I’m bumping down the beach on a four wheel quad. The wind whips my hair off my face, blowing it into dreadlocks. Sand gets into my eyes and nostrils. The sky is a dark blanket filled with hundreds of shiny pinpricks.
In front of me, seven ladies are zooming along the sand. One by one they raise their hands in the air and sing.
“Ai yi yi yi yi.”
It’s a perfect evening in Baja. It’s freedom. No cell phones. No beeping and zinging. No worries.
It’s a birthday celebration like none other.
From the picture I’ve painted, you’re probably assuming that we are celebrating turning thirty or perhaps forty. After all, we are indulging in an activity associated with the young.
And you’re partially right. Half the group are women turning thirty, the other half of the group, of which I am a proud member, are turning sixty.
QUAD RIDING
Yes, we are entering our sixth decade with gusto. And why not? The last time I checked with a travel guide, being young and fit wasn’t a prerequisite for acting wild and crazy at the beach in Baja.
Now of course, we “mature” senoras are celebrating a bit differently from our young senoritas. We stay up later. We drink more. We flirt without restrains and expectations.
Because with age comes wisdom. And a certain kind of freedom that lets you act without second guessing yourself. It also brings a few other changes. Such as essential when packing.
Whereas the thirty-year-olds brought moisturizers, body oils, and SPF 15 sunscreen, we older ladies packed anti-aging face creams, puffy eye reduction oils, and SPF 500 sunsblocks.
The younger girls brought birth control pills and vitamins. We wouldn’t be caught dead without our hormone pills, calcium, antacids, and high-blood pressure meds.
The young women filled their suitcases with pretty flowered sundresses, fancy sandals and even high heels.
We brought comfortable walking shoes, sweat pants and tank tops.
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The senoritas brought manicure sets, complete with nail buffers, cuticle softeners and various polishes. We senoras made sure to have scrub brushes to get the dirt out of our fingernails after a long night of quad riding on the beach.
But not only do we pack differently, we carry with us different baggage. And with a mind set allowing us to let that baggage go.
So, in the evening, while the young girls hover around their computers, posting the days activities on Facebook and Skyping with their friends back home, we older ladies sit on the deck, sipping margaritas looking up at the sky. We know there will be plenty of time later to look at our photos and relive the trip. For now, we are going to live the trip.
The young girls feel the need to stay in touch with “real” life, sharing their every move. We have checked out of “reality” for this week and checked into Paradise.
In the morning, we’ll be riding again. Menopausal women with hot flashes taking the town by storm.
We know the local fisherman, the beach vendors, the Mariachi singers, and especially the bartenders. They know us, not as “older ladies” but as “That Crazy Quad Gang.”
In thirty years when our young girls turn sixty, I hope I can be here to celebrate with them.
After all, age is just a state of mind. Of course, it helps to have a body that holds up. But there is nothing like driving a quad, at night, on the beach to keep your mind and body young.
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This post ROCKS! As in, I will re read it several times. I”m halfway between you and the senoritas and this makes me look forward to 60. Party on, ladies 🙂
Hi Valerie – Thanks so much. I can’t tell how much fun we had. We go there every year, but that trip was really special.
Oh, how fun to travel with agemates. The comparison of gals 30 vs gals 60 was fun to read. I still have a few years with kids in the house, but I look forward to gal pal vacations sometime after my kids launch. (I’ll be 57 when the younger of the two graduates from high school.) Thanks for taking us along with you. Ah yi-yi-yi!
Karen – I’m glad you came along for the ride!
What a great post! From now on, I’ll call myself a “senorita.” 🙂
Irene- It’s a magical place. That’s for sure.
What a fun read! I wish I knew y’all, and was there with you in reality instead of just in my fantasies. I’d bring along my wide brimmed hat that can tie under my chin – so as not to blow off on the quad – and after that, who knows?
Julie – You do need something to keep your hat on. I can’t tell you how many times, items have blown off the quad: bras, bathing suits, towels. But it is so much fun.
Hilarious! I love the ageless group…so fun to travel with an eclectic group!
Ellen – I wish I could be there right now! As you know, age is just a state of mind. In some respects.
What fun!!! I wish I had been there!! That’s how I want to turn 60! And at 56, it’ll be here soon enough.
When you turn sixty, you should take a trip somewhere fun and free!
What fun!!! Even at thirty, I’d have been with you: spf 500, comfy shoes, and relaxing on the deck.
Ginger -At thirty, I as the comfy shoe type, also.
I love that you celebrated your birthday by embracing vitality and adventure. What a rush that must have been. Way to go, Janie!
Helene – It was really the best time ever. I hope to get back there this October.
What a fun experience – I’ve ridden quads in the mountains, but never (yet) on the beach.
Even more fun to have the 30 yr-old experience vs. the 60 yr-old one. So far, while there are things about aging I’m not madly in love with, I really like the experience and confidence and knowledge I’ve gained, and wouldn’t go back twenty years for anything.
We may be older but we aren’t dead yet! Having young friends helps to keep you young, too. Sounds like you had a blast. Just stopping by from the GRAND Social Linky Party. Hope you get a chance to do the same!
“live the trip . . . Menopausal women with hot flashes taking the town by storm.” Love it! Stopping by from Grand Social. Thanks for the fun post, had a good laugh.
“live the trip . . . Menopausal women with hot flashes taking the town by storm.” Love it! Stopping by from Grand Social. Thanks for the fun post, had a good laugh.
It was the best trip of my life. Thanks for stopping by.
what a super post, perfect contrast of us “old” against the young. Though I was probably staring at my phone as much as anyone at BlogHer. You’re one of the few I met who I actually ran into twice; we met at the bar at GenFab (or FabGen?How was the boomer party? I have to admit, I wanted to stay for the fashion show; there were some actual boomers walking that runway! You’re a good writer, for sure. Keep in touch.
Thanks so much for stopping by. My mind is currently a blur. I used my phone at BlogHer, too. But it was more of a working vacation, than the one I wrote about.