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We purchased a clover trailer in the fall of 2019 in anticipation of our three-month trip to Baja, Mexico. The name of the model evokes our desire to travel-a lucky, charming and easy-going time. The camper will be the base camp for all the fun and adventures of our family, myself, my husband and our three teenagers all the way south.

The camper’s preparations had a difficult start. The clover is full of mouse poop because the previous owner put it in the field. My husband Josh cleaned it up and observed the symptoms of Hantavirus a few weeks later. Our departure date is set for January 2020. That month the temperature dropped to 30 degrees where we live in Calgary, so preparations became difficult. We basically threw our things in the camper van until it was piled high. Unfortunately, before we left, due to the cold, the key broke the lock and we had to replace it with a new one.

It took three days to drive from Calgary to Las Vegas, and the temperature ranged from -30 to 15. What a miracle! When we finally put our property in the parking lot of a big hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, I think I can breathe a sigh of relief. Our problem is over.

But when we arrived in San Diego, California, we had already visited two RV mechanics to fix a leaking water tank, an explosion in the bed heater, a toilet problem, and crumpled stabilizer legs. Fortunately, while waiting for repairs, we can listen to the sound of waves hitting the shore and practice the art of Zen to get rid of these troubles.

Clover has also developed a habit of throwing food around. Every time we moved the camper to a new place, the door seemed to open, and the contents of the cabinet almost covered the floor. Our freezer door opened once, and the meat and ice fell out. A small benefit of this incident is that when the ice cubes melted, our floor got some desperately needed cleaning. A can of green salsa opened in the refrigerator, forming a thick waterfall, and finally gathered in the drawer of the crisper-not an interesting cleanup. Once, the salt mill jumped out of the cabinet and sprayed the contents onto the floor. That time, I ran in barefoot to see what I fell. Have you ever wondered what the salt crystals feel like under bare feet? it hurts! I threw some on my left shoulder, you can't be too superstitious about shamrocks. I imagined a naughty little fairy dancing with joy and playfulness when I was lying on the ground, cleaning up the orange lentils spilled in the cupboard on the floor.

In the end, we crossed the border into Mexico in Tijuana. We were warned not to do this, but no one really said why. Now we know: this is traffic, a lot of cars and trucks are not moving, and endless suppliers are knocking on our windows. We opened our eyes and walked through Tijuana and along the coast.

One night, we parked our car outside a luxurious resort, and in the dark, the little ants walked along our power cord into the dance held by our little fairy. They were everywhere in the morning, and we killed them in the bathroom for several days.

While driving near Baja, we were stopped by soldiers for a security check. But the man who wandered in our camper took away one of our special flashlights. We understand that this is very common. Soldiers inspecting your vehicle will only take drinks from your refrigerator or carry things with them. This special police officer was looking in our bathroom and came out limping. Clover attacked! Somehow, his hip hit the counter. I am very happy to see that the leprechaun did not discriminate against its hijinks.

When we were swimming, paddling, eating tacos and watching the sunset, the clover kept throwing curve balls at us. I learned to deal with it calmly. "No day can be 100% perfect," became my mantra. Why forget how lucky we are, we have all learned to have a good time while dealing with bad things. We weave the anger of clover into the tapestry of our travels.

When we arrived in Todos Santos, we could no longer ignore this epidemic. Its shadow has always accompanied us home.

Passing through Utah, our truck started to make a dull hiss. We pulled over and asked for a tow truck. The truck's engine is completely broken and we need a new one. We are so accustomed to the problems with our clover trailer that we are shocked at such a large-scale betrayal of our reliable trucks. We hid in a trailer in St. George, Utah, waiting for this new repair. But the goblin is here again. One night, when the oven made a loud noise, we were heating up dinner! The whole camper shook. Propane accumulates in the oven and then ignites too late. Do you know the movies where people jumped out of the explosion? what! as if. We just stood there, staring, with our mouths open, and there was no time to do other things. There was no damage, except for the oven we never used again.

A few weeks later, we parked the truck in Utah-the engine transplant was not going well-and drove a taxi back to Calgary. At that time, it was impossible for five travelers to be so happy to be isolated at home for two weeks. We ran from room to room, closed the door, and sighed contentedly.

In the end, we hired someone to drive our truck and clover to Calgary, but he only came with the truck. The camper "caused a problem" and the key was lost, so it was left in Idaho. It still exists, and we recently celebrated its first and a half year of storage.

This brings me to the point of this article: For sale: a precocious and lively 30-foot clover camper van. Keep you alert! Sleep five. 9,000 USD. Pick up somewhere in Idaho and bring some tools to break in.

Catherine Warwick lives in Calgary.

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