Janelle and Ryan's trip takes them east to west through Canada, before crossing the United States north to south and continuing on to Central America. The impressions on this site are merely an appetizer, to get the full story and plenty of photos, check out their fantastic travel blog: Have Love - Will Travel ... So we scooted past the city of Calgary after a really cool drive through the last of the prairies and into the foothills. Watching those mountains grow out of the horizon was epic. It had been about 14 years since I’ve visited this part of the country and it was one of the more exciting legs of the drive for me. You just can’t deny the fact that this is one of the more stimulating parts of the country. Those rocks tell a story of our earth's past in a way that no other part of this country can do with such unconcealed evidence. ...

... We walked up to the river anticipating seeing some fish but we weren’t prepared for the incredible abundance of life and death we were about to witness. From the moment we approached the banks up on an observation deck about five feet over the water, we were in awe of the display of raw nature before our eyes. Hundreds of sockeye salmon huddled together in the current right under our feet. They all moved in harmony like birds but in slow motion. ...

... We hit the coastal highway down to Coos Bay, and the scenery really was breathtaking! The ocean was beautiful yet looked so full of rage and the winding roads were thrilling. Every once in a while we would drive through a sleepy little fishing town, everything so brightly colored and inviting. ...

... The drive through Oregon was cloudy and like magic, just before we hit the California border, the clouds broke up and sun filled the sky. We were planning on pulling over somewhere in Humbolt County and camping off a dirt road. ...

... As luck would have it, when we made our final turn south heading for San Felipe we came up on a caravan of what looked like Baja1000 goers. 4 trucks in total with Cali plates, one Suburban, two Tacomas, with dirt-bikes in the back of them, and one FJ. But the FJ had the icebreaker to join in on the caravan. It had the same tent set up on the roof as we had. We were baffled by the coincidence and our luck. We pulled up and gave a wave, they waved back and we tailed them for many miles. ...

... We were guided in to the location off the highway by our trusty RV guidebook, Camping In Mexico. We were running late and the sun was setting as we ventured off the main highway down some back roads towards the coast. The roads were extremely rough and full of unmarked Topes (speed bumps). Tensions were high in the 4Runner as we were a little frustrated with the suggested route through farm country as daylight was burning away. Making the turn down the beach-front road towards our next stop we were shocked to find such a sleepy run down little ghost town. We were the only car driving the roads and it seemed like there was nobody here at all. ...

... Leaving San Felipe was bitter sweet. We were going to miss our new friends and the incredible desert setting next to the sea. ...

... Lots of people looking for surf and adventure like a 19 year-old surfer from Les Isles de Madeline. She had travelled almost alone the entire time along a very similar route that we did. She did it by bus and hitch-hiking. We spent one night at the camp due to the lack of space. We felt a bit cramped so the next morning we moved down to Coco Loco camp where we were once again the only campers on site. ...

... Looking at 250 kms crawl over the span of 5 hours can be down right depressing. It’s a good thing the view was incredible. Today we would venture through 3 states starting in Jalisco, transiting Colima and planning on doing most of the Michoacán coast. We hugged the coastline curve for curve stopping briefly to immortalize some of the awe-inspiring vistas and ocean views with our camera. ...

... Our destination was actually Pie de la Cuesta, just North-West of the city of Acapulco, the park was aptly named the Acapulco Trailer Park. It was along a huge beach down a busy touristy section of town. We had the beach in the front yard and a huge lagoon in our back yard, well behind us and across the street anyway. ...

... We had a great little bike ride down to the village to check it out and surfing was on the brain. The beach looked amazing, the town was really cool with a So-Cal vibe to it. Lots of great little restaurants and surf shops checkered the promenade. Tiki-huts and bars dotted the beach-front. ...

... Monte Albán’s immense and impressive architecture baffled the mind. So much earth and rock was moved off the top of the mountain by hand to make the plateau where the city rested. So much rock formed into blocks and used to build structures that have stood the test of time. It truly was one of the most amazing moments on the trip to be standing in the middle of one of the birthplaces of our modern civilization. ...

... As the sun went away the creepy crawlies came out to play. We first noticed a centipede so big I think we could see it breathing. A beetle so massive it made my beer can look small. Then when we retired for the night we noticed a tree frog had taken up shelter underneath our awning up under the rail and it took some convincing to get him down. As this wasn’t enough, the next morning as we were packing up to leave a praying mantis type of bug was hanging out near the car on a tree. ...

... Cohune palm trees are known to be the most important tree in the Mayan life. They grow wild all over the rainforest in Belize. They can reach heights of 90 feet. Their giant palms are used for thatching houses or building shelters. The nuts found in giant grapes are used to produce oil or are just edible after collecting them from the ground. The most delicious part, which is providing a lot of food, is the heart of the palm found in the last 4 feet before the base of the branches. The bark around that part is fed to pigs and chicken and the Mayan people even used to make palm wine from the heart left on the base of the tree. ...

... Xunantunich’s name means 'Stone Woman' in the Maya language and like many names given to Mayan archaeological sites, is a modern name; the ancient name is currently unknown. The 'Stone Woman' refers to the ghost of a woman claimed by several people to inhabit the site, beginning in 1892. She is dressed completely in white, and has fire-red glowing eyes. She generally appears in front of El Castillo; ascends the stone stairs and disappears into a wall of stone. However, we did not se her but we climbed those stairs and spent part of the afternoon high above the Mayan Jungle atop El Castillo the largest of the ancient structures, taking in the view and reflecting on our travels. ...

... The next morning we walked down to the river and bathed amongst the locals and nature. The river’s current made for excellent morning exercise. Then it was back to Belmopan for us. ...

Artwork and text courtesy of Janelle and Ryan. They have a travel blog where they log their journey.