This move wasn’t about a journey, a trek or an expedition. It was about survival, setting roots and reclaiming meaning.
The decision had been made months before, that I was going to move from San Juan del Río, most likely in July, to the Sierra Gorda. But COVID-19 changed the timeline and process.
I made a move in early May, full on quarantine time in Mexico.
The move required a lot of logistics and a little bit of maneuvering to make it with Roxy in one piece.
I rented a truck and trailer and together with the driver and my friend in the mountains, we made it happen.
The move was a little hectic. I was hoping to make it by 4 so I could get an internet antenna installed. But, the driver arrived an hour late, then told me there was an animal checkpoint that I would have to pass.
Getting my gorse travel permit would have cost more time, we figured out that I could ride Roxy thru the little town and not have to stop at the checkpoint. So that’s what we did.
As we approached my new home, it started to rain – hard. As in hail and no vision hard. My brand new alfalfa bales were getting soaked and I was getting pissed.
In the end we saved them by placing them somewhat open to dry in a trailer inside my friends arena.as it stands, 3 weeks later, there is about 15% damage on the bales. No more, as the water barely penetrated the freshly bales green goodness.
The storm made the power go out, so no internet, until the next day, when both Internet and power came back. But not the water… that didn’t come for a few days.
However tough the move was, the new place was awesome. Quiet, beautiful and peaceful, surrounded by mountains and trees.
The wait before the move was super tough. Although I had super cheap (ie free) accommodations in San Juan, it had its share of cons. Maybe I’ll share more about that another time.
The quarantine started slowly the end of March and by the beginning of May almost everything was shut down. It was getting pretty depressing. Teaching my English classes at the school was lots of fun. But late March we switched to online. After 2 weeks of doing it online I wanted to never hear the word Zoom ever again in my life. EVER!
So, once I got to my new place, (and got the water running and my internet) I really relaxed.
The weather has been mild, with nice breezes, features year round pasture, and has more atvs than cars or trucks. Animals are in pasture and walk along my dirt drive, beautiful coloured birds visit and there’s a great variety of trees.
My online writing work will continue here, in a more creative setting, and my friend wants me to teach his family English, so I have recently started with that.
As long as my online work continued, life is going to be smooth.
Other than that and the English classes, my plans and goals are to help a bit with farm work, breed Roxy to the Andalusian Donkey, and have fun!
Our local emphasis is on sustainable actions and approaches to our future.
My 2 new hobbies, therefore, are:
- Training Roxy to haul wood and work fields.
- Getting a shortwave radio to listen to the world, and a CB radio to communicate, bypassing the internet…
So that’s it for now.
No horse travel, but indeed a bit of travel, and a pivotal move. A transition into a life more in line with the dynamics of a far different future.
Chris MacLuckies’ professional career began with a decade-long stint as an organic vegetable grower in Ontario Canada. His career is prolific in breadth and scope. He has farmed organics commercially, volunteered in Guatemala, ran a gardening business, raised and raced sled dogs, tended his livestock, and ridden his horse on a multi-country expedition.
Chris is a certified TEFL ESL English Teacher, author of seven books, freelance content creator, and outdoor travel gear designer.
