My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I'll just post some random pictures from my walks thru Slab City.....





I had read that there was no law enforcement in Slab City but on my second day here I saw the sheriff patrolling the streets.....



There are several pet cemeteries.....





Day 3 was also New Years Eve and there was a big event at The Range. Live bands and drinks all night. Tons of people showed up and I got an invitation to attend with some of the guys that I'd met earlier. It was a great time. The weather turned bad and I turned in early.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Day 4 Slab City: I spent most of the day on long walks around the city and hiking a bit with the dogs in some sand dunes that I discovered nearby. By now I was in my third campsite and this is without a doubt the best yet. It's quieter and cleaner here than most places that I've found.....



In the afternoon I met another guy while I was out walking. He's here with a group of people traveling in an old school bus and a homemade truck camper. Certainly an interesting bunch of people and not a group that I'd normally be hanging with. But with my mind open, I have to admit that I'm enjoying their company.....

Last night I saw these guys pulling this trailer out of Slab City. What a scary sight ! The sidewalls on the tires were completely dry rotted.....



Some pretty cool graffiti on the old water tanks.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Day 5 Part 1 Slab City: Woke up to a beautiful sunrise.....



After a few cups of coffee the dogs and I headed out for a walk. We crossed paths with one of the guys from the school bus and he asked if I'd been to East Jesus yet ? Well, I hadn't and actually had no idea what it was. So we walked to East Jesus which is a gallery of very unusual art works. We walked right past it and headed for a friend's place. I thought what a great opportunity!



This guy has lived in Slab City for years and was an interesting old guy. I had a blast visiting with him and several of his lady friends. We also stopped by another friend's place but nobody was home.....



Later on in the day I went back to East Jesus to enjoy the art.....

 

[bald.eagle]

Jerry, thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with this thread. I spent the better part of the afternoon reading the second half (I read the first few pages then jumped to 50, I have focus issues!). Your willingness to go as the road leads is inspiring.

I look forward to the day when I can hit the road as you do. Never been out west, or up north (aside from a year in IL for my Navy training), so my experience of this country is quite limited. I've had brief international travel thanks to Uncle Sam and his big gray cruise ships, but those stops weren't the best ways to enjoy a new country.

I hope your truck fares you well and the gremlins are kept at bay. Your dogs look like great companions for the road. Safe travels.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Thank you Derek.....it's really, really a wonderful lifestyle. This past week has taught me a lot, and reminded of many of the things that already I knew but clearly had forgotten. Traveling with an open mind is such an important part of the experience. Anyhow it's great that you're enjoying it cause it can be quite a bit of work at times (such as when an entire post mysteriously disappears in space.....multiple times).....

Day 5 Part 2 Slab City.....so in the evening I headed over to the bus people to help them with a jump start with my battery cables.....





They had big plans to blow up a van that night and asked if I'd like to come along. Well of course I wanted to do that so that's where I was last night. Apparently a girl's van engine had seized up and they decided that this was the best option. So they towed it to Jack's place (I'd been there earlier in the day) and set it on fire.....









I went to bed last night thinking that maybe it's time to hit the road.....

 

[longhorn1]

Jerry, glad to see things are going well. Happy New Year and Safe Travels. jd

 

[jrod420]

Jerry, wonderful thread. I have read the whole shooting match this week. My friends Bigfoot made your thread, the neato 4x4. Really appreciate the time you have taken here, just awesome. I describe your thread to the missus and my interest in it. I think she can see some distant plans forming behind my eyes, she is good at that godbless her. I like that your personal life and thoughts make it into your journey. It keeps things very real. I like that you are not scared of people. Sometimes the most wonderful people are the weird or without, as these people live life for the living! Your open mindedness is respectable. I also am a truck camper fella except I had to trade the jeep for a couple atv's as the missus doesn't agree with the off-camber jeep trails in the jeep, she is ok with the atv's....

Anyway, don't mean to get sidetracked. Keep it up, great read.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Thanks JD.....

Hey Jrod420.....real nice post and thanks for the positive feedback. Truck campers are perfect for this lifestyle. Good luck getting on the road one day.....

This morning I'm posting from an RV resort park. After leaving Slab City, I picked up an intestinal bug and have been pretty sick. I made it to a Walmart in El Centro and hung out there until I was finally able to move again. I didn't go far but sometimes you just need a few luxuries. For $25 per night I've got a nice hot tub, heated pool and showers. Honestly I was needing it pretty bad. So now I'm hanging out here until this bug makes its way through my system.....

Here's a few pictures from the past few days.....

The aftermath of the explosion......



Saw this one at Walmart. Amazing what people will put on the road.....



Happy hour at the RV resort. I swear I never thought I'd be in one of these places. I counted 15 golf carts.....



My plan was to cross into Mexico but if you're staying current on world affairs you know that there's lots of unrest there due to an increase in fuel costs. Now I'm reconsidering and am not sure what's next for us.....

 

[justBill]

Thank you, Jerry for taking us along!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

"I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center."

Kurt Vonnegut

No problem justBill.....

Another day sick at the RV resort. Just posting out of sheer boredom at this point. Each morning I awake hoping that this bug has passed but no luck again. I have self diagnosed it as "viral gastroenteritis". It's looking like I'll be here for at least one more night. If there's a bright side to all of this, it's that's I've lost ten pounds in one week. That being said, I didn't really need to lose that much weight. I'm calling it the "Slab City Diet".....I should have been more careful. Still watching how things are playing out south of the border.....

My little spot on earth.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

So I finally had that morning that I've been dreaming of.....waking up and feeling nearly normal again. I was so ready to leave that place. Not that it was a bad place.....it just wasn't a place that fit me......

It was such a contrast from Slab City. Slab City was dirty, ugly, and most of the residents had little. The RV resort was the complete opposite. And I can say the same for the people. The people in Slab City were very open and giving.....I was offered weed and booze on more than one occasion (I do neither). People invited me into their lives. It was the opposite at the RV resort. There the residents waved and hurried by. One fella stopped to chat but it became obvious that his goal was to tell me that my rig was overweight. An ancient woman stepped out of her trailer and screamed at me because my dogs had stepped on the golf course (they didn't). So yea, it was great to get on the road again.....

Now I had mentioned that my plan was Mexico but I'm hesitant with all the turmoil that's happening there right now. I decided that I would head down to the border and check things out. So yesterday we arrived in Calexico, a town just across the border from Mexicali. It's been quite an eye opener for me.....



Border Patrol is everywhere here.....and I mean everywhere.....



I took some time to chat with some them. What an interesting life they live at times. And they were extremely helpful with the advice. The current wall stretches as far as the eye can see. They tell me that Mexicans are constantly jumping it, day or night.....





It's time to explore a bit.....

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

I just came back from a trip to BAJA, in November. The Border patrol folks were a great resource, and friendly. Going in I crossed at Tecate, and when leaving I crossed in Mexacali. In the future I will stick to the small crossings. ( tecate) Have fun, Ive only had good experiences there. My Brother and sister in law are currently down in Southern Baja. We all have trucks like yours but gasser, and are well versed in working and trouble shooting them. He is also a member of this forum, and currently working down to Argentina, ill attach their blog. I know you would be welcome to meet up with them if you liked.

http://runningfrommonday.com/

Thank you for keeping us all updated.

Safe Travels

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Thanks PNW yetti.....

Day One Mexicali.....there's a shopping mall close by the border crossing and it was here that I spoke with the border guards the day before. They suggested I leave my rig there while I explored Mexicali and they'd keep an eye on it and the dogs for me. Great guys ! So I walked across the border, no check points, no request for an ID, nothing.....it appears that anyone can enter Mexico!?! And so there I was.....



I didn't really have a plan for the day.....just walk and walk and walk. And that's what I did. I walked 14 miles around the northern part of Mexicali. I had a blast exploring the highways, the secondary roads, and even the alleys at times. I was curious how I'd feel there, and I felt fine. I have quite a bit of experience traveling in third world countries but with all I've read about the drug cartels and crime, I thought I'd be spooked. I wasn't.....

I also wanted to check out the gas situation in Mexico for myself. It wasn't good. I passed 6 Pemex stations and all were closed. Last night the gas lines in Calexico were long at many stations and I heard that one had run out. Just guessing, but 75% of the vehicles are from Mexico. Not so good for me.....







I saw one group of peaceful protesters at a government office.....



Off to explore.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Day Two Mexicali.....so I really had no plans once again but as I strolled the streets of Mexicali with nothing on the agenda, I decided that I may as well drop in and get a shave and a haircut. I think I may have picked the perfect little barber shop. I had some excellent conversations with the patrons and my barber. After nearly an hour in the chair, my barber asked if I'd like join him for lunch at one of his favorite spots. You know me.....I said of course.....

My barber.....



Check out the guy in the background as he becomes a part of the photography. What's with these guys and the fingers.....



The joint.....



The food was good, the first time I ate meat in nearly a year.....didn't know how to get out of that one so when in Rome, do as the Romans. After lunch the barber returned to work but first asked if I'd like to hang out later and walk around Mexicali at night (yikes ! Serious ?). Well, like I said, you know me, I said of course. So we parted ways with plans to meet at the border.

The typical street vendor.....



And another protest near the border crossing.....



The streets of Mexicali at night.....





And dinner with my new friend at another one of his hangouts. I passed on dinner.....I'm still nursing the stomach so I was being careful.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Day Three Mexicali.....so this was my third and last day of wandering the streets of Mexicali. Once again, I had no plans other than continuing my success of not being kidnapped, ransomed, and having my head cut off. I'd been doing some internet searches on things to do in Mexicali but not much came up. So I walked.....





Trip Advisor said to check out Plaza la Cachanilla, which is the largest and highest rated mall in town. It was within walking distance so off I went. As far as malls go, this one was not much different from anything that I've seen in the U.S., so it was mostly a waste of time.....





Just outside of the mall limits, I saw people living on the streets and in shanty's such as this. It seems as though in the U.S. we do a better job of separating the haves from the have nots.....



I spent my last night in Calexico once again camped on the street next to a mall. It's fair to say it's a safe place as you can see.....



Yesterday the weather got bad.....cold, windy, and rain. I decided to drive north, stopped at a Walmart for grub, saw two of these rigs.....



And thankfully woke up this morning to clear skies.....