Travel Day 21, started with fresh cinnamon buns from the local cafe. Everyone was ready for their long driving day.Today our journey took us inland through Cuidad Constitucion and Cuidad Insurgentes and back again to the Sea of Cortes.
The highway north of La Paz was still under construction but not quite as rough as it was when we travelled south. The day went well; the weather was nice and the Sierra de la Giganta mountain range was very scenic as we wound are way down the winding slopes to our destination for the night.
Puerto Escondido bordered by the rugged mountain range is a lovely place where RV’s meet sail boats and yachts. We spent the night in the parking lot of the Marina restaurant. The restaurant wasn’t opened because the new owner will not be ready for business until February so our next tour should find the restaurant open for business. The convenience store had whatever the group wanted. Dare I say ice-cream cones?
Cliff & Bev took their chairs to the dock and sat and relaxed as they looked over the bay at all the boats. Later everyone went for a walk and after that we sat and visited until sunset. After supper Dom & I went walking with our flashlight, shone it into the water and watched the several kinds of fish; some came to the light while others swam away, others splashed and seemed to be playing.
Travel Day 22, found most of us up really early watching the sun rise with our cameras. I find this one of the most impressive sunrises. The sun rises over the bay turning shades of magenta, red, orange and yellow. As it rises it reflects on the rock wall opposite the marina lighting it to an equally stunning site.
A much shorter driving day took us to Mulege. We stopped for a photo at the top of the hill just after leaving Puerto Escondido; from here a panoramic view of the numerous islands in Loreto Bay make a breathtaking view. Today was overcast so the view wasn’t as lovely as it is on a sunny morning.
We passed by Loreto, and all the beaches along Bahia Concepcion on our way to Mulege a date palm oasis. The sun was trying to shine but mostly, the day is overcast.
We arrived to Hotel Serenidad RV Park where we spent 2 nights. The Rv Park has full hookups, a pool and restaurant. We had access to the hotel lobby and restaurant for lounging, visiting and wi-fi-ing.
After setting camp and having lunch the group met at the van for a visit to the Mission, a walk about town, a look through the shops, and some did banking and bought a few groceries. On the way back we drove through a normally cute little area where Dom & I know people. Over the last few years the area has been very damaged by hurricanes with some of the homes completely gone.
Lots of work has been done in the clean up of Mulege but we still saw areas waiting to be cleaned up.
Mulege sits at the mouth of the Mulege River so water devastation happens quickly and easily with the hurricanes and tropical storms.
Our Australian travelers Norman & Christine are leaving the tour at this point to make a bee line back to the United States to prepare for a flight to Mexico City for another tour. Too bad their itinerary overlapped because we all enjoyed their company and they also didn’t want to leave us.
Somewhere along the way Norman realized that Christine and I appeared every morning with similar outfits on which made us look like twin sisters because we are both brunettes and the same size. We were happy to be sisters; Christine said she always wanted a sister.
We sipped marguerites with Christine and Norm the night before their departure. Also the group went out for a meal together at a restaurant in town. We had a really nice time together and said our goodbyes to Norman & Christine.
The overcast sky turned into rain during the night and rained on and off for our next day here.
The next morning the group gathered at the van for an excursion including; a drive through the storm damaged Mulege, a look at the Lighthouse because we can no longer get to it to climb to the top of it for an impressive view of the town, a walk around the ruins of the Loma Linda Hotel which has an interesting story but not much information available. Everyone enjoyed rummaging through and taking photos. We found the Prison Museum open and had a thorough tour of the prison which never had cell doors. After the prison tour some of us walked back and met everyone for lunch and then a short walk around.
Back at the Park we discovered the water was off in the RV Park and it only came back on the morning we left. There were onsite toilets and showers available for the campers however
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Rudy, Fae, George, Bev, Neil, and Marilyn spent the early evening playing dominos while Dom & I had a nice visit with Cliff & Bev in the lobby.
I think it was an early night for all. Tomorrow is a travel day.
Travel Day 24 and we are off to Guerrero Negro where we stopped on our way south to see whales. This time we will be staying at a different RV Park.
Our drive today was a longish one with narrow roads which was tiring for the drivers. On the way we had body breaks and a lunch break. Everyone enjoyed tacos from the taco stand on the roadside near our fuel stop.
We arrived to Mario’s RV Park and Restaurant about 3 pm but we will pass into Pacific time zone outside of the Park tomorrow morning. We turned our clocks back one hour when we arrived which gave us a longer afternoon to unwind and spend as we wished. The ladies spent hours picking through the piles of scallop shells at the back of the parking lot then we washed and cleaned our selections. These shells are the size of small plates and beautifully colored in shades of purple, orange and yellow.
For our evening meal we all dined at Mario’s Restaurant, a large enclosed palapa with crushed shell floors. The menu is varied with mostly seafood dishes but still a good choice of other foods.
The night was very cool, we hope for warmth later today.
Travel Day 25, the sun is shining and we all hope for warmer weather and no more rain.
We had a shorter driving day as we made our way to Bahia de Los Angeles (Bay of Angels) on the Sea of Cortes, another beach for us to camp on. There were narrow 2 lane highways again today with lots of semi’s. It is always a tight squeeze for the big A class RV but slowing down and taking care works well.
The drive across to Bahia de Los Angeles was quiet as we drove through the beautiful cacti forest.
We dry camped at Daggetts RV Park just a stone throw to the beach. This the first time here with Baja Amigos as our usual campsite was destroyed by the hurricane Odile. There were signs as we neared the Bay where the rains running from the mountains made its way down to the small town and area. So much damage!
Our stay here was a nice one.
After arrival Dom took the group for a drive of the town and a overlook for a photo, and a stop at one of the grocery stores. I walked over to our friends Antonio and Betty to invite them for a happy hour visit with the group.
Back at the Park nearly everyone went walking on the beach and of course more shell picking. There is definitely great pleasure in picking shells, it’s therapeutic in a way. George enjoys finding rocks which is the same thing.
The locals invited all of us to a Super Bowl Pizza Party but we much preferred to walk on the beach and spend our evening quietly.
The moon was full during our two nights here. Dom & I sat out and stared at the glistening sea talking and thinking about the tour so far and its nearing finish. This is a really nice group who get along and enjoy each others company. We are having fun and we laugh a lot.
Our second day here, Dom & I were up early as usual and walked in the sunrise.
Cliff met us on the beach and told us that he and Bev are going to leave this morning because his stomach is bothering him and he feels like driving today, tomorrow he may not not feel like driving. They said they may be waiting for us at our next stop. We said goodbye and hoped to see them again.
The morning was warm and sunny, I sat out with my tea and spotted whales in the bay playing; spouting water and breaching.
The excursion this morning included a visit to the Museum a very interesting stop, Casa Diez, a small chapel built of onyx, a memorial to a once standing larger church built of onyx but was destroyed in a dispute. We visited Lucy’s Gallery where a few of us bought something nice.
After this nice outing we returned to the Park for lunch and a leisurely afternoon on the beach. The wind came up but at least it was not raining. I walked to t he lighthouse, a goodly walk which took me an hour.
Rudy & Fae invited the group to join them for a Hobo’s Meal, a meal in foil cooked on the barbecue. The rest of us added to it with salads, dessert, etc. The little propane fire was at the center of another nice get together. We could have a real fire but the wind would have made it unpleasant. In the end the wind died off and it was a another lovely Baja evening.
Travel Day 27, another lovely sunrise in paradise. Rudy and Fae were on the beach early with me watching the sunrise, the birds and the fish. Fae always has her camera with her, ready for whatever.
An early start to our longest driving day will take us back to the Pacific to Colonia Vicente Guerrero, a biggish city named after a leading revolutionary general of the Mexican War of Independence.
The weather was warm and sunny. On our northward trip the sun is behind us making the journey feel like a new one even though it is the same highway.
We had several stops along the way to break up the drive. Our body breaks are planned to get you out of the drivers seat and eyes off the road for about 10 to 15 minutes.
We arrived to Baja Fiesta Restaurant where we dry camped in the large parking lot at the back of the restaurant.
Cecelia the restaurant owner lets travelers stay when they eat there. On one occasion a couple of Baja Amigo travelers were thankful for such a place to safely stay while waiting for a part to fix their RV. This is just another one of Baja Amigos ways to introduce you to all sides of Baja adventuring; safe places and resourceful people along the way.
We arrived before 4 pm leaving plenty of time to catch up with e-mails, rest, but for Rudy & George a tire needed their attention. They changed one of Georges RV tires.
The group enjoyed a hosted evening meal. The meals were tasty and ample, some asked for doggy bags.
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Travel Day 28, our last full day in Mexico. We woke up to a thick fog.
George joked about cutting the fog with a knife and somebody fell out of it. The locals said it would burn off.
Cecelia also offered an early breakfast for us before we left. Six of us enjoyed pancakes, eggs and bacon with coffee.
It was foggy for awhile as we drove and at the north end of the city we came across an accident which happened much earlier because the ambulance already came and left and the police were sorting out the rest. We had to squeeze around their road block.
Eventually the fog burned off and we enjoyed the rest of our journey to Valle de Guadalupe, passing through Ensenada and onto the wine valley to Rancho Sordo Mudo our stop for the night. This pretty little campground is surrounded by vineyards and orange trees line the RV sites. The park offers electrical hookups and a dump site but if anyone needs water they can go across the highway to the school to get water in their RV.
We arrived just before 1pm, set up and had lunch before Dom took us off to LA Cetto, one of the most renowned and oldest wineries in Mexico. It is responsible for more than half of the countries wine. The wine tour was informative and we also enjoyed the gardens and the huge wooden barrels full flowers that are placed here and there and tucked beside the huge tanks of wine.
It turned out that the young man, Edwardo that gave us the tour was a university friend of the son of our friend Antonio and Betty in Bahia de Los Angeles.
Two couples tried a tasting and bought a couple bottles of wine and a few bought bottles of olive oil.
Back at the RV Park, we organized a pot luck meal and a fire pit for our last evening together. The afternoon was spent resting and or preparing our food from whatever was left over in our fridges that we cannot cross the border with.
We set the picnic table with a table cloth and laid out the food. Marilyn & Neil barbecued chicken thighs perfectly and the rest of us made salad, a baked rice dish, a baked bean dish, and Fae’s famous cookies.
Doug the schools representative came by to tell us about Rancho Sordo Mudo. It is a Christian based residential school for deaf children in Mexico. The founders, Ed and Margaret Everett believed that deaf children did not have to become beggars on the street and taught them how to read and write and communicate with sign language. Doug related success stories of the children that went on to have good jobs. Camping fees are donations to the school. We have had group members donate clothing and money. The campground is in need of someone to come and volunteer any amount of time. The campground needs repairs to make it a better place for travelers which ultimately benefits the school.
Travel Day 29, a bright sunny morning and a time for goodbyes. Our friends Rudy & Fae, and George, our affable Huck Finn & Bev, from Missouri are leaving the tour to back track to Ensenada and go east to San Filipe on the Sea of Cortes to visit family for a couple of days.
The tour continued with Neil & Marilyn, for the short drive to Tecate, the border crossing. When we arrived at the border there were no vehicles so we drove straight to the gate and after a couple of questions and a look at our passports we were sent on our way with no inspections.
Another wonderful adventure with wonderful people in a wonderful country came to an end. A heartfelt thank you to all of the crew who came together as strangers and left as friends: Adios muchachos, hasta la vista. Until we meet again!
