Baja - Day 7

Today was a lazy day. Roger & I went into town, enjoyed breakfast at a little bakery with WiFi and checked emails etc. We rode our bikes around the bay, relaxed and baked beans in the dutch oven  for the potluck tonight. A truly lovely place but we would be bored here all winter! Cool in the mornings and evenings but hot when the sun shines! Beautiful moonlight evenings on the beach!

Baja - Day 6

We are camping on the beach at Santispac – gorgeous! – about 12 miles south of Mulege (moo-la-hay.) It is on a protected cove so there are several sailboats moored around the small islands. We are here for 3 nights but many of the people we have met are spending 2-3 months. Of course, we had to try the margaritas at the little restaurant here and Roger and Tommy are tasting all the salsas on a quest to find the best! We grilled steaks and had a candlelight dinner at our table on the beach last night – a full moon and stars added to the ambiance! This morning we watched the sun rise and bought fresh fish and vegetables from a vendor in a pickup truck selling his “catch” to all the newcomers!

Dorothy and I went into town to check out the market and internet. Look at this gorgeous bougainvillea!

Baja - Day 5

I was finally able to publish my blog last night and this morning – good internet at the Rice ‘N Beans restaurant. More breakfast tacos for Roger & Tommy!

The last military stop took forever because the guards came into our rigs and “snooped!” Our guy just acted like he was curious to see the inside – opened the pantry, the frig and the freezer but did not take anything. One tried to take two beers and Wally told him “no, they are mine!” Tommy’s guy picked up his two Bluetooth speakers, handed one back to Tommy and put the other in his pocket and said “mine?” – Tommy let him have it but, John, our wagon master said he shouldn’t have because they’ll just expect bribes from the next group.

We went into St. Ignacio this morning to see a lovely old church on the town square. The local ice cream shop served as breakfast for many.

The weather is beautiful – in the 80’s with a breeze.  We only drove about a 100 miles today – past the Volcan de Tres Virgenes or the 3 Virgins Volcano and then down the Cuesta del Infierno or as all of us called it “The Hill From Hell!” As we passed through the town of Santa Rosalia we caught our first glimpse of the Sea of Cortez – deep blue water with Caribbean blue and sand beaches.

Baja - Day 4

Dorothy and I walked over to the kitchen this morning and got the guys breakfast tacos.

The road turned inland today so we only saw glimpses of the Pacific Ocean – miles and miles of pristine beach. Whenever we got close to the water we saw osprey nests on electric poles.  When was the last time you saw glass insulators?  The road was less mountainous and straighter. The pot holes are bad enough but all the small towns have “topas” which just adds insult to injury!

A weird driving rule here – you never turn your left hand turn signal on when making a left hand turn – you only use it to let traffic behind you know it is clear to pass! Go figure!

Fruits and vegetables are not allowed to be brought into Baja Sur so we all cleaned out our RV’s and gave everything to Maria at the ranch last night. Today we passed through an inspection station where they charged us 20 pesos ($1.00!) to spray our tires, axles and undercarriages with pesticide.

Reminded me of Emily, in Kuala Lumpur, running into the house and shutting all the doors when they sprayed for mosquitoes, saying “you can’t breafth that stuff!”

Dinner tonight at the RV park – excellent food and margaritas!

Baja - Day 3

Today’s travels have been up and down the mountains. Scary driving but beautiful country. We are amazed at how green everything is – we anticipated Arizona like desert. There are several plants that are indigenous to the Baja.

We passed through our second military check point with no problems. Guess a bunch of white hairs in motorhomes doesn’t fit their “profile!”

We hiked up to a small cave, this afternoon, to see pictographs and learn about the varied plant life. Interesting – unfortunately, my camera battery died!

We are “dry” camped at Ranchero Santa Inez, a private two thousand acre cattle ranch, near Catavina, where we are parked near two huge mesquite trees. The long drive to the ranch house used to function as a private airstrip used by medical teams from the U.S. that staffed a medical/surgical/dental clinic for local residents. It is no longer open – not sure why. They have a small bunk house kitchen that served us dinner -two tacos, an enchilada, beans and rice for $6.00. Good food in a very rustic setting – no power, limited water and far away from any sizable town! Cows and horses roam freely through our area. The night sky is gorgeous!

We are towing the Buick and had about a half tank of gas in it yesterday but, when Roger checked it this afternoon when we parked it was empty! We think someone stole it last night while we slept!

Baja - Day 2

Just because the brochure says we are going “straight down the Baja” does not mean the road is straight down the Baja!  When we weren’t going through towns the terrain was mountainous with winding roads! The main highway is the only paved road – everything else is dirt! The roads are narrow with non-existent shoulders! A little scary when 18 wheelers pass us! We quickly learned the Spanish word for “bump in the road” – topas. Many of them are “grande topas!” In the small towns, they park an ambulance near them and then stand in the road to collect donations. Hard to know whether the money is used to support the emergency services or a scam!

When we descended out of the mountains we entered the main agriculture area of the Baja – miles and miles of “green houses” –  growing primarily, strawberries, tomatoes and what looked like kale or brousel sprouts.

The standard of living is low in this area – cement block houses are high end – most are a hap-hazard combination of wood, sheet metal and plastic wrap. Feral dogs and chickens are everywhere! Tommy wanted to stop at one of the many road side stands for some menudo – it is traditionally only served on Sundays! People routinely riding in the back of pick ups.

We camped at El Pabellon RV Park – right on the Pacific Ocean. Shells and sand dollars galore on the beach. Unfortunately, it was cool and windy so our margarita/tamale party was cancelled. But, John, our wagon master, delivered fresh tamales to each of our rigs. They were huge and delicious – stuffed with chicken, jalapenos and a green olive! We could hardly believe our luck when the satellite dish locked on and we watched the Super Bowl! We got our fire pit out, turned on our outside TV and a few of us braved the weather. What a game!

Baja - Day 1

We met with, Tommy and Dorothy, and all the other Baja Winter Caravan participants in Potero, CA on Thursday morning and got our “pre-briefing.” That afternoon we all went into Tecate, Mexico to get our tourist visas and to exchange our money into pesos. John and Becky, our wagon masters, walked us all through the process and it was easy. Then we walked a few blocks around the town to Hwy 3 so we all knew where to go on our first morning across the border. Of course, we had to stop and have our first (of many I presume!) margarita!

Performing at the red light for tips!

The actual border crossing went smoothly and our CB radios allowed us to stay in contact with the leaders and the “tail gunners.” Ours has a lot of static that we can’t get rid of and it drives us nuts! Something wrong with the “squelch.” We only drove about 60 miles to an RV park that is affiliated with a school for the deaf. It is run by missionaries from the U.S., survives with volunteers and donations, and has been in business for 45 years! We all brought supplies that they need or donated money for their cause.

We went wine tasting at L.A. Cetto Winery this afternoon – a lovely place to sip and enjoy the beautiful weather. There is a place called “Dano Lupe’s” nearby that sells jams, jellies, and spicy sauces so Roger had to get a couple jars that will clean his sinus’!

L.A. Cetto Winery

Tonight, there is a catered dinner here at the park and a chance to get to know our fellow travelers – so far it seems like a fun bunch! We are hoping President Trump doesn’t build the wall before we get back!