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Paula
Super Nomad
Posts: 2219
Registered: 1-5-2006
Location: Loreto
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I never realized until now how much Bill Clinton looks like Ellen DeGeneres. |
That's funny... I've noticed that Hillarylooks and sounds a bit like Ellen lately,and maybe ellen is helping her to show her softer side
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Paula
Super Nomad
Posts: 2219
Registered: 1-5-2006
Location: Loreto
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"And...you see odd things on that hairy grade almost every trip. I once came around the last downhill S-curve to see a rolled green pepper truck on
it’s side. The flat area next to the truck was mounded with it’s cargo...and had a couple shoppers on it already. I drove past to the first pullout
and went back to score some roadkill myself. Baja Road Rule #8 - Never pass up a rolled pepper truck."
So that's where you found that pepper, Roger 
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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The Gas Company.....”Headed to The Bulk Plant”
Coming downhill off ‘the grade’ you will notice a gas (propane) storage facility off to the left. To a lot of area home and store owners this is a
very familiar place. Back in the day, long before any of us acquired the larger 400-1000 liter tanks that are filled from delivery trucks, we used
the common 45kg stand-up propane bottles for just about everything in our homes and stores.
Propane appliances, stoves, refrigerators, water heaters, gaslights in villages and off-grid areas of Baja is a way of life. My Coyote Bay home has
been off-grid since 1971 and propane is muy importante. We have no power lines..yet. For over 30 years now we hear..”Next year it is coming.”..yeah,
right.
Living off-grid, you never let yourself be caught without at least one or two full reserve tanks. I had 15 bottles all told, insurance against those
frequent gaps in propane supply from the mainland via the Sta. Rosalia ferry. Rough water in the Cortez? No propane. Today this seldom, if ever,
happens, thanks to a additional land delivery system.
From Coyote we had two options for getting the old stand-ups refilled:
1. Haul empty tanks 17 miles to Pepe or his son,Victor, in Mulege to be refilled. Usually this took a day or three and required 2 trips to town.
Plus there was always the danger of an explosion, which happened from time to time. (Remember that motorhome years ago, Pepe? You still have the
scars, old friend. They had not turned off the unit's fridge pilot light...Kaboom!)
2. A few miles more, but quicker. Load all your empties, and all your neighbor’s empties, into whoever’s 3/4 or 1 ton is available. Throw the dog in
and everyone takes off for The Bulk Plant where you get the empties filled muy pronto.
Most Important: Don't forget to pack a beer cooler with butter sticks, and a jar or two of raspberry jam.
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[Edited on 5-24-2008 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Paulina
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3810
Registered: 8-31-2002
Location: BCN
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pompano
... We have no power lines..yet. For over 30 years now we hear..”Next year it is coming.”..yeah, right....
[Edited on 5-24-2008 by Pompano] |
Pompano,
Just curious, do you want power out to your place?
P<*)))><
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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Paulina....no..for all the good reasons.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Paulina
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3810
Registered: 8-31-2002
Location: BCN
Member Is Offline
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The answer I wanted to hear. 
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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Santa Rosalia
As you approach Sta. Rosalia, you get an eagle's eye view of far-off Tortuga Island in the Sea of Cortez. A great fishing area.
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This old ruined beach cafe is being restored as I type. Will have to check it out on the next trip north.
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In case anybody needs some odd electronic gismo or appliance, we have had good luck at this store on north end of town.
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Who doesn’t know about Santa Rosalia’s famous El Boleo bakery? That’s why we packed that cooler with butter and raspberry jam on our trips to the gas
bulk plant. Make for great tailgate picnics with fresh, hot boleos.
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A baker using long paddle to turn and collect the loaves.
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El Boleo bakery...named after the now-defunct French copper-mining company that founded the town back in 1885. The word ‘boleo’ came from the small
globes of copper-bearing ore found in the area.
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As you enter the main steet into town center..stop and have some great tacos at Pepe's. Baja-good.
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The John Eiffel-designed metal church that was originally supposed to go to a Paris exhibition in 1889, but got re-directed here, thanks to the
efforts of some French nuns.
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This town’s hustle and bustle is far different than other towns in the area. The unique-to-Baja French influence on the village architecture is very
apparent..lots of wooden homes and shops from the mining days.
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The copper would travel by ship to Washington state and return with lumber.
Lots of Chinese and Japenese workers were initially brought in to work the mines, but after finding no rice could go in the area, those
nationalities moved to other parts...including Sinaloa on the mainland. There are still some families of Oriental descent remaining in Baja Sur that
descended from these earlier immigrants.
After the copper started to run out, most of the old smelter operations went to ruins and the mining operation was officially closed in 1985. Quite a
bit of the old smelter went into ‘decor’ for nearby vacation homes.
Anyone traveling the earlier Baja road will remember driving underneath that very noticeable pipe trestle that went from the plant to the waterfront.
Skipjack Joe recalled it in one of his posts.
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There is a good marina in Sta. Rosalia. We used to slip here overnight on my old Pompano..renew supplies...ice, diesel, etc. Easy walking to all
places.
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Today Santa Rosalia is an important route for traveler’s and business - to and from the mainland via the ferry system.
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The Navy makes it’s presence there..plus it is the ‘county seat’ of Mulege area where all the state and federal offices are located.
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Compared to Mulege....this is ‘City Slicker’ territory where a shopper will find anything and everything. A library and zolcalo.
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DRACULA!!
Many years ago, when I also lived nearby at Pta. Chivato, we would drive into Cach-ah-nee-ah , little flower.. a local name for Sta. Rosalia, for a
movie. Wow..a movie theatre in this area of Baja in the early 70's was a real treat! You had to like vampires and blood a lot, though.
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And we all know about this Nomad-made-famous Pemex on south end of town.
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Before heading south to Mulege..we stop at this newer viewpoint.
A couple enjoying the view from the tourism office overlooking Sta. Rosalia harbor.
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[Edited on 5-25-2008 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
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Mood: undecided
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Pompano, Thanks for the picures of Santa Rosalia.
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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Mood: Skeptical
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Thanks for the cyber-ride, Roger! I loved the humor, the scenery and your vast knowledge of Baja history.
I was so enthralled that I completely missed Hillary putting her foot in her mouth. 
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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Tony...glad you like the journey so far..we are almost home.
(On Hilary's recent foot-in-mouth and extraction: I love Hilary's speeches. They remind me of this oldie..."There are two sides to every question,
and a good politician takes both.")
Sta. Rosalia - San Marcos Island - Ejido San Lucas - San Lucas - San Bruno - Magdelena - Palo Verde- old airport - the dump - Mulege
Okay, on the road again ...to Mulege. Off we go, past a couple of good motels and the old chicken ranch which we don’t talk about. A great junk yard
on the right where you can find any part for any thing..I know.
About right here is where I have to brake suddenly.
An immigration car pulled us over, checked Barack-O and John M’s id’s, declared them invalid, waved an Interpol arrest-on-sight order, and hauled
them off to the calaboose. The U.S. Senate had an international all-points bulletin out on them and Hilary. All three exceeded the number of
Chamber-allowed voting absences during our little campaign jaunt. One agent told me Hil-Bilary had been picked up in a Vizcaino bawdy house playing
sax with The Soggy Bottom Boys...a group I formerly knew as Fast Eddy and the Slow Learners..
It would have been a nice quiet trip with just Felipa and sisters to Coyote were it not for this Texan who was hitching to Cabo. Said his stateside
job was pretty much a lame-duck and he had lots of free time to ramble..and party-hardy.
..So off we go again. What luck, eh?
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
Member Is Offline
Mood: Skeptical
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pompano
(On Hilary's recent foot-in-mouth and extraction: I love Hilary's speeches. They remind me of this oldie..."There are two sides to every question,
and a good politician takes both.")
Sta. Rosalia - San Marcos Island - Ejido San Lucas - San Lucas - San Bruno - Magdelena - Palo Verde- old airport - the dump - Mulege
Okay, on the road again ...to Mulege. Off we go, past a couple of good motels and the old chicken ranch which we don’t talk about. A great junk yard
on the right where you can find any part for any thing..I know.
About right here is where I have to brake suddenly.
An immigration car pulled us over, checked Barack-O and John M’s id’s, declared them invalid, waved an Interpol arrest-on-sight order, and hauled
them off to the calaboose. The U.S. Senate had an international all-points bulletin out on them and Hilary. All three exceeded the number of
Chamber-allowed voting absences during our little campaign jaunt. One agent told me Hil-Bilary had been picked up in a Vizcaino bawdy house playing
sax with The Soggy Bottom Boys...a group I formerly knew as Fast Eddy and the Slow Learners..
It would have been a nice quiet trip with just Felipa and sisters to Coyote were it not for this Texan who was hitching to Cabo. Said his stateside
job was pretty much a lame-duck and he had lots of free time to ramble..and party-hardy.
..So off we go again. What luck, eh? |
How did that interloper get in the back seat????
Look for the Soggy Bottom Boys (AKA Fast Eddy and the Slow Learners) to slog around in a lot more bawdy houses this Fall and Winter, some that you and
other Coyote residents no doubt will frequent 
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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Will do, Tony...looking forward to la musica!
TORTUGA ISLAND
Heading out of Santa Rosalia now with newest passenger entertaining the senoritas with stories..they repay by teaching him sentence structure. As we
clear the rise ahead we see far-off Tortuga Island on the Cortez horizon. A well-known angling and diving spot.
Without a good anchorage or landing spot anywhere...Tortuga is a water wonderland....LOTS of fish.
Here is a good Divebaja photo of what awaits the diver with camera.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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TORTUGA
Fishing Story Detour:
Tortuga Island aboard my old ‘Pompano’ many years ago, 4 of us from Coyote Bay had an especially successful..and hilarious...day on the water. We
started out trolling Mexican-flag feathers under the feeding and fast-moving porpoise.
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We scored on these delicious yellowfin tuna, which mi amigo, and Nomad ‘aquaholic’, is putting into the iced fishholds. Great job, aqua, you earned
your rum quota this day!
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Seeing fins in the bloodied water, I rigged up and ..wha-hey!.. caught a nine-foot hammerhead trolling a strike-snubber with a yellowfin-carcass
bait. We dispatched it quickly and tied it alongside the boat because it would take up too much deck space.
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About 30 minutes later another buddy caught a very large grouper next to the island’s eastern drop-off. We tied the big grouper to
the fantail and towed the hammerhead head-first from the stern..it’s dorsal fin and tail sticking up like sails.....all the way back to Coyote Bay.
Our fishing was complete for that day as we relaxed and celebrated a bit on the long ride home.
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When we chugged into our anchorage in front of the beachfront casas at Coyote, I could see one of my neighbors sitting in his usual place under his
veranda enjoying the c-cktail hour..Old Eduardo.. quite a likeable ‘character.’ Old Ed’s passion was grouper-fishing (A great
panguero-fisherman-diver in his day.) and he always had some great fishing stories to tell us ‘youngsters’ about over a few tequilas.
I grabbed a loud-hailer and shouted from the bridge...”Hola Eduardo! Want to see a nice grouper?!” I swung the wheel hard around and pointed the
stern towards the shore so Old Ed could see the huge fish tied to our fantail. Ed was so excited by the sight of that grouper that he got off his
chair and started wading out to take a closer look... large drink in hand.
As he got closer I climbed down and grabbed the towline with attached hammerhead and quickly began hauling it in..the shark’s fins showing high and
menacing as it glided past the stern towards the shore. When Old Ed was about belly-high in the shallow..I yelled...”Shark! Shark!”..and pointed to
the fins.
Old Eduardo managed a truly remarkable feat for a hombre his age and weight.. Levitation and rotation all at once. Eyes opening wide, he threw his
drink over his head, leaped into the air, did a 180, and created a good-sized wake right up the sea-wall.
My buddy almost fell off the flybridge holding his sides and I was no better..Jeez, what a day that was!
Eduardo eventually invited us over to his veranda story sessions again..but it took a few days.
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I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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debindesert
Nomad
Posts: 111
Registered: 4-12-2007
Location: California High Desert
Member Is Offline
Mood: Amused
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Thank you so much for the pics and narrative. I am lovin every word of your stories, I mean trip
report.
-Deb
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well
preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and
screaming, \'What a ride!\' - Author Unknown
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8088
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Move over TR
Here she is in your very own state, Pompano.
The stonecutters are preparing as we speak. Why should only men be represented?
'Founding Fathers? Bah. I'll match my profile with any of them', she was quoted as saying.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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Close...but no cigar, Skipjack.
My home state is, of course, NORTH Dakota.
My name is Pompano and I endorse this joke:
A man appears before St. Peter at the pearly gates. "Have you ever done anything of partiicular merit?" St. Peter asks.
"Well, I can think of one thing," the man offers.
"Once, on a trip to Mt. Rushmore, out in the Black Hills of South Dakota, I came upon a gang of high-testosterone bikers who were threatening a young
woman. I directed them to leave her alone, but they wouldn't listen. So, I approached the largest and most heavily tattooed biker. I smacked him on
the head, kicked his bike over, ripped out his nose ring and threw it on the ground, then told him, "Leave her alone now or you'll answer to me."
St. Peter was impressed. "When did this happen?"
"Just a couple of minutes ago."
..............................................
Igor,
The pile of rockheads in your photo is where those unusual 'down south' types live. We cut them some slack, though. After all, Dakota is Souix for
'friends.'
We have the REAL mountain rock carvings up here.. where we are known as the 'Sunshine State'...as any Montanan can tell you. 
[Edited on 5-28-2008 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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On the stump..er..ROAD again.
Just a short drive south from Santa Rosalia lies the quiet village of Ejido San Lucas and adjacent San Lucas RV Park.
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I often stop at this corner tienda to ask if there are any fresh oysters in the cooler.
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If there, the shucked oysters will be in jars..about a quart-size. Unfortunately, this time there were none. (note: Sometimes...opening one of
these country fridges is not for the faint of heart. Bites have occurred from escaping meats.)
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We drive on into Ejido San Lucas. Streets are very well organized. Even I can find an address within 5 minutes. Plus...Everyone tells you how far
they are from this recognizable landmark. 
So..oohh-kaay, that pretty well wraps it up. We make a quick U-turn back to the highway.
[Edited on 5-29-2008 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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Across the highway from Ejido San Lucas...CAMACHO'S & SAN LUCAS RV PARK
Here is a gem for visiting fishermen with trailerable, shallow-draft boats.
Watch for these signs:
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Continue on trail until you get to this sign..then make your choice. Camacho's or San Lucas RV Park. San Lucas is by far the most popular.
So we will visit Camacho's first.
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As you enter Camacho's you will see lots of available shaded camping spots with ocean views, plus a boat ramp. FYO, that is San Marcos Island out
there...surrounded by yellowtail, just waiting for you.
Quite a view from this nice spot, with a well-protected anchorage for the boat.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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ELINVESTIG8R
Select Nomad
Posts: 15882
Registered: 11-20-2007
Location: Southern California
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Pompano, thank you for sharing your experiences "En La Baja." You make it an interesting photo-journal.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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More Camacho's
We have often trailered boats from Coyote and Mulege to launch here..because of the proximity to San Marcos and Tortuga islands. Saves us a lot of
nautical miles, fuel, and time. We have only a few miles to run from here.
A couple problems, though. You must pay attention to the tides as San Lucas Cove is quite shallow and you can get stranded during low tides.
Planning your fishing trip here requires a tide table and a plan. Also getting through a certain rockpile is tricky from Camacho's...so follow the
path through those white poles out there to save your prop and keel.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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