guerosurfero
Newbie
Posts: 24
Registered: 3-23-2005
Location: Ventura, CA
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April surf trip
We sailed along the 101, crawled on 405, and zipped through the 73 to the 5. 405's traffic was a drag, but the 73 was worth every penny of the $3.50
toll.
At the border, because we were going be in Baja less than 7 days, we stopped for our free tourist permits. As soon as you cross the border, things
can get interesting, you can count on it. The immigration officer told us that the permit will cost 30 pesos. What!! I argued that I've heard from
several sources that, if staying less than 7 days, they are free. He says,
"So, you would trust what your friend tells you over me, an official of the Mexican government!?"
I say,
"This was not a friend, but a couple travel clubs (Discover Baja/Baja Nomad)"
He replies,
"So, you would trust what somebody tells you over the phone instead of me!?"
I reply,
"Again, this is not just somebody, but experienced organizations which help people travel to, enjoy, and respect your country"
He says,
"OK, I'll give you 3 days for free, but if you don't turn this in when you leave, no more Mexico for you!"
Yeah, yeah....we grabbed the permits.
By 10pm we're in San Quintin. We stayed at the Hotel Los Cirios, a nice rustic place with friendly people running it. The room had good beds and was
very clean.
We're on the road by 7am, then we stop at supermercado in El Rosario and pick up beer and ice. The mute/disabled guy outside did an average job
washing the jeep's windows when we're in the store. This guy has quite the racket. He was here last year. We gave him 10 pesos.
Before we reached Catavina, we turned off the paved road and there's not a cloud in the sky. We rumbled for hours down the rocky road. The desert was
a garden. I've traveled the peninsula many times since I was a boy in 1976, and I can't remember it being so lush, or the Cirios appearance so golden
and fuzzy.
After a long time in the dirt, we arrived at the coast, but, WHERE'S THE POINT?! Did we take a wrong turn? The Baja Almanac and a compass can only
get you so far I guess.
We'd never been here before, so we climbed up a hill to get a vantage point. The point could be one of several to the North, or the headland to the
south. The sun was going to set in an hour and a half , so we agreed to backtrack for 45min, and if we didn't see the fork in the road we were
looking for, the plan was to head back to camp at the beach we found, which had some damn fun looking beach-break peaks.
Rumbling around a bend, we came across some Mexican fisherman who popped a tire and were just finishing with the lug nuts of their spare. I speak
Spanish well, explained our mission, and they told us to follow them. They led us down the fork in the road we were looking for. It was pretty much
invisible, totally camoflaged. Then they directed us to a shortcut to the point, which began as light tire tracks in a field of desert grass. If it
weren't for them, it may have taken several more hours find the point. It's an understatement to say we were STOKED. When some sources say this place
is "difficult to find" and "roads change with rains", they aren't kidding. Add in a season with near record rains, and the roads are a real adventure
for a first timer to this area. But, we wanted an adventure, so we couldn't have been more stoked! More reason for stoke: my BA in Spanish paid for
itself yet again.
We pulled up to the coast and the surf looked good, but the sun was setting. We set up camp in the dark on the rocky cliff, oblivious to the huge,
black, oddly-marked spiders we would find crawling on us and in our tents for the next few nights.
The next day, having no need to beat the crowd into the lineup, we decided to check the coast. We drove to the fishing village to thank the men who
helped us, but they must have been out on their pangas, fishing. The fish camp was vacant. The reef to the North looked like it had potential, but
looked like a long paddle. The point looked easier to access, so we headed back to camp.
The next couple days, we spent surfing a well formed swell at the point and soaking up some great weather. There was practically no wind, 12kts
maximum. I was amazed at this. We had prepared for constant 20kt Spring winds.
Fishing was fruitless. The water must have been to cold for halibut, or fished out by the locals. Having a zodiac would've been nice, but it's hard
to fit one of those on a Jeep Wrangler.
One night we hit the tequila too hard. My buddy, Steve, had such a painful El Jimador headache that he couldn't even suit up. I surfed the point by
myself. Paddling out, a couple of sea lions were zipping around and looked pretty agitated. Then they just vanished. I was a little concerned.
When sea creatures start acting funny, and then split the scene, a predator may be near. Being the slowest moving animal in these remote parts for
miles and miles, I felt like an easy snack for the men in the grey suits. I prefer the Baja sessions when there are a dozen pinnipeds staring you
down the whole time.
The afternoon session was much better. The tide was on the rise and so was the swell. I caught a few waves I'll never forget. "Baja Turkeys", we
called them. They were juicy, meaty, and easy to carve. Roundhouse cutback city!
Having scored days of good surf and ideal weather in the month of April, we counted ourselves as damn lucky when we packed up to leave.
During our quick trip to the fish camp, we had seen the shortcut the fisherman showed us, so it was easy to find. However, after a few miles, we
ended up on a very similar, but different road. The compass revealed that we were heading Northeast instead of Northwest. Oh well, at least we were
heading North. Good thing we had that Jerry Can. We linked up with the main road in a few minutes and started heading NNW. This road was less rutty
than the one we came in on, so we actually dumb-lucked out.
Zooming down the highway, by the time we arrived in San Quintin, we were starving. People were buzzing around this taco stand with a dude hacking on
a flaming hunk of Al Pastor. The tacos at Los Poblanos ROCKED! I hadn't had tacos al pastor like that since I was on the mainland, in Queretaro.
Tremendous!!
It was 10pm Sunday evening and the border scene was a mess. We even had to wait about 30min at the toll booth at Rosarito. We tried the Otay gate, but
there was a 45min wait there too...and oh-damn, we forgot to turn in our tourist visas!
Baja, land of adventure indeed, all you need to do is drive around TJ on a Sunday 
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JESSE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3370
Registered: 11-5-2002
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Cool trip, but next time dont argue with a corrupt Mexican official over 30 pesos, its not worth it.
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Arthur
Nomad
Posts: 232
Registered: 10-2-2003
Location: San Anselmo, CA
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Great report. We just got around to mailing our visas in. Supposedly they now have a database and may hassle you the next time you try to get one.
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elgatoloco
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4323
Registered: 11-19-2002
Location: Yes
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Nice report.
Glad to see I am not the only one who uses the tried and true 'get your surf buddy hammered so you can have the lineup to yourself in the morning'
technique. 
Keep sliding!
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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guerosurfero
Newbie
Posts: 24
Registered: 3-23-2005
Location: Ventura, CA
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You know it elgatoloco! I recommend El Jimador. It goes down smooth, but is not 100% agave, so results in a splitting headache. At only $13 a
bottle, i usually pass it out to neighboring camps at crowded spots
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bajaandy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 769
Registered: 2-7-2004
Location: North County
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Mood: Adventurous
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Nice report. The Sacred Saint's of the Secret Spots would be proud of you.
A hint about the gnarly Tequila hangovers....After numerous test runs, my (ahem) drinking companions and I have deduced the fact that drinking only
100% Agave Tequila will DRASTICALLY reduce the hangover factor. (Something about no excess sugars, etc, etc....) But then, like elgatoloco said, it
certainly works in your favor if you want a solo dawn patrol.
Awesome trip... glad you hooked up with some of the locals.
subvert the dominant paradigm
"If you travel with a man, you must either fall out with him or make him your good friend."
JBL Noel
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surfer jim
Super Nomad
Posts: 1891
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: high desert
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What point did you finally surf?. ....size and shape?....the facts...just the facts....
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guerosurfero
Newbie
Posts: 24
Registered: 3-23-2005
Location: Ventura, CA
Member Is Offline
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We surfed Punta Canoas. It was shoulder high all 3 days we were there, with some inconsistent overhead sets. The shape was OK, nothing would qualify
as world-class for sure, but when you were lined up right, you could get some nice waves which would compare to the point breaks up here in Ventura.
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bajanow
Junior Nomad
Posts: 47
Registered: 5-27-2005
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You scored. Did you camp near the fish camp? We did that once and had a cooler disappear. After we gave sodas to the kids, we made the mistake of
leaving the cooler out when we went surfing. It was gone when we returned. The little beggers denied knowing anything about it. So we don't camp
close t the fish camp anymore.
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