Growing up in the Alaskan rain forest in Sitka and having a landscaping job throughout many summers of my youth, I grew bitter towards the rain and, as a result, became a bit obsessed with the Sun. 

Like in the movie The Croods, I choose to “follow the Sun.” I like to be out in it, to feel it on my skin, watch it rise and set—all of it.

Boise, Idaho, is considered a high desert climate, and the Sun is out most days, which I love and appreciate about Boise.

BUT, I am not a fan of Boise winters. The cold. The dark. 

Maybe it’s PTSD from Alaskan winters, but regardless, my instincts cry out at me to head south in winter. 

And over the last 20 years living in Boise, we’ve often gone somewhere warm in the winter months just to break from the constant cold and dark. And I am grateful we created and took those opportunities. 

So when I started planning a trip to Mexico over the kid’s winter break, I had ASSUMED everyone in my house would be on board and excited about it. 

Amanda informed me she was trying out for the lead role in a play, and if she got the part, she would be rehearsing during the winter break. 

(She got the part, by the way… and will be performing at the STAGE COACH THEATRE in Boise, Jan 19-Feb 3rd). 

Get Tickets Here: stagecoachtheatre.com/TICKETS/

Emilia got a new job as a receptionist at a hair salon and had other volunteer commitments. Ivy had a new boyfriend and other friends she wanted to spend time with over break, so NOBODY in my household was eager to head south… except me. 

I was surprised and not surprised. I am clearly the biggest sun junkie out of the four of us. 

But one night, laying in bed, I had a vision of me on some deserted beach on the coast of Baja California, Mexico, with my truck, a sleeping pad, a chair, a cooler, a speaker for playing tunes, a handful of books, and a Starlink dish that provides internet service anywhere in North America.

Just me, no responsibilities other than keeping myself alive and within a short drive of getting the most delicious fish tacos…

I started to fall in love with this vision but was initially reluctant to share it with Amanda, worrying that it seemed too selfish to just take off on an Adventure without them.

But Amanda, to her credit, has become my biggest supporter in taking what I now refer to as my VISION QUEST.

I leave on Jan 20th (less than two weeks…yikes).

And the coolest part…

My Dad (who is 77) will join me on my vision quest.  

He’s the one who initially planted this Baja adventure idea when he took me camping on a beautiful deserted beach in the middle of nowhere Baja, Mexico, in an old Volkswagen camper van when I was young. 

It wasn’t an easy trip. We got stuck numerous times on washed-out roads. At night, coyotes circled our camp, yipping at us. 

We made venison tacos (from canned Alaskan deer meat), which were insanely good. It was a super cool experience, just he and I, in the wild, just figuring things out, camped out on a beach in Mexico.

For this trip, we don’t have a Volkswagen camper. We have my older Ford pickup, and I just installed an 8ft x 8ft canopy to the roof rack. I can attach walls around the sides from there to make an 8×8 tent.

I’m also taking a tandem kayak, two Fat Tire E-Bikes, camping gear, and a Starlink Dish to keep updated on work projects while I’m gone. 

I’M SO EXCITED!!

I’m even taking my daughter Emilia on my journey from Boise to Scottsdale, Arizona, where she will join me for a real estate investing conference from Jan 22-24. She asked me if she could come, and of course, in my mind, I was like, HECK YEAH, but I told her I would only take her if she finished reading the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Which she quickly agreed to.  

So yeah, my vision quest is shaping up better than I expected. 

I’m going to Amanda’s play opening night on the 19th!

Get on the road early the next morning with Emilia and hopefully hit Las Vegas to catch a show that night.

Hit Scottsdale the next day.

Fly her back on the 24th, pick up Dad at Phoenix airport the same day, and head for the border.  

Arrive near Cabo around Feb 6th.

Fly over to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, to help Amanda host a five-day writers retreat. 

Then… figure out the rest… I still need to get my truck back home, but I’ll figure out that segment of the Vision Quest next month. Stay tuned…

One thing I’ve learned about myself over the last 46 years is that I love adventures, especially ones that involve beautiful beaches, warm weather, lots of sunshine, and, of course…tacos.

Until Tomorrow,

Cheers to you and yours…

P.S. If you are wondering why I put DAY 3 of 365, my birthday was on Jan 6th, and I committed to writing a daily journal for a year (and publishing it to hold myself accountable). I plan to use this challenge to share my journey to reaching some big, ambitious goals this year; this Vision Quest is one of them. I won’t always publish on social media, so if you want to follow along in my journey, you can subscribe to my email list here: turner.ck.page/mikes-blog