Bedman
Senior Nomad
Posts: 523
Registered: 9-4-2002
Location: Orange County, CA.
Member Is Offline
|
|
Another Gonzaga Bay story from 7/2002
Well, I can't be the Only one that doesn't tell a Gonzaga bay story. So here's our last trip to Gonzaga. Hope you like it.
Wednesday the 26th around 12 noon, we left Orange County . Ensenada came into view around 4:00 pm. Emma reminded me ?She? didn?t like traveling in
the outside, slow lane of the 3 lane highway, I agreed. The ?Slow? lane in a Motor home is Dangerous. Too many cars swerving in and out of side
streets and parking places. So, there I am, cruising along at the speed limit behind a Semi, when all of a sudden I hear that dreadful sound..Whooop
Whoop Whoiieee... Black and White behind me....I pull over and park on the side of the road and Mr. Officer comes up to the door and looks at me like
he wants to talk. I slide the window open and say Hi!! He looks up at me and asks ?Se Habla Espanol?? I shake my head and say ?Nope!? he asks with a
quizzical look, ?Nada?? I shake my head, smile and say ?Nada?. He walks back and talks to his companion who is wearing a Highway patrol uniform and
not a member of the Ensenada police. Tag! it?s his turn to talk to the P-nche Gringo. Mr. H.P. strides confidently up to the window and says in
english, ?Hello?. I say, ?Hello?. He then tells me it?s ?Muy malo to drive in the middle lane? and that ?I need to follow him to the Policia
estacion?. I ask him ?Why? He tries to tell me as 3 Tractors and a Dump truck rumble down the middle lane past us. I really didn?t hear or understand
him this time. Before he can get any words out again, I tell him in my best broken spanglish, ?La multa, querr? dirigirme al juez calificador cuando
nos llegar all?? ( I?ll want to talk to the Juez Califcador when we arrive there). He looks at me sideways and then walks back to the Ensenada officer
and returns after a moment and hands me my license back and tells me in perfect english, Please, drive safely?. He he he....No Ticky, No Washie.
Clouds hung over the coast the whole way to San Quintin and I was kind of hoping they?d cool off Gonzaga before we arrived there on Friday. We arrived
in San Quintin a couple of hours later, no worse for wear.
Thursday am. After a full nights rest, It?s breakfast time and I?ve got a ?Jone?s? for a Wet Buzzard breakfast burrito, Laura makes the Best. A
short 2 minute drive later and I have a cup-a-Joe in one hand and a Chorizo, Pappas and Huevos burrito in the other. Emma opts to walk Daisy the Crazy
dog down and join me. Ok, so I had 2 burritos, Leave me alone, it?s Vacation time. After a lazy day around camp we headed out to Gene Allshouse?s
place (San Quintin?s Sportfishing?s ?Man to know? If you want to catch fish, Gene?s your man). Gene and his wife Laura (Yup, same lady that makes the
breakfast burritos), Emma and I head to Jardin?s for dinner. It?s Laura?s birthday next week and were celebrating a tad early. What a wonderful
couple and Jardin?s restaurant is perfect, as usual. I had the Rib eye steak and Emma had the fish with Mango Salsa. The fresh Mango Margarita?s were
excellent. After c-cktails and before dinner arrived we strolled through the gardens and picked Oranges, Lemons, Limes and Tangerines. Half the
orchard wasn?t ripe yet, Grapes, Pears, Apples and one fruit I didn?t know. Got to see my first Albino Peac-ck, she had 3 new chicks. This was the
Best meal of the trip and I haven?t had better, Even in the states. We left Gene and Laura early that night. Tomorrow the Gonzaga road.
Friday, 8 am and were on the road bright and early. A brisk morning to be sure, about 60 degrees with an Easterly 15 MPH wind. Paulina, Cody, Connor,
Dexter, Baja Nana, Heather and Antonio, Mike, M. A. and Miguelito, Travel Pearl and a few others are meeting us at the La Chapala road at 1:00 pm.
It?s cool weather until we cross over to the Cortez side, where the temps begin to climb. We?re the first to arrive and pull on to the gravel road. I
un-hook the 4x4 Suzuki and hook up the 8? x 9? heavy gauge chain link fence with the 8? long 2? x 4? and wire cables to the back of the ?Little Suzuki
that Could?. Oh, I forgot to tell you, I?m going to drag the wash board road. Last time we drove this road it almost shook the 30? Moho apart and took
us close to 8 hours to travel 40 miles. Temperatures are close to 90 now and a few clouds off in the distance.
1:00 pm Friday. Paulina and the group arrive and soon after and we?re off. Everything seems to be going to plan, then the 2x4 falls off the drag. I
fix it, then it falls off again after about 3 miles, I fix it again. then Heather and Antonio get a flat. I never even knew they stopped , I was
leading the Parade and the cloud of dust behind me was Epic. Then Paulina gets a flat. I pop out the BIG can of Fix-a-Flat and Connor fills the tire
up. We drive on some more to let the tire seal, it doesn?t. So we stop and re-inflate it. 1/2 mile later we stop again and young Dexter tries to
?Plug? it. 1/2 mile later it?s still leaking Goo and air. I plug it this time, Darn kids don?t know ?How to Plug? a tire. 1/4 mile later it?s still
leaking, Old Guys don?t know ?How to Plug? a tire either, LOL. We concede defeat and change the tire.
Coco?s, close to 3 pm. The mercury is still rising , almost 95 degrees and to our dismay, Coco isn?t there! He?s out galavanting around Baja and
wont be back till sometime Sunday. After a half hour break the Parade continues down the road. We arrived in Gonzaga around 5:30, taking the tire
delays and multiple stops to fix the drag into consideration, we made it in about 3 1/2 hours. That?s Half the time it took us last time. Of course,
Dexter (He decided to ride with me) and I look like a dirt miners, a light coat of road dust from head to toe. I guess the Drag was a success. We
pulled into a Palapa on the beach and sat for a while just catching our breath. Food came into thought and we headed to Alfonsina?s for a bite. Most
of the BBBB gang was already there consuming Mass quantities. I had the Carnita?s burritos, Emma had the shrimp, Both were excellent. After a few cool
ones and just before sunset we decided it was time to make camp. Paulina and the gang set up camp in the palapa next to us. The wind started to blow
and the air had cooled to a balmy 90 or so around 8:00. Everyone was tired and slowly the camp lights fade to blackness.
Saturday, somewhere around 9 am. I finally drug my butt out of bed and peaked out at the bay. Looks pretty nice, No white caps on the water and not a
soul in sight. Paulina, Deborah, Connor and Dexter have packed up and headed off to Alfonsina?s. There are a few trailers and campers at the 3
palapa?s to the south of us and the one to the North is now empty, but not for long. Just about the time I walk out of the MoHo, 2 more Motor homes
come rumbling down the road on the South side of the air strip and into camp. The first one rolls up to the edge of the soft sand and stops. The other
one, identical in size, shape and model (about 22 foot) stops just short of the of the vacant palapa. The first moho plows ahead into the soft sand
and is promptly buried up to all 4 axles. The second follows suit and plows on an angle to the beach and is immediately caught in the soft sand also.
I pull out a lawn chair, set down and enjoy the show that ensues. Two very nice couples along with 1/2 dozen kids of all ages pour out and begin to
assess the situation. After 1/2 hour of side splitting entertainment I finally can?t stand it any longer and stroll over to offer my sage wisdom.
Trying everything in my book of tricks, plywood and 2x4?s under tires, Carpets laid on top of the wood, airing down the tires and they?re still stuck.
After coming to the conclusion that they weren?t getting out with my help. I loaded one of the guys in the Suzuki. We drove up to the Rancho and
talked to Pedro. He said he would send one of the guys down with the BIG tractor. The tractor arrived 1/2 an hour later. He drug them both out like
nothin was attached. Rogelio and Victor (the ?Stuckees? ) and I were amazed at the power of the skip loader. They re-parked and the camp went quiet
for a little while.
Around 11 am Dave A. and Yvonne came rolling into camp. We sat back and discussed the goings on in the world and drank a few Bedman Maggies. After
some discussion about fishing (SteveOO (4Baja) still hadn?t shown up) I decided to wet a line. The tide had gone out and was about ready to turn. A
wire leader, #6 bait hook, 2 ounces of lead, a 10 foot light rod and spinning reel. The first cast a Whopper of a Trigger, 5 pounds or so, came to the
beach. Re-baited and cast out again and BAM!! I didn?t even get back to my chair, another smaller one. Re-baited and cast out again Bam!! another
one......I made Dave A reel this one in. Dave landed a few more. The fish were cooperating the wind was off shore and cooperating, the Maggies were
Good and So was the company. What more could you ask for ? More friends!! SteveOO , Whiskey Girl and Bo showed up and had a quick visit on their way
to Calamajue. The rest of the day was a Bluurrr.
8 pm Saturday night. Getting my butt beat in a Cribbage game Emma suggests we head out in the morning. The wind came up and I?m not going to get to
launch the inflatable. We?ll head for San Quintin or L. A. Bay in the AM. Seems like such a shame to leave so soon, but most of the BBBB gang have
indicated they were all taking off today or tomorrow.
10 am Sunday. All packed and ready to go. We say our good byes to Rogelio and Victor and their families, (really Great people) and head for La
Chapala. Bumping along around 15 MPH with the drag in tow only 2 cars come in from the West. About an hour into the drive Who comes up behind us ?
Baja Nana, Cody, Connor, Dexter, Travel pearl, Mike, Miguelito and Mary Ann Humphreyville and Heather and Antonio. They wave and pass and slowly
disappear down the road. We plod on like the Tortoise and the Hare. Coco?s finally comes into view and everybody is parked out front. We pull over and
visit with Coco, the Desert Sage and the group for 15 minutes or so. Coco is well and has a new prosthesis, his old home made, Cardon cactus and duct
tape prosthesis is hanging from one of the rafters in his humble abode with his shoe still on the end of it. Cody decides to ride with Emma and Daisy
in the air conditioned MoHo and we all pull out enmass. We?ll meet up at Hwy. #1.
1:00 pm Sunday, We finally arrive at Hwy. #1 and meet the gang at the little restaurant across the Hwy. I?m hungry and order the special of the day,
Carnitas burritos. Just as I?m finished with lunch a Taxi cab pulls in to the parking lot and a young family of four gringo?s climb out. Dad is paying
the cab driver a huge sum of pesos. I figure they rode in the cab a long way. Heck, there ain?t nothing close to the turn off. L. A. Bay is close to
80 miles off, Guerro Negro is even further. I strike up a conversation and hear a bone chilling story.
I?ll post my Sweeties? version of that story later....
Bedman
|
|
|
Debra
Super Nomad
Posts: 2101
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Port Orchard Wa./Bahia de Los Angeles BC
Member Is Offline
|
|
Bedman......
I'll wait for Emma to post her story (then I'll add mine) you forgot a few things.... ....(must have been those "Bedman Magis")   Debra (aka Travelpearl)
|
|
|
Bedman
Senior Nomad
Posts: 523
Registered: 9-4-2002
Location: Orange County, CA.
Member Is Offline
|
|
Deborah......Hehehe...... I have a selective memory : 0
Here's Emma's version of what happened next.....
When we got to highway 1, Steve watched and told me how to go over the road and when. We let the children sleep for awhile while the rest of the group
ate lunch. While we were taking a break we noticed a taxi drive up. An American got out and a very weary taxi driver got out with him.
Deborah and Steve got to talking to the American, Jack, and discovered he and his family had been in an accident. They had totaled their truck and
camper, but no one had gotten seriously hurt. Bolt their 7 year old son said they were hanging like bats when the truck stopped. The insurance
adjuster told Jack he needed to get to San Quintin and file a police report as soon as possible. Jack didn?t want to ride in the taxi any longer, he
was afraid the driver would fall asleep. Jack offered to drive, but the driver wouldn't allow it. We were going to San Quintin so we offered to take
them with us. We loaded up what little they had and got to meet Bolt, 7 years old and Conner almost 3 , and of course Kathy and Jack.
Bolt is a mature 7 year old, he sat himself quietly in his chair while his father put his seat belt on. Conner was tired, but as long as he had his
"Action figures" and his mother was near he was okay. We headed down the road and they shared their story of the accident . Everyone was belted in
until just before the accident. Conner needed to be changed so Kathy had just undone her belt. A semi tractor and trailer had crossed over the center
line and to avoid it Jack swerved to the right. As he turned to get back on the road, he lost control. The vehicle flipped and slid, ending up on it's
roof. Kathy had been tossed around and had a few minor lacerations. There were some friends and trucker who stopped and helped them. Most of their
possessions were stored and they headed up to San Quintin to file the report. We were glad that we could help them.
Steve suggested Jack talk to Juanita first. She might be able to help and avoid any problems. Jack said that sounded great. His family was doing a
great job keeping it together. Then Steve and I both heard a strange hollow sound, he pulled over. We had a flat on the inside back right tire. We
decided to drive until we found a tire station. We drove slowly, stopped at a place and they told us another 15 km. down the road. We stopped at the
place we thought. No, they said, just a little further. Finally we stopped at the correct place. A gentleman sitting in what little shade that
could be found said he would change the tire, but he didn?t have a tire to replace the spare. Kathy and I had a chance to talk and the boys walked
around a little bit. They enjoyed Daisy. Daisy loves children, she likes to lick and follow them around. It took Conner a little longer to get used to
Daisy. She?s so big compared to him and way to rambunctious for little tikes. Eventually Daisy settled down and Conner started to like Daisy. We
loaded up in the motor home and noticed the air conditioner wasn?t working 100% and the alternator gauge was indicating low. Seems like a LOT of
things got shook loose on the Gonzaga road. Steve watched the gauges and we headed to San Quintin.
We were glad to roll into Cielito Linda, there was only one RV place left, so we took it. Jack got the family a room, then Jack and Steve went over
to Juanita?s. Juanita graciously took Jack under her wing and drove him into town, then introduced Jack to all the local authorities and translated
everything. Jack and Juanita returned a few hours later and all the paperwork, up to that point, was completed.
Kathy, the kids, Steve and I had dinner. Cielito Lindo restaurant made a hamburger for Bolt and he liked the french fries. Little Conner was
exhausted and had a hard time being interested in his food. It had been a looong day for us all.
Monday.
Daisy and I walked the beaches, slept, and read while Steve and Gene Allshouse ran around town getting the alternator fixed. The children played in
the little park in the motel court yard and down at the beach.
That evening, we stuffed everyone in the Suzuki and rolled out to Jardin?s restaurant. The adults looking forward to the margarita's, the kids going
along with the program. We pulled into Jardin's parking lot and it was empty?? No one was in the parking lot. We had forgotten they are closed on
Monday. Steve stopped the car, we all got out and looked at the gardens when we got back in, all strapped in and ready to go, the car wouldn?t start.
More Gonzaga road issues? We all laughed about Jack and Kathy bringing us some bad karma. Jack, Kathy, Bolt and I pushed the car and Bedman popped
the clutch. Steve hadn't popped the clutch on a car in 30 years. Conner liked the jump start. We loaded up and headed back to Cielito Linda. We were
going to try and leave Tuesday morning, just as soon as the Suzuki was fixed. Steve and I always try to have a backup plan. We want to have both
vehicles working out in Baja.
Tuesday
Early in the morning, the mechanic came to put the the rebuilt alternator in the RV. Then, he and Steve went looking for parts for the Suzuki. They
didn?t return until 12:30. Steve was exhausted, he had been all over town looking for a little plastic part for the starter. No one seemed to have
that part, finally they found it in a little shop and had the starter re-built. We all decided that it would be too much to take off so late to head
back to California. The "Revised" plan was to go early Wednesday morning.
I loaned Kathy some shampoo, while Jack and Steve went into town to pick up a change of clothes for Kathy. Steve and Jack had a great time trying to
decide what to buy and what size she was. At first they were going to buy a bra and underpants for Kathy. The female clerks thought it was funny. When
the clerk asked what size Steve pointed to some poor unfortunate, embarrassed girl. She covered herself with her hands and kept them there until he
left the store. They bought Kathy a set of shorts and shirt with Mickey Mouse on the front. Jack liked the set because it reminded him that they met
at Disneyland. Kathy was thrilled to get out of the overalls and her sons shirts. They also bought toothbrushes for all and a few other necessities.
While Jack and his family relaxed we went to Laura?s birthday party. Barilla, carnitas, chicken, beans, pie, beer, it was all so good. Gene had
ordered a huge birthday cake to feed 40, but it still hadn?t been delivered. We left before it arrived. Most of the guests had left when it finally
got there. They said it was good, we?ll never know.
That evening we took Jack and his family to Jardin?s (again). Steve and Jack had steak. Kathy had a great shrimp dish and I had my usual fish with
mango sauce. It lived up to our expectations. Guillermo and Carmen have a great restaurant. I only wish it was closer to home. It was worth the extra
day to relax and enjoy great food. We went out back and looked at the Peac-cks, fruit trees and enjoyed the Baja evening. After dinner we sat in the
motor home and shared stories of various past trips. Steve made his ?Bedman margaritas? (straight booze). Kathy could only handle a few sips, Jack
toughed it out and finished a drink. I?m sure he felt no pain. We all had a good nights sleep.
Wednesday.
At 7:30 Jack?s family was ready to go. We weren?t quite ready, we went to say good bye to Laura and a few other friends who were up bright and early.
Finally we pulled out at 9:30 and headed down the road.
Everyone was anxious to get home. Our sons Wedding rehearsal dinner was to be Friday and I didn?t want to have any more problems. Both vehicles
started up with no problem, so down the road we headed. It was still cool enough we didn?t worry about the air conditioning. Jack and Kathy didn?t
care, they were glad to be heading home.
As we drove along we enjoyed the sights, kept an eye on the Alternator gauge. It seemed to be okay. We pulled up to a check point, they had us pull
over. They asked us ALL to get out of the RV, we said no. Steve and Jack went outside while Kathy, the kids and I stayed inside. We watched as they
checked everything. Finally they decided they couldn?t find anything and let us go. We laughed and talked how we rarely are ever get checked at the
retins. Another check point, they stopped us and went through the same routine. Another check point , they again stopped us. They went through
everything, even to the point of pulling the mattress almost completely off they bed to see what was under it. Nothing. We thought maybe we were
being checked because of the July 4th terrorists threats. But this was getting old. We wondered why they didn?t communicate between check points.
Whatever the reason, it slowed our trip down and took some of the fun out of it. Steve noticed the alternator gauge was going down and the dash air
conditioning wasn?t working right again. Steve turned on the generator and we used the over head A/C. We kept moving, never turning off the the
engine. We ate snacks while we drove. The only break for Steve was the road checks.
I gave Jack the challenge of reading the map to go the "Secret" back way through Tijuana to get through the border check. With Jack reading the map,
Kathy and I looking for the points. We did okay and didn?t have to wait too long to get to the border, 1/2 hour in line. We all knew they would stop
us, and why not ?, at every check point we had been searched so why not here?
Sure enough the INS inspector said to "Pull over to the secondary" check point. By this time we were all exhausted and tired of this routine. We
tried to be civil, but it was getting ridiculous. The motor home was so big, there were scant inches of clearance on either side of the alley like
entrance to the secondary. Then we had to wait until someone told us where to go. There were lots of cars and a long line of people waiting. An
inspector came up stepped into the motor home. Conner smiled at him and showed him one of his toys. He looked at all of us and said ?Let me look at
the code and see if I can take care of this? He came back, gave Steve a paper and said we could go. Just give this slip to the man further up ahead.
It was a challenge to get ahead, there was barely enough room for the RV to pass. We went slowly and with Steve's deft driving skills we made it. The
man took the slip and waved us through. Steve tried to talk to him. He said ?move along?. We were happy to move along and get on the highway.
Jack gave us directions and we headed towards their house. Only one problem, they live on a Big hill. Steve said he had never gone up such a steep
hill in the motor home. We went very slowly, wondering if we would make it . We made it, kept the engine going while we unloaded the few possessions
Jack, Kathy and the kids had. Jack?s parents were there to greet them. They were so glad to be on U.S. soil. We said some quick Good Byes and left.
We were now in 5 o?clock traffic. Steve called our mechanic on the cell, and asked if he had an Alternator and if he thought we would make the 3 hour
drive with out the batteries charging? He said once the power in the batteries was gone the RV would stop running. We knew that....but oh well....on
we go. This made it some what stressful, waiting for the RV to die.
The traffic was slow moving and people were cutting Steve off. He was exhausted, he?d been driving all day and now in Rush hour traffic, this was not
fun. I made some dinner while he drove and we tried to make light of the situation. After all, we were in the U.S. and not far from home. Steve stayed
in the slow lane most of the time. Then, Steve noticed if he revved the engine the alternator would charge. We tried the generator and the power went
up. This looked pretty good, maybe we could get home today. We made one pit stop for Daisy. We wanted to stop and take a break, but we felt we were on
borrowed time. At 8:30 we pulled into home. Stopped the motor home and thankfully got out. It felt so good to be home once again.
This trip wasn?t one of our most restful trips, but we met a lot of Wonderful people. Steve got to smooth out a road and be in Gonzaga Bay.
Friday we had the wedding rehearsal and Saturday, July 6 we watched out son marry Lacey. It was a beautiful wedding. At the reception we had a great
time with all our family and friends. Jim and Lacey are on their honeymoon in Cancun. Steve and I are getting ready for our next trip up to North
Dakota, Canada. We?ll go as soon as he gets all the loose parts tightened up in the Suzuki and motor home.
Emma
|
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
