The Video

A North American Migration from Cade Palmer on Vimeo.

U S and A

Our final border crossing was a disaster. Long story short: we got in the wrong line. At the end of the wrong line, US Customs did not appreciate our van, our chalk art, our Mexican vegetables, our dog, or our demeanor. Then, when we finally made it through the border into San Diego, we had to turn right around and go back to Tijauna to process our exit paperwork and cancel our Mexican vehicle permit. Then, after another hour-long wait in line, we turned around and went right back through to the 'Secondary' inspection area of US Customs. "Weren't you just here!?" Yes, sir.

But we made it through eventually and headed straight to Torrey Pines to pay a visit to our old friends Billy and Milly. Although the flying wasn't on, it was great to catch up with some familiar faces and swap stories of another season in the sky.

From there, we headed north to visit family in Central California. After a much needed week of mellow family time, a few quick soaring sessions, and visits with good friends along the way in Santa Cruz and Salt Lake City, we were headed towards Wyoming on our final stretch. As we cruised north, we marveled at the straight empty stretches of highway, the absence of trash blowing in the wind, the clearly marked road signs in all directions, and the spring snow still hugging the mountains.


And then all of a sudden.... we were driving down Teton pass, overlooking Jackson Hole. After nearly six months on the road, we rolled back in to town, back to familiarity, back to home.

What a journey it's been. We wandered far and saw so many stunning new-to-us destinations. We soared above unknown landscapes, discovered hidden paradises, and barely scratched the surface of so many places. We put over 10,000 miles under our belts and crossed 12 international borders, zigzagging our way down the continent.

We're all a little older, a little wiser, and a little worse for the wear perhaps--Cade is finally almost able to grow a mustache, Becca celebrated her 30th birthday shortly after crossing the border back in to the US, Chomo passed the 100,000 mile mark somewhere in Southern Baja, and Rok has a few new stories of tropical diseases, Central American wildlife encounters, and crazy Guatemalan drivers to tell his Jackson friends.

We are endlessly grateful to all our friends, new and old, that made our trip possible--we seriously couldn't have done it without you. Traveling through Mexico and Central America on a small budget with relatively little planning was not always easy or straightforward, but damn we had a lot of fun! During our 6 months on the road, we managed to cross paths with a surprising number of old buddies and feel lucky to count so many new friends in our worldwide family. To everyone who let us crash in your living room or driveway, who gave us advice on where to go and what to see and how to get there, who welcomed us to your beautiful flying sites and friendly skies, who shared a meal or a cup of coffee, and to all of you who followed along and shared our adventures: Thank you!

And a huge shout-out to XShot for believing in us, supporting our fuel costs, and challenging us to take selfies to the next level.

This is something we have been dreaming of for years and it could never have been so successful without the love and support of our friends and sponsors.

We're settling back in to a slightly more sedentary routine and trying to readjust to sleeping with the ceiling and walls more than a foot away from the bed. It's so nice to be back to our beloved mountains, our amazing flying community, and our family of friends here in Jackson Hole. Keep in touch and come visit!! We'll be in Jackson for the North American summer, and who knows where the next adventure may take us!

home sweet home timelapse from Cade Palmer on Vimeo.

Mystic Mountain

I finally have finished a short film that Jorge, Becca and I have been working on.

Mystic Mountain is the story of our trip up Volcan Atitlan told through the words of Christian Behrenz. Great memories there, I can't wait to go back!

Enjoy

Mystic Mountain from Cade Palmer on Vimeo.

The Beautiful Baja Peninsula

Baja peninsula provided some of our favorite campsites and scenery of the trip. Words couldn't possibly do the desolate beauty justice, so we have decided to let the photos speak for themselves. Enjoy.

our first campsite off the ferry

complete with white sand and turquoise water

and a flying site

Cade found a cactus

"I can see the van from here"

post flight cool down

our first Baja sunset

packing up

Chomo is getting old

they said there is supposed to be a
campsite down here somewhere

washboards are hard on horns

the sun is setting and we are still looking

our Agua Verde oasis

tired of driving, take a flying break

camping paradise

dinner time

new friends

lazy morning

monkeying around

vulture buddy

palapa

one last look back at our palapa

open road

another crowded beach

Chomito's new addition

playa art

a local cafe in Guerrero Negro making Chomo feel self conscious 

Sand dunes!

on the road again

Dr. Suess trees

cactus arms

Baja gas stations are far apart but at least they have these in between

sunset soaring session

in line helado to prepare for US customs