1936 Airstream Clipper, towed by a big Packard. From Hemmings Daily
Every year without fail, as winter approaches, the “great migration” sends hoards of RVers from the colder climates of Canada and the U.S in a southward direction toward warmer climates, especially Mexico.
And suddenly we find ourselves a part of that “migration” in Mexico, traveling from one campground to the next, one overnight stop to the next. We have encountered a diverse mixture of fellow “migrants,” all sharing in common the lure of a winter spent under an eternal sun. The locals in Mexico refer to us as los pájaros de nieve, the snow birds.
So who are these “migrants” exactly?
Some (maybe most) of them are the Canadians snow birders with their monstrous, yet luxurious Class-A coaches, who are fleeing the threat of a paralyzing Canadian winter as if their lives depended on it. Canadian winters are to be avoided at all cost. So they sprint (desperately?) to Mazatlan, Mexico’s mid-pacific coast oasis. By the hundreds. Er, no, by the thousands. By one count, 15,000 Canadian tourists basked under the Mexican sun in Mazatlan between November and March of last yeard. Ah, the Canadians are a fearless sort. While many Americans shake in their boots at the thought of traveling in Mexico—WHAT ABOUT THE BEHEADINGS? THE BEHEADINGS!!—Canadians share no such qualms.
Canadian Caravan Cruising the Carretera (source: Rocky Point 360)
Someone told me there are ten Canadians for every one American snow bird. I don’t know about that, but I did meet one Canadian (from Alberta) gentleman, Stan, in San Carlos, Mexico, at Totonanka RV Park (where at least 90% of the residents are Canadian; a quick stroll through the park will reveal a plethora of Canadian license plates) who explained to me that the winters have gotten so bad in the last five years that he’s decided to become semi-retired just so that he wouldn’t have to endure the early/late Alberta winters. So, somehow he’s able to live and work in Canada for six months and then live in Mexico in the winter for six months. He told me that even doing it that way he still hits the late winters of April on his return and the early winters of October before he leaves.
Some of us I loosely describe as the Pan-American travelers. While these folks may not be technically pájaros de nieves, because ultimately to be a Pan-American traveler, you’re on the move pretty much year-long, they still time their travels according to a winter weather avoidance time table.
I am in particular admiration of this lot. They undoubtedly encounter challenges not for the feint of heart. As experienced international border crossers—certainly not a popular avocation in the Trumpian era—they fearlessly breach the now formidable American border from overseas or Canada or even Alaska, then, continuing south, cross the la frontera, the Mexican border (the success of which is undoubtedly accompanied by a healthy sigh of relief) on their way to central and south American.
Shipping around the Darien Gap.
These folks tend to be European to some extent. We’ve met French, German and Spanish“pilgrims” who are attempting this feat. To a one, they blithely describe how they’ll cross the border into central America, drive to Panama, and then ship their camper by freighter across the Darién Gap to south American destinations like Columbia, Brazil or Argentina, and then return.
RV Shipping: Roll On Roll Off
Finally, we’ve encountered a very special group of vagabonds: “older” retired travelers who, in spite of their age, manage to successfully pilot enormous RV’s across Mexico’s sometimes danger-fraught roads.
Merry and Chuck’s van at Rancho Acosta, Alamos
One couple we met at Rancho Acosta, Merry and Chuck, have a house in of all places Hammond, OR, down the road where we live! In their seventies and eighties, they were leisurely journeying across Mexico in a Nissan van, modestly outfitted with a bed, cooler chests, propane stove, and five gallon bucket they used for washing dishes, clothes, etc.; that’s all they needed, that’s all they desired. They were very experienced travelers in Mexico, and more than willing to share their adventures and Mexican travel tips with us.
Whether on the “flight from winter” trail, or the snow bird trail, or the I-can’t-stand-to-sit-in-one-place-until-I-die trail, or the I-refuse-to-live-in-a-country-where-Trump-is-President trail, all of us seem to cross each other’s path at some point, and share our common goals, dreams, and destinations. Tal es la magia de Mexico.
Call and Response 