TMW
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Tunaeater and Family trip to Baja
July 2015
My wife Karla and two boys JP and JC loaded up the F-150 and were ready to begin our adventure down Baja. We were one truck out of four that would
meet up in San Ignacio and continue down to Loreto. A Summer vacation to celebrate my son JP's and my birthdays. We started our Baja trip on my son
Juan Pablo's birthday Friday July 10th. Crossed the border at San Ysidro 5:15 am. Our destination this day was San Ignacio 530 miles South of Tijuana,
reservations were made at la huerta hotel behind the mission. We made good time and didn't have any issues on the way down. Made the drive in 11
hours. Stopped by the lonchera Descanso between El Rosario and Cantavina for breakfast burritos to go. They were out of machaca but the egg&ham
and bean burritos were excellent and only $15 pesos each. Arriving in SI we stopped by the river and the mission for some photos.
At la huerta hotel ($650 a double) in San Ignacio we checked in and waited for friends and family that were coming in from the hwy 5 side of the
peninsula.. The hotel was recommended by TW and it was very comfortable, new and they provided excellent service. Fresh coffee in the morning and
plenty of bottled water. The wifi worked in the office but not in the rooms. The court yard was a nice gathering spot with shade tees and tables and
chairs. Kids finished watching team USA game in the copa de oro.
Dinner that night was at Ay Chipotle in the town square with a great setting with the mission in sight and all the tress and sounds of the birds.
However the food was not as good as the atmosphere it was actually pretty bad. Most had carne asada which was fried in a pan and tasty pretty bad. My
son had the chicken fajitas which were good but they need to figure out the carne.
Saturday morning I noticed my rear passenger tire low on air and knew I had an issue. I pumped it up and packed up the truck but wanted to get some
breakfast before dealing with it. To our surprise we didn't find any restaurants open while walking through town about 8:00 am. We decided to hit the
road and find breakfast and a llantera in Santa Rosalia
My wife and kids jumped in my dads truck and went to breakfast while I got the tire fixed.
The llantera found there were two holes caused by picking up a screw along the way. They patched them up and remounted the tire and reinstalled on my
truck. The bill was $50 pesos, unbelievable. I kicked him down a nice tip and an ice cold sports drink and he went back to work on another vehicle.
We found a restaurant in SR and it was delicious.
Hitting the road we were off to Mulege and Southbound. We stopped in Conception bay to let the boys swim and get to know the area.
Arriving in Loreto we stopped in town to purchase some groceries at Ley and meet up with a friend of mine. We arrived at our hotel Villa del Palmar
South of town . Nice resort with modern and new amenities and appliances.Many pools and gathering spots, it was very nice. Wifi worked on the balcony
and common areas but not in the room. We took a nice kayak tour which included snorkeling and enjoyed the amenities they had to offer..
We took a drive up to San Javier Mission, the road was in good shape with just one small part of repair going on.
We fished 7/13 & 7/16 with Manuel Torres out of Juncalito. I've fished with many captains and Manuel stacks right up there with the best of them.
He was very friendly and really set us up for success. He was very patient with the kids and ensured they were successful in hooking and landing their
fish. He did an awesome job bleeding the fish immediately after they were gaffed and tail wrapped them to the side of the boat until they bled out.
The fish were then immediately placed in a kill bag with blocks of ice. These steps are necessary to preserve the freshness of the meat and not spoil.
The yellowtail were deep 200-250 ft deep. We fished with live and dead mackerel which we purchased for $1 each. We fished two days and caught 6
yellowtail to 40lbs each day along with a snapper and too many bonita. A blessing to fish with three generations on one boat.
Shark came right up to the boat and I was able to get a good picture
Manuel Torres took us island hoping and snorkeling one day.
We did some exploring and hiking around the mountain next to the hotel. This led us down to a nice snorkeling and shore fishing spot. We caught some
small grouper needle fish with freshwater Rapalas. We saw octopus, eels and tons of fish
 20150717_141736.jpg
The drive home was uneventful with a stop at Mama Espinosa's for dinner .We made good time to San Quintin where we would spend the night at Los
Jardines another little baja treasure. The big room (room 12) upstairs was $ 700 pesos. We saw some friends at the bar there so that was a special
surprise. I loved having a morning coffee in the garden with all the birds very peaceful and beautiful
The clam shack South of Loreto on the beach was a great place to eat clams, they were excellent both raw and cooked. One night they cooked our
yellowtail three different ways with a few plates of sashimi. Sand floor and kids can fish before and after dinner.
Magna Sin was 13.57 a litter and we received 15.11 pesos to $1 at the casa de cambio in San Ysidro before crossing
Military check points were all polite and professional, though a couple searched the inside of the vehicle they never opened any bags or storage
containers in the bed of the truck.
Total trip was 10 days and 1650 miles
Truly a great vacation and time well spent with family and friends.
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StuckSucks
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Looks like a killer trip - I'll bet the boys are ready to go back to Baja NOW! Thanks for sharing!
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jbcoug
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Location: Vancouver, WA
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Mood: Needing Baja!
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Looks like a great family trip!
\"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.\" Andy Rooney
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elgatoloco
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Making memories! 
MAGA
marooons Are Governing America
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Tomas Tierra
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Thanks TMW!
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BajaBlanca
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What a big group! Thanks for sharing all the details for those who are going soon. Next time you go to san Ignacio, stop by Ignacio springs inn and
reserve breakfast for the next day! I cant remember how much they charge, but Gary makes his own sausages, they have homemade bread and
jams.....their breakfast is EXCELLENT, and they can easily handle larger groups.
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Ateo
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What an excellent trip report. Thanks for the photos. You inspired me to maybe hit Loreto when I'm down there. Thanks.
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weebray
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We also thought Ay Chipotle had a fabulous setting and looked forward to eating there. The food was really dreadful. Days old fish cooked poorly.
Avoid this place.
Every beautiful beach in the world needs a few condo towers - NOT.
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bmurphy
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Registered: 7-19-2015
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Awesome! I'm absolutely loving this board because of reports like this. My first trip to the Baja is a week away and I can't stop reading everyones
trip log and photos.
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shari
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Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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what a great old fashion trip report (not just a link!) Love the pics and good info on wifi. There are some good lookin yellowtail there all right!
The stuff memories are made of for those kids for sure.
I want one of those bike blenders!!!!!
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BajaRat
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Location: SW Four Corners / Bahia Asuncion BCS
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Mood: Ready for some salt water with my Tecate
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Awesome ! Thanks for taking us along
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tiotomasbcs
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Location: El Pescadero
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Great Adventures for all! Juncalito Fishing ...awesome, even if for just a roundabout to the Islands and coves. How much for a days trip? Thanks.
Tio
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vandenberg
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Great trip report. Kids will remember this forever.
Also shows off our Loreto as a great visiting spot . One of the jewels on the peninsula.
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churro
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Nice trip report! Thanks for posting!
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BajaRob
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Great trip report and photos Paul. Please say hello to your Dad for me. Rob
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Maron
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What a trip and report. Thanks for teaching the younger ones about the wonders of Baja.
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Udo
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Superb trip report. Looks like you had some of the best ever family bonding!
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Bajahowodd
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Really enjoyed the report and the photos. Looked like a great trip.
I do have a couple of questions.
When you were at the Villa resort, was it busy? I've read that they are have trouble getting people to it.
Second, when you mentioned on your trip home that you had dinner at Mama Espinosa's, was it on a Monday? I ask because since you went North to stay at
Jardines, the Jardines restaurant is so much better than Mama's, except they are close on Monday.
Gracias.
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tunaeater
Senior Nomad
Posts: 617
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Location: Chula Vista, CA
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Yes we stayed at Villa del Palmar South of Loreto. I would guess it was probably 45-55% occupied (just a guess). They said it only gets full during
Semana Santa time. It is a beautiful resort and very modern, the staff is super friendly. I wuld definitely like to return.
We love Jardines, great food and staff, we usually have them cook our fish for us when we are fishing SQ. We did go visit the bar for a couple hours
while watching the Padres game and visiting some friends that happened to be there on an off-road ride.
We wanted to try the lobster burritos Mama Espinosa's is famous for and show the kids all the cool baja moto stuff in the restaurant. It's a place
where baja moto legends have signed there jerseys and posters up on the walls. One of Tim Morton's NORRA race bikes is in there. Unfortunately the
famous lobster burritos will have to wait because they are only served during season which starts in September.
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David K
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GREAT report!!!
We were a few days behind you guys on some of the same roads.
Thank you Paul... and thanks to TW for posting!
La Huerta was indeed a good motel with very comfortable beds and walking distance to the mission and plaza.
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