Well I’ve finished my 8 days of Spanish torture – 2 ½ hours of class and then 5-6 hours of homework every day! Whew! I’m totally bilingual now – right…. I did learn lots though and am really feeling excited about learning more Spanish so have been watching a little Mexican television. They speak so darn fast it’s hard to follow so I’ll have to find some children’s program or one of the popular telenovelas (soap opera) I guess.
We have had some nice kayaking days – flat crystal clear water – and have paddled to the spots where thousands of tropical fish hang out. Very cool, we saw several coronet fish – about 3 feet long and very skinny, schools of small needle fish about 6 – 8 inches long, large blue parrot fish, trigger fish, angels, sergeant majors, puffer fish and balloon fish and lots that we have no idea what they are called. To and from these spots we paddled over many huge schools of sierra (a kind of mackerel that is excellent eating) and what looked to us like young yellow tail. Our neighbours think they were lady fish that we saw but who knows. I tried catching some from the kayak but they didn’t bite, the only thing that I saw interested in the lure was a puffer fish – sure didn’t want that. So, I guess we got skunked too.
We have been seeing whales from shore this last week, one that looked like a killer whale spy hopping. There are also lots of dolphins – one day we saw a huge school of them leaping along – the biggest school we’ve ever seen, maybe a hundred or more of them. There is also a sea lion that appears from time to time for lunch. There are very few eagle rays leaping, we saw quite a few when we first arrived but it was very windy and choppy so we didn’t venture out to visit them then and now they have gone somewhere else. Last year there were many of them and Mike and Kate paddled out to see them; they got some great pictures of the rays jumping and swimming right under the boat.
Our days have been so busy – read, check the computer, play guitar – only I do that, read, watch a movie, exercise for a few hours every day – cycle, walk, or paddle, eat, bask in the sun. We’ve had some nice walks up the arroyos and into the “bush”. The big excitement this week was moving house from CM (the house we had last year and where we have been for two weeks) back to T&Ts. We took T&T to the airport in their old truck then drove on to Cabo to shop at Costco and the new Super Wal-Mart. We also stopped at our friends Stan and Sharon (that we met at the border) in San Jose for a short visit – didn’t get home till after dark. The desert looks so different in the dark under the almost full moon. It turns everything silver, very beautiful.
Did you see the lunar eclipse!? We have had night after night of clear skies and bright stars with a spectacular moon rising out of the Sea of Cortes right in front of the house. Of course on the night of the lunar eclipse it was cloudy. We sat out on the patio with the binoculars and were able to catch glimpses that were in themselves quite spectacular, however, disappointing as if it had been clear what a sight we would have seen……!
It has been quite windy most days and cool at night, today it is 90 degrees outside; the hottest yet, but breezy so it not too hot – in the shade anyway.
Incidentally, the word in town is that the skunk (see previous post) succumbed to alcohol poisoning....
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Strangers in the Night
Stranger Number One:
Its 2 am in the small enclave of Rancho Pescadero; 7 houses side by side along the beach, no other houses around – about 6 miles north of a small town on a very narrow, single lane, bumpy, sandy road going to?.... yet another much smaller town many miles away.
Two sleeping people, dreaming in the night…. Our next door neighbours wake to the sound:
Unfortunately due to confidentiality concerns I can not tell you anything more about this stranger.....
Stranger Number Two:
It’s about 4 am two sleeping neighbours, dreaming in the night…. awake with a start to their protective dog barking furiously and what appears to be a skunk attached to the screen door of their bedroom. Said protective dog then leaps right thru the screen door. Next, the dog tears back into the bedroom with the skunk in hot pursuit. A spotted skunk!
http://www.calmzoo.org/stories/storyReader$186
It is very aggressive, it hisses, it stomps its little feet, it sprays the dog, it sprays the bedroom, it sprays our neighbours. It doesn’t smell nice. The dog approaches, Ms Skunk sprays, the dog retreats, Ms Skunk pursues. On his/her way by Ms Skunk takes a bite out of our neighbour’s foot. After much leaping about Ms Skunk is swept out of the door only to leap up on another screen door. He/she is trying to find another entry point. In it comes, out it is swept. In it comes, out it is swept! It really wants in the house! Our neighbour continues to sweep – he sweeps Ms skunk over the 5 foot wall and down onto the beach – he turns to go inside only to see Ms skunk scampering up the stairs from the beach and back into the house – many times she/he is swept over the wall to the beach and like a boomerang she/he returns. Our neighbour calls for a shovel, thinking more serious dispatch will be necessary the next time Ms skunk appears - the wife searches the property (at least ½ an acre) flashlight in hand for said shovel, finds it, but Ms skunk has thought better of her return and all is quiet for what little is left of the night. Whew!
When morning arrives a rabies shot is scheduled for the following day in La Paz. These shots are not easy to come by and there is only one Doctor for all of Baja Sur who administers these shots. Fortunately he only administers the first one and lets you take the rest of the vaccine (4 more) back home to have your own doctor or clinic administer (as long as the appropriate paperwork is completed).
Stranger Number Three?
This is not the end. At about 7 pm that evening these same neighbours are visiting at another neighbour’s home, no doubt retelling the adventure of the morning. There is a great deal of barking (normal for Baja dogs at night) and then the dogs run up the stars; thinking they are safe, they pause on the landing to look down – up comes the hissing skunk! It marches right up the stairs passing right by these two large Baja dogs who are now barking furiously. Needless to say, the ceremonious arrival of said skunk to the second story has rather disrupted the atmosphere and the consumption of after dinner dessert for the 7 adults relaxing on the approximately 15x25 foot deck.
Ms Skunk has scampered through the large walled yard (at least ½ an acre) successfully avoiding two good sized Baja dogs (one of these dogs is experienced with skunks, having had the early morning encounter already). Once again Ms Skunk is very aggressive. It hisses, it stamps its little feet, it sprays its lovely scent around, on both dogs, and on everyone else. One of the adults (a medical doctor) leaps up on a chair and provides much needed direction. The neighbour with the most knowledge of wild animals (PhD level) and his recent early morning sweeping experience, fortified with his beverage of choice, wields the broom. After much to do – about an hour or more of whirling and twirling and much coordinated effort involving brooms and a frog gig (sort of like a spear gun) and a hefty garbage bag placed inside a large garbage can, the dogs and the guys (there are 4 of them) manage to get Ms skunk blockaded in a Mexican style down spout that empties into the outside shower below. Ms skunk is finally manoeuvred through the spout and drops down into the shower where the garbage can has been strategically placed to catch him/her. Good plan, however, he/she misses the can and is scampering around in the shower, still ready for a fight – fortunately one of the other MDs (a visting friend, not the La Paz doctor) has thought of this possibility and has the only skunk sized exit blocked. Somehow they manage to get him/her swept into the bag and all 4 guys plus Ms Skunk take off on the quad into the dark depths of the arroyo. Hmmm. Is he/she rabid? Is this the same skunk of the morning? Quite possibly on both counts. Where were the women? – Inside the house with sliding glass door closed of course – very sensible. With two MDs a PhD and a business man at the task the best position was inside the house watching – unfortunately no pictures were taken!
Lorne and I are very disappointed to have missed out on all this. We have had no unexpected visitors at all! I think the cats are keeping all unwanted guests at bay. Perhaps our turn will come…..
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Ouch
It actually doesn't hurt as bad as it looks........ and you can guess where its located....
WHINE
I have done a few stupid things in my life but really – these spds (clipless pedals) are a real drag in the sand AND my tires – good grief – they are not as narrow as a road bike as my Kona is a mountain bike but they are road tires none the less – definitely not ones that ride over sand with ease! Of course cycling in sand is not easy at the best of times but this is ridiculous! At this point my old Walmart special is looking pretty good and am wishing I’d opted for bringing it – or following my plan to change the tires and the pedals! Lorne is in the Lead! That will never do!
There are really not a preponderance of bike shops around so I guess I will just have to “suck it up”.
Of course the other option is an ATV. I went into town yesterday with the girls in the hood on the ATVs. Of course I don’t have one – yet – so I rode on the back of MaryAnn’s. Very fun. She is the fastest. We waited periodically for the other two on their ATVs. We cruised around the new developments that are happening, went for lunch, groceries, tortillas, and then home. Fun. Very nice ladies…Girlfriends are good.
Of course the other option is an ATV. I went into town yesterday with the girls in the hood on the ATVs. Of course I don’t have one – yet – so I rode on the back of MaryAnn’s. Very fun. She is the fastest. We waited periodically for the other two on their ATVs. We cruised around the new developments that are happening, went for lunch, groceries, tortillas, and then home. Fun. Very nice ladies…Girlfriends are good.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Feels Like Home!
This is pretty cool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrXow86hCEA
Spent one night at Todos Santos where I learned why it was that I really didn’t want to keep my spds (clipless pedals) on my bike in Baja! Had a nice tumble off my bike! Pretty bruises too. Well, I guess I was due for one, haven’t fallen for a very long time. These roads are really not bike friendly at all. Sure do wish I brought regular pedals with me….
Todos Santos is such a lovely Mexican town, it also has a large number of artists, Mexican and American. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay longer than overnight as we have to get to “work”. There is a festival of art at Todos Santos coming up, as well as a historic home tour, hope we can take both of those in while we are in Baja Sur.
Spent two nights at Vagabundos rv park in Cabo San Lucas. Such a bustling city! Fortunately there were no cruise ships in so it wasn’t packed with tourists. It looks like the hotels along the beach are not that busy right now, unless everyone was in taking a nap while we were there. Got stocked up on supplies and motored on to Los Barriles and over the high road to the “cat house”. The beach road has been reduced to a trail since the last hurricane and there has been no road work done on it. AND no road work done on the high road either. The huge chunk out of the road that scared me last year is still there….. I really don’t know how they would repair it anyway – the whole lane is just gone – down the hillside. I really don’t think we will be going into town anytime soon, sure don’t want to do that road again in a hurry.
As we pulled into town it really did feel like we were home somehow. Its all just so familiar and the town has such a nice feeling to it. It also helped that we met our friends and neighbours Bill and Gary on the road – I’m sure we provided some entertainment value as we crept along. They stopped to greet us and then zoomed on by. Of course in a car this road is much different. We are just a bit wider than a car..…
So, here we are at the “cat house”. The first time we came down the Baja we house and cat sat for these same people – T&T for short. We met them over the internet, introduced by Janet and John our Victoria friends who had house and cat sat for them before us. The house is looking very nice, they have done quite a bit of work on it and it is up for sale… let me know if you're interested! All four cats are well and present – Smokey, Venecia, Ginger Megs, and BT. Smokey is even lounging about in the house tonight! He doesn’t seem too stressed by our arrival – perhaps he has forgotten the trauma Lorne put him through in the basement a few years back…. Or perhaps he remembers all the camerone we bribed him with the last time we were here.
The beach has been rearranged yet again by the last hurricane and summer storms. It looks quite different, a real mix of rocks and then sand. Today was very cold – we were in our long pants, sox, and fleece all day and its going down to 45 F (7 or 8 C) tonight! It has apparently been a fairly cold winter here so far.
We hope to get some kayaking in of course – check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8KNtyPbsSI this is not us, yet anyway.
Spent one night at Todos Santos where I learned why it was that I really didn’t want to keep my spds (clipless pedals) on my bike in Baja! Had a nice tumble off my bike! Pretty bruises too. Well, I guess I was due for one, haven’t fallen for a very long time. These roads are really not bike friendly at all. Sure do wish I brought regular pedals with me….
Todos Santos is such a lovely Mexican town, it also has a large number of artists, Mexican and American. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay longer than overnight as we have to get to “work”. There is a festival of art at Todos Santos coming up, as well as a historic home tour, hope we can take both of those in while we are in Baja Sur.
Spent two nights at Vagabundos rv park in Cabo San Lucas. Such a bustling city! Fortunately there were no cruise ships in so it wasn’t packed with tourists. It looks like the hotels along the beach are not that busy right now, unless everyone was in taking a nap while we were there. Got stocked up on supplies and motored on to Los Barriles and over the high road to the “cat house”. The beach road has been reduced to a trail since the last hurricane and there has been no road work done on it. AND no road work done on the high road either. The huge chunk out of the road that scared me last year is still there….. I really don’t know how they would repair it anyway – the whole lane is just gone – down the hillside. I really don’t think we will be going into town anytime soon, sure don’t want to do that road again in a hurry.
As we pulled into town it really did feel like we were home somehow. Its all just so familiar and the town has such a nice feeling to it. It also helped that we met our friends and neighbours Bill and Gary on the road – I’m sure we provided some entertainment value as we crept along. They stopped to greet us and then zoomed on by. Of course in a car this road is much different. We are just a bit wider than a car..…
So, here we are at the “cat house”. The first time we came down the Baja we house and cat sat for these same people – T&T for short. We met them over the internet, introduced by Janet and John our Victoria friends who had house and cat sat for them before us. The house is looking very nice, they have done quite a bit of work on it and it is up for sale… let me know if you're interested! All four cats are well and present – Smokey, Venecia, Ginger Megs, and BT. Smokey is even lounging about in the house tonight! He doesn’t seem too stressed by our arrival – perhaps he has forgotten the trauma Lorne put him through in the basement a few years back…. Or perhaps he remembers all the camerone we bribed him with the last time we were here.
The beach has been rearranged yet again by the last hurricane and summer storms. It looks quite different, a real mix of rocks and then sand. Today was very cold – we were in our long pants, sox, and fleece all day and its going down to 45 F (7 or 8 C) tonight! It has apparently been a fairly cold winter here so far.
We hope to get some kayaking in of course – check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8KNtyPbsSI this is not us, yet anyway.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
San Lucas Cove, El Coyote, Constitucion
As I opened the curtains our first morning at San Lucas Cove (South of Santa Rosalia; there was Janet walking towards our motor home! What a surprise! We had been emailing Janet and John (friends from Victoria who had headed south before Christmas) as we were hoping to find them on a beach in Baja; however, didn’t know where they had chosen to settle. For some obscure reason we were not connecting, Janet had not received our emails and though she emailed us too I had only received one email from her which didn’t tell me where they were! It was a complete coincidence that they should be at this beach the same time as us. They had arrived the same day only much earlier, and since it was dark when we arrived they didn’t see us and we didn’t see them. We had a great time with them and it was very nice to see another friend (also named John) too who has made this beach his winter home for many years. We enjoyed meals together and long chats over morning cappuccinos for the three sleeps we were there.
We had a wonderful campfire and sing along with a couple who live just down the beach permanently (he plays twelve string and she 6 string guitar) and Garland from Squim (just across the straight from Victoria in the US) who plays electric keyboard, fiddle, guitar, and who knows what else. He was there with his family; wife, young adult son, sister and her husband. They drove two Rialtas, a small pricey motor home with a “toy box” full of things like motor cycles, wind surfing boards and sails, bicycles, this electric keyboard with amp and speakers, a boat, and who know what else! He played beautifully and his wife had an amazing voice – such fun!
We spent two nights there and then headed south to kayak at El Coyote Beach, south of Mullege in Bahia Concepcion. Janet and John headed north towards home. We had one glorious day with no wind kayaking on crystal clear water watching all the fishes swimming below, some looked big enough for dinner, unfortunately I didn’t bring my rod out with us. While I have a fishing licence for Baja I didn’t get a license for the kayak and all boats regardless of size have to have a license if one is planning on fishing from them. We have never met anyone who has been checked for licenses or heard of anyone being checked but that is the law and I sure don’t want to break any laws down here if possible.
We met some nice people next to us on the beach, a couple from Nanaimo – Pearl and Stan. We also met a couple from New York (Betty and ?) this the 2nd year they have been down here, we met them last year. They travel in a 4 wheel drive van with a tent, kayak, fold-a- boat and two dogs. We also met another couple in a bus conversion, Chuck and Elsie from near 100 mile house. They did a wonderful job on this conversion and at one time they lived in it for 9 years. Everyone is very friendly here this year, last year it seemed clicky. One day here was all the time we had and it wasn’t hard to leave as the next day dawned with cloudy skies and a very cold and constant wind.
We have to be at our cat sitting job on the 21st so we best be on our way. We don’t want to drive on Saturday or Sunday especially in the Cabo area. Our next stop, 279 km south and over the Sierra de la Giganta Mountains is Ciudad Constitucion, an agricultural community. We stay in a very nice RV park there with full hook-ups, a pool, bar, and restaurant and lots of beautiful vegetation including varieties of fruit trees, palms and cactus.
We arrived there with just enough time to pick up a few vegetables and to have a shower before dark. As I was on my way out the door to do so Lorne asks “are you buzzing?” “Huh? No I’m not buzzing – why would I be buzzing?” “Something’s buzzing” he replies. I listen carefully and hear nothing – sometimes he hears things I don’t and vice versa. I carry on to my shower, leaving him to his buzzing puzzle. While in the shower he calls over the wall to tell me the buzzing was his razor in the shower bag he was carrying… it seemed to be coming from down low and whenever he bent over it got louder….so, in his search around the motor home he thought it was a leak in a tire. A bit of entertainment for us; got me giggling for quite awhile, visualizing him stalking the illusive buzz. Small things…..
One night here and then on our way to Cabo San Lucas, a 275 km drive. Hopefully we will find a good spot to camp. Real estate having increased incredibly in this area may well result in the closure of many rv parks. We will visit Costco, and Home Depot in Cabo San Lucas and the Mega store in San Jose del Cabo (a Mexican supermarket) and head to Los Barriles and the cats on Monday.
Driving down the road this morning we are passed by many vehicles from the Baja 2000 – a huge annual race the length of the Baja. We were passed by (one of many) open pickups with a horse tethered in the back. The horses look quite happy, ears pricked forward and looking around. Not many horses I know would like to travel like that! Then we passed an oncoming car towing a pickup with a single rope – yes, only a rope. Oh yes, a gringo couple we met in San Lucas pushed their motor home with their tow car as it had stopped running. Up and then down the highway coming into Santa Rosalia – this highway is called, not for nothing Cuesta del Infierno (Hill of Hell). The level of risk taking here is amazing, mostly by Mexicans and often modeled by Gringos.
Pemex gas stations, are popping up all over. The government owns the gas and the distribution of the gas; while the stations themselves are independent but can only sell Pemex gas. When we first came down here there were few Pemex stations and we needed to fill up at pretty well every station we saw. Now gas is not a problem. We see even more under construction. We see much development in the villages along the way as well as more kids with cell phones, on bikes, skateboards and even some on ATVs. Even in very small villages. For example, for many years the town of San Lucas relied on our friend John to bring down soccer balls for the school children. It now has a skateboard park and kids with skateboards! 4 years ago there were no children here with bikes, now there are many, some with very nice bikes.
Back home Natasha sits at the bedside of her good friend Joan Yates – the 94 year old cougar lady from Metchosin. She is fading away, not without a fight that’s for sure; it’s a very difficult time for Natasha and she is spending hours by her bedside comforting her. Joan has always called Natasha the daughter she never had and over the years the love between them has been really lovely to see. Natasha and Chris have been caretakers on a 300 acre piece of her property for over 14 years. She is a legend, a character, and a crusty independent woman who will be greatly missed by many. Just got a text message, Joan has passed away. She is now out of pain and her suffering is over. She will be greatly missed by many and certainly by Natasha.
If you have read this far - I want to tell you that both Lorne and I have not been able to send email, we can receive but not send. We will figure this out.... well, Lorne will figure it out.
We had a wonderful campfire and sing along with a couple who live just down the beach permanently (he plays twelve string and she 6 string guitar) and Garland from Squim (just across the straight from Victoria in the US) who plays electric keyboard, fiddle, guitar, and who knows what else. He was there with his family; wife, young adult son, sister and her husband. They drove two Rialtas, a small pricey motor home with a “toy box” full of things like motor cycles, wind surfing boards and sails, bicycles, this electric keyboard with amp and speakers, a boat, and who know what else! He played beautifully and his wife had an amazing voice – such fun!
We spent two nights there and then headed south to kayak at El Coyote Beach, south of Mullege in Bahia Concepcion. Janet and John headed north towards home. We had one glorious day with no wind kayaking on crystal clear water watching all the fishes swimming below, some looked big enough for dinner, unfortunately I didn’t bring my rod out with us. While I have a fishing licence for Baja I didn’t get a license for the kayak and all boats regardless of size have to have a license if one is planning on fishing from them. We have never met anyone who has been checked for licenses or heard of anyone being checked but that is the law and I sure don’t want to break any laws down here if possible.
We met some nice people next to us on the beach, a couple from Nanaimo – Pearl and Stan. We also met a couple from New York (Betty and ?) this the 2nd year they have been down here, we met them last year. They travel in a 4 wheel drive van with a tent, kayak, fold-a- boat and two dogs. We also met another couple in a bus conversion, Chuck and Elsie from near 100 mile house. They did a wonderful job on this conversion and at one time they lived in it for 9 years. Everyone is very friendly here this year, last year it seemed clicky. One day here was all the time we had and it wasn’t hard to leave as the next day dawned with cloudy skies and a very cold and constant wind.
We have to be at our cat sitting job on the 21st so we best be on our way. We don’t want to drive on Saturday or Sunday especially in the Cabo area. Our next stop, 279 km south and over the Sierra de la Giganta Mountains is Ciudad Constitucion, an agricultural community. We stay in a very nice RV park there with full hook-ups, a pool, bar, and restaurant and lots of beautiful vegetation including varieties of fruit trees, palms and cactus.
We arrived there with just enough time to pick up a few vegetables and to have a shower before dark. As I was on my way out the door to do so Lorne asks “are you buzzing?” “Huh? No I’m not buzzing – why would I be buzzing?” “Something’s buzzing” he replies. I listen carefully and hear nothing – sometimes he hears things I don’t and vice versa. I carry on to my shower, leaving him to his buzzing puzzle. While in the shower he calls over the wall to tell me the buzzing was his razor in the shower bag he was carrying… it seemed to be coming from down low and whenever he bent over it got louder….so, in his search around the motor home he thought it was a leak in a tire. A bit of entertainment for us; got me giggling for quite awhile, visualizing him stalking the illusive buzz. Small things…..
One night here and then on our way to Cabo San Lucas, a 275 km drive. Hopefully we will find a good spot to camp. Real estate having increased incredibly in this area may well result in the closure of many rv parks. We will visit Costco, and Home Depot in Cabo San Lucas and the Mega store in San Jose del Cabo (a Mexican supermarket) and head to Los Barriles and the cats on Monday.
Driving down the road this morning we are passed by many vehicles from the Baja 2000 – a huge annual race the length of the Baja. We were passed by (one of many) open pickups with a horse tethered in the back. The horses look quite happy, ears pricked forward and looking around. Not many horses I know would like to travel like that! Then we passed an oncoming car towing a pickup with a single rope – yes, only a rope. Oh yes, a gringo couple we met in San Lucas pushed their motor home with their tow car as it had stopped running. Up and then down the highway coming into Santa Rosalia – this highway is called, not for nothing Cuesta del Infierno (Hill of Hell). The level of risk taking here is amazing, mostly by Mexicans and often modeled by Gringos.
Pemex gas stations, are popping up all over. The government owns the gas and the distribution of the gas; while the stations themselves are independent but can only sell Pemex gas. When we first came down here there were few Pemex stations and we needed to fill up at pretty well every station we saw. Now gas is not a problem. We see even more under construction. We see much development in the villages along the way as well as more kids with cell phones, on bikes, skateboards and even some on ATVs. Even in very small villages. For example, for many years the town of San Lucas relied on our friend John to bring down soccer balls for the school children. It now has a skateboard park and kids with skateboards! 4 years ago there were no children here with bikes, now there are many, some with very nice bikes.
Back home Natasha sits at the bedside of her good friend Joan Yates – the 94 year old cougar lady from Metchosin. She is fading away, not without a fight that’s for sure; it’s a very difficult time for Natasha and she is spending hours by her bedside comforting her. Joan has always called Natasha the daughter she never had and over the years the love between them has been really lovely to see. Natasha and Chris have been caretakers on a 300 acre piece of her property for over 14 years. She is a legend, a character, and a crusty independent woman who will be greatly missed by many. Just got a text message, Joan has passed away. She is now out of pain and her suffering is over. She will be greatly missed by many and certainly by Natasha.
If you have read this far - I want to tell you that both Lorne and I have not been able to send email, we can receive but not send. We will figure this out.... well, Lorne will figure it out.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Baja at last, January 8, 2008
Baja California, Mexico
After two nights in the pouring rain at Potrero San Diego County Park we crossed over into Mexico at Tecate. The previous day we had walked across the border to get our visas stamped. This cut off quite a bit of time for our travel day as there is little parking on the Tecate side close to the border, requiring us to park and walk through a questionable neighbourhood.
We met a nice couple who have a house in San Jose del Cabo; Sharon and Stan, they drive down in their 4 wheel drive truck camper from Grande Cache, a town north of Jasper Alberta. We paired up with them and while we didn’t drive with them, we kept a look out for each other on the road and agreed to meet at the Pacific beach campground in El Pabellon just south of San Quintin.
We fortunately did not meet our motorcycle cop who wiped us out of all our American money in Tecate last year. (Having practiced his art for the past year on other unsuspecting gringos he was probably lounging by his pool drinking margaritas) We carried on, having lunch at our usual first gas stop in Valle de Guadelupe. Our next stop was the fish market in Ensenada. We love that fish market! So many different kinds of fresh fish at such excellent prices – tuna, dorado, marlin, swordfish, many sizes of prawns (camaron) shark, pargo, oysters, muscles, goey duck, smoked marlin and tuna but no lobster. There were probably many more fish that I can’t remember right now. We stocked up on jumbo camaron at $10.20 a kilogram, swordfish at $5 a kilo and smoked tuna and marlin $3 a kilo. Yum! We really like to rough it when we camp!
Our destination was the Pacific beach campground at El Pabellon south of San Quintin. We arrived there after dark, about 6:00 at night. It was a bit nerve wracking finding the road in the dark, everything looks so different. Following our splendid dinner of swordfish and camerons we visited with Sharon and Stan, receiving an invitation to visit them in San Jose! Stan says he literally turned the lights on in the new town of Grande Cache when they were transferred there with the Alberta electric company years ago. Sharon was a nurse and delivered the first baby in the new town. They still live there and love it.
We parted ways from our new found friends in the morning; while we headed to Bahia de Los Angeles for a few days of kayaking, they carried on their way to their home in San Jose.
I drove – yes I did! From the junction of Mex. 1 and the road into Bahia de Los Angeles – 63 km. AND I drove back out as well! There are no big trucks on this route, in fact, hardly any traffic at all. No, we didn’t get a picture of it – should have as it will be the only driving I do on this highway. There have been lots of improvements to Mex. 1 but not enough for me.
We had two beautiful mornings of kayaking – we made it almost to the closest island – about 4 km from our campsite before the wind picked up. By the time we got to shore there were some good whitecaps. It is a very windy place, the afternoons we spent inside reading till about 3:30 then went for a bike ride. What could be a more pleasant way to spend the day, kayaking, cycling, playing guitar/Lorne went to the local internet spot down the beach, reading! Wonderful!
The road south of the Bahia de Los Angeles junction is very poor, lots of pot holes and between Rosarito and Guerro Negro it is really terrible, full of even deeper potholes for about 20 km!
Arrived at our destination – San Lucas Cove at about 7:30. Quite dark and late for us. (We received a bit of a scolding from our friend John who spends much of the year at this beach – driving on a Saturday night is not a good idea)
Filled the water tank, and our hot water tank has sprung a leak. I am so glad I brought Lorne with me. Not only does he drive Mex. 1 he knows how to fix things and he is at the moment ripping the bathroom apart to fix this leak so we can have hot water. I cook. Also a useful skill.
After two nights in the pouring rain at Potrero San Diego County Park we crossed over into Mexico at Tecate. The previous day we had walked across the border to get our visas stamped. This cut off quite a bit of time for our travel day as there is little parking on the Tecate side close to the border, requiring us to park and walk through a questionable neighbourhood.
We met a nice couple who have a house in San Jose del Cabo; Sharon and Stan, they drive down in their 4 wheel drive truck camper from Grande Cache, a town north of Jasper Alberta. We paired up with them and while we didn’t drive with them, we kept a look out for each other on the road and agreed to meet at the Pacific beach campground in El Pabellon just south of San Quintin.
We fortunately did not meet our motorcycle cop who wiped us out of all our American money in Tecate last year. (Having practiced his art for the past year on other unsuspecting gringos he was probably lounging by his pool drinking margaritas) We carried on, having lunch at our usual first gas stop in Valle de Guadelupe. Our next stop was the fish market in Ensenada. We love that fish market! So many different kinds of fresh fish at such excellent prices – tuna, dorado, marlin, swordfish, many sizes of prawns (camaron) shark, pargo, oysters, muscles, goey duck, smoked marlin and tuna but no lobster. There were probably many more fish that I can’t remember right now. We stocked up on jumbo camaron at $10.20 a kilogram, swordfish at $5 a kilo and smoked tuna and marlin $3 a kilo. Yum! We really like to rough it when we camp!
Our destination was the Pacific beach campground at El Pabellon south of San Quintin. We arrived there after dark, about 6:00 at night. It was a bit nerve wracking finding the road in the dark, everything looks so different. Following our splendid dinner of swordfish and camerons we visited with Sharon and Stan, receiving an invitation to visit them in San Jose! Stan says he literally turned the lights on in the new town of Grande Cache when they were transferred there with the Alberta electric company years ago. Sharon was a nurse and delivered the first baby in the new town. They still live there and love it.
We parted ways from our new found friends in the morning; while we headed to Bahia de Los Angeles for a few days of kayaking, they carried on their way to their home in San Jose.
I drove – yes I did! From the junction of Mex. 1 and the road into Bahia de Los Angeles – 63 km. AND I drove back out as well! There are no big trucks on this route, in fact, hardly any traffic at all. No, we didn’t get a picture of it – should have as it will be the only driving I do on this highway. There have been lots of improvements to Mex. 1 but not enough for me.
We had two beautiful mornings of kayaking – we made it almost to the closest island – about 4 km from our campsite before the wind picked up. By the time we got to shore there were some good whitecaps. It is a very windy place, the afternoons we spent inside reading till about 3:30 then went for a bike ride. What could be a more pleasant way to spend the day, kayaking, cycling, playing guitar/Lorne went to the local internet spot down the beach, reading! Wonderful!
The road south of the Bahia de Los Angeles junction is very poor, lots of pot holes and between Rosarito and Guerro Negro it is really terrible, full of even deeper potholes for about 20 km!
Arrived at our destination – San Lucas Cove at about 7:30. Quite dark and late for us. (We received a bit of a scolding from our friend John who spends much of the year at this beach – driving on a Saturday night is not a good idea)
Filled the water tank, and our hot water tank has sprung a leak. I am so glad I brought Lorne with me. Not only does he drive Mex. 1 he knows how to fix things and he is at the moment ripping the bathroom apart to fix this leak so we can have hot water. I cook. Also a useful skill.
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