Mexico, you gotta go. NAFTA Reflections

The last stop was a brief jaunt into Mexico before heading home. We considered skipping the stop because it would tack on several hours, and we knew the traffic coming back into the states is always terrible. But it wouldn't be NAFTA if we didn't visit Mexico, so we heroically ventured south. We crossed the border from El Paso into Juarez. We did get stopped for a random search going into Mexico. I'm really glad Aaron spoke Spanish. The agent asked us "what is all of this stuff in your trunk" and we were able to say "lots and lots of camping gear." We followed Yelp reviews to Taco Tote for lunch. Many, many tacos were eaten. There was an employee in the parking lot that was over the top helpful with helping us park, and appearing out of nowhere with a trash can when he noticed that I was changing a diaper. We had no idea what the conversion rate to pesos was, but assumed we were getting some incredible deal. We were a bit disappointed to find out that the meal was like $30- about the same as the two family platters would have cost in the states. 

Team Taco Tote.

A vendor walking between lines of stopped traffic right next to a "no vendors" sign. It took about 1.5 hours of baking in miserable stand still traffic to get back to the US.

And then we drove home!

This vacation was unique in so many ways. We were truly nomadic for over 2 weeks. We really got into the swing of waking up in a new place (almost) every day. Living out of a van is also a great way to realize how few material things we really need. This was especially true for Elliot. He didn't miss his toys at all. In fact, Elliot was probably the biggest fan of the road trip. He told us repeatedly that he wanted to stay on the road trip for "lots more days." We have been home for a couple months now, and he keeps asking when we will go on another road trip. Aaron and I have always been of the opinion that experiences are more valuable than material stuff, and this trip really confirmed that for us. 

Our country is SO COOL. We traveled up and down one vertical slice of the country and saw incredible diversity. There is just so much worth seeing. And it was better seeing it with the Hays. There aren't a lot of people out there that we wouldn't get sick of after 2+ weeks. Their ability to still be pleasant to be around even with a baby who wakes up every 2 hours at night is inspirational. This vacation would not have been as fun if we didn't have other people to talk about it with. And I really do love the Hays kids- I think of them as nieces and nephews, and am sad that I won't be able to watch them grow up as closely.

I hosted a farewell party for Lakin a week after the trip. Lots of people shared favorite memories of Lakin, and it turned into somewhat of a "Lakin testimony meeting." Pretty much everyone had a story of Lakin being there when they needed a helping hand, or her coming up and befriending them when they were new and lonely. Basically, we had the best travel companions ever.