January 2026

Oregon to Baja, with Death Valley in Between

The year started off pretty rough with a severely disappointing trip to the Swickard Mercedes dealership in Wilsonville, OR.  Right after Christmas we realized that the CV boot replacement we had done at the Swickard Anchorage Mercedes dealership back in September 2025 was not done properly. The clamps were misaligned and grease was coming out of the boot. We were able to get an appointment in Wilsonville, OR, but after waiting there all day we were told that the Sprinter tech wasn't able to get the clamps on and that we would need to replace both axles. Keep in mind that we paid $3,100 for these services in Anchorage and the service originally was supposed to be under warranty. When we got our van back the evening of Friday, January 2nd, we noticed clamps were missing and in lieu of clamps the tech had used zip ties. In addition, there was a puncture in one of the CV boots. We received our van back in worse condition than when we had brought it in. We emailed and called the Wilsonville dealership but to no avail. 

Although this was an incredibly stressful situation, our spirits were lifted by the hospitality and kindheartedness of our hosts at our Boondockers Welcome location in Hubbard, OR. They provided hazelnut sticky buns and words of support. As we made way to Death Valley in California, we stopped at several auto parts stores so Josh could procure grease and clamps to tend to our CV boots. He was able to get the clamps to stay, but we determined that ultimately we will need to get the axles replaced to ensure the CV boots and clamps are fitted properly. 

We made it to Death Valley on the evening of Sunday, January 4th. We pulled into Stovepipe Wells Campground and walked around the area. There was a neat general store that had a lot of merchandise, and the campground, although a large dirt lot, was comfortable and quiet. We boondocked in the park at two locations - Echo Canyon and Hole in the Wall Road. We appreciated how spaced out the spots were and that it was only $10 for a permit to camp in primitive areas.  Death Valley is the largest national park in the contiguous United States. While we were there large parts of the park were closed due to flooding. We enjoyed all that we were able to see and do, and appreciated how comfortable the weather was. During the summer months it's not uncommon for it to be 100 degrees F after midnight! 

Baja was calling to us so we left Death Valley and made way for Palm Springs and the Salton Sea. We boondocked on our way down towards the border, and stayed one night at Bombay Beach, CA. It was a quirky area with lots of sculptures on the beach and plenty of other boondockers. Our final night before crossing into Mexico was spent at the abandoned Holtville Airport, which is where we stayed last year too. It's a tried and true spot for us, and we like it since there's a lot of privacy. We can work on the van where we have space and a level surface. 

We were able to cross at the Mexicali East border with any incident. One person inspected our van but that only took a couple of minutes. He was friendly and said that Lucky was beautiful. Our first stay in Baja was at Rancho Grande, Bahia de Gonzaga. Lucky was overjoyed to be back at a beach. We spent three nights there before moving on to some of our other favorite spots like San Ignacio, Playa Requeson, and Agua Verde. We spent about a week each at Playa Requeson and Agua Verde. We get spoiled at Playa Requeson since vendors come each day with fresh food and seafood. Agua Verde is remote and harder to get to, and we love the tranquility and scenery there. We made a lot of new friends on our journey and we're looking forward to staying in touch with them and meeting up with them down the road.