To Tecate, and back into the USA!

Off we drove, leaving Ensenada behind, ripping thru the mud puddles in town and back to Mex 1 North. We turned off north of town on Mex 3 toward Tecate. We drove through the Guadalupe Valley, prime wine country, and past half a dozen wineries. Sadly, we didn't stop...boo hoo. Had to run for the border! We arrived about noon, and after waiting in line for about 45 minutes, we finally made it to the front. The border guys took our honeycomb cactus driftwood, because there is now a treaty between the US and Mexico declaring this variety endangered. Too bad, it looks cool, and we couldn't figure out why keeping a dried piece of driftwood would endanger the live Cholla cactus plants...

Here's what the live ones look like:

Also took an apple, which still had the sticker on it from the US grocery store. Go figure. Didn't look for drugs, guns, or illegals. Our money well spent, eh? But, we didn't care! We're back in the US of A, and happy to be here. Tonight, a welcome home steak dinner at Pinnacle Peak's, then we're done! Whoopee! It was a great trip, many new friends, and we'd love to do it again next year!

What now? a week on the beach in San Clemente, then a week in a timeshare in Sedona. After that, who knows? We'll keep you posted!

Vincente Guerrero, then on to Ensenada

The Posada Don Diego RV Park is in Vincente Guerrero, about 20 KM north of San Quintin, on the Pacific Ocean side of Baja. Nice sized campsites, quiet, with water and electric. Sewer is iffy. Great restaurant. Owned by an interesting lady who is an American expatriate of 30 years. We had a long drive from Bahia De Los Angeles, took nearly 8 hours, so all were ready to relax and unwind over a cervesa. 

Tomorrow, back to Estero Beach, Ensenada. We stayed here on our way down, and it's a nice quiet spot on the Ensenada Bay, secure, with full hookups. Hooray! Everyone gets a shower! 

Had our goodbye to Mexico dinner here, Margaritas for all. We've eaten a bazillion fish tacos, tried lots of cervesa, and had lots of beach time. But, before we go, we have a tour of Ensenada. First, we found a wash crew to clean our filthy rigs, covered with dust from our drive. Nancy and I negotiated a wash and wax of the Montaj and the car, both for $350. That's pesos, guys, so about $28. While they washed, we toured. First, to the Convention Center. This was originally a casino, from the '30s. Beautiful. Abandoned for years in the 60's, it is now restored.

On the way to the casino, we pass Ensenada's Mexican flag, which is on a 250' pole. The flag measures 25 meters by 50 meters!

The ceilings of the casino were painted by an artist called Martinez, who is nicknamed the Michelangelo of Ensenada, as he painted for 18 months on his back.

The building was full of beautiful woodwork and tile work. It is now used for festivals, meetings, and Quinceanera parties. Next, on to downtown where we spent some time doing our last minute shopping...

Then we stopped by the panaderia for some more sweet breads, and headed for La Bufadora. That's a blow hole where the wave action and tide action causes a spout of water spray to go high in the air. Interesting, but it was a chilly day and we were glad to get into the restaurant there for a hot meal.

By the time we returned to Estero Beach RV Park, it was raining and blowing. This is the same storm that is going thru the midwest right now (Feb 23) and it was a cold wet blow that raised whitecaps on the bay. At sunset, it looked like it was going to clear up.

But, we were premature thinking it was gonna clear up the next day. In this case, red sky at night was not a precursor to a sunny day tomorrow. We had heavy rain all night, and the wind rocked the coach. By dawn, the rain had stopped but the streets were muddy and our wash job was wasted. 

Bahia de Los Angeles

This is the part of traveling in Baja that I like the best. Here we are, on the beach. No phone service, no electricity, no water or sewer. Just us and the beach. We walked down the beach to dinner at a local restaurant. Lobster. Delicious! Met an American expatriate who's lived and prospected here for 30 years, and bought his book. He's in his 90's, but sharp, and a real character! Here he is, autographing his book for Michel.

Some of our group went out a jeep trail to Mission Borja. The road was so rough it took over 3 hours to go 20 miles! We had to turn back before getting there, as we were preparing quesadillas for dinner, but those who went loved it.

Guerrero Negro, and Grey Whales!

This visit is the highlight of the trip, at least for most of us. Back to our cramped campground in Guerrero Negro, for two days. The first morning, we have a date with a panga to go visit the whales! Seeing whales at a distance, as one does in Dana Point, is a totally different deal than this! Here in a huge shallow lagoon, there are more than a thousand grey whales. They swim here every winter to mate, and to give birth to their calves. The mommies bring their weeks old babies right up to the boats, and introduce them to humans. It's amazing. Virtually everyone on our tour got the opportunity to touch a baby whale!

This has to be on your "bucket list", if u don't believe me, ask anyone who's done it!
Next day, we took a tour of the government run salt mine operation. They produce 5% of the world's salt, and much of the road salt used in the US is mined here... you can thank Baja for the rust on your car!

The orange Dart carrier you see here carries 120 tons of salt in each of three carts. They have 6 Darts running back and forth from the salt fields to the refining plant, so one comes to unload about every 5 minutes with another 360 tons of salt! Had dinner at the Malarrimo Hotel adjoining the campground. Next, dry camping on the beach at Bahia de Los Angeles!

Catch up time!

Time has gotten away from us, here it is Feb 21 and we haven't posted for 12 days... the last part of this tour was a whirlwind of activity, and when there was time, there wasn't internet. So, this is a catch-up!

Drove to Puerto Escondido, a little town on the Sea of Cortez. Super little marina, with shelter from the waves and wind all around, would be a great place to put your boat. Our RV park had hookups, but no internet, and a good restaurant and hotel adjoining. Had a little mishap in the park, one of the 5th wheels was making a U-turn and knocked the mirror off a motorhome, leaving it dangling by the wires. It was tense for a bit, but the wagonmaster and I got it re-mounted, and all is well. Tomorrow, off for Bahia de Concepcion, where we're dry camping on the beach at Buena Ventura.

We had a weenie roast on the beach with a bonfire, and enjoyed cervesa at a very laid-back beach bar that is typical of Baja.

This was a great beach for shelling, so Nancy and Mary collected some and made souvenir shells for the guests on our tour. 

The natural beauty here is the thing...

After two days relaxing, we're off to our next campground, Rice and Beans, north of Santa Rosalia. On the way, we stopped at Santa Rosalia to stock up on bakery goods at the panaderia, and to view the local church, designed by Eiffel, from France, yes the one who designed the tower in Paris.

The church is made of metal...look at the arches!

Swimming with a 25 foot shark!

Alas, I'm too cheap to own a really good underwater helmet cam, and I'm too slow a swimmer to catch the damn thing anyway. But, I gotta tell you, Nancy and I and 8 close friends got to swim with a 25 foot long whale shark! This picture is off the internet, but gives you an idea of the scale...

This is a JUVENILE, the mature sharks can run over 40 feet and weigh upwards of 20 tons. What a rush!

Tecolote Beach

 Making new friends at the Carnival!

 Candy for the kiddies! 

 Check the eyes...think she's had enough Margaritas?

 And, eye candy for the big boys!

Of course, the obligatory sunset picture...

After dark, the action picks up. Naturally, we left at 8:30...
Tecolote beach is a spot south of La Paz, BCS, MX, right on the sand. It happens that La Paz is having a 4 day long fiesta this weekend, so we went in for the night. Lots of loud and not too good bands, and street food (yum!) and fun stuff just like a carny at home.

Sunset Cruise from Cabo San Lucas

We all headed for the Marina this afternoon and loaded on the Sundowner for a two hour cruise, with dinner, open bar, and dancing. Left at 4:40 and returned at 6:40. Nice dinner, did I mention open bar?

The view of the coast and the arch is more beautiful every time we see it. Sunset emphasizes the beauty.

Parasailers were enjoying the 80 degree day.

A little dancing after dinner, and watch the sun disappear. What could be better? And, we say goodnight to the dragon.

Glass bottom boat tour in Cabo

After breakfast we headed to the Marina, and after a bit walking around taking in the sights, we boarded a glass bottomed boat for a tour of the harbor and trip to the arch. 

We saw some wild life on the way out: seals, pelicans, and, yes, mermaids!

The arch is spectacular, even after several times seeing it before. From the harbor side, it looks like a huge dragon taking a drink from the Ocean.

On the Marina side of the point the water is warmer and calm, good for swimming. There is a little beach on the peninsula called Lovers Beach.

Walk thru the gap in the peaks, to the sand on the other side, and you are on the Pacific Ocean. Bigger waves, colder water, strong current. The Pacific side is called Divorce Beach!

There is also a Pirate's Cave on the Pacific side. Further up the coast is Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach, where we have a timeshare week.

Finally, back to the marina for a drink and shopping, and some sillyness.

That's all for now, folks! More to come!