Janice
Junior Nomad
Posts: 78
Registered: 10-19-2003
Location: Owens Valley/Alpine - California
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Trip Report Nov. 14 - 30, part 1 (long)
* WARNING: We write LONG trip reports to send back to family and friends back home who may be worried about us on our travels to show that we are
fine and having a great time, and also so that they can live vicariously through our travels, as most will not make the trip themselves.
Baja Trip Log 2006
Part 1
Tuesday, November 14
We began this years trip from the Japatul Fire Station in San Diego. Rich
had taken a job for the Cleveland National Forest at the end of July. Since then we have been enduring a long distance relationship, as
Janice has not yet given up her job and moved to San Diego. We only see
each other for about six days a month, so the prospect of spending three
weeks together in Baja seemed like a second honeymoon after only getting to
see each other a few times a month since July.
We had recently purchased a Ford F250 extra cab and an older cab-over
camper for this trip. It was going to be much more comfortable for the two
of us with two dogs. The last trip we took with the Toyota van was more
than a little cramped, and the windstorm at Santa Rosalillita would have
been easier to endure if we had been able to at least make coffee and meals
inside.
This trip we were being joined by some friends from the Owens Valley.
Randy is the lead guitar player in the band that Rich is in and Lisa is a
Fisheries Biologist for the Inyo. Randy has never been to
Baja and Lisa has not been further south than Ensenada. They planned to
follow us as far as Bahia de Los Angeles and stay for a week before having
to return to work.
We still had some last minute packing to do, so we did not get on the road
quite as early as we had planned. We crossed the border at Tecate at
around ten in the morning. There were no lines, but we were stuck behind
some big rigs in the declaration lane that were taking up more than their
fair share of our lane too. Once we were across, Randy’s Tacoma was
singled out for further inspection. After a cursory look at the contents
of his pickup, he was allowed to proceed. We found parking on the next
street over and hiked back to the Immigration Office to buy our tourist
cards. We then paid the fee at the bank across the street and then back to
the very polite man at the Immigration Office to get our cards stamped.
Though we always return to the U.S. through Tecate, this was the first time
that we entered here. It proved to be easy, though parking was a bit hard
to find in this bustling city.
Randy had a bit of a scare at a traffic circle on the outskirts of town
when not sure what to do, he stopped and came close to swapping paint with
one of the locals. After getting through the circle, a police car with
sirens blaring came up behind us. We pulled over to allow him to pass and
were relieved when he did. We had an uneventful drive on the “Ruta de
Vino” to Ensenada and then stopped at a bank to use the ATM to get pesos
for the trip, and then at a fish taco stand on the outskirts of town. The
tacos were very tasty, and they came with an appetizer of ceviche. Lunch
for four with soft drinks was 100 pesos, about ten bucks. We continued on
down Hwy. 1 toward San Quintin, which was to be our first night
destination. When we arrived at a Pemex station to re-fuel on the north
side of town, we discussed pushing on for El Rosario. Even though it would
be dark for the last part of the drive, we decided to go on.
The distance from San Quintin to El Rosario is about 40 miles, the last
half we drove in the dark. We are very aware of the risks of driving at
night in Mexico and we took the added risk into account.
We never usually drive at night because of all the potential hazards. We
also knew this section of road and that it was a short enough distance.
Arriving safely in El Rosario after only about 20 minutes of actual driving
in the dark we pulled into the Baja Cactus Motel for the night and got two
very nice rooms for 300 pesos apiece. We decided on dinner at Mama
Espinoza’s and it was excellent. Everyone
had lobster but Janice, who opted for shrimp. After dinner, we went for a
walk into town to find tequila. We were mobbed by a group of enthusiastic
children who were asking us for stickers. I knew from reading info on the
Baja Nomad site that kids really liked the stickers that most race teams
support crews handed out. Janice apologized and explained that we were
only tourists with no stickers to give. When we returned to the hotel, we
ran into David K and Baja Angel sitting on the steps talking to Square
Circle. David
has always been a wealth of information that we have found to be most
useful on our trips south, After a brief conversation and receiving another “got Baja?”
sticker from David, we retired to our room to talk about the trip ahead and
to partake in the El Jimador that we had purchased in town.
Wednesday, November 15
The next morning we slept in later than usual, I’m sure it had everything
to do with the comfortable bed rather than the activities of the previous
evening. We went to Mama’s for coffee and breakfast before getting on the
road for BOLA. While packing up, we spoke with one of the motorcycle
riders who was going to be racing in the Baja 1000. He was leaving from
Ensenada at 6 am the next morning and expected to be in BOLA around 2 PM.
We hit the road after re-fueling at the Pemex, and made good time stopping
only twice, once in the boulder fields of Catavina, and once to make a
repair to the camper. The wind was blowing pretty good and on a straight
stretch of highway we met a semi going at about the same rate of speed as
we were, about 60 mph. The force of the extra wind gust as we passed the
truck caused the sheet metal on the underside of the cab over part of the
camper to rip apart at the seams, tearing away from the screws that were
holding it together. The resulting noise made us wonder if the top of the
camper had been ripped off completely. We stopped and did a quick repair
using about a quarter of a roll of duct tape and wondered if it would hold,
or if we would need to stop again and jack it up off the truck so that we
could do a more permanent fix using screws and a Makita. The repair held
and we made it to BOLA just as the sun was setting. The view was stunning,
as it usually is that time of day, so we stopped to take a few pictures
before heading into town.
We were unsure where we would camp, since Gecko Camp was no longer an
option. We drove “downtown” then turned around and headed north to have a
look at Dagget’s and Archelon. We settled on Archelon and picked out a
palapa on the beach. The very friendly owner of the camp, Antonio greeted
us. We told him that we used to camp at Gecko but we knew that “Doc” had
retired and shut it down. Antonio told us Doc was a good friend and that he
hoped we would like it here too. Setting up camp for the first time in the
camper proved to be as easy as we had hoped. We then headed into town for
a bite to eat and supplies. Dinner at Las Hamacas resulted in a split
decision on weather it was good or not (the guys both had scallops sautéed
in garlic and butter which they liked, while the fish that Lisa had and the
Chile relleno that Janice had left much to be desired). We then went back
to camp to have lots of adult beverages while sitting around the campfire
while Randy and Rich both entertained us with their excellent guitar work,
trading off lead singing and lead guitar as they worked off an actual set
list that they had put together for the trip.
Thursday, November 16
We had a hard time getting up that morning, comfortable bed and all, but
once we did, Janice made some breakfast burritos for the gang and strong
coffee to get us motivated. Randy and Lisa had been up for a bit since the
sunrise over the Sea of Cortez shines directly into the front of the
palapa. We all did some sunbathing, snorkeling and beach combing, but not
much else. The normal pace of life here is such, that it doesn't take much
to make you feel like you did something significant even though you may
have done nothing more than swim a few yards from the beach and watch the
colorful tropical fish for awhile. Small things seem bigger. Big things
(the stuff we fret over in the States) seem a long way off.
Rich determined that the camper would need to come off of the truck in
order to do a more permanent repair on the damaged section since it was
between the roof of the truck and the underside of the cab-over. It took
all of fifteen minutes to remove the camper (another nice feature). Once on
the ground it became clear that the camper being separate from the truck
would be the most convenient configuration for a few days stay. It was then
about lunchtime so we all piled in the F250 and with the dogs leashed in
the bed of the truck we went off to town in search of tacos. Once again we
were disappointed to find that the taco stand we have heard so many good
things about (the one we could never find open last year) was again closed.
We asked the owner of a nearby store if the lady who owned it would be open
that day and were told "manana". We have been to Mexico enough times to
know that even though the literal meaning of that phrase is "tomorrow" it
really just means "not today". So we settled on another place we had heard
was good "Palapa Renya" which is just down the street. We all had fish
tacos which were pretty good. The restaurant had a selection of curios and
gifts and Randy spotted a nice hat, which he purchased for a Bahia de Los
Angeles souvenir. Rich talked himself into a souvenir tee shirt and after
we finished our tacos we headed off down the street again. The town looked
very different from the times we have been here in the past. Instead of the
quintessential sleepy Mexican fishing village that we have come to
appreciate it was now bustling with activity. Support crews had set up
pit stops for their team's riders or drivers all along the main street and
banners touting sponsor’s products were strung along each side. There was a
lot of excitement in the towns folk (since this is probably as exciting as
Bahia de Los Angeles gets) and spectators were lining up for a good vantage
point all along the main street. We got to see the first motorcycle come
through town while we were at the market on the south end of town where the
pavement ends and the racers make a sharp turn onto the road toward camp
Gecko and on to La Paz. It was actually pretty cool.
That night while sitting around the campfire, we could still hear the sound
of the Baja 1000 coming through town. The race starts in Ensenada and ends
in La Paz. It covers some of the most rugged and desolate country on the
planet. This section of the course runs down the paved road through town
to a checkpoint where the racers stop for a brief moment before speeding
off south on the dirt road south of town into the pitch-black Baja night.
Janice wanted to walk into town to see the race rather than hear it, but
she was convinced that since it was 1-½ miles to town it would be better to
drive. It was tough to get everyone excited about going since we were
enjoying the night around the campfire, but everyone finally agreed that it
was probably a once in a lifetime, or at least a once in three year
opportunity to see the race that close to our camp spot.
We pulled into a parking spot on the south end of town with the back of the
truck facing the road. We were able to sit and watch trucks, buggies and
even a couple of quads and motorcycles come through at pretty much top
speed. The trucks were supposed to obey the speed limit, but the local
police seemed not to care. It was really exciting. Janice and Lisa
decided to walk south to see the checkpoint and some of the pits. There
was a party-like atmosphere as both gringos and locals alike watched and
cheered as the racers came through. The girls came back to the truck with
a bunch of stickers and racing goodies from the Yokohama team. It was
decided that Randy’s son who is a motocross racer would like the stickers
and stuff so Lisa and Janice handed them off and went back to check out the
pits some more. Randy and Rich were satisfied with keeping an eye on the
dogs and hanging out by the truck. Since the truck was parked on the north
end of the main street the racers were still pretty much moving at race
speeds when they went by. The blazing light bars and roaring engines, and
even some last minute passing, made quite a spectacle. When we gathered at
the truck and finally decided to head back to camp everyone thanked Janice
for talking the rest into going to check out the race. It really turned out
to be fun. Although the racers came through town all that night, our camp
was far enough away that the engines did not keep us awake and we slept
very peacefully.
Friday, November 17
As the story goes Punta La Gringa is supposedly named after an American gal
who decided to build a trailer park at the end of the road east of town on
the finger of land that juts into the bay there. The trailer park never
came to be and only a few unfinished outbuilding walls remain today. There
are several variations to the story and we have heard several. In any case,
the point whose name refers to the American lady is a jewel of the Sea of
Cortez. We have wanted to snorkel and fish this spot for years and finally
on this trip we were going to do both. After a lazy morning around camp we
loaded our snorkeling and fishing gear into the truck. Randy and Lisa
headed out ahead of us and we gave them directions to the spot we had seen
on our previous trip. When we first turned north from town on the day we
first went looking for camp Archelon, we were surprised to find it paved.
When we were here last year that road was the typical rough and rocky Baja
road. Now it is smoother and wider than the transpeninsular highway.
Escalera Nautica is at it again. In this case we were happy to take
advantage of the Escalera development and we now headed east toward Punta
La Gringa at a speed that would not have been possible just last year.
Unfortunately the pavement ends only about half way to the point and we
bounced along the unpaved road for the remainder of the drive. We are still
not sure what the Escalera Nautica will end up being but it has clearly not
gone completely away yet.
Once at the point we pulled up to the place we had seen on our past trip to
find that we had it all to ourselves. Randy’s truck could be seen some
distance away at the end of the sand spit that runs from the point out to a
rocky crag to the south. Randy and Lisa drove up and joined us later after
they explored a bit down the sandspit. The view looking back toward town
was amazing and the view out onto the Sea of Cortez was spectacular. Rich
climbed the hundred or so feet to the top of the point for a look down into
the water and was pleased to see a very substantial rock reef extending out
into the bay. As we all put on our snorkeling gear and kicked out toward
the reef everyone was amazed at the variety and abundance of the marine
life. Schools of Opal eye, Mojara and Cortez Chubs grazed along the rocks
while sea fans waved in the current. The cross-shore current made for easy
drift diving and a few minor fin kicks were needed to maneuver. By moving
less we were less scary and so we were able to see more fish. We had all
been snorkeling off of the small rock reef just off shore from our camp and
we had all seen quite a few fish on this trip. What was different about
this dive was the size and variety of the fish. Near camp a larger fish
would be about four or six inches long. Here the smaller fish were that
size. Cortez Angel fish and triggerfish the size of hubcaps flitted by and
one grouper that Rich spotted hanging out under a ledge would have weighed
in the twenty-pound range. Once again we felt like we were in an episode of
“ The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau”
After we had all had our fill of snorkeling, Randy and Rich set up their
poles to try to catch some of what we had been swimming with earlier.
Randy was lucky right off the bat, bringing in a nice size Triggerfish on
his first cast. It took Rich a little longer, but he also came up with
another nice size Triggerfish. We decided that it was enough to make a
nice dinner. We milled around a little longer enjoying the view. As we
were preparing to leave a Mexican man rode up on an ancient Honda three
wheeler and asked if we intended to camp for the night. We replied that we
were only fishing but inquired about the price, he replied that it was 5
dollars per car, very cheap. We agreed. It was then off down the bumpy
road back to camp; where Rich did his best impression of a racer in the
Baja 1000.
Once back at camp Rich set about producing four nice dinner size fillets
from the Triggerfish while the others borrowed an old Weber barbecue that
we had noticed at one of the unoccupied palapas. Randy had brought along a
box of cherry and peach wood for cooking and we soon had a nice fire going
to cook on. The fillets were cooked with a combination of seasonings,
mostly garlic, and came out delicious. We all enjoyed our meal very much.
After dinner we had a few cervezas and a few shots of tequila while we
built the nights campfire. The guitars, which had been absent, the
previous night came out once more and we all had fun playing music and
singing around the campfire. One of the guys from the camp down the beach
who had pulled in earlier with what were clearly two Baja race trucks,
neither of which was in the race anymore, came by with pockets full of
Corona and asked if he could join our campfire. He explained that his
buddies had gone to town saying that they would come back soon, but it had
been hours and he was getting bored. Our party must have sounded quite
inviting with live music and laughter wafting down the beach. Rudy
explained that one of their drivers was a “greenhorn” and decided to drop
out of the race when he noticed that the transmission cooler was running
hot. The rest of the team was very disappointed since up to that point
they had been within three points of the championship. About the time that
Rudy’s party had come back from town, we all decided to call it a night and
turn in.
Saturday, November 18
Awakening to a sunrise over the Sea of Cortez is one of those things that
can be photographed and described, but experiencing it in person is
something one should do for oneself. We watched Marcos, the camp fishing
guide take out another group of clients for a day of fishing around the
nearby islands, a daily routine that begins around 6 a.m. nearly every
morning. They will invariably return around 1 p.m. with an ice chest ½
full of fish and clients happy from a day of fishing and/or drinking.
After coffee Randy and Lisa decided to take his truck and explore the south
end of the bay and El Rincon, a small community of mostly private homes.
They found a stretch of deserted beach where they were able to relax in the
midday sun. Rich decided to give attention to the various chores that had
been nagging at the very back of his mind for the past few days (primarily
the loose sheet metal in the front of the camper). Janice took care of some
domestic chores consisting mainly of organizing all the gear in the various
closets and cupboards that we had acquired in the new rig. By mid
afternoon, in true McGiver fashion (using only what was at hand) he had
repaired the sheet metal in a manor that it would not come loose again,
repaired a loose mount on the camper, repaired a broken fishing pole from
aforementioned fishing trip, and set up a solar charging system that would
provide unlimited free electricity to the camper. The latter was
constructed of parts saved from the system that Janice used in our old
motorhome during the years that she was campground manager at Onion Valley.
It seems that Rich never throws anything away which can be bothersome, in
this case it was a good thing. Even though this was to be Randy and Lisa’s
last day in camp, we decided it would be best to turn in relatively early
so we chatted awhile around the campfire before saying our goodnights.
Sunday, November 19
Packing your gear and heading for the states, in Rich’s words is “the most
terrifying part of the journey”. To us this means the end of living the
idyllic beach life in Baja to going back to things like knowing what day
and time it is at all times. The fact that Randy and Lisa were leaving
that morning was made a little more sad by Randy’s comment that he had just
had the best night’s sleep in the past five years. There was some
consolation in the fact that they would have at least one more night in
Mexico on their return trip and possibly one more meal at Mama Espinoza’s.
As they sped off towards home we promptly moved our excess gear into the
recently vacated palapa. All of our previous trips have been make with
everything we needed packed into a small Toyota van. Despite the fact that
we now have four time the carrying capacity with our present rig, there
still seems to be a shortage of space to put everything. Rich denies that
it is because he brings too many toys, this is probably debatable. Having
the extra space to stretch out in despite the extra room of the camper was
a welcome development. The palapas here come with very generous size
folding cots, which we determined, were perfect for siesta. So we spent
the morning playing on the beach and the afternoon snoozing in the shade of
the palapa. Rich got to try out his latest toy, an inflatable windsurfer.
As it turns out it worked very well and was easier to use than his old
school windsurfer. He spent several hours sailing happily up and down the
beach while Janice took a swim before settling in with Graham Mackintosh’s
book “Into a Desert Place”, a book about a Brit. who takes on the daunting,
some said impossible task of walking the entire length of the Baja
coastline. It is an engrossing tale of determination under extreme
circumstances that is even more intriguing read at the Sea of Cortez. We
spent the rest of the day in what can only be described as a Zen state of
relaxation. The sound of the water and the feel of the warm breeze lulled
us into a trance-like state, which lasted well into the early evening.
To be continued....
[Edited on 12-6-2006 by Janice]
Dance like no one is watching.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64493
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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It was fun meeting you guys at the Baja Cactus Motel!
It is more fun reading your excellent trip report... many, many thanks Janice!
PS, 'La Gringa' has had that name for over 50 years... long before the road was ever good enough to bring a trailer into Bahia de L.A. (graded in '74
and paved several years later).
Years ago I had read the source for the name... I will try and find it.
[Edited on 12-7-2006 by David K]
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Neal Johns
Super Nomad
Posts: 1687
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: In love!
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Thanks for the report! Enjoyed reading it. All you other people, Write it up!
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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Janice
Junior Nomad
Posts: 78
Registered: 10-19-2003
Location: Owens Valley/Alpine - California
Member Is Offline
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Thanks for taking the time to read the long reports. It was good to meet you too David. It was certainly one of the hot tips (one of many) that you
gave us that lead us to the place. Neal, I agree that more folks should take the time to write up even a short report. I always enjoy reading about
other's travels.
Dance like no one is watching.
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Neal Johns
Super Nomad
Posts: 1687
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: In love!
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Janice, check out http://www.desertexplorers.org/trprpts.htm for travels!
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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Janice
Junior Nomad
Posts: 78
Registered: 10-19-2003
Location: Owens Valley/Alpine - California
Member Is Offline
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Thanks for the link Neal! It's fun to read the reports of places I've been to; Steel Pass, Tea Kettle Junction, Racetrack etc... a lot of those trip
reports are from my stomping grounds.
Dance like no one is watching.
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
Member Is Offline
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What fun. My concept of time always changed in the Baja. Any you are right about the sunrises and sun sets. What a sweet time. Thanks for sharing.
Iflyfish
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