Surprise Visit to Loretto

Wednesday: 17 March – La Paz to Puerto San Carlos to Loretto

1. We descend into Loretto Bay travelling north on Hwy 1

2. Where we were greeted by great views of the islands and coastline at sun set.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Woke up this morning and we decided we are running out of time and started north. We left the Casabuena for good. This part was sad. We were stopped leaving La Paz by the Mexican Army. They waved us over into the line with the tractor trailers. My checkpoint Spanish is getting better. True to form, they looked in our ice box and found our half bottle of tequila. I guess they thought they had seen enough. The soldier told Ray not to drink while driving. I told him we only drink a little (half bottle) each night. Esta bien.

We did the 120 miles through the Suguaro (there is only one road north-south at this point on the peninsula so we replayed our previous post in reverse). Arriving in Ciudad Constitucion, we looked for a place to eat. Ray was approached by a fortune-teller that told Ray he had problems (in Spanish). Ray explained that he already knew he was going to die (in English). I wish there were more present who could appreciate the humor of the moment. I gave the priestess 10 pesos. Hopefully, this buys Ray some more time before his problems crash all around him.

We decided to postpone lunch until Puerto San Carlos which was 40 minutes away on a paved road.

We rolled into Puerto San Carlos on the Bahia Magdelena around 3:00 p.m. We cruised the town trying to get oriented per the tour books. The bay was here is beautiful. There is a power plant that appears to generate power for Ciudad Constitucion, Cuidad Insurgentes, and even Loretto. After a good but relatively expensive lunch of fish and shrimp at Los Arcos, we went and talked to Marcos at the internet café across the street (who also organizes whaling tours) about …. well whaling tours. The report wasn’t very promising. After Marcos told us that the bahia is the second largest in the world, he told us that there were only 4 whales in the bay, the rest having already lost. Moreover, since we could not fill the boat (it was just Ray and me) we would have to pay the full $65/hr. Finally, Marcos confirmed that the campsite we scoped out at the point was the place that had this retched smell of rotten fish – it is squid season and there is a fish processing plant in San Carlos. Having some semblance of math literacy still in my head, I did not like the cost / benefit ratio. Ray and I were 50/50 on whether to go just to see the bay. Then we figured that we only really have about 10 days of touring left. That tilted the scale 51% no 49% yes. We figured that we could make Lorreto by dark so we set out.

A quick plug for Marcos before we leave San Carlos. Marcos was extremely helpful and fair in helping us understand our options. His father was one of the original whale watching tour operators. Marcos went to junior high and high school in Phoenix (he speaks English like someone from the US) where he learned English to help his parents with the whale watching business. If I come back to watch whales in the bay, I would use him. His contact information is marco@magsiempre.org / 6131360884 (cell). Tell him Joel sent you.

So after crossing from the Gulf of California to the Pacific, we crossed back to Gulf of California. The ride from Ciudad Insurgentes to Loretto was very cool. We climbed to about 1100 ft gradually giving nice views to the west. Then suddenly, we descended these magnificent canyons with the peaks of the Sierra Gigante to our north. With the low sun, the lighting was spectacular. We arrived at the Gulf of Californina to a magnificent view of the islands and coast line. On the ride, we also saw two rattlesnakes on the road.

We pulled into the Coco Cabanas on Jerry and Olive’d earlier recommendation. Stephen and Barrett Scalapino (two brothers originally from the bay area) gave us a room despite the signs on the office door that said “closed” and “no vacancy”.

We had dinner in town and walked the malecon on the way home. Looks like the beginning of another adventure.

There is a new moon tonight.

Back to La Paz

Tuesday; 16 March - Somewhere on the Beach to La Paz

1. Shadows in the tire tracks on the beach at 6:00 a.m.

2. Our camp on the beach. We stayed off the dunes to avoid getting stuck.

3. Gray whales were breaching offshore in the early morning.

4. Road to the beach at the Aqua Blanco development....

5. Where the local cows eyed our truck.
We were suspicious of there intentions and monitored there activity carefully.

6. We tried to find our way back to the road through the Suguaro.
The GPS and map were not much help.

7. Looking back to towards the ocean as we climb through the Suguaro.

8. Getting back to La Paz, we visit the Palmeira Marina north of town.

9. Ray likes this boat Beth. Please wire money.

10. Coming to his senses, Ray signs the deal on a 36ft sailboat.

11. Just kidding ... We met Captain Dave of the Free Spirit in Triunfo 2 days ago.
He invited us to come see is boat.

12... and to share a beer..

13. Hedley, see what makes Ray smile?
We scored some bottled propane at Walmart.

We woke up early this morning and made tea. We drank our tea facing the ocean and saw 4 gray whales breaching just off shore. We think that there were 2 mothers and 2 Babies. It was like the mothers were trying to get the babies to jump. The big ones would jump about 1/2 way out of the water, then the little ones would make these attempts that just didn't compare. They did this for about 1 hours. Then they moved off to the north. Very cool way to wake up.

We packed up and proceeded to get stuck in the mud driving from the beach across the mud flat. I pushed and we were able to find solid ground without Ray’s much coveted recovery gear.

We continued to drive north-west on the dirt road fronting the beach and visited several. We tried taking a dirt track back to the main road and got lost in the Saguaro. We tried several tracks that did not agree with either the GPS or our new maps. But persistence pays. We could see the main road on the GPS and we made our way through the maze. We found the main road was paved (our maps said dirt) and turned left and rode it to the end, then turned around and returned to Hwy 19.

We had an easy drive into La Paz where we had lunch and sat on the Malecon. Oddly, it felt good to be home.

We went to visit Captain Dave of the Free Spirit at the Palmeiri Marina on the north end of the Malecon. We had met Dave in El Triunfo 2 days earlier. He showed us his boat and another perspective on retirement that got Ray’s creative juices flowing. Beth, I think Ray has killed the Airstream on the ejido plan is presently upgrading. It was of interest to both Ray and me to see all the on-board system (e.g. water desalination, solar power, navigation).

We returned to the Casabuena B&B for the night (from where I am making this post). We made a run to Walmart at the edge of town and found some Coleman propane canisters (We have had some trouble with the adapter for the big canister), tequila, and 2 bananas (this is really a guy trip).

I think we are headed to Puerto San Carlos tomorrow.


Monday; 15 March - Cabo San Lucas to Todos Santos and Beyond (lat 23 30.742; long 110 17.312)

1. We walked around Todos Santos.
The artist community here reminds us or Carmel and Santa Fe.

2. We drove the dirt road north of Todos Santos and found great beaches.

3. We camped here ...

4. We shared the beach with the local pelicans ...

5. ... and local fisherman that arrived at sunset.

6. Our first true sunset on the Pacific was great.

Walked the beach in Cabo San Lucas this morning and had breakfast somewhere near the harbor. The beaches are impressive. There is a reason all the development is there.

We packed up and headed north on Hwy 19 beginning the rebound portion of our trip. We tried to explore the beaches between Cabo San Lucas and Todos Santos but we were greeted with a phalanx of gated roads. Despite what the travel books might indicate, it appears that all the beach front up to Todos Santos has been sub-divided and sold to California. The beach entries that were described in our books were not there. We arrived in Todos Santos without getting to a beach.

We walked around Todos Santos. This is a quaint Mexican town that has become an artist community reminiscent of Santa Fe, New Mexico or Carmel, California. We had lunch at a street stand before heading north on the dirt road running north out of town.

We accessed several beaches and did some general exploring. Some distance north of town, the sub divisions ended and we got back into what felt like the ejidos we had seen further north on our trip down the peninsula. We pulled into one beach where we camped for the night with local pelican and fisherman as our neighbors.

We had beer for dinner (yes we've sunk this low).

The surf pounded the shore so hard we could feel the vibration through the sand.

We had our first true sunset on the Pacific (the others always had land on the horizon).

Reaching the Bottom of Baja

Sunday, 14 March – La Paz to Cabo San Lucas (lat 22 53.988; long 109 53.696)

1. The road to the mines behind El Triunfo.

2. American trucks are the rage at El Triunfo.

3. Joel likes it. Emily, do you want to borrow my truck?

4. The 35-meter-high smokestack of the smelting works was designed
by Gustav Eiffel, renowned engineer and designer of the Eiffel Tower,
still stands on this site.

5. The church in El Triunfo.

6. A cobblestone side street in El Triunfo

7. A cobblestone street in El Triunfo in front of town hall.

8. A picture of Ray to make Beth feel good.

9. South of Santiago, we cross into the tropics.

10. Home for the night in Cabo San Lucas.
One of the few places that still takes campers.

11. The beaches of Cabo San Lucas are beautiful but no longer pristine.

Grand hotels and night clubs line the beach.

12. Looking down the beach at Cabo San Lucas under overcast skys.
This is the bottom of Baja.

13. On the cape at Cabo San Lucas is a sign:
"No Se Vende" - "Not for Sale"

After three nights at the Casabuena B&B, we left our new home with some regrets and promises to return on the rebound from our quick tour of the cape to the south. It is an overcast day, which is our first since leaving Arizona. Because of the weather, we abandon on plans to return to Tecolote and get a boat to the islands off Bahia de la Paz.

Heading down Hwy 1, we stopped in El Triunfo and walked around the old mine. There was a gold and silver boom in El Triunfo beginning in 1862. The boom brought over 10,000 people to the area making it the largest settlement in Baja at the time. Many who participated in the California gold rush of 1849 found themselves in El Triunfo. Interestingly, the 35-meter-high smokestack of the smelting works was designed by Gustav Eiffel, renowned engineer and designer of the Eiffel Tower. There was a strong French influence to the town. The web has some interesting histories on this town and I encourage follow-up.

El Triunfo is now a quaint town with cobblestone streets and neat, well kept buildings and church. It makes a pleasant stroll. The California license plates that occasion the cars parked in town suggests outside forces are at work here. However, the town does not appear to be overrun by Anglo influences.

We made a quick stop in Los Barriles and drove the main street. We looked at the beach and searched half-heartedly for the road running north to the beaches of Bahia de los Muertos without success (We were not going in that direction anyway). Los Barriles is overrun by Anglo influences and interests and was a foreshadow of what we were to find at the bottom of the peninsula.

Further south, we got off Hwy 1 and drove into Santiago to get some lunch. There was a nice 4 lane divided road w/ curbs and street lamps leading into town – disproportionate for the size of the town. The town was charming with a nicely maintained plaza. There were several tiendas on the plaza but we did not see anything that looked like a restaurant. We patronized the local tienda for some drinks and fruit.

We crossed the tropic of cancer just south of Santiago.

We took the toll road around the airport at San Jose del Cabo. We tried to take in the plaza at San Jose del Cabo but it is Sunday, there was a street fair, the this quarter of town was packed with residents having fun. However, this all made navigating in the Tacoma fairly difficult so we gave up on San Jose, found our way back to Hwy 1, and pointed the truck toward Cabo San Lucas.

I will not spend any energy describing San Jose del Cabo or Cabo San Lucas further other than to say it totally popped my Baja bubble.

We had an overpriced dinner in town and ran out of daylight. Instead of pushing on toward Todos Santos, we found a place among the big hotels that allows camping. It looks like it is also for sale.

A Really Good Day

Saturday, 13 March – La Paz, Bahia Balandra, and Tecolote

1. Suddenly and without warning, Ray collides with his
dream at Bahia Balandra.

2. In Ray's dream, he finds a Palapa and settles down for a nap.

3. Meanwhile Joel, finding a certain lack of motion in Ray's
dream, decides to risk the Teddy Bear Cholla and climb
the headlands above Bahia Balandra.

4. Meanwhile, back in dreamland, the tide runs out in Bahia Balandra.

5. Being Saturday, many residents on La Paz came to Bahia Balandra.
These came by boat.

6. Another look at the water taxi from the beach.

7. The place not to be when the earth shakes. These rather large
rocks are held by a sedimentary material that I can dig out
with my fingers. New Baja Rule: Only walk where there is daylight.

8. Waiting for Ray to wake-up, I decide to lift some big rocks.

9. Oh, .... just kidding.

10. Highway11 running north out of La Paz ends here in Tecolote ....

11. ... at Palapa Azul

12. Having missed the boat (literally) to Espiritu Santo,
we find many varieties of tequila ....

14. ... and fresh clams from the other side of the bar ....

15. ... filled with good things to eat. I don't even like clams
and these were great.

16. Ray and I then walk an unnamed point between
Tecolote and Bahia Balandra.

17. After several tequilas, Ray carefully considers his next step.

18. We find the perfect beach for Boo.
(Ignore the cactus in the foreground)
Yes, we will get one of those boats.

We awoke today with a loose plan to drive up Hwy 11 up the peninsula north of La Paz to Tecolote. The plan was to rent a boat to take us up past Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida to Los Islotes to see the sea lion colony. Our reasoning was that the boats would be cheaper if we could start halfway to the destination.

Before setting out, we returned to Quinta Lupita so Ray could buy the tile that Beth and he agreed upon last night. Being early, there was no traffic and we were able to cross town easily. It was a pleasant transaction.

We then headed north along Hwy 11 which passed the ferry terminal, the petroleum refinery, and some marinas. We passed a number of very nice beaches and inlets lined with mangroves. Being Saturday, the residents of La Paz were out in force to enjoy the natural beauty of the Bahia de la Paz.

As we approached Tecolote, we decided to pull in for a quick look at Bahia Balandra, which appears in all of our travel books. Suddenly and without warning, Ray collided with his dream. If I understand correctly, the bahia, along with many of the beaches along Hwy 11 are maintained by the city of La Paz. There are Palapas (if you don’t know what this is, look at the photo above) along the beach which are used by the general public. Ray chilled on the beach. I hiked the headlands which gave some postcard like views. Ray and I agree that the bahia lives up to the hype in the books. Great place to go.

By the time we got to Tecolote, all the charter boats had left. Tecolote is another piece of paradise. Unlike Bahia Balndra, the road ended at the bar at Palapa Azul. Ray, following his zen teaching, decided it was a meant to be, so we ordered drinks and clams from the waters in front of the bar. We checked out the local camping which we are considering using if we return tomorrow.

After staring at the azul sea for several hours, we drove a short distance directly east of Tecolote. Looking east, you can see a 4WD track that climbs the headland. The track was too much for the Tacoma so we set out on foot. We saw several turquoise coves with pristine beaches, one that I will take Boo too when we come back to La Paz.

We returned to La Paz, got some cash at the Banamex ATM with our bank cards (yes this works – it even gave me my balance in Pesos – which is a considerably larger number), then sat on the wharf where the cruise ships dock to watch the sun set. After several unsuccessful attempts after trying to find a recommended fish market, we returned to the Casabuena B&B to settle in for the night.