So, Potrero is a little damp today. With the weather networks calling for flash floods, 16 intrepid adventurers waded their way into the pavilion at Potrero Regional Park for a quick rendezvous reception to hear about how nice it would be in a few days, on BAJA! High spirits were not to be dampened by a little drizzle.
Day 01 showed a little blue sky, just to start us off right. Tecate crossing was easy and drama free, the circuitous route back onto highway 3 south was handled with aplomb by all, and very soon we were:
Sitting on the side of the road, wondering what all the fuss was about. Our old bodybreak place had been swallowed up by the new asphalt for a brand new road! This time the road was completely re-routed, and it easily cut off 10km from our journey, with smooth surfaces and wide shoulders, this is a real treat to drive now.
Ensenada flowed by, and our grocery stop at the famous Mexican Costco greeted us with a beautiful sunny sky, and then off to see Adolpho at Punta Banda for the night. La Bufadora was in great form, and Reimer just couldn’t get enough of the nice salty showers. Lots of laughs today.
Unfortunately, the evening showed us some really heavy downpours which made the road back to the highway a mess. Thankfully, loaders and backhoes had already made short work of clearing a pathway for us by the time we bounced by the piles of red mud.
All these nice clean rigs were to keep some of that mud, making us all look like the seasoned adventurers that we were about to become.
Well, it got a bit more wet along the way. Fields and roads underwater, the rich red soil for the agricultural landscape was being washed away by tremendous downpours that surely will affect the area around San Quintin for some time.
We knew it was raining all through the region, and so had made arrangements for a different campground this night. As we arrived at the road into Los Olivos, is was immediately apparent that none of us would make it down there unscathed: the nice red mud was a foot deep for the entire length of the “road”.
Plan B. We left all the group at the Pemex to go see if El Pabillon was usable for our first beach day. Well….. the road in was fine, and Jose (the caretaker) assured me that it was fine as long as we kept to a certain, very precise pathway. Well….. stuck…stuck, and STUCK, in the mud.
So now you know why we spent another fine happy hour at a gas station. Thanks Pemex for having so much room, and such an understanding of travellers needs. The swimming pool needs some work, however.
Morning came and the puddles were still…. wet, so off we went to the high desert of Catavina, and Rancho Santa Inez.
Dry, and sunny, we basked on sunshine, climbed up to the cave paintings, had another happy hour, and then all of us wandered off to Oscars place to have a traditional comida. All good, a little cool, NO RAIN!
More next time. All’s well, warm’s coming. So is more adventure.
DDg
