Baja Mexico February 2012

Photo is of birds on cactus on Baja Mexico Route 1 north.

29 February 2012 Wednesday (San Diego CA)
Happy Leap Day!!! Trying to get all the Mexico sand and dirt out of my van....emptied my water tanks of MX water and refilled with CA water! A gorgeous day here so walked around part of the lake and saw heaps of birds.

28 February 2012 Tuesday (San Diego CA)
Drove to Webb's RV, about three miles down the road, to get the hinge fixed on my van....and it cost less than $100! The rains have stopped and the sun is back but much cooler.
Plan to stay here and do some hiking before departing this weekend on roads north....hoping to avoid the workday commuters.

27 February 2012 Monday (San Diego CA)
Rain is predicted.....which it did for most of afternoon and evening......so stayed in and read a book!

26 February 2012 Sunday (San Diego CA)
Moved about 20 miles east to Lake Jennings for a few days after stocking up at Trader Joe's.....less crowded and fewer bright lights and more stars! And then will start driving north. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunate timing), my sidedoor hinge (lower compartment for electrical and water connections) broke so will need to find a repair place.....this has happened to many older Roadtreks and maybe it happened to me after so many bumpy kilometers in Baja. While housesitting in Santa Fe (last October) and while I had an address, I ordered the part so here is hoping that I can find someone to fix it.

25 February 2012 Saturday (San Diego CA)
The sun is back for a bit but the fog is lingering.....joining my friends Chester and Linda (retired IBMers from caravan who live in Vancouver WA) this eve for burgers on the grill!

24 February 2012 Friday (San Diego CA)
Maybe a rest by the pool today......but maybe not since it is cold and foggy and windy! I guess I shoulda stayed in MX, although it was not that much warmer down there.....but as least the petrol was less than $3.....and it is over $4 here!

23 February 2012 Thursday (Estero Beach MX to San Diego CA USA)
Morning drive along the beautiful coastline north of Ensenada to Tijuana....we arrived at the Otay border crossing at 1130am but I did not get across until 2:30pm......too long a wait for me sitting in the van with the engine running inching forward slowly.....all that cheap petrol I bought in MX was used up in the queue! Camping at Chula Vista RV Marina for a few days to wash clothes and catch up on internet and postal mail then start heading north soon.

22 February 2012 Wednesday (San Quintin to Estero Beach)
Not as long a day of driving so had time in afternoon to enjoy the pool at this resort south of Ensenada and also washed my van....trying to clean out the fridge because still not sure what will or will not pass customs....so might was well eat or toss the fruit and veggies! Watching another gorgeous sunset.

21 February 2012 Tuesday (Guerrero Negro to San Quintin)
I have rejoined the caravan group for three day return trip to San Diego (arriving 23 Feb) so probably no internet for the next few days.....we overnight tonite on beach near San Quintin and then the next night on beach near Ensensada. It was a long day of driving...over 200 miles and there are 11 of us, and mostly very big rigs!

20 February 2012 Monday (Guerrero Negro)
Just heard that Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama were here on a whale watching tour yesterday and staying out at the Salt Works....taking a break from the G20 summit in Cabo!

19 February 2012 Sunday (San Ignacio to Guerrero Negro Baja Mexico)
Short drive from the palms back to the sea and from the sun to the cold and wind and fog! Staying at Mallarimo and had delicious lunch at their restauant.....fresh yellowtail grilled with garlic!

18 February 2012 Saturday (Punta Chivato to San Ignacio)
Drove along the Sea of Cortez to Santa Rosalia then up the mountain pass to Volcan Las Tres Virgenes (huge lava flows dominated by three volcanic cones) and then overnighted at the palm oasis of San Ignacio with visit to its mission built of lava stone (walls are four feet thick). Camped on lagoon and watched the birds.....very peaceful and I was the only one there.

17 February 2012 Friday (Punta Chivato)
Rode with Doug to Mulege for lunch of soup and tacos at Dannys then back to Punta Chivato for homemade pizza and lasagne at the home of Dennis.

16 February 2012 Thursday (Punta Chivato Baja Mexico)
Wonderful sleep and another gorgeous moon then sunrise......and the sounds of the sea and the birds......

15 February 2012 Wednesday (Loreto to Punta Chivato - 100 miles)
Drove north along Bahia Concepcion past Mulege to Punta Chivato (point of goats). I have been here several times over the past years because my friend Ruth has property here and I spent time today visiting with many of her friends that I have met in years past (Ruth is now in Hawaii). One fellow said that I could stay in his other home here but preferred to sleep in my van and park in his drive overlooking the sea (plus I can use his outdoor toilet with plumbing!). The other option was to camp on an abandoned beach a few miles further out on the point below the hotel (that was built in the 1960's for the LA movie stars and has its own airstrip).

14 February 2012 Tuesday (Loreto)
Happy Valentines Day.....plan to get ready to move on tomorrow.....too crowded here for me.

13 February 2012 Monday (Loreto Baja Mexico)
Spent the day exploring Loreto and having late lunch with Marcia at her favorite cafe called Orlando's. We walked across the arroyo to see her property which is full of mango, lime, lemon, palm and various other trees.

12 February 2012 Sunday (CD Constitucion to Loreto - 88 miles)
Drove to Loreto....and back to the Sea of Cortez......gorgeous morning drive through the Sierra La Giganta mountains. Arrived Loreto at 1030, just as Marcia was joining her brother and his girlfriend in their jeep to drive to Mision San Javier.....so I joined them.
What a change to park in an RV park in a downtown rather than on the beach.....too many lights and too much noise for me.....may have to move on soon.

11 February 2012 Saturday (La Paz to Ciudad Constitucion - 120 miles)
Continued on my journey to Ciudad Constitucion where I am camped at Misiones RV (formerly Manfreds)....and I am the only one here and hope that it stays that way! Enjoyed an afternoon relaxing by the pool.....and did a few swims but the water is very cold.
What we know as speed bumps are called topes here and the small ones are topitos.....and then there are some that are multiple round bumps that they call Dolly Partons! Most of the time they are marked by signs, but when they are not, you really know that they are there. Other things to watch for are vados, large deep gullies in the road. But the worse thing to watch out for are the crazy drivers, and not necessarily Mexican.....many drivers love to speed and pass on the mostly narrow Route 1, even when the coast is not clear, so defensive driving is a must!

10 February 2012 Friday (Los Barriles to La Paz - 104 miles)
Plan to take two days to drive to Loreto.
Off early for visit to Bahia de los Suenos (Bay of Dreams) and then to La Ventana where I had considered camping but gave it a miss. This is a haven for all the kite/wind surfers and did not care to hear all the Friday night party noise....so continued on to La Paz for some food shopping at Soriana, a very big department store, and then camping at Campestre Maranatha (just outside of La Paz), where I saw Adrian and Jackie from our caravan! Back to camping with lights and noise.....missing the dark and the sound of the sea.

9 February 2012 Thursday (Los Barriles)
Morning dental appointment for teeth cleaning ($45 USD) at East Cape Health Center which donates money to the local children health care. Jack returned in the afternoon....so he is back in his rig with his dog and I am camped for one more night at my former site C1 before departing tomorrow morning.....back in my van again to view the full moon out my windows.....yeh!!! Jack caught a 40 pound yellowtail and gave me some, so plan to share with Marcia when I get to Loreto....

8 February 2012 Wednesday (Los Barriles)
Woke up to thunder and lightening and sprinkles.....and they say it does not rain here???? After morning walk with Julie, I went ahead and did my wash and most of it dried before it really rained....quite unusual for this time of year. Beautiful full moon rising over the water last eve but this morning it is hidden by the clouds.
http://www.youtube.com/user/mightymuffinful?feature=mhee#p/a/u/1/uOreNCVyYwo

7 February 2012 Tuesday (Los Barriles)
Gorgeous full moon! Walked to town (about one mile each way) to shop at market for next bit of my journey. A very hot still sunny day so no kite surfers.....first time I have seen so many folks (only about a dozen) on the beach sunbathing so I did the same for a little while but then was just too hot for me! Some local kids did a marionette show in the park.

6 February 2012 Monday (Los Barriles)
Morning walk up the mountain with Julie then hitched a ride to town with her in her quad to shop for veggies and to fetch my Girl Scout cookies that I had ordered from the local chiropractor who had been in the USA....yummy! An afternoon lie in the sunshine and cooked Murphy the dog his evening meal of cooked hamburger with carrots.

5 February 2012 Sunday (Los Barriles)
Watched the almost full moon setting over the mountains this early morning.

4 February 2012 Saturday (Los Barriles)
A very heavy overcast day which looked like rain but it has not rained here in a few years so spent time cleaning my van and then watching a film on television. The fruit/veggie truck stopped here at the campground (every Saturday at noon) so bought more fresh stuff.

3 February 2012 Friday (Los Barriles)
A bit of a restless night sleeping in a different place with a dog snoring on the floor! Early morning wash of my sheets to remake my bed for the next bit of my journey while watching another gorgeous sunrise.

2 February 2012 Thursday (Los Barriles Baja Mexico)
I start housesitting (actually rigsitting and dogsitting) today for Jack, a man from our caravan and a recent widower. He is going to a timeshare in Cabos San Lucas to visit with his daughter for one week. So I will have all the amenities of a bigger place and with satellite radio/TV!
I thought that the weekly farmers market was starting today but it was only a planning meeting for the one to start in a few weeks....so got my hairs cut instead for only 90 pesos.

1 February 2012 Wednesday (Los Barriles Baja Mexico)
The sun rises at about 7am on the Sea of Cortez and sets at about 6pm over the western mountains (actually hills) and most of the time, with glorious colors! They predict that the winds will pick up again today so the kite and wind surfers will be happy (but not the fishermen). Fish caught yesterday were tan grouper, bonita, sierra, dorado....
Walked with Julie and Fern and this time we walked the arroyo along the base of some beautiful rock formations (about five miles)....unfortunately, many folks dump their garbage out there, so not always very attractive trail.