Loreto and onward

Our time in Loreto was spent at Loreto Shores, a former RV park.  Now casitas  have been built where there were formerly RV spots with around 6 RV spots remaining.  Behind the RV spots there were storage units for all the toys everyone has:  ATV's, boats, etc.  We kind of felt we were in an industrial centre but the resort did have a nice pool and it was convenient to the town, which is beautiful.    There was a garage sale here on the Saturday and we managed to pick up a metal rack to hang off the ladder on the back of our RV for storing chairs.  We got it for $10 and they cost about $100 in Nanaimo.  Good score! 
 We visited the mission museum which detailed the history of the town and its surroundings.  Our evenings here were spent listening to LOUD music coming from the next block over and dogs barking throughout the night.

January 26th

We left Loreto at 9:00 a.m. and arrived at La Paz 2:30ish.  Roads pretty much the same as previous, some hills, peligrosa curves, and then approximately 50 km of absolutely straight and flat road.  This was an agricultural area with orange trees growing.  We also had 4 lanes of highway for perhaps 5 km.  So refreshing!
We're staying at AquaMarina RV Park, a lovely spot on the water.  It is owned by an amazing 81 year old Mexican woman, Mary Lou, who bought the property with her American husband some 43 years prior.  She was a stewardess in her 20's with a Mexican airline when she met her husband and they married and operated a scuba diving/snorkelling business from the property.  She and her husband were both maritime captains of their 125' charter boat.  I was fortunate to be invited into her home and listen to her stories and look at pictures of their life together.

January 27th

Coffee on the palapa; beautiful sunrise!  We walked to the malecon which is simply an amazing walkway along the sea for at least 3 km.  Bronze statuary are built all the way along the malecon.  It is a beautiful setting!
Sprinkles of rain this evening WHAT!  First rain since we left Nanaimo.

January 28th
Just outside our park, mexican fishermen returning from a successful early fishing trip, were endeavouring to get their boat out of the water with a truck and boat trailer, each with a flat tire.  They finally got the boat out and it seems they hadn't connected the trailer to the truck well enough, so off it came with a lot of noise and commotion and full of fish.  Its always interesting to watch life go on in Mexico!  They got the boat back on and off they went.

We took our laundry in this a.m. and then were in search of a car wash.  This truck has never been so dirty!  We found the car wash and 1 1/2 hours later, and four men working on it, the truck looked better than it ever has . . that includes when Frank washes it every other day!   Detailing inside and out, all of that for 100 pesos, approximately $8!  Frank gave them 150 pesos; it was worth so much more.  We've never had it detailed at home but I'm thinking that what we had done was probably worth $75 - $100 at home.
While we waited for the truck I was fortunate enough to dog sit a Boston Terrier puppy, probably mere weeks old and weighing no more than 1 lb.  It was the owner's dog and he probably would have let me take the dog if I had wanted to (I wanted . . but then common sense prevailed).  They also had two big pit bulls guarding the place.
The afternoon was spent at two beaches which we drove to.  The first being Playa Balandra, which is an enclosed cove with shallow, azure water.  We spent some time snorkelling there and we also went to Playa Tecolote, where we ate our picnic lunch.  Again, stunningly beautiful beach!  We're going to dry camp on this beach on the way back.
We have new neighbours next to us at the RV park, Bruce and Bernadette and their dog BIG from Nanoose!  We're beginning to think that we Vancouver Islanders are very adventuresome, as we have run into many during our travels.

January 29th

Left La Paz for Los Barriles around 9:00 a.m.  After a wrong turn by Phil and Doreen we were on our way!  Lack of signage and having absolutely no idea of how to get in/out of towns makes for very interesting driving at times.  And it also inspires a lot of swearing!
Again, had to go through a mountain pass which many curves.  For those of you who have travelled the Hope/Princeton, just imagine driving it every day for kms on end!  That's what we're doing.
We passed through El Triunfo, a former silver mining town, and also a very small town called San Bartolo which was beautifully lined with flowers/trees 
We arrived at Los Barriles around noon and are staying at Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort.  There is a waterfront hotel with pool and bar and RV sites behind the hotel.  All this for 1690 pesos for the week (approximately $19/day) 
Los Barriles is a kite sailing/wind surfing mecca.  When the wind blows the sky is filled with beautifully coloured sails.  Fortunate for us the wind hasn't blown for 3 days and we've been able to kayak and fish.  We found a bakery, laundry, liquor store and some restaurants within blocks of our RV spot, so we're settled nicely for a week.

January 30th

Dogs barking in the night again, and roosters crowing in the early a.m.  You'd think we would become accustomed to it, but we're not.  Laid around the pool today and did some laundry at the campsite and then we phoned a former schoolmate (and brother of good friends) who lives here part-time and told him we were in town.  He came over for a beer and invited us to his house for dinner.  We picked up takeout chicken/fries from a place called Ochoe's Pollo and visited with Kevin for a couple of hours.  His house is spectacular, and complete with a pool and 78 palm trees.  Beautiful oasis!  sigh . .

January 31st

We went kayaking and snorkelling this a.m.; calm waters again.  On the way home though, the bladder in Frank's kayak deflated.  Fortunately we were only a short ways from the resort.  Figured out that the issue was a leaking seam, and repairs to it didn't solve the problem.  So we're down to 1 kayak until we can contact the company and hopefully pick up another bladder before we come home.  The company is located in California.

Our neighbour from Surrey, B.C. invited Doreen and I over, to learn beading and we are in the throes of making a bracelet.  Have homework to do!

As some of you may know, my father passed in November and today would have been his 98th birthday, so we toasted and celebrated his birthday at Happy Hour!  Cheers Dad . . thank's for looking over us as we travel on this adventure.

February 1st

Los Barriles has a community farmer market each Saturday with live music and lovely artisan work and so we enjoyed visiting it this a.m.  Our afternoon was spent laying at the pool/working on the bracelet, and sitting at the bar on the ocean enjoying beer and margueritas.   Rodrigues, the bartender, kept us entertained! We are enjoying ourselves to the fullest!

Our Time in San Felipe and onwards

January 13th, 2014

It was sunshine and coffee outside this a.m.!  What more can you ask for?   We are 5 steps from the beach!

We had visitors from Yuma (and Nanaimo) today, Mike and Reet and their dog came down from Yuma to stay for a couple of days (actually they ultimately extended their stay to be closer to a week) and over the next couple of days we immensely enjoyed their company during Happy Hour and dinner hour! 

We explored the town by foot and vehicle over the next couple of days and it was readily apparent that there were very few tourists and the town is quite desolate.  The Mexicans living there who are trying to make a living are very desperate.  It appears that the North Americans who came the previous five years and built and spent their money freely are no longer there.  So many half built developments and vacant homes.  Quite sad . .

January 16th

On the Road to Ensenada this a.m..  Back through the same military checkpoint.  Again, we were separated from our partners when they gassed up their vehicle.  It seems our communication skills could be better!  Anyways, we waited for them at the military checkpoint after our RV was thoroughly checked over and then re-commenced the journey.  Within 5 minutes after the turnoff to Ensenada and the previous checkpoint, there was another military checkpoint and our RV was checked AGAIN!!  Please note, that due to our partners having a boat/motor strapped to the back door of their camper, they have yet to open their RV for inspection.  The military personnel are very polite, but also very curious about the RV.  They open all the drawers, knock on walls, and check everything!
Went through a 3rd military checkpoint in Ojos Negros and yes, we were checked again!  Its actually becoming quite boring having our RV checked; in addition to frustrating as they are dirtying up the floor with their dust/sand covered boots!!
Arrived in Ensenada, and stayed at Estero Beach Hotel and RV.  The resort is very luxurious, but the RV park section only had 4 RV'ers in it and the hotel maybe had 1/2 dozen people.  Where are all the tourists?  Very curious . .
Enjoyed the hot tub in the evening after a lovely walk along the lagoon and ocean!

January 17th

We left early and drove 7 hours to Catavina.  Narrow roads (read . . NO shoulders) and rough pavement.  There were 6 detours; some 1 km or more long.  We went through 3 military checkpoints and no inspections!  Arrived at Rancho St. Ines at 3:00 and dry camped in a big sandy lot on the edge of the desert.  We were the first 2 RV's to pull in and then 3 others; one from Gabriola Island.  Prior to our arrival here, we had driven through vineyards, desert, and produce fields.

January 18th

Left Rancho St. Ines at 7:00 a.m. and drove for 6 hours to San Ignacio.  Visited the small, quaint village and visited the restored mission.  Beautiful . . walls made of lava rock 4 feet thick.  We went through 3 military checkpoints today/ 1 with a full RV check.

January 19th

Woke to the rooster crowing early and left for Playa Santispac.  The road passed through the Sierra San Francisco where you need to keep your speed low as there are so many curves.  We crossed lava flows from Las Tres Virgines where the last significant action was around1847.  THEN came the long descent to the Gulf of California!  The steepest grade (12%) called "Cuesta del Infierno" (Grade to Hell) is approx. 3 km long and is the steepest grade on Mex 1.  Whoa, this journey is not for the faint of heart!! 
Passed through Santa Rosalia, and old mining area for copper ore which is starting to boom again.  The church in town was designed by A.G. Eiffel of Eiffel Tower fame, and due to the French influence most of the town buildings are built of wood.  The only town on the Baja peninsula to do so.
We arrived at Playa Santispac and are parked feet from the ocean again.

January 20th

Enjoyed coffee outside on the beach with the gulls!  Fresh produce, baked goods (still warm), agua and seafood are delivered to your door, starting at 7:30 a.m.
During the last week we have passed a number of cyclists travelling on the HWY and one in particular, we have passed several times.  Tom is his name and he is camped next to us this evening.  He is from the UK and started riding in September from Alaska.  We invited him over for dinner and he filled us in on his travels . . an amazing young man!

January 21st

Laundry, lunch and shopping in Mulege today; plus some kayaking.  Very calm seas.  This evening a couple from Fairwinds in Nanoose camped next to us. .  such a small world.

January 22nd

Kayaked for a couple of hours today and made fish and chips for dinner from the halibut we bought this a.m. at our doorstep!  Spotted dolphins frolicking in the bay about 100 yards offshore while we were having Happy Hour.  This evening a couple from Surrey pulled in two RV's over . . again, small world!

Jan. 23rd

Woke to a very low battery this a.m.  11% charge BIG PROBLEM!  Our neighbour Francisco (an engineering genious) came over to check it out and came up with nothing.  Once the sun came up within 2 hours the battery was charged back up to 100% but what was the issue?
Went kayaking through the mangrove lagoon and spotted heron and egret in there.
At about dusk I went for a walk to the banos, and lo and behold, there was a light on at the front of the RV which neither of us had turned on!  It appears that when I was washing the front of the Rv down, I had hit the light switch and it had been on for around 36 hours and therein was the solution to our battery problem.
Went for a fireside Happy Hour at a couple's from Kelowna.

Jan. 24th

Sunrise spectacular this a.m.  Jumped out of bed and took a picture . . stunning blues, pinks, reds!  Headed for Loreto and arrived a couple of hours later; after passing a semi tractor trailer flipped over on one of the dangerous curves that we are travelling!  and pulling a U'y on the highway because we had missed the entrance to town.  Frank will never be the same after this trip!!
The town of Loreto has been promoted by the Mexican government, similar to Cancun, Ixtapa, and Huatulco.  Lovely little town catering to North Americans; meaning somewhat expensive!  Visited the museum next to the restored mission which detailed the history of the area.

To Yuma and San Felipe MX

 

Jan. 8th
We left at 8:00 a.m from Needles travelling through barren, scrubby desert through Parker, Quartzite and on to Yuma!  Many RVers just boondock in the middle of the desert; heaven knows why!  Arrived in Yuma and got lost again!  Our GPS pointed us in one direction and our friends who had the actual address of the resort turned and took a different route!  We ended up next to a bare sandy lot and "Martha" told us we had arrived at our destination.  After turning in one direction we ended up on a major 4 lane HWY.  We finally spotted the resort from there, and realized if we had turned left instead of right we would have ended up at our resort.  During the time we were in Yuma we went to a huge Arizona market, it sold everything from clothing, shoes, to RV stuff.

On January 10th we went over the border to LOs Algodones and purchased our tourist visa.     What a show that town is . .  vendors hawking dental,  optical, viagra services.  Very congested with these shops.  Returned over to the US a couple of hours later and the US border guard told us we were too young to be in the Yuma area.  He's right . .  the average age of people here is probably 20 years older!  And, you don't see any kids around!

Next issue, getting our MX vehicle/RV insurance.  Visited an insurance agency in Yuma and the quote was $300 more than an online quote.  Decided to do it online.  74 pages later wehad it!

Jan. 12th we arrived in San Felipe.  Crossed the MX border at Mexicali around 9:30 a.m. and no one there.  Our RV did get searched by two cute little Mexican girls who were more interested in how long it took to get there from Canada.  Stopped at Costco enroute, led there by  a friendly taxi driver!  HWY good all the way . .  had to stop at a military checkpoint about 49 km out of town . .  they're checking for drugs.  So another inspection.  Phil and Doreen havn't yet been inspected as they have a boat and motor strapped to the back of their camper!

When we arrived in San Felipe, no RV parks are advertised so again, we're aimlessly towing a 30 ft RV around on roads we have no idea where they go to!  Finally stopped and a friendly Mexican fellow on a bike lead us to an RV park called Club de Pesca and we are parked mere feet from the beautiful blue Sea of Cortez.  Got ourselves settled in and breathed a sigh of relief and celebrated with margeritas!

We've driven and walked around town.  There are no tourists and there are so many vacant buildings it is extremely sad.  The jewellry vendors are selling silver at ridiculous prices, $5 US for a genuine silver bracelet!

Tonight we are going to the Taste of San Felipe.  Will let you know what it was like!

Time to get into the sun!

 

On The Road Again

Absolutely stunning sunrise Monday a.m.  Left Corning around 8:00 a.m. heading to Bakersville with somewhat overcast skies but dry.  We arrived in Bakersville around 4:00 after getting lost looking for the campground.  Thanks GPS Martha, lol (obviously she doesn't know how to communicate well enough with us).   Temperature 19 degrees and our trailer is nestled amongst orange trees filled with fruit.  Thanks Wanda Larose for the recommendation!  Before we leave in the a.m. we will pick a bag of oranges to take with us; Frank tasted them and said they were delicious!

Left Bakersville Tues. a.m. at 8:00 a.m. temperature 8 degrees.  Crossed the Tehachapi Mountain range; summit 4064 feet.  Windmills in the hundreds, located at the summit where I imagine some days there could be immense winds which would be used to generate energy.  A little further along, in the vicinity of the Edward's Air Force Base, there appeared to be a commercial jetline cemetary; kind of weird to encounter in the middle of the desert!  We also passed the Borax factory in Boron; home of the Twenty Mule Team . . interesting for those of us who use Borax in our laundry!

Today, one small misstep.  We were endeavouring to fill up in Barstow . . we chose one gas station and our partners went across the street to a cheaper station.  |Unfortunately, the station we chose didn't sell diesel so we went another couple of miles to a station that did but we lost track of  our partners.  Waited for about 15 minutes and thought oh well, carry on . . ultimately we did meet up with them at the next rest stop.  Just goes to show communication is very important when you are travelling together!

We arrived in Needles, 19 degrees and sunshine, about 1:00.  Settled in and thought why not take a tour of the town.  Well . . the only bank in town closed and the liquor depot also closed.  Imagine a town that couldn't support a bank and a liquor store . . its a pretty desolate place.  But the RV park we're staying in is very nice, with lush greenery and a very friendly community.  Very inviting!

Tomorrow Yuma!  This is all such an adventure . . we're having a great time!

And we're off!  Our house/dogsitters Tom and Marie arrived January 2nd to the absolute joy of Kirby . .  Somebody else to play with!!  We decided to let them settle in at our house and we stayed at Living Forest for the night; close to the Duke Point ferry.  We woke to sunshine and it has been that way pretty much ever since. 

We crossed the US border in about 45 minutes and we stayed that night at Tulalip Casino in their RV parking.  No hookups  .  . no problem . . wrong!  Our battery wasn't charging properly so we spent a very cold night huddled under numerous blankets.  To top it off, about 1:00 a.m. an RV came in, parked next to us, and turned his generator on and went to bed!  We woke up and waited and waited for him to turn it off, but that wasn't happening.  The generator fumes vented right beside our bedroom, so we didn't want to fall asleep in case we didn't wake up.  Waited some more, then Frank got up and knocked on their door and very nicely told them the fumes were coming into our bedroom and could they shut it off.  Thankfully, they did!

Woke early in the a.m. and could see our breath!  Time to go . . left around 7:00 a.m.  We drove 8 hours and made it to 7 Feathers Casino, Oregon, by 3:00.  Still freezing temperature but we had hookups . . thank God!!  Lost $20.00 real fast in the casino and that was that!

Relatively early start in the a.m. -3 degree temperature.  The scenery was beautiful with frost on the trees and fields.  By the time, we reached our next destination which was Corning, California we had seen a 26 degree variation in temperature!  Wow!  Sat outside in the sunshine and had "Happy Hour".  We're staying at Rolling Hills Casino RV park . . hmmm, is there a theme here?  We're not the gambling type, but our friends Phil and Doreen like to play a little card game occasionally.

It will be another early night; leave early in the a.m. and hopefully make it to Bakersfield!

Night, night

Wow, we're in the final throes of preparation!  We've started loading the trailer; the bathroom supplies are in . . and as I'm typing this, Frank is starting to load up the kitchen supplies.  Clothes will be ready in the next day or two!

We have a couple of new electronic toys that need to be figured out prior to departure; a new GPS with Mexico maps and a dashboard video camera/recorder!  Fun and games!!

Once this is done, the Christmas decorations and lights will come down and be stored away for another year.  Ohh, still much to do . . better get busy!!

Hope to hear comments from all of you!

Cheers and Have a Happy New Year!