Baja Bound
© Suzanne Wade
I've always had this dream of buying a Volkswagen van and traveling through Mexico. Specifically, I wanted to drive from Central Washington down the Mexican Baja. Maybe I read it in a book, or saw a movie, but it seemed like a wonderful way to travel. Randy and I had been dating about two months when the subject came up. He thought it would be a great adventure, and we began an exhaustive search for the perfect van. We checked Seattle newspapers, the Internet and drove up to Yakima Washington a couple of times, but we were usually disappointed with the condition of the vehicles.
Of course, when something is meant to be, it usually falls into your lap in the most unlikely way. I was shopping at our local grocery store and noticed a Westphalia Volkswagen van parked across the street with a for sale sign on it. We called right away, and that evening, the owner showed us the van. It needed some work, but the paint was good, and there was very little rust. As luck would have it, when we tried to start the van, it refused to turn over. The owner tried also, and was embarrassed when he couldn't quite get it. My husband, who fixes cars as a hobby, felt it was just an ignition problem and when we went back he following day, we got it started. This was a good sign. The hard part was done, now we could plan the fun part--fixing up the van and planning the route of our trip.
We tentatively planned on leaving the last week of July, and to continue traveling through the first couple of weeks in August. I recovered the torn seats and spruced up the inside, while Randy busied himself with the mechanical portion of the overhaul. Satisfied by mid-July with our accomplishments, we began stocking the van with the supplies we would need for the trip at hand. Food, first aid supplies, all the fun camping, rock climbing, and snorkeling gear we could think of, as well as basic cooking staples and games. Looking back, we did a great job of figuring our everything we'd need. Laundry was our only downfall, and I wish I had read Steinbeck's Travels With Charley beforehand. He would put his laundry in covered containers with soap and water. The motion of the vehicle provided the agitation necessary for cleaning the clothing.
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