All posts by Thomas Kaiser

Worst case

19. April 2024
by Thomas Kaiser

>Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
(>Pictures at the bottom!)

Arizona and New Mexico; back in the USA
We were welcomed into the USA in damp conditions, but we felt a little safer after the paramilitaries on the other side of the border fence had given us directions; rain or no rain. From Organ Pipe Cactus N.M., we were accompanied by low-hanging clouds and lots of raindrops in a northerly direction. This time we followed the well-maintained state roads, as we wanted to visit a Jeep workshop in Tucson. My trusted car mechanic in the Allgäu (Allrad Pauli) recommended replacing the rear wheel bearings, as the many illuminated indicator lights signalled some kind of disaster. So, don’t take any chances! Read More

…and the dear technology

18. April 2024
by Thomas Kaiser

(The information is listed consecutively and contains some very interesting details. Just scroll through for more details).

4 April 2024 / Tucson (USA/AZ) / Km 183’822
Damaged rear wheel bearing > Gearbox failure
Already on the Baja California at a mileage of around 178,000 kilometres, the yellow ABS malfunction lights began to light up more and more frequently. At first it was all a bit worrying, but the car drove without any problems, except that the cruise control no longer worked when the ABS fault light/ESC fault light was illuminated. In the morning or after a longer break everything was fine, only after a certain distance and uneven road surface, i.e. on gravel roads, did the fault return.
Note: At first, the white indicator light of the drive-off aid flashed 2-3 times, followed by the ABS and ESC malfunction. Read More

Baja California Norte

9. April 2024
by Thomas Kaiser

>Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
(>Pictures at the bottom!)

….our final spurt back to the USA
After the impressive drive out into the lagoon of Guerrero Negro and a relaxing night in the sand dunes of Soledad, we continued our journey northwards. Our idea was to reach the southern border of the USA in a week at the latest. But we wanted to, because things usually turn out differently than planned 😉 Read More

South turn…

1. April 2024
by Thomas Kaiser

>Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
(>Pictures at the bottom!)

… Baja California Sur
We enjoyed La Paz to the full before heading further south. The agglomeration extended far into the nearby mountains. The houses became fewer and fewer, but the mountains of rubbish became bigger and bigger. Entire stretches of land were filled with rubbish or objects that had no further use were dumped in the countryside. It is a real shame that the local population disregard their wonderful landscape in this way. Read More

Baja California

5. March 2024
by Thomas Kaiser

>Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
(>Pictures at the bottom!)

…back in Mexico
The decision was actually spot on; to head east while the west was drowning in rain and mud. Despite the uneasy feeling that we hadn’t been given enough at the border, we travelled through the vast expanses of the Colorado Delta, where vegetables are grown intensively or the whole thing is left to nature. That same day, we reached a small campsite on a branch of the Colorado River run by Don, a dropout from America. Don told us about the “green zone” of Mexico and explained the customs system and the border zone along the US-Mexican border. We were able to relax and enjoy the evening and were glad that everything went smoothly. Read More

Lap of honour….

16. February 2024
by Thomas Kaiser

>Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
(>Pictures at the bottom!)

……through southern California
After standing at the border fence to Mexico, we wanted to make the most of the remaining “insurance days” (car) for the USA. So we decided to take an extra lap through southern California. At the top of our wish list was the Mojava National Preserve, where – according to our travel guide – there is almost nothing else to be found apart from lots of nature. Read More

Going to America…

28. January 2024
by Thomas Kaiser

>Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
(>Pictures at the bottom!)

….back to the USA
It was wintry and there was already snow around Aesch; time for us to travel back to California. Our things were quickly packed and we were off to the airport early in the morning (4.30am!!), where we were to embark on a several-hour flight. Actually, everything went really well and we left the plane in Los Angeles with a great sense of adventure. But when we entered the USA, things came to a standstill! The immigration officer wouldn’t let us in and a short time later we were stuck in an immigration office for almost two hours. It was an uncertain time and we had all kinds of fears that we would not be able to re-enter the USA. The 6 months we had spent in the past year made the officials suspicious and the questioning on our part was correspondingly tedious. The immigration authorities couldn’t quite understand how we were financing our lives and were accordingly suspicious that we would be working somewhere and how in the USA. Read More

Holidays

9. January 2024
by Thomas Kaiser

>Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
(>Pictures at the bottom!)

Yes, even long-term travellers need a break from the daily grind every now and then. So we decided to leave our Jeep in California for Christmas and New Year 2023/24 in Santa Paula and jetted off to Europe without further ado. The first birthday of our grandchild, whom we had never seen before, was a further incentive for the return journey. Read More

The wilderness around Los Angeles

1. December 2023
by Thomas Kaiser

>Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
(>Pictures at the bottom!)

…from Joshua Tree National Park to the dream road “1” and back to Los Angeles.
For our second attempt at Joshua Tree N.P., we chose a side entrance, far from a well-maintained road. Although the Joshua trees are somewhat sparse on the south side, the vast landscape is very calming and the large stone fields and mountains are perfect for hiking. We found a great place to spend the night at one of the two campsites, where the rule is “first come – first served”, in the middle of strangely shaped boulders. For the other campsites, you have to book your pitch online in advance, or you have to leave the national park to connect to the internet. This leaving is a double-digit number of kilometres in the upper area; absolute nonsense! Read More

To the southern border of California….

18. November 2023
by Thomas Kaiser

>Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
(>Pictures at the bottom!)

….with many detours
On our second departure from San Francisco, we wanted to follow the dream road “1” as far as Santa Barbara and only then turn inland again; after all, you don’t get here every day. The first few kilometres past the metropolis of San Francisco were already impressive, with the road winding its way through the cliffs along the Pacific Ocean. We had to stop again and again to look over the cliffs into the depths. Read More