·         Our trick is too drive in two to three  hour stints; Stop at a park, walk around town, get a little snack, then another two hours, then stop again at a park, walk around town, get a little snack, then drive another two hours. You should know where you end up at the end of the last two hours. You should also not drive past 5:00.

·         We took one day break in Tucson on the way back.  We were in Mexico for five days.  Coralie did very well. She vomited once, the night we got to Flagstaff. She was just too tired and overwhelmed. We drove much longer than five hours that day.

·         It was a wonderful trip to take with Erik and Coralie. I think that it may have been a bit too much driving for Coralie but she enjoyed the scenery and sleeping in a tent with both Erik and me.  She took a liking to talking about all the rocks and cacti we saw in the desert. She would announce all gone if one of them was missing.

·         The day we got to Mexico was the high day of Semana Santa. People were going wild in the streets. Even though this was a religious week, people were partying hard. It took us two hours to drive two miles. The road was filled with cars, people drinking, huge stereo systems, and the beach was covered with tents.  Coralie wanted to get out of the car, but she realized she could not. She did not complain once even though she sat an extra two hours. We were a bit stressed because we had not eaten and we could not see where we would sleep. A nice man at a closed RV park let us in and we camped amongst the great big buses as Coralie calls RV’s. I recommend that you research what day you enter Mexico so that you don’t arrive in a foreign place with no plans at a time when chaos hits the streets.

·         Since it is so hot in Arizona and Mexico we often took Stella the dog, to Petsmart or Petco for a bath, a nail cut or something; or we dropped her off at a vet for the day. That way we could walk around town without worrying about her health. It cost 13 dollars each time and we did this four times.

·         In Mexico we asked two men sitting on the sidewalk to watch her while we went to eat or walk on the beach. That way she was in the shade and could stay tied up.

·         Coralie does not stay inside sleeping bags so we dressed her in Patagonia long underwear, then wool socks, hat, mitt, gloves, neck warmer and a fleece pants, shirt and a wool sweater.  She fell asleep around 9: 00 in the tent in between both of us.

·         In Mexico we found a great beach to sleep on. We left the little town and drove down a very bumpy dirt road for 20 minutes.  We had this amazing sand beach to ourselves, with an alcove of rocks, pelicans, shells and great sunsets. We swam every day and took nice walks. We cooked Mexican food  that we bought daily in town. We used  a small one burner camp stove. Mid day we would leave  our campsite and drive to Baja de Kinoto escape the heat since Coralie would only nap in the car since it was so hot. Beaches in Mexico are public so you can stay on them for no fee. You may get visitors who arrive on the beach by boats, but they are either police or welcoming locals.

·         Gilbert Ray campground in Tucson is so beautiful. It is the perfect middle of the desert campground with saguaro cacti all around. Although it has many RV’s,it is still quite clean and an amazing location.  Erik and I are thinking of going to Tucson next year for our March break and staying the whole time at this campground.  It is very near town so you can do all of your outdoor adventures and still get your city fix.

·         If you do this trip and stop in the following places you are sure to have a good time. They are located near parks and about two to three hours from our last stop:

Red Rock Bakery in Moab

Comb Ridge Coffee and Dos Hermanas in Bluff

Kate’s café in Tuba city

Macy’s in Flagstaff (coffee shop and vegetarian food)

Carousel in Phoenix zoo

Epic coffee shop in Tucson on Fourth Street

Caruso’s Italian restaurant in Tucson on Fourth Street

ARC – Edith Ball - Outdoor swimming pool in Tucson

·         One of the things about traveling with young children is that you have to be flexible.  On the last day we were in Mexico we decided to pay a local fisherman for a one hour boat ride. We paid him 30 dollars. We got on the boat. Stella was o.k. with it and Coralie put on the life jacket with ease. When the boat started she started to scream and cried. She was terrorized. I tried to breastfeed her and even that did not calm her down.

·         My last tip is to think about connections you have.  Before leaving home think of people you know and organizations you are a part of. Maybe along the way you can find a place to stay or get help from people you have connections with.  We got much needed information from the people at Prescott College’s Kino Bay center in Mexico. We also spent one night on their property. Erik and I are both alumni of this college.  We also visited friends in Phoenix that we made at Prescott.  Two other alumni are the ones that suggested this trip to us in the first place.

·         My last advice is think about your children’s interests and make a point of stopping at times at places that have those things. Coralie likes animals so we went to the zoo and I saw a man selling metal animal sculptures so we visited his yard.  You don’t have to spend the whole day doing these things.

Please email me if you have questions about our trip.  And don't hesitate to post your own stories!  I hope I inspired you to go pack your car and start an amazing adventure with your little ones.

Heidi