photography – The Buchanan's Rolling Down The Road

By The Buchanan’s Rolling Down The Road
December 2025

Every year seems to move faster than the last, but 2025 felt like it moved at highway speed. From desert mornings at Boyce Thompson Arboretum to lake days in Ontario, new states on the map, mechanical challenges, and finally settling into winter life on a quiet Mexican beach — this year reminded us why we chose this life.

Winter & Spring in the Arizona Desert

We started the year camped and volunteering once again at Boyce Thompson Arboretum. The desert welcomed us back with cactus blossoms, hummingbirds at the feeders, and the ever-present coati wandering through the grounds. Miss Laurie spent plenty of time rock hounding, while we both enjoyed the familiar rhythm of volunteer life.

January through March were filled with great company and simple adventures:

Kayaking the Lower Salt River with Ray & Karen, watching wild horses along the banks
Off-roading Box Canyon with Al & Carmen, followed by unforgettable Mexican food
Visits with friends in Show Low, Tucson, and Gilbert

Of course, no season is complete without a mechanical lesson. A leaking freshwater tank on Thunder turned into a full replacement, along with a new SeeLevel tank monitoring system.

Saying Goodbye & Heading East

April marked our final month at the Arboretum. A volunteer thank-you dinner, final walks among blooming cactus, and a special highlight — watching my grandson Andrew play baseball during a Phoenix tournament — made the goodbye meaningful and bittersweet.

On April 28, we turned Thunder east and began our spring migration back to Ontario.

The journey was a familiar patchwork of:

Walmart and Cracker Barrel overnights
Welcome centers and Harvest Hosts
Visits with friends and family along the way

We crossed back into Canada on May 8, settling into short stays until our summer site became available.

Summer at Sunni Bank RV Park

By mid-May, we arrived at Sunni Bank RV Park in Ontario, where summer truly began. Reconnecting with longtime friends Bob & Irena turned into a season full of laughter, food, and friendly competition.

Highlights included:

Kayaking the Grand River
Cornhole and washer board tournaments
Campfires and sunset conversations
An ongoing (very serious) search for the best Lake Erie perch

Spring rains left Thunder sunk deep enough to break patio stones, and our open site — great for solar and Starlink — came with the challenge of nearby roosters. Still, once settled, it felt like home.

Summer Curveballs & Small Victories

Summer also brought its share of challenges:

A leaking washer/dryer valve
A burned-out solar charge controller
Leveling system switch failures
Weak chassis batteries

Thanks to persistence, ingenuity, and Bob “knowing a guy,” everything was repaired. We also restored our Clam screen porch — a favorite spot for afternoon naps — and fully embraced cornhole as our new obsession.

Birthdays were celebrated, briskets were smoked, and long, slow summer days reminded us how important community is on the road.

Fall Travels & New States

October arrived quickly, and with it, packing up and climbing Thunder out of the spring ruts — literally. From there, we headed west on a new northern route, adding four new states to our travel map:

Nebraska • Wyoming • Colorado • Utah

Highlights included:

A charming $10/night city campground in Beaver Crossing, Nebraska
Climbing I-70 through the Rocky Mountains (with a bag of chips exploding from elevation)
Six nights boondocking near Goblin Valley State Park
Exploring Lake Powell and quiet desert mesas

Each mile reminded us why we still love long travel days.

Vegas, the Border & an Unexpected Breakdown

We paused in Las Vegas, splitting time between our time-share and keeping Thunder comfortable at the Elks Lodge — a perfect solution for us and Mister Sam.

Mid-November, we headed south toward Mexico. The border crossing at Mexicali was smooth… until one mile later, when a torque rod failed. With no good options, we strapped it up and carefully drove 185 kilometers south to San Felipe.

Sometimes the only option is forward.

Wintering in Mexico

We’re now settled at El Dorado Ranch Resort in San Felipe, Mexico, where life has slowed to a gentler pace.

Our days include:

Quiet mornings on an empty sand beach
Pool time, hot tubs, and water volleyball
Pickleball lessons for Miss Laurie
Cornhole games and fresh shrimp on the grill

While we’re still finding our social rhythm here, everyone has been welcoming and kind. Christmas was spent mostly on the beach — different, but just right for this season of life.

Looking Back at 2025

As the year comes to a close, we’re reminded that this lifestyle isn’t about perfect plans. It’s about adaptability, community, and finding joy in the in-between moments — even when something breaks, a route changes, or time moves faster than expected.

2025 gave us new states, old friends, challenges overcome, and a deeper appreciation for the road ahead.

And somehow, it still feels like we’re just getting started.

Day 3009

I know what the hell two fresh blogs in a row two days in a row!

Well let me start by saying that I seem to have caught up on my reading list. As you know I read most of my books through my Libby app which means I borrow and read ebooks on my handheld devices from my library and its library group. And the last couple of years I have been reading between 50 & 60 novels a year and have been reading a number of different authors series, and at this point I place a hold on the next book of the series as soon as they are announced. But right now while I have about a dozen on hold waiting my turn, I decided it was time to see if anyone is still interested in the ramblings of a curmudgeon.

So I started this blog yesterday while sitting by the pool, and nothing says Christmas in Mexico like having carollers by the pool.

As you could see by this morning’s sunrise we are in for some cloudy days here in the Mexican Baja and possibly even some rain. The Baja is a peninsula that is approximately 100 miles wide and 900 miles long with the Pacific Ocean on the west coast and the Sea of Cortez on the east coast. It is made up of two Mexican states Baja California (BC) & Baja California Sur (BCS). It also has a mountain range that runs the length of the the peninsula, and that range creates two very distinct weather patterns, and right now the western portion is preparing for heavy rain storms while our eastern portion will just have cooler cloudy weather as this area gets very little rain.

We are staying just 10 kilometres north of San Felipe on Highway 5 at El Dorado Ranch. This resort is very strange, and I will try and explain that comment which may come across as a bit of a ramble. The “Ranch” has property on both the east and west sides of Hwy 5, and encompassing thousands of acres of which much has had no development. The east side has an eighteen hole golf course that has some spectacular views of the Sea of Cortez, and while we have walked portions of it we have not played it yet, and around the course are some homes that appear to be amazing, there are also condominium style units and access to the beach, pickle ball courts, a pool, and a couple of restaurants. I would estimate that portion as being approximately one square kilometre and I’m going to guess it was the original portion, but in true Mexican style some areas are magnificent and just across the street could look like an abandoned project. The eastern side has electricity, water, and sewers, it also has some concrete roads with street lights and many dirt roads with lots of exposed infrastructure it reminds me of some of the failed projects you find in Florida that were destined to fail.

The western portion is huge with sporadic built up areas, there is limited electricity areas and and no water or sewer, so many areas are “off grid” with water cisterns and sewage tanks and lots of solar systems. So there are water deliveries and sewage pump outs available throughout the “Ranch” there are huge homes and RV lots right beside them. From what we have gained so far is that each area has its own HOA rules, in some areas the RV has to be covered, while the other side of the road the cover is not required. As previously stated we are staying on a lot that is 100 feet square and apparently was a building lot, that I suspect some one purchased on speculation, that didn’t work out for what ever reason, the brought in power, installed a water cistern with a pump, and a septic tank and when it didn’t sell they added some gravel and a couple of patios and created two RV sites to rent out and on one of the sites they added an old fifth wheel trailer to which they added a couple of couple of mini split air conditioners and now they rent it out.

So in our first month there have been two different renters, the first couple only stayed a weekend (thankfully) as they had a yapping dog that they left in the trailer when they went out which was most of the time, and the dog barked continuously. The second couple are older and have purchased a lot and a trailer and are renting here until they can move onto their own area. They have a dog as well but is much better behaved and they seem very nice but have been very busy getting their lot prepared.

The whole area seems to have slowed down as many people have left to spend the holidays with family back home. There are a lot of Canadians here, most are from the western provinces, many are here because of the better value for a hurting Canadian dollar and others are feeling the hostil environment north of the border with the constantly changing rules for Canadian visitors. We have just got through the shortest day of the year along with the start of “winter”, which we will enjoy with activities and the beach, while watching the cold and snow back in Ontario.

Day 3003

Tag: photography

2025 in Review: Miles, Memories, and Finding Our Rhythm