boe4fun - 3-28-2009 at 06:09 PM
Okay, here goes. Day 1, Saturday Feb. 21st., head out from Santa Margarita with 2 vehicles (Chevy Suburban and GMC 3500 pickup) and 4 hombres at 6:00
AM. I got the green light at the border but was pulled into secondary anyway. Showed the jefe my letter from the La Balandra Rotarians and he let us
go without even opening the back of my pickup. My buddy is getting his visa while this is happening. Stop at the Mariscos Palapa restaurant in San
Quintin and Brad fits a below knee drop foot brace to a guy who works there. We've been seeing this man for about 3 years at the Flying Sams Clinic
at Los Pinos ranch and he was due for a new brace. On to El Rosario to spend the night at the Baja Cactus (very nice-recommended). Next morning on
to Coco's Corner to cast and measure him for his bilateral below knee prostheses. One tailpipe falls off (Suburban) and one flat tire experienced
(GMC). On to the Malarrimo Hotel for a nights stay and whale watching the next AM. Return from whale watching, get flat fixed, and drive to San
Ignacio that afternoon to get our permits for guides, mules, burros, and cameras for the cave paintings at San Francisco de la Sierra. Spend the
night at the Oasis Hotel and we're off early the next morning to SF de la Sierra to meet up with our guides at one of their ranchos, load up gear and
off to Santa Theresa. About 4 1/2 hours later we arrive at a ranch where they sell COLD BEER and for only a buck fifty US (they have to pack it in by
mule!). The beer wasn't ice cold because of no power, but sits in an adobe building so stays pretty cool. Continue riding mules another 2 hours to
the campsite. Set up camp and have steaks (brought in packed in dry ice) and potatos under the stars. After breakfast of more steaks, the next day
is spent hiking to several cave painting sites and one petroglyph site. It was hot and I would classify the hiking as moderately difficult. Good
dinner that night and ride out the next morning, stopping of course for another cold beer at Rancho Santa Theresa. Get back to San Francisco early
afternoon and Dr. Bob holds a clinic where we fit a knee brace to an old guy with osteoarthritis of his right knee, and fit an AFO (foot drop brace)
to a young man with head trauma via auto accident. Also learn that Ramone's son, who is going to school in Loreto, wears bilateral AFO's after having
surgery at Shriners Hospital in LA some time ago. On to Santa Rosalia to spend the night and see a little girl who wears an AFO and a shoe lift. She
suffered a gunshot wound to the growth plate in her upper thigh so she has a foot drop and a leg length discrepancy. Then on to Mulege to cast an
above elbow amputee for a prosthesis. Stopped in Loreto where Brad and Dr. Bob cast and measured Ramone's son for new AFO's. Arrived in La Paz at
nightfall. More information on the trip will be forthcoming, as soon as I can get my carpal-tunnel under control.
elgatoloco - 3-28-2009 at 06:21 PM
Again you are to be commended for your unselfish assistance.
Keep up the good work!
dianaji - 3-28-2009 at 06:22 PM
take some b6 and primrose for the carpal tunnel...it works!
thanks for the post, as i was planning to visit la paz until i found out how far away it is.
diana
David K - 3-29-2009 at 06:19 AM
Thanks for the report Paul... You guys are great!
DT.IN.LB.BAJA - 3-31-2009 at 06:16 AM
Keep up the good work
Bajaboy - 3-31-2009 at 07:54 AM
Thanks for the report and the good work. Sounds like a rewarding trip.
Skip_Mac - 3-31-2009 at 05:35 PM
Impressive, I expect you are the kind of person who derives a much pleasure from helping others as from munching steaks and cold beers on a wonderful
trip to the cave paintings. You earned it all!!! Take it easy on the wrists please.