Estero Trip Report

Day 1

The family got a bit of a late start, but we wanted to drive the Tecate route and do a little wine tasting. Arriving at the Wine Region with no time to spare, we decided to play it safe and hit LA Cetto since it was sure to still be open. One of these days it would be nice to have time to wander around some of the more intimate spots.




Our plan was to keep the boys (13 and 11) busy with the snacks provided while the wife and I did some sampling. A kink in the plan occurred when we got into the tasting room and saw that the snacks were ‘no mas’. Fortunately the gentleman assisting us with the Wine could see the disappointed looks on our boy’s faces, and put together a make-shift snack plate just for them. What a guy!

My wife and I proceeded to work our way up the chain of wines, and decided to buy a couple for later in the trip (A Cabernet Reserve and a Chardonnay). We noticed they also had Champagne and thought it would be fun to bring back for New Years Eve when we got back home. The Mexican Champagne turned out to be quite a conversation piece with our friends, and pretty good for the price (700 pesos).

We arrived at our Estero Casita a little after dark, and after unpacking and having our traditional ‘welcome cerveza’ decided to venture out to Mario’s new place. We’ve had many wonderful meals at his original location between Estero and El Faro. On our previous trip Mario’s was closed and we were worried about him, but thanks to Nomads we heard he was just moving to a new location (near the new Calimax). We found out though, that Mario’s new location is still a work in progress and he’s keeping the old spot open until the transition is complete – not sure how long that will be. If you haven’t yet been to Mario’s you really should give him a try. He’s a great guy and the food is always terrific!

Day 2

The water was still in the process of cleaning up after the recent rains, and I wasn’t sure if we should break out the Klammath and go fishing in the bay or wait until the next day. It was such a beautiful morning without a puff of wind, so the decision was to go for it!



The tide swings were extreme which made for challenging boat ramp access, but fortunately the boat is small and light enough (14’ tin) for us to overcome any problems with a little brute force (ie: lift and drag).

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The sea lions were out in force, but the fish were not! We had some nice ghost shrimp for the fish to chomp on, but there was very little chomping on this day. Maybe the water temp had something to do with it (53 degrees – about as cold as I’ve run across in the bay). Still, it was a beautiful day to be on the water.

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Fortunately I had a backup plan for what I was hoping to be a fish dinner – Hamburgers! Even though it was great weather during the day, at night the temperature really dropped once the sun went down (overnight temps down below 40 degrees). We cranked up the fireplace every night during our trip – thank God we had enough wood to keep the family warm! Cold family = cranky family

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[Edited on 1-13-2009 by bajasammy]

Day 3

The boys wanted to brave the Estero RV Pool, and brave they were!! The water temp felt no warmer than the bay with it getting so cold at night! Fortunately the Jacuzzi was flamin’ so they could defrost afterwards.

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They also brought down a water toy to have fun with (a remote car/amphibian thing). I was planning on staying strictly with the Jacuzzi, but the boys talked me into taking a dip into the frozen tundra - Yeeooww! I was in and out before you could say ‘shrinkage’ .



My wife knew I was bummed about the lack of fish the prior day, and she decided to take action. While the boys were in the pool, she got out her clam stick and went clammin’. Let me tell you, this girl’s got skills. Before long she pulled up 8 beefy razor clams for me to use for bait the next day!

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What a gal!

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To show my appreciation, I whipped up some Tomatillo Salsa and Guacamole for ‘Happy Hour’. We quickly mowed that down along with some ice cold Noche Buenas (yummy).




[Edited on 1-13-2009 by bajasammy]

Day 4

It was Departure day (boo). Still, I wanted to make good use of those clams! So I went out on a quick solo trip in the Klammath early in the morning with dreams of Halibut dancing in my head. Boy, it was cold - the boat seat pads actually had some ice on them that I had to scrape off! Unfortunately, I had no better luck with the clams. We usually have pretty good luck in the bay, even during the winter time. But this trip it was just not meant to be.

Later we went for a quick ‘Land Ski’ around the Estero grounds with the Golf Cart and our Mountain Board (kind of like a skateboard on steroids). This has quickly become one of the boys favorite activities (mine too). You can actually maneuver the board pretty well on either dirt or pavement.



We also had an impromptu driving lesson with my oldest boy. He did really well with a stick shift for the first time.



The drive back was smooth and un-eventful on the Toll Road. We breezed through the San Ysidro Sentri Lane and got back to our place in Orange County in no time.

As usual, can't wait to go back!!!

Hey bajasammy, Did you take the boat out in the channel and drift back with the current?Thats a hot ticket there,altho the water temps you mentioned would most likely bring snow crab into the bay instead of Halibut or Seabass, etc!! Nice report and pics.I grew up at Estero, as did my kids, having permanent residences there.Not the same anymore, but that bay is so beautiful....Sit under one of those palapas at nite and listen to the sea life and the birds.It is magical.