I've done my fair share of Mexico camping. Months of dusty backroads and mountain switchbacks, cold mornings, sweltering afternoons, and campfires on mezcal-fueled nights. We just took an 8-day road trip and this trip was a lot of the same. Minus the mezcal. Plus 2 kids.
On previous trips, we often camped on roadsides, in sugarcane fields, near old mines, or occasionally in the front yard of a kind Mexican family. We mostly drove until sundown and camped wherever we found ourselves. I remember one true campsite in all those years of travel - Laguna Santa Maria del Oro. We spent the first night of our trip there this time around. It's a big volcanic lake that sits between Tepic and Guadalajara and the campgrounds there are beautiful.
We spent the next night in Aguas Calientes near the Plaza de la Patria. We simply wandered/scooted around and were happy to find murals by Chilean artist Osvaldo Barra in the Palacio de Gobierno.
We spent the bulk of our trip in Huejuquilla el Alto, a remote town in Jalisco where I work with the Huichol Center for Cultural Survival. We hunted Easter eggs and swam in hidden hot springs. Loved it.
We hit Zacatecas on our way back and discovered the work of Humberto Valdez Alvarez.
We got to stay at the Quinta Real, an old bullring that has been converted into a beautiful hotel. It was pure luxury.
We've made it home to Sayulita and I'm glad to be back. The next trip will be by air.