Santiago
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Trip report to Bahia de Los Angeles
Just returned from a 5 day trip to Camp Gecko with my life-long fishing buddy, Andy. This was his his first trip to Baja in over 25 years after
refusing to ever go to Mexico again because of a bad trip to Guyamas.
Day 1, Monday: We arrived @ Gecko about 3:00pm and setup in the middle cabin in the second row. Nora had dwindled to a cloudy day with
sprinkles/rain off and on thru the afternoon and night. Minnimal damage to Gecko from Marty. The Humfrevilles were already in camp and Mike stopped by
and loaned us his blue/white salas jig that was the hot ticked for yellow-tail that week. We attended a birthday party pot luck for Silvia (Doc's
wife) that evening and met a bunch of folk's in camp. I paid off a small debt I owed to Mike H with a case of wine. As we tummbled into bed Andy
mentioned how friendly baja gringos are. No kidding.
Day 2: On the water about 7:30 and in about 3:00 - caught and released about 75 triggers, barracuda, skippies, bonito and bass on light tackle. Andy
was so hooked that he starts wondering about the availablity of lots, long-term leases, construction techniques, setting up his home-base in San Diego
- you know- the usual stuff we all went through on our first trip. No rain that
night, but lots of thunder in the distance. We did not run into any no-see-ums but others did. Mosquitos were developing into a problem for some.
Day 3: Andy gets our first yellowtail (his first also) on Mike's loaner salas and immediately insists we are fishing for yellowtail only as they
fight a lot harder than 'those other things' and 'why haven't you got one yet'. I eventually get a yellowtail about 12" long which only increases the
volume and amount of trash-talking from the expert in the bow......rookies. We loose the hook on the salas after the welded ring breaks - this ever
happen to anyone else? We put a large split ring/hook back on and Andy looses the whole jig to a bunch of damn barracudas on the next drop. Now I
owe MH again. That evening the Humpfrevilles throw a butter-clam party and we meet a couple from Jaspar who are in camp for a month with their sail
boat. She tells a very funny story about being stalked by a gang of 'beady-eyed' pelicans and becomes the Pelican Lady from then on. Light rain that
night.
Day 4: We get on the road about 7:30 for a trip to the San Borja Mission. This was the highlight of out trip as the desert was turning very green
and many plants were blooming or pushing buds. The road was in gread shape as the recent rains made it a dust-less trip and smoothed out the
washboard. When we arrived at the mission their were about 50 people there setting up tents and small booths - it turned out to be the first day of a
3-day-long fiesta honoring
Saint Borja. We lunched on tomales from one booth in the Tecate beer garden - yummy! The beer garden tender pointed to his flat-bed truck completely
filled to the top of the stakes with pallets of Tecate with a mattress on top. He said he would sleep there to protect his wares and that on the
third day he would finally reach the bed of his truck as about 500 people attend this fiesta from as far away as Tijuana. He advised us to get out of
Dodge before sundown and I don't think he was joking. We did. Back in camp Doc said it would be 3 days of party and mayhem up there and Andy and I
both recollected of days long past when we would have never missed such an event - now we were barely able to stay awake beyond 8:00pm. Spent the
afternoon snorkling at La Gringa.
Day 4: A little windy with small whitecaps so we couldn't make the yellowstail holes so we skooted to the calm waters of Don Jaun cove and came upon
a large group of sail boats - 2 of which were doing repairs at low tide from damage caused by Marty. The wind died and we made the yellowtail hole
about 11:00 and Andy gets another - I, of course, do not. The blather increases from the front of the boat. Back at camp Dik Lang stops by and we
chat about BBBB#1 where we met before. He invites us to another birthday party that evening but our 50ish bones require rest and we poop out by 7:30
pm. We are turning into camp duds.
Day 5: Last day and we are determined get a big yellowtail but the hole is dry. By 9:00am the flotilla breaks up and starts searching. We go to
Smith Island, tie on feathers and troll the east side. In 10 minutes Andy's reel starts zinging and a 10 pound dorado jumps - Andy is completely
beside himself as he has never even seen a dodo before. We catch 2 more (all released) of the same size in the next hour. On the north side of Smith
a large Grey whale surfaces about 50 feet in front of our 15' Gregor and glides directly below us about 10' deep. It got real quiet as we watched
this large shape, easily 3 or 4 times as long as our boat, float below us. Very moving. Back in camp we get a tip that Casa del Sol has good lobster
in so we try our only meal in town and are rewarded with a good lobster dinner. There is a new Ford truck in the parking lot with a smashed grill
and hood - he hit and killed a horse coming into town!
Day 6: Trip home uneventful.
Gas was not available at the La Pinta pumps going up or down. Don't know if during the week it was. All other stations had gas.
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Bob H
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Santiago, great trip report! I think Andy has the Baja bug now, huh?
Bob H
The SAME boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you are made of NOT the circumstance.
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GeoRock
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Thoroughly enjoyed reading your report. Glad you had a great time. What was the approximate water temp at La Gringa?
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Debra
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Great report, Thanks......
Interesting about the Tecate guy at the Mission, having been there a few times, my understanding was that booze was a "no-no", (I believe the family
that are the caretakers are Morman) I have heard about the festival, guess exceptions are made then. I never tire of going out there, it is always a
high-light, would love to see it as you did, with the desert in bloom.
You have made me MAS homesick!
Santiago......little tip here, (don't tell anybody), Mike H. makes little cuts in the lures he loans so he can get many, many cases of wine in return
Glad you and your pal had such a great trip,
You didn't take him to any "house-warming" parties did you?  Debra
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Santiago
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Georock: Water Temp about 82 degrees.
Debra: We managed to not burn the place down this time!
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jeans
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No pictures?
Your paparazzi-in-training, shutter-bug little...er...son didn't go?
Mom always told me to be different - Now she says...Not THAT different
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Santiago
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Jeans: My youngest didn't make it.
I don't know if you recall but at BBBB#1 there was a small, shorthair dog by the name of 'Shasha' that took an immidiate liking to him and visa-versa.
9 months later the three of us pulled into Cieto Lindo for breakfast and Shasha came to check us out and when she got to Cory she let out a bark and
jumped in his lap and started licking his face.
On this trip we stopped in for lunch on the trip back and I asked about Shasha - she is living with a family in town somewhere.
As for pictures I have a bunch - mostly of the desert in bloom - I'll post a few when I get the chance.
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David K
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Great Report Santiago!
Thanks for sharing your trip. It was specially great the way you described your friend Andy catching 'Baja Fever' or at least the 'Baja Bug'!
Debra... the annual festival at San Borja is not appreciated by Jose as he is not Catholic, but an 'hermano'. That fiesta has been going on at San
Borja for many years before Jose and family moved there.
Will the Humfreville's ever return???
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4baja
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did mike mention when he'll be back? i'm leaving on friday to finnish our projects at docs.:moon:
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Santiago
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4baja: Mike said he was leaving Monday or Tuesday of this week.
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Debra
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I thought they were supposed to be back tuesday, I called Rancho Humfreville last night and Miguelito said he didn't expect them until thursday.
Debra
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David K
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I bet Mike and Mary Ann stop at Cielito Lindo, on the way back (you know, for those killer margaritas... one must take a break from 'wine in a box',
afterall!)...
[Edited on 10-16-2003 by David K]
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Mike Humfreville
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We're Back
We just drove in this afternoon. There were so many great folks at Gecko, including many new friends, that we couldn?t drag ourselves away so we
stayed a few days longer than we expected. Of course the prolonged stay may have been related to the case of wine Santiago gave me. Only after we
opened it did I realize it was a case of GLASS BOTTLES rather than boxes. It took me the first two days to discover that wine in bottles requires a
special device for opening them. I think it?s called a skorscrew. I don?t yet understand the full utility of this new tool, but I?m learning. After
opening the first bottle the games began for two weeks of just about the best trip ever to Bahia de Los Angeles. As Santiago and others have noted,
there was significant rain on-and-off for three days and nights, accompanying bugs, lightening over the gulf many nights, Mars chasing Moon followed
by Moon chasing Mars to remind us of tiny dimensions, whale sharks in abundance, many kayakers, all sorts of game fish and bottom grabbers. Oh, yeah,
and the rescue of a large boat that tore off its moorings during a nasty wind. I?ll write a story or two as soon as we get settled. Hope all is well
for all of you.
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jeans
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Mike Humfreville
...... and bottom grabbers..... |
Ahhh-nold was there?
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Diklang
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BOLA
That was a great rescue at sea. I've got some of it on video. But the excitement wasn't over that night. Our new friend Lecil performed a minor
operation on Beach Bob's patio. A couple of guys that had been surfing Punta Abreojos a few days before came into our camp, one of them limping a
bit. He'd stepped on a stingray and took the tail right up his heel. Of course when he pulled it out it really opened up the wound. He found a
medico to sew it up, but now he was in BOLA and needed to have the stitches removed. Well Lecil, who is an animal researcher working mostly with
pigs, had her surgical kit with her. She cleaned his wound, removed the stitches, and patched him up.
Turns out the guy is the nephew of a highschool friend of ours. Wait til I send the pics to his uncle. Small world. People in Baja Calif. never
cease to amaze me!
When you and Maryann stopped in Cielito Lindo's did they have the new generator up and running? The old one finally gave up the ghost last July.
Dik
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Bob and Susan
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Those sting rays can be horrible.
Mike-- We are waiting for a story.....
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Mike Humfreville
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Generator Status
We did stop for a brief visit at Cielito Lindo before driving on into Ensenada for the night. The troops were out picking up the generator but it
hadn't been installed yet. Sounds like it'll do the job: it's twice the size of the one it's replacing.
I'm chewing on what stories might fall out of our trip. Thanks to all.
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Diklang
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Santiago, it was good to see you again. Judy & I did the same thing as Andy the first time we were there. Wondered about property availability. We
talked with Mike & Maryann and Beach Bob about it again on this trip and the general concensus is that what's available is over priced. I guess the
locals are speculating on the proposed marina.
Too bad you & Andy wore yourselves out. You missed a good party.
Dik
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