Since leaving Fairbanks in mid-November, I’ve been through 8 states while transporting my road bike from California to Michigan via Amtrak, spent 4 of 6 weeks afflicted by 3 different colds, purged a lot from my parents’ house, got treated to Michigan’s wet snow, and went to my first and last Red Wings game at Joe Louis Arena.

Now I’m lying in my sleeping bag in Teri’s red and white hammock in Mexico, kind of wondering why I’m wishing I hadn’t just missed Fairbanks’ cold snap. After all – I have to say again – I’m looking up at the stars from a hammock. The inky sky melts into the dark hillside to the northeast, and the peppering of stars differentiates sky from earth. Dogs bark from different directions, and the rooster next door crows at 22:15. The Jalpan River babbles by just downhill from Teri’s house. All I have to do is push against the railing, and I can be rocked to sleep. It’s absolutely wonderful.

Having the freedom to travel in the off-season is a huge perk of seasonal fieldwork, and that’s why I find myself in this situation. Rather than returning to California for another winter of bird counting, I finally made good on my word to come visit Teri while she’s on her Peace Corps assignment in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve. I even convinced another college friend to come along, so I have a travel buddy! Alesha’s been handy to have, since we’re 3 weeks in and my resurfacing German skills are still not very useful.

While financially it may have been wiser to work this winter, my spirit needed something other than bird counting or a meaningless filler job. It needed adventure and the unknowns of travel in a country where I don’t speak the language. Duolingo claims I’m now 26% fluent in Spanish, but that means I’m 1/4 fluent in toddler-level language skills.

It’s been an interesting journey so far, and there are plenty of adventures to come. Unfortunately I didn’t start a tortilla count on day one; I think it’s safe to say I’ve consumed over 75 fresh corn tortillas in 3 weeks’ time. I miss the tastes of reindeer, salmon, kale, and blueberries, but they’ll be waiting for me in Alaska. For a while longer, I’ll feast on a late night dessert of constellations.