Project Mexico 2026 - Day 1

Project Mexico 2026 – Day 1: Patience

Project Mexico is off to an enthusiastic, halting, and comical start, with the prime theme of the day being patience. As we experienced hurdle after hurdle, this team stayed positive, laughed at what we couldn't change, and have ended the day sleeping in our own beds in Calgary.

We showed up bright eyed and bushy tailed at the airport, all set for our 9:30 flight. What began as smooth sailing through security and customs took a turn once we hit the tarmac though as the snow starting coming down fast. We all watched with naivety and optimism as the de-icing machine came to spray us down, and didn't make much fuss when the pilot came over the intercom to inform us that we have to be delayed a while to wait out the storm.

One minute stretched to ten minutes, and ten minutes to an hour, one hour to two then to three. Finally, with baited breath, we listened as the pilot came on to the intercom again, only to hear that we had been advised to go back to the terminal. The only problem with that plan.... the engine wouldn't start. So now we are waiting for a tow.

After about two or three hours, our first tow arrived... but it wasn't working properly and couldn't get going. Back to waiting. After a few more series of unfortunate events, we found ourselves back in the terminal, awaiting our luggage for another few hours.

All said and done we spend approximately six hours on the plane and two waiting for luggage, and are now home safe in our beds. While it wasn't the first day we all hoped for, I for one feel grateful for a team who can roll with the challenges with grave and kindness, and am looking forward to getting back to it when our flights are rescheduled!

Update:

The team will now fly out on Friday (March 27th). Baja Bound has been extremely helpful in adjusting the schedule, allowing us to complete the full build as planned. This means we’ll have a shorter stay in San Diego before heading home, but the team is ready and excited to dive in once we arrive.

Stay tuned… the adventure is underway, even if we haven’t left the ground just yet.