Words by Cammie Wright
Dick Cepek ambassadors and adventure enthusiasts Yolo and Yeti have been giving us serious life envy since they made the bold move to leave their jobs behind and embrace a nomadic lifestyle. So, when we heard about their latest epic trip from Iowa to Baja, we couldn’t wait to see the pics and hear the stories.
And they did not disappoint.
The pair hit the road March 20, 2018 and made a round trip journey from Iowa to Baja and back in Miss Tina, with their adventure approved Jeep sporting Dick Cepek Extreme Country tires. The 33-day trip took them through mountains, beaches, forests and desert, making for one stunning travel journal.
UTAH
YOLO: “Headed out of Iowa in #MissTina and made a fast route to Logan, Utah to pick up our other Jeep #TheYeti on our way to the Yeti Built 750 Baja Adventure Rally we put on every year. From there enjoyed the beautiful drive down the center of Utah towards Nevada then Southern California. Always a pleasure to pull over, do maintenance, systems checks, and snap a few photos of the surrounding areas we pass through.”
Cactus Baja
YOLO: “After meeting up with all of the participants of the Yeti Built 750 in San Diego we headed out for 1200-mile Journey through mostly off-road trails across Baja California. Leaving on our six day trek from Tecate down to the Sea of Cortez where we spent two days camping along the beaches, hitting El Diablo Dry Lake Bed, San Felipe, Gonzaga Bay and then heading inland far south for Catavina - one of my favourite places on earth. Where the Saguaro Cactuses grow like Giants and the Boojum trees exist. The very place and trees that gave inspiration to Dr. Seuss for his books. Camping under the stars with a full moon creating dancing cactus and palm tree shadows all night was nothing short of amazing. Lets not forget the petroglyph caves we explored the next morning”.
Baja Mountains
YOLO: “We next headed up some steep mountain grades over many miles to an old family ranch up in the high desert mountains. Mama always cooks a wonderful meal in the house for us all. We enjoy a campfire circle and showers to freshen up from a few dusty days out on the trails. The next day after leaving the ranch we hit a ton of water crossings coming down from the mountains to hit the coast on the Pacific Ocean side.”
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Baja Water/Cliffs/Caves
YOLO: “The last two days of the Baja Rally were filled with lots of ocean views and cool places to explore. We headed for Pirate Bar and the famous shipwreck right on the coast. You can walk out and touch it when the tide is right. Then we headed for Cuatro Casas, a very unique beach Hostel that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. We had a final night with a campfire on the cliffs, let off fireworks and enjoyed the new environment we had for the evening. The next morning we headed out for the beach. Road along the sandy beaches for a couple miles to some incredible caves you could drive into along the cliffs. From there the Baja Adventure started to come to a close as we all headed north through Ensenada for one final taco stand stop, and after 75 tacos total between us all, we headed through the wine country of Baja back into San Diego. We all hugged, laughed and cried as we said our goodbyes after we crossed the border. It was another successful year of making great long-term friends and family on our Yeti Built 750 Rally”.
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Baja Water/Cliffs/Caves
YOLO: “The last two days of the Baja Rally were filled with lots of ocean views and cool places to explore. We headed for Pirate Bar and the famous shipwreck right on the coast. You can walk out and touch it when the tide is right. Then we headed for Cuatro Casas, a very unique beach Hostel that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. We had a final night with a campfire on the cliffs, let off fireworks and enjoyed the new environment we had for the evening. The next morning we headed out for the beach. Road along the sandy beaches for a couple miles to some incredible caves you could drive into along the cliffs. From there the Baja Adventure started to come to a close as we all headed north through Ensenada for one final taco stand stop, and after 75 tacos total between us all, we headed through the wine country of Baja back into San Diego. We all hugged, laughed and cried as we said our goodbyes after we crossed the border. It was another successful year of making great long-term friends and family on our Yeti Built 750 Rally”.
YOLO: “After the Rally was over we wanted to spend a few days out in the Anza Borrego Desert, just to unwind and enjoy a place we used to spend a lot of time in the winter months. So we headed for our favourite old camping spot out in the middle of nowhere. After soaking up our time in the areas we used to live in Southern California with friends and family, we headed back out on the road for the Midwest.”
AZ Camping
YOLO:” This time on the way back to Iowa we made a few pit stops to new places we hadn’t been yet. The Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona was one of them. The mountain drive in and camping spots we found were wonderful. Lots of dispersed camping right outside the park, so adventurists like us could avoid the packed campgrounds and set camp for a couple nights among the pines and just enjoy the wildlife.”
Monument Valley
YOLO: “The days ahead we headed to the Arizona/Utah Border for a night in Monument Valley. The drive from the Grand Canyon to this point was amazingly beautiful. We spent a night in Moab near the arches to top off our route through Eastern Utah. After that we headed into Colorado and hit some pretty gnarly snow storms through the Rockies up to 11,000 ft. After we passed into Eastern Colorado it was smooth sailing across Kansas, Missouri and then back into Iowa. This trip easily became one of our many favourites.”
Yolo has been living on the road for the past couple years out of her Jeep and fully-equipped adventure trailer along with her partner-in-adventure Yeti. After more than 500 consecutive days on the road, living purely out of their rigs, they have recently stationed themselves at an old service station in Iowa, where they set up their shop for maintenance, prep for off-road competitions, and work on their current Jeep build with Brownells.