BajaNomad

Camp fires

Barbareno - 11-16-2007 at 07:54 AM

Hello folks

I have been looking in your forum here to see if camp fires along the beach are acceptable. It could very well be a silly question but its been nagging me.

It has been 10 yrs since our last visit to the Baja and for the life of me, can't remember us having a camp fire in the evening. Is it okay? If not, no biggy but there's nothing like a campfire after a days fishing to solve the worlds problems.

Barb

Barry A. - 11-16-2007 at 08:21 AM

On remote beaches we ALWAYS have a campfire, but we bring all our own wood as the wood in Baja is scarce and valuable to the locals. Also, we keep them small, and don't ever build "whitemans" campfires otherwise known as "witch burners".

On the populated beaches, we forego the pleasure as the charcoal left by multible campfires really makes a mess after time.

barry

Diver - 11-16-2007 at 08:29 AM

I feel a beach campfire at San Roques coming soon !! :biggrin:

wilderone - 11-16-2007 at 09:43 AM

And don't be tempted to cut down any bush or tree for kindling which may appear to be "dead", but may actually be dormant. And look around - if you see a fire ring already set up, use that one instead of making another one. Leave only footprints as they say. THANK YOU!!

amir - 11-16-2007 at 12:07 PM

We have a drumming circle in Todos Santos and on the Full Moon we meet with our instruments on the beach before sunset, AND a fire is part of the evening's ritual. We bring our own wood, clean up before we leave, and always put the fire out until it's cold.

Have fun! :bounce::bounce::bounce:

And solve all the world's problems! :saint:

salvavida - 11-16-2007 at 06:16 PM

and dont pour gas or other accelerant on it. Whatever trash does completely burn remove and takeaway, especially nails.

Barry A. - 11-16-2007 at 08:29 PM

------"don't pour gas" on your fire??????

Now you are really imposing on fun stuff-----whats with this advice? Next you are going to tell me that I cannot put empty propane cylindars in the fire and shoot them with a 22--------

Part of the experience in Mexico is the pyrotecnics!!!!;D

so be it

gibson - 11-16-2007 at 08:45 PM

take SOBE bottle with pinhole in screw cap and half fill with gasolina. Throw on fire and stand way back. Pure hollywood.

let the flaming begin:lol:

salvavida - 11-16-2007 at 08:53 PM

Just being PC. Remember when propane cylinders didnt have the pressure release? no need for the.22.
How about a dixie cup full of the older coleman fuel. No more eyebrows! Campfires turn us all into little boys:)

Paulina - 11-16-2007 at 09:32 PM

Heck, why don't you guys suggest they take a volkswagon engine magnesium block along too, and have jugs of water on hand, just in case...

They probably know the usual Boyscout fire safety rules.

P.

bajalera - 11-16-2007 at 10:11 PM

Anir--what kind of drums?

Barbareno - 11-17-2007 at 05:21 AM

Thanks everybody.

Looks like the same rules apply both here and there. Common sense prevails once again.

Bet it smells different then here. Just one more thing to look forward to.

Barb

Barry A. - 11-17-2007 at 10:12 AM

Barbareno------

The only different smell I have noticed in the deserts of Baja is when near ranchos or villages the wonderful smell of cooking fires----------really love that smell, and to me that smell is MEXICO. :yes:

Paulina - 11-17-2007 at 10:39 AM

...or if you use dry cow patties for fuel.

Barbareno - 11-17-2007 at 06:59 PM

...or if you use dry cow patties for fuel.

Paulina, I have always wanted to do that. Maybe I have done too much reading.

Someone here mentioned charcoal. Never thought of that. Guess you could use that if your in a pinch. I thought I would just gather up some drift wood during the day. That being said I am not use to the ocean. I live in the interior of BC and use to mountain lakes.

Its all a learning experince...so what if I look like a doofus.

Barb

DENNIS - 11-17-2007 at 07:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Barry A.

The only different smell I have noticed in the deserts of Baja is when near ranchos or villages the wonderful smell of cooking fires----------really love that smell, and to me that smell is MEXICO. :yes:

Maybe mesquite?

Skipjack Joe - 11-17-2007 at 07:44 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Barbareno
...or if you use dry cow patties for fuel.

Paulina, I have always wanted to do that. Maybe I have done too much reading. Barb


I actually tried that this summer and it worked quite well. Only you don't get a crackling fire.

A different sound is produced :?:

idleguy - 11-17-2007 at 11:45 PM

Not quite the same as wood... but when in Baja I pack our portable LP firepit, just because of all the above reasons. Clean, compact, iinstant on and off, no mess to leave or clean up and I can have a fire next to the palapa on the beach without worrying about burning my house down.

http://www.2kstore.com/stove/stv3a.htm

shari - 11-18-2007 at 08:18 AM

We use dried cowchips as fly or mosquito repellent... if there are alot of flies in our beach house in san roque we light a cowpaddy in a chamber pot and do a smudge of the cabin...walk around with the smoking chamber pot..it doesn't smell like crap by the way..and poof, flies be gone! I love the smell of baja cooking fires with that lovely aromatic cactus "wood" and mesquite...but our favorite wood is manzanita which is abundant in our secret camping spot and the best cooking wood, lasts forever, great coals too. Mexican men always snicker at me when they see me preparing my fires with a tiny teepee of saltpine needles and teeny twigs to start....they just throw gasoline on some hunks of wood...culturally, women don't start fires here so they kind of look the other way and I can see that "boy is she weird" look in their eyes...but my esposo explains my native roots so they indulge me....they just can't figure out why I don't take the easy way out and go the gasoline route....I get so upset when we find a big black mess in our front yard at the beach house where someone has just burnt a tire...leaving all the wire mess behind...now THAT"S disgusting and is a mexican cultural thing I won't be adopting. Good thing Juan humors me and lets me build the fires. In native cultures, the woman wont let the guys even touch the fire...it's a womans domain. Men bring home the meat and the woman tend to the fire. viva native culture!
The most unique mexican campfire I ever saw was when we camped one night at dark and couldn't find any wood so Juan put some sand in an old tuna can he found (lots of those around) and poured a bit of gas on the sand and lit it and VOILA, instant firelight and it lasts surprisingly long!

Bajagypsy - 11-18-2007 at 08:22 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Paulina
...or if you use dry cow patties for fuel.


We have used dry cow patties for a fire, camping in remote places here, the don't smell to bad, but boy do they throw heat!

Pescador - 11-19-2007 at 07:44 AM

Everyone loves a campfire but most forget that they are a real eyesore and make things really ugly for the next person. In the Grand Canyon, we had fires every night, but we had a firepan and in the morning we would dispose of the ashes into the river current and the next person camping there did not have to look at a stupid fire ring with the usual assortment of burnt trash and junk as well as incompletely burned wood. When car camping in Baja, I do the same thing with an old charcoal grille and it is easy to dispose of what little ash is left over and those that follow me are much happier. In San Lucas Cove, which is a trailer park and campground, the camp host spent more time cleaning up the one night campfires than almost any other task, so please be considerate of those coming after you and give them a chance to see the beauty.

Barry A. - 11-19-2007 at 10:56 AM

To add to Pescador's excellent post:

I wish that folks would remember (duh!!!!) that tin cans, beer cans, and other assorted metal and plastic waste DOES NOT TOTALLY BURN--------please don't throw this stuff in the fire, or if you do, pull it out in the morning and throw it away responsibly, or pack it out.

It takes a lot of time, and disgust, for the next person to clean up your mess.

bearbait1 - 11-19-2007 at 03:09 PM

A handfull of bottle rockets along with a handfull of wood thrown into the fire gets everyone's attention.

bajaandy - 11-19-2007 at 03:59 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Barbareno I thought I would just gather up some drift wood during the day.


I find that drift wood makes a relatively poor fire... not a lot of heat, and sometimes hard to keep burning. I suspect from having a relatively high moisture content. In addition, burning drift wood tends to give off a musty smell. A by-product of being soaked in the ocean I guess.

I notice no one has mentioned the good old agave fire. Talk about a "white-man's" fire. Those things must have a very high oil content in addition to being bone dry. I have never seen anything catch fire so fast and burn so hot. And the fuel is plentiful... just find an old dead agave, drag it to your fire pit, light it up and stand back. Watch out for critters (like scorpions) in your agave that will tend to exit as the fire burns.