping and exploring Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and even around Indiana. I'm a somewhat newlywed... 2.5 years... and it gets me excited to hear of other's finding the same joy in marriage that I do.

Nice to read these sentiments, too - many of the, um, less-enlightened forums involving 4x4s have too much negativity toward "The Wife" who won't let them do what they want, lots of complaining, etc. Sad.

Jonathan (the one with the creative forum nickname: Jonathan Hanson) and I are 22 years into our marriage - and we're still each others' favorite expedition partners. Best test was last summer: a really tough 14-day safari we organized and lead (each of us drove a Land Cruiser troopie) through the backcountry of northern Tanzania, leading 10 other people, and everything - I mean e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g - that could go wrong did. Most couples would have taken it out on each other but we just got stronger and closer. Not one single snipe or gripe. Very cool indeed.

So maybe the key to a great marriage is frequent expeditions!:archaeolo

Certainly if you don't kill each other during the first one, each subsequent one will make you even stronger. :)

[bh4rnnr]

Sounds like you had a good time. Glad you guys made it back o.k. Looking forward to the pics:beer:

[Scott Brady]

foreign soil deposit is a hot new issue with tread lightly. Noxious weeds, foreign species etc.

So, I now have a cleaning process when I get back from a trip. A good thing to do anyways, as I clean the truck, organize and replenish gear, fill the tanks and am ready to go.

[articulate]

Very Cool Mark!

Only one question, does Brooke have a sister?

Also, PM me on the fridge, i may be selling mine for a bigger unit

Thanks
She has a sister, a mother, a father, some aunts and uncles, a bunch of cousins...why do you ask? Do you take interest in geneology? (:ylsmoke:)

I've been the target of several fridge offers since my post. It looks like it's a buyers market!


So maybe the key to a great marriage is frequent expeditions!
A sex joke would go here very well. But I don't have the guts to type it up. You sick-minded people can make one up. You pure-minded people are probably on your way to find another thread to read.

[articulate]

Glad you guys made it back o.k. Looking forward to the pics
I have a confession: I'v been drinking tonight, and it's after midnight.

Tale #2
Yes, we made it back OK. Better than OK.

Except for one day in El Fuerte...

First Spanish lesson:

Abarrotes = junk food store
Deposito = beer store


I drove through town on the way out on a Monday morning. An abarrotes shop appeared on a corner, and I went in to look for some tortillas. The lady running the place had some flour tortillas, thankfully, because Brooke wanted a change of pace from the corn. I came out to the truck, tossed the tortillas at her while saying, "Look what I found!"

I walked around the backside of the truck, got in, and started to back up.

Crash.

Yes, crash. Breaking glass. Then a scream.

I checked my mirrors but didn't see anything. Oh, God. Did I hit a kid on a bike?. I got out. Saw an oldsmobile. SOB pulled into position at precisely the perfect and wrong time, and perfectly out of view. I was parked on a corner and was backing up 14" to pull forward into traffic after being parked behind a big ol' truck. The old man tried to park a 12' long car in a 3' spot: standard Mexico parking. He also managed to put the vehicle there in the precise moment between me getting in and engaging the transmission. And I hit him.

I wanted to explain to him that he brought it on himself. Then it also ocurred to me that I'm a guest in this country, and I don't know squat. We looked at the damage: Broken headlight, broken grill, fiberglass damage, scraped bumper. I sucked it up, and he agreed to $250 US.



Anyone else do something like this in a foreign country? It is definately un-fun. The antithesis of fun. Anti fun.

[ChuckB]

And - my goodness - all blessings for my wife who, not days into the trip, told me, "You're going to get us a fridge, right?"


I don't know how I missed this thread... As has already been said, that looks like an awesome trip. Border crossing story was great!!!

The quote from your wife is classic. My wife told me on the phone the other day that I "have to" get bumpers and a snorkle, I think I'm not far behind you!! :luxhello:

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Mark........

As much as it sucks!

I think you did the right thing.

I agree with you that even though you backed into him.....it's really his fault and he caused this by creating a Hazard!

Unfortunately you lost from the beginning because you are an American with "Money"....!

Here's an idea!

Next time tell them you will trade for what you owe!

Tell them you are a professional photographer.......!

.....and you will take $250 dollars worth of "Family Photos"......American Style!!!!!!!!:D ........;)

Be more creative Dude!!!!!!......I know you have it in you!......hehe:shakin:

but seriously.........great story for all of us to learn from!

Thanks for sharing and being honest Mark D. Stephens!!!!!!!!!!!:bowdown:

[LexusAllTerrain]

Just a quick note

in Mexico-----You are GUILTY untill you are proven inocent!

so Mark you handle it very good! If they would have called the police, you would be in a nightmare at this time!

[Frankspinz]

...forums involving 4x4s have too much negativity toward "The Wife" who won't let them do what they want, lots of complaining, etc. Sad.
...
So maybe the key to a great marriage is frequent expeditions!:archaeolo
...

No negativity & no complaining from me. I go on expeditions & she goes golfing ! http://smileys.sur-la-toile.com/repository/Grands_Smileys/3d-amoureux-content.gif

[RMP&O]

Anyone else do something like this in a foreign country? It is definately un-fun. The antithesis of fun. Anti fun.

Yeah...San Salvador, El Salvador. The other car looked much worse than your accident and it only cost us $250 more!

http://www.rmp-o.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=7974&g2_serialNumber=2

YouTube- Ultimate Road Trip: San Salvador, El Salvador accident


I was just happy to be driving away with pretty much no damage to my truck. This could have been the end of my trip had things happened a little different....