ChuckB
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Posts: 10
Registered: 2-10-2016
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San Ignacio Fire et cetera
March 19, 2025 - April 2. Tecate to Playa Coyote and return through TJ. Judy and me in our 2002 Tundra with FWC Hawk.
Trip to Cielito Lindo RV park (San Quintin) unremarkable. Some potholes - mostly avoidable. The Hotel/Restaurant and RV park are 1960s vintage and
could use some repairs. Dry camp was 100 pesos. Ordered Irish Coffee at the bar, but bartender didn't know the recipe, so I settled for coffee and
Bailey's Irish Cream. Next morning had an omelette and coffee. I think Judy had scrambled eggs and coffee. The coffee there was good, strong stuff.
March 20: Head for Ojo de Liebre whale camp. Paving in progress south of Bahia junction around 30 km. And bad pavement beyond that. But pothole
reports have a `use by` date, so YMMV (or maybe YPPV - your potholes probably vary).
March 21: Fewer whales this year. Had to motor far out to got close encounters. Headed for San Francisco de La Sierra getting potable water in
Vizcaino next to the bank near the West end of town. The road to SF is amazing. So smooth all the way into the village! I guess that smoothness it is
due to light traffic by mostly light vehicles. The villagers are sufffering due to low rainfall these last months - goats do not produce enough milk
to support the local cheese industry under these circumstances.
March 22: Stayed in SF and visit old friends. Children we once met are now pushing middle age and have children who are teens. The water supply has
run dry, so `pipas` (water trucks) must visit to supply locals needs. The ambience is much the same as it was 30 years ago in spite of the new road,
wifi, and other modern upgrades. I still see men wearing hand made ankle high shoes made from tire treads and hides. And gifts of simple, but useful
items (like headlamps) are still very much appreciated.
There is a church and a sign greeting visitors as shown here:
march 23: Headed to San Ignacio. Stayed at Paraiso Mision - a very nice campground just a short walk from the Mission. The showers and bathrooms are
clean, the grounds are well kept, and the wifi is strong.
March 24: Went to Mulege. FWIW, the gas-up at San Ignacio seemed fairly measured judging from mileage and the fuel gauge. In Mulege we stopped by
Renata's Place - the shop Jesus and Reina Garcia have to vend Oaxacan arts - and bought a rug. Then we camped at Don Chano's RV Park.
March 25: Off to Playa Coyote. Got a palapa under a pine tree - per the locals, but the leaves are very long and much softer than pines I am used to.
The weather had been hot and continued warm, so the shade was a blessing. Inflated the kayaks and headed out for a cruise. Calm winds all day!
March 26: Kayaked after breakfast. A pod of porpoise passed us by west of Isla Coyote. Bought some halibut that was our dinner and leftovers were
lunch on the next day.
March 27: Kayaked again, but wind was starting to blow. After we came in, it abated. Adolpho ("Almost Free!") showed up and Judy bought a dress from
him. Had locally purchased shrimp for dinner and the leftovers were tacos for lunch next day.
March 28: Paddled to Playa Cocos. A pretty good workout for us - I had a coronary bypass in January and Judy passed the 80 year mark years back. We
got some "halibut" for dinner the next day.
March 29: A light breeze early and Judy wanted a rest day, so we stayed in camp. I climbed the little peak NE of camp, but I made a mess of myself - I
took every wrong turn possible (I have done peak before so I have no excuses here) and managed to snag myself on every sharp shrub and lost my footing
coming downhill and bruised my arm. I am on drugs post-op to prevent clots and bleed it the slightest pinprick, so I arrived at camp looking black
and blue and bloody all over my arms and legs. My entry in the summit book was only the third for March, I think, and this surprised me. That
"halibut' was most likely red snapper, but it was fresh and sweet and we ate it with mucho gusto.
March 30: I admired the bus (shown below) our neighbor was driving. She said it was yellow when she came south, but aa friend offered to paint it. It
was very calm as the reflection in the photo shows. Judy (shown here) and I kayaked out to Isla Blanca, or Booby Rock as some were calling it. The
boobies were mostly on the east end of the north side and on the rock to the south. After coming back to camp we packed up the kayaks. Dinner was fish
tacos using the so-called "halibut' and they were great!
March 31: We headed for San Ignacio after buying some chili relleno plates we had ordered from Jesus (our fish and shrimp guy). We camped at Paraiso
Mision again and walked to town. It was blazing hot. We each got a frappe de moka and walked back to camp. We showered up. Then we relaxed, but that
did not last long. There was smoke billowing up from the N or NE and our camp host said we might need to evacuate. We decided to do some packing and
also heat our chili relleno plates to be sure to enjoy them before being rousted. The pictures below show our rig in the camp and a horse moved to a
tree from which it could be again moved in event of fire. Judy served dinner just as the evacuation order was given. I wolfed a few bites, then
readied the camper for departure. We followed a lead car through San Ignacio, but had to stop while the fire department hosed down a house. It was a
preventive measure as many houses in San Ignacio have highly flammable roofs. We parked on Calle Hidalgo part way up the hill towards the radio tower
(photo shows our rig). We waited there for an hour and a half then drove back to the main square and walked to camp. Camp staff said we could camp,
but not in areas where firefighters were working - the fire had come into the campground and been stopped, but the cleanup (cutting down burned and
still burning palms and hosing the down) would take a while. We returned and reset our camp. When I got up in the wee hours to visit the WC, I could
see small fires burning just outside the campground. The smoldering log in the last picture shows what it was like the next morning.
April 1: Had breakfast at the little desayuno place in the NE corner of the square. Then went to Artesanias J&J where a friend of a friend had
left his driver's license a few weeks back during a bicycle trip. He had to interrupt his trip and fly back to the states and was unable to pick it
up. We got it, bought some nicely carved jewelry and walked back to camp. Driving out of San Ignacio we were blocked because of firefighters in the
road just N of the Desert Inn. I was directed back to the Six store at the curve and told to take a right. The track there leads through two arroyos -
one with more than a few inches of water in it - and passes Villas LuGar before coming to the road that passes Rice and beans. We drove to Guerrero
Negro where Tacos El Muelle in now a bricks and mortar restaurant (it was a food truck) and had fish tacos. Then on to Rancho Santa Ines (Cataviña).
Judy asked at the Rancho about Ralph - who long time visitors will recall had a house nearby and was often on hand to offer advice, help, or local
lore. Ralph is now living in Texas with his daughter and wife. The house has been acquired by locals, but I cannot say what are the details of the
acquisition. We were the only campers there that night. Bittersweet to think back on past stays.
April 2: Drove to Rosarito where we dined at Cazuela de Mole as we almost always do. Then took the toll road to TJ. We nearly crashed coming down
the hill on Avenida Internacional. There is construction of an elevated roadway (or something) and floodlights pointing traffic (seriously?) nearly
blinded Judy at just the time when a lane disappeared. Luckily there was no traffic in the other lane. If you have to go this route at night be ready
to turn on your high beams even if it annoys others. We waited 15 minutes in the Ready Lane.
All in all a good and memorable trip.
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BornFisher
Super Nomad
Posts: 2115
Registered: 1-11-2005
Location: K-38 Santa Martha/Encinitas
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Bummer about the fire. Otherwise, a great trip, report, photos, food, adventure and everything that makes a great read!
"When you catch a fish, you open the door of happiness."
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6115
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
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Mood: Retireded
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Thanks for the detailed report! I have been through several palm groves in Baja, and on the mainland that had burned a year or two before I was
there.
Many blackened palms will sprout new tops and survive. It probably depends on how much brush is growing under them.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65077
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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What a super trip report... and such interesting news. Great job on posting the photos, too!
Thanks for the news on Ralph of Rancho Santa Ynez. While I never met him or been to the house, his life there is almost legend. Many had chatted with
him via HAM radio, as well.
Thank you!!
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