Our final goodbye to our house in Portland, Oregon.

PDX-> San Jose del Cabo: 36hrs (2,142 miles)

In 2021, my husband, Jessiah and I decided we were ready for a big change. We took advantage of the housing market boom and sold our house of 7 years and the bulk of our belongings. We packed up five plastic tote bins with keepsakes to store in my sister’s garage and hit the road in our newly purchased minivan. We opted for a 1998 Toyota Sienna minivan (one previous owner, 100k miles, $5k). We loaded it up with the remainder of our possessions and our two dogs: Sweetness (American Bully) and LeeRoy (Jack Russell). On the first day, we realized we packed too much and purchased a space case for the top of the van (11 cubic feet, $575).

Below is the story of our road trip, places we stopped, things we ate, studios we worked out in and things we learned along the way. Enjoy!

PDX-> Brookings, OR: 5hrs 47min (342 miles)

Our first stop at the suggestion of a friend was to check out this natural beauty on the Oregon Coast. We got a late start to our drive out of Portland, because we were tying up some loose ends, so we actually only made it to Grants Pass for the night. We were happy to spot our first In-N-Out for dinner across the street from our hotel. If you’re unfamiliar with this burger chain, order a cheeseburger “animal style” and thank me later.

The next morning we made the detour over to see Natural Bridges, which was gorgeous, calming, and grounding. The viewpoint is a short walk from the parking lot and free of charge. Worth the detour, worth the pause.

We stayed in this unique space built by my husband’s brother in Arcata, CA. Pictured: LeeRoy (our jack) running towards the camera and Jessiah petting one of many farm dogs.

Brookings-> Arcata, CA: 2hr 2min (103 miles)

We decided to spend a few days here on Jessiah’s brother’s farm and it was a nice reprieve for both us and the dogs. Days off from driving are highly recommended and staggering longer and shorter drive days is also quite nice. I also absolutely love Arcata! It’s located in the Redwoods, has a plethora of healthy restaurants and grocery stores, beaches, and a nice small town vibe.

A couple highlights in Arcata:

Redwood Park : nice place to stroll through the Redwoods, right near downtown (free)

The Sushi Spot : best sushi I’ve had anywhere in a VERY longtime! (rolls $8-$16)

Los Bagels : try the “Cucumbin” bagel w/locally made Larrupin sauce & “slug slime” ($6)

Vibes Yoga : modern yoga studio with heated and non-heated classes ($15 drop-in)

The Co-op & Wildberries : two grocery stores with great delis and health food

Arcata-> Monterey, CA: 6hr 44min (394 miles)

This area of California, typically referred to as Big Sur, is absolutely beautiful! After a long drive day, we grabbed some deli food from Whole Foods and settled into our hotel for the night. We spent the next day walking, driving, and eating around Monterey as well as squeezing in a yoga class.

A couple highlights from Monterey:

Wedo’s Tacos: excellent fish taco truck next to a brewery (fish taco $5 and HUGE!)

Om Oasis: Yoga, Pilates, & Barre studio (drop-in $22)

Parker Lusseau: French pastries, mini-quiches, & coffee. Stoked we found this little gem!

17 Mile Drive: I really enjoyed this drive; beautiful scenery and fancy houses ($10.75)

Mission San Carlos: sad we missed this as it’s closed Mon/Tues, but from the outside we will be back to tour indoors

Jessiah at our fave coffee spot in Carlsbad, CA.

Monterey-> Carlsbad, CA: 7hrs 9min (405 miles)

So I didn’t actually even know about Carlsbad, CA. We stopped here because it was close to San Diego and we found a cheap decent-looking hotel that accepted pets. This little nook of Carlsbad is someplace we’ve already talked about returning to for two main reasons: coffee and Lagree classes. These are things we love.

Coffee first. I had googled a coffee shop close to class for convenience. The one I had looked up was closed for good when we arrived. Fortunately, some kind lady walking by directed us around the corner to Captain’s Grounds instead. The coffee was perfect and they offered a few light brunch favorites, like avocado toast and breakfast sammies. I opted for a sammy ($5) and it was delish (photo below). But it wasn’t just the drinks and food that made this place stand out. It was the VIBE. Everyone felt mellow, laid back, without the usual sense of rushing. The owner was working and the baristas seemed to know most of the customers coming in. There was this wonderful small-town feel. Not to mention, we majorly dug the outdoor atmosphere, people-watching, and the super cool vintage shop attached to the coffee shop.

Now for Lagree. Ok. I have taken Lagree classes in every city I’ve visited all over the US (Seattle, Phoenix, San Diego, LA, San Francisco, New York, etc). Some classes are ok, some downright terrible, some meh. Very few to be honest are great or noteworthy. So to say I was ECSTATIC to take an excellent class in Carlsbad is an understatement. I literally want to move here so I can teach and take classes at this studio regularly. LagreeFit Oceanside is a special place. I took class from the owner, Desiree, who was warm and welcoming, as well as the whole front desk staff. I immediately felt at home. I took class next to another trainer, which side note: it’s always a good sign when trainers take classes where they work. It shows that they believe in the workout, enjoy the studio they work for, and love the community. Class itself was challenging (I was sore for days) and accessible at all-levels with lots of options offered to increase or decrease intensity as needed. Desiree had a kickass Britney-themed playlist and gave lots of encouraging shoutouts throughout class. Long story short, if you are in the San Diego area, make a detour to come to LagreeFit Oceanside. It wasn’t just the workout that made this studio so great. Just like our fave coffee spot, it was the vibe and the culture of the community.

Carlsbad-> Ensenada, Mexico: 2hrs 16min (122 miles)

Viva Mexico! We made it! We felt so much joy at crossing the border! Now we are truly on our way to spending the winter in Baja California! This was a short drive from Carlsbad and although the photos are nice, I honestly could’ve skipped over Ensenada and went straight to our next stop: San Felipe. I’ll tell you why. Ensenada is a self-proclaimed tourist town built around a bar. Night clubs are not really our thing. The downtown area felt entirely built for tourists, lacking any authentic Mexican-feel. It felt loud, noisy, and dirty…like a big city, and the beach was ‘MEH.’ If you love Ensenada, I mean no offense. We had a great time here, but the city itself just wasn’t our jam.

It was, however, a great place to have the brakes on Betty (our mini-van) fixed very inexpensively, get some laundry done (washed and folded, $10-20 depending on weight), and we found a few places to eat.

Eme Restaurant: great breakfast, coffee, and juice bar

La Cevicheria: love this little spot, tucked behind the main drag, great shrimp tacos, ceviche, and margaritas

Notes on crossing the border:

Dogs: We read some inconclusive stuff about whether or not you need proof of shots. We did not bring any proof and encountered zero issues regarding our dogs. I believe this is more of an issue when flying in/out of Mexico.

Car Insurance: You need Mexican car insurance to drive beyond the border towns in Mexico. US and Canadian insurance is not recognized in Mexico. We purchased 6 months of car insurance for just under $250 from Baja Bound.

Driving at Night: Highly recommend you DO NOT drive at night. Start early in the morning and arrive at each destination before sunset. The highways in Baja are often two lanes and stretches of highway are quite windy. The large semi-trucks drive around corners quickly at night, often veering into your lane. Not to mention, there are cows and horses grazing next to the highway that are difficult to see during the day, but impossible at night. We had two cows cross in front of us, causing us to slam on the brakes.

Checkpoints: There are a few military check points along the way and mostly they want to know where you are coming from and take a brief look through your vehicle, if at all. As I understand it, more thorough searches are likely to occur when you are traveling north (towards the US), not south as we were.

Efficient Drive & Best Places to Stop:

Hindsight is always 20/20. If you are looking to drive in the daytime only and wanting to stop in towns with more than just a convenience store, this is what I recommend:

San Diego-> San Felipe, BC, Mexico: 4hrs 6min (245 miles)

San Felipe-> Loreto, BCS, Mexico: 9hrs 30min (498 miles)

Loreto-> San Jose del Cabo, BCS, Mexico: 6hrs 20min (333 miles)

Keep in mind, on the straight stretches of highway, you may make much faster time. We went about 80 mph comfortably where the highways were straight. You also cross a timezone change from San Felipe to Loreto (forward one hour).

Ensenada-> San Felipe, BC: 3hrs 10min (157 miles)

There is not much to do here and that’s just fine by me! San Felipe is a quiet, little beach town that seems to cater mostly to Mexican families having a day at the beach. The beach is clean, beautiful, and the surf is mellow, perfect for swimming. You will want to rent a “tarpa” (tarp for shade that comes complete with a table and chairs), and then sit back and relax. If you want to do some water sports, eat snacks, drink piña coladas, listen to live music, or buy souvenirs…everything will come your way from the comfort of your shady tarpa. This little town was our speed for a full day of relaxing at the beach.

While in San Felipe, we ate the best al pastor tacos of our life (little taco stand on the main road walking away from the beach), drank strong, cheap margaritas at our hotel bar (2oz pours, $5) and enjoyed live music. It was a lovely little town to take a full day off from driving to restore and refresh.

There are only 3 dog friendly hotels here and we chose the La Hacienda de la Langosta Roja. We booked online for the evening we arrived, and then saved about $40 by booking a second night in person. Online: $95. In-person: $55. This seems to be a common theme, that booking direct costs less. The hotel was clean, quiet, and the room quite large. It was perfectly situated a block from the beach one direction and a block from our favorite tacos the other.

San Felipe-> Loreto, BCS: 9hrs 30min (498 miles)

I actually have no idea how long the drive took to get to Loreto, because our morning started off with a 2 hour detour into some sand dunes. Our GPS said the main highway outside of San Felipe was “CLOSED” and re-rerouted us around the closure by sending us down some sandy roads right into the desert. Long story short: the highway was not actually closed, so stick to the highway regardless of what your GPS says.

On the upside, Loreto was quaint, charming, and lovely! Lots of great hotel options if you are traveling with pets. We stayed at Hacienda Suites Loreto ($80). We spent the morning walking around, but we were anxious to hit the road to our final destination: SJC! We will definitely be back for sure during whale-watching season: December-March. You can spot blue whales, humpbacks, finbacks, and gray whales during this time. I seriously love whales…who doesn’t?

Loreto-> San Jose del Cabo, BCS: 6hrs 17min (333 miles)

The level of joy at knowing you’ve made it to your final destination is HUGE! This is only our third time to San Jose del Cabo, and we love it here. So to clear up any confusion on the “Cabo” area: San Jose del Cabo & Cabo San Lucas are located about 30 minutes apart and the whole area is often referred to as “Los Cabos”. Just an FYI. San Lucas is a bit more “party-Spring-Break-vibes” and San Jose is more “quaint-artsy-small-town-vibes.”

My brother moved down here (San Jose del Cabo) in 2020 and owns a Tequila tasting room, West Coast Tequila, with two locations: Plaza Mijares (San Jose Main Square) and on the highway in front of the Coral Baja resort. This is one of the main reasons we chose to stay here: family. But the other, was to skip Oregon winter, which is rainy, gray, and cold.

Los Cabos is one of the more expensive places to stay in Baja California, and that’s because of it’s location at the very tip of the peninsula, making it difficult to reach. Most things are shipped in, as if it were an island. That being said, the cost of living down here is less expensive than the US, by at least 1/3 and you can even pay for most things with US dollars.

So here we are until March 2022, living and filming Microformer classes in Mexico! I feel endlessly grateful that this is my home at the moment and excited to see where this journey leads us to next. I’ve listed some of our fave SJC spots below, but please comment with any other questions you have! I’d be thrilled to help you make your own journey down Baja California :)

Some of our faves:

Mariscos El Chino: best shrimp tacos and aguachile, located just off the main square

Playa El Chileno: fave swimmable beach, must bring an umbrella and beach chairs

Plaza Mijares: main square, lovely in the evenings for people watching, eating churros, and Thursday night Art Walk

La Lupita Taco & Mezcal: great guacamole, variety of tacos, and margaritas, live music

Pezgallo Coffee: great breakfast, pastries, and coffee drinks

Flora Farms: farm-to-table, beautiful place

Choriarte: Latin American cuisine, often live music

From PDX to SJC

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