In 1919, with the money he had earned and some that his brothers had sent, Joaquin left his home and traveled to France, where he boarded the "Rogenbau" to cross the Atlantic.  Ten days later, he arrived in New York and was met by Valentin Aguirre, who took him to his boarding house and helped him find the train to Boise, Idaho.  Since his brothers were herding sheep in California, Joaquin joined them and herded for the Bengoechea Sheep Company in Elmore County.  He remembers the friction that existed between sheep herders and cattle ranchers.  Shortly afterward, he found work as a lumberjack and construction worker for dam projects in Idaho and California.  Joaquin became a US citizen and voted for the first time in 1944.

During his first trip back to the Basque country in 1946, Joaquin met Trini Menteria.  They married the following year and moved to Boise, where they settled to raise their daughters.  An injury forced Joaquin to leave his job as a lumberjack in 1958 and find work as a custodian.  He enjoyed spending time with his family and playing muz at the Basque Center, where he won the muz championship in 1974.