Fatboy
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Posts: 713
Registered: 6-28-2005
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Part 2-Villa Jesus Maria to El Faro
Here is part 3 of a 4 part story of our trip. I know some/many don't like them long but Oh Well!
Just for reference it is My wife, Debbie, our children Justin (10) and Samantha (6) on a trip through Northern Baja. 
THURSDAY JUNE 16th 2005
LOCATION Beach east of Villa Jesus Maria/North of Guerrero Negro.
WEATHER Cool/Cloudy/Breezy in the AM.
My exhaust patch had only lasted about 80 miles and the Jeep was pretty loud again. At the checkpoint we came to last night I almost turned it off
because it was so loud. So I found a cocoa tin that our sister in law had given us. It was much thicker than a soda can the last patch was made out of
so we will see how long it will last. After fixing it I figured I would try the road out. The best I could do was make it two thirds of the way up
before being stopped. I was down to 8 psi in the tires and I did not want to go any lower. I was starting to get a little worried now.
I tried a couple of other routes but the sand was just too soft. I figured that the worst-case scenario is that we would carry seawater up and wet
the sand but that seemed like a lot of work. I drove the length of the beach looking for another way out. On the northern end was another set of
tracks coming down. Made it on the first try even though it had a few small ledges to climb over. Should be fun when we leave tomorrow with everything
loaded up and have to do it all over again!
Debbie and Sammie went to Guerrero Negro for gas, food and money while Justin and I stayed at the beach. After breakfast and cleaning up I pulled the
Kayak down to the North end of the beach. Justin was playing on the beach and I called him over. I asked him if he wanted to go kayaking? Watching the
surf break on shore Justin wanted no part of it. I explain my plan, telling him how easy it will be. All we have to do is launch in between the larger
waves and paddle far enough out to get past the breakers and we will be set. Justin told me ?I do not think so, but he will try it anyways?.
Hoping for a smooth launch in the swells we drag the kayak over to north end of the beach where the rocky point provided some protection from the
swells. The swells averaged about 2 feet, and some of the larger ones were well over 3 feet high. After getting on our life vest (I found the red one,
it was in the back of the jeep!) Justin got in front while I stood there ready to push us out and hop in behind him. He told me again that he did not
like it and did not want to go but he was game and ready to try it.
After one of the larger swells I pushed Justin and the kayak out, told Justin to ?Start Paddling? and jumped in. I just got in when the first
swell broke over us and drenched both us and half filled the kayak we seawater. We hit the next couple of swells with only a little bit of flooding
but we were not making in progress.
Between the fact that I had my glasses on and they were now dripping with seawater, a kayak full of seawater and the waves pushing us backwards we
were never going to get anywhere. I had Justin paddle backwards and we landed back on the beach backwards. After listening to Justin?s ?I told you
so!? we got most of the water out and pulled the kayak up on the beach above the high tide mark.
Since we were all ready soaking wet we spent the next three hours we body surfed in the waves. That was fun. Justin ran up to get the masks so he
could watch the waves crashing over us. After fifteens minutes of that he lost his mask, five minutes later I lost mine.
After spending all the time in the water we were not quite afraid of it so I talked Justin into trying the kayak again. This time we made it out.
We paddled down the past the next beach and past the sea lions, by then though there was three/four foot swells and a strong wind-it was a little
freaky but we did it! When we came to shore we almost made it but a wave rolled in just as we hit the beach and we flipped! By the time Debbie and
Sammie got back Justin and I were exhausted and in the tent. All in all a good fun day.
They talked about their trip, having to get their papers and getting Samantha?s passport stamped. They talked about the checkpoint and Debbie
passing a Semi on the road into Guerro Negro. Restocked with food, water and Peso?s we decide to leave tomorrow (Friday) and we will head to Gonzaga
Bay or Calamajue.
Later that afternoon Debbie and Sammie found a sick/injured little sea lion rolling in the surf, it died later that evening. While they were
watching it the tide came in and snatched one of Samantha?s sandals. Sammie was so sad about the sea lion, she had even named it something ? Little
Boy Rock or something like that!
Her is Debbie?s version of it?
The baby sea lions name was Little Dude Rock because he was so little and couldn?t stop himself from hitting the rocks as the waves forced him to
shore. Sam said ?This is just great going from everything being great to all this drama.? At one point he was so close I could have grabbed it but I
was afraid it may bite me.
I made Sam come away from shore hoping she would not see it die. Later she called me back down and said, ?I see Little Dude!? Is he O.K.? He wasn?t
and it was sad there was nothing we could do. I held Samantha as she cried. She said she loved Little Dude Rock and I said I know?
After dinner we are sitting around talking about this spot. How we first found it. How Debbie was sunbathing with no top on and some locals happen
to show one time. How Debbie lost her ring here and was able to find it with the metal detector in 2000. Then how we ?found? the life vest here and
lost two masks and one sandal. Going to have to name it Lost & Found beach or something.
FRIDAY JUNE 17th 2005
LOCATION Beach east of Villa Jesus Maria/North of Guerrero Negro.
WEATHER Cool/Breezy/Cloudy
We are packed and ready to go by 10:30. We are worried about making it out with the jeep loaded down. With 6 psi we head up and to our amazement have
no problems getting out. Thinking about it we believe the extra weight actually helped. When we make it to the top we drive to the lighthouse about a
half-mile away. There I can air up the tires while everyone checks out the lighthouse.
When arrive I realize I left my sandals on the beach back there. After airing up we head back and park on top while I walk down barefoot to get my
footwear. Then we turn around and head out towards who knows where. There is one spot on the way out full of small shark heads. We stop to show the
kids but do not get out due to the smell.
Back on 1 we head north and arrive at military checkpoint, we were asked to step out so they could search the Jeep. While they did I that I was
asked for my I.D. I gave it to the soldier and he was writing it down on his clipboard down while I watched them search. I heard him say something and
I thought he was just saying it out loud while he was writing it down. Debbie and the kids were on the other side of the Jeep sitting on a beach while
I watched from the driver side.
The soldier said something again, this time he said it a little louder. The soldiers were looking through the bags in the back with the dirty
laundry when I heard the soldier with my ID say the same thing again even louder. That was a little strange I thought as I watched the soldiers move
on to the box with food in it. Suddenly the soldier next to me repeats his question and hits me on the arm with his clipboard to get my attention!
Huh? What! I apologized and he looks at me like I am on drugs or something while the soldiers behind us start laughing. Thank goodness he hands me
back my ID after a few minutes and says we can go. Whew!
Drove up to the turnoff at Laguna Chapala and after ninety miles of pavement we are pack on dirt roads again. It will be dirt roads for the next
couple of hundred miles and it will be four days later before we will see pavement again. We stop at Coco?s to get something cold to drink and decide
where we are going since if we were going to go to Calamajue this was the turnoff.
Deb went in, they had beer cans strung up everywhere. She bought some Pacifico beers, since I only drink about to beers a year it was interesting to
try something different. I do not know if they are really good or it was because we were hot, thirsty and in the middle of nowhere that made them
taste so very good.
We decided to head north instead of turning off here. We took the turn off to Punta Final. There looked like nowhere to camp around Punta Final that
we would like so we headed north and tried in between Punta Final and Alfonsina?s. It was late and hot, everyone was hot, hungry and tired. We
followed some tracks to the shoreline there but could not find an appealing place to camp. We ate some tuna fish sandwiches and watch a small pod of
dolphins a hundred feet from shore.
It was getting late at 6:30 pm so we headed north again and passed by Alfonsina?s and Rancho Grande. It was interesting to see a Pemex station
there since I don?t remember ever seeing it before. Past Papa Fernandez we found tracks heading down a wash shortly after being waved through a
military checkpoint. We followed them to the main road to El Faro and made camp in about the middle of the beach there.
It was dusk as we setup up camp and watched the setting sun and shadows play on the gulf and the mountains as the lighthouse at El Faro lit up.
Even though there was a camp on both sides of us and another group made camp south of us later that night it was a great spot.
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Natalie Ann
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2819
Registered: 8-22-2003
Location: Berkeley
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Fatboy - Having camped in any number of beautiful wild places on family vacations, today I smiled and nodded in anticipation as I
traveled along on your trip. Laughed out loud over your first kayak adventure, and through Debbie I too knew Samantha's love for Little Dude Rock.
Count me as looking forward to your next installment. And thanks for taking the time to post in detail about your trip.
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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PacO
Nomad
Posts: 173
Registered: 1-19-2005
Location: waiting for the sun
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Very cool.
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yankeeirishman
Banned
Posts: 1070
Registered: 3-5-2004
Location: Kalifornia
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We got ourselves a great campfire storyteller here! Fatboy?. just great stuff you are kicking out. Yes?. them kayaks can be rude for the first timer?s
out! Same thing happened to me, except in front of a hundred people. My tail is still stuck in-between my legs, years later 
What control freaks there are here. Don\'t believe that post you just read!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64479
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Great stories that will last a lifetime... thank you!
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