It started with a whimsical suggestion to Kelsey, “How about we take another road trip during Spring Break?” She was keen on the idea and Beth was supportive so I dug a deeper hole, “How about driving up the west coast of the U.S. from Tijuana, MX to Victoria, BC?” I made this trip a few years ago, loved it, and thought she would too. Also, if Kelsey could drive this dramatic coastline then she’d improve her driving skills while creating stunning memories for life.
The initial plan was simple: we’d fly to San Diego, rent a car and head south to Mexico, drive as close to the coast as possible on the way to Canada, and then return home from Portland after visiting my family. We’d do the whole thing in 10 days. Simple … or so I thought at the time!
Car rental companies won’t let anyone less than 24 years old drive their cars. One ambition for this trip was to give Kelsey a world-class driving experience and apparently that wasn’t going to be in a rental car. What were we to do? Kelsey didn’t hesitate even a moment to propose a solution, “Dad, you’re just going to have to drive your car there.” Ha! The crazy things she’s come to expect as normal!
Well, that’s exactly what I did.
My trip was broken into three stages. First, I drove to the deep southwest to visit places I’d never previously paused to visit which lay primarily between Interstate 8 and the Mexican border, places such as Tombstone and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Second, Kelsey flew into Los Angeles and we drove from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Coast Highway. Third, I returned home along the most northerly highway in the United States, Hwy 2, whose two sections must be connected via a driving detour through Canada over the Great Lakes.
You can read about each of the three stages of our trip at these sites:
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