January 28 to 31, 2014; Todos Santos and computer disaster

JAN  28, Tuesday; Haircut for Tucker and vet visit
16*C @ 7am; only 24*C in pm.

It rained overnight but nothing significant however we did have some strong winds that woke me up at one point.  After our morning routine, we went to San Jose del Cabo to get a haircut for Tucker.  While he was there, we went looking for the RV Store that we had been to 5 yrs previously and by pure luck, we found it; I bought some much needed fluorescent light bulbs.  We also went to the Vet and made an appointment for 1:30 pm; we figured Tucker would be done by then.  We finally went for lunch in old San Jose.  We walked around a bit then it was time to pick our boy.  He wasn’t quite ready so had to wait for a while.  We paid 240 pesos (approx. $22 Cdn) then up the street to the Vet.  He examined Tucker, watched him for a while and declared him a big “yellow” dog, meaning he was a sissy because he cries out BEFORE he gets hurt J.  He explained to us that he anticipates the pain and cries out thinking that it will which is what I suspected was happening.  Anyway, his heart murmur is much better and he gave us a new supply of pills to last us a month or two.  After paying only 1000 pesos (approx. $90 Cdn, can you believe it?  The last Vet visit in BC cost me $600), we left and came back to Villa Serena but first stopped at MEGA Store for some groceries.  We had HH and planned our trip to Todos Santos tomorrow.  For dinner, I BBQ’ed steaks and lobster and Val made a salad.  Now I am full and time to watch a movie.  The wind came up around HH and it got quite cool but now it is calm and warm.

 

JAN  29, Wednesday; Todos Santos
14*C @ 7am; 23*C, light wind

Much cooler this morning and lots of dew on the vehicles!  I went to the Bank first thing this morning and got more deneros (money) to pay for our rent for another semana (week).   All of us left around 9:30 am and drove north on Hwy 19 to Todos Santos, a neat little village about 45 minutes from here where the Hotel California can be found and made famous by the Eagle’s song (it dates back to the early 1900’s), there was a movie made here too.  It is also famous for its Art and artist, paintings and souvenirs.  We walked the whole village (two main streets), looked in some shops and bought a couple things then we had lunch at the hotel; very good food. We drove back south and on the way, checked out Cerritos Beach where there is some boon docking.   We walked the sandy beach, watched the Pacific surf, quite high  I might add, took some pictures and had a beer at the beach bar.  We then drove to where the dry camping was allowed and were very disappointed in the area; it is now controlled and the charge is $25 US per night with NO hook-ups.  I should mention here that the highway has been rebuilt and is now four lanes all the way to La Paz hence all the turn off to the beach have been destroyed except control turns.  We drove back to Cabo and had HH then dinner.

 

JAN  30, Thursday; Computer disaster
14* @ 6am; 24*C, light wind

The plan this morning was to go to the beach but instead I spent most of the morning chasing a computer repair shop!  I got up this morning and took my coffee to the Palapa along with my computer and began downloading my e-mail and checking my bank then all of sudden, the laptop froze.  This had happened before and I was always able to shut it down and re-start but not this time.  After shutting down, I got as far as the logo and that was it.  NO MORE COMPUTERING for today!!!!

I talked to the manager and he had a card but the repair shop didn’t open until 3pm.  Someone in our crew mentioned OFFICE MAX down the road so I drove there but unfortunately they had no computer nerds however they gave me the address of a store who might do it so off I went to downtown Cabo and found the place, talked to the guy (English very poor but we got along) and I left my laptop.  I went back at 4 pm to find out what I suspected, not only was the fan not working but also, unfortunately, the hard drive was bad.  The good news was that he could save all the pictures and files so I gave him the “good ahead” to put a new hard drive in and came home.

 

JAN  31, Friday; to “LAND’s END”
13*C @ 7am; 24*C in pm and windy

We were up at 7 am, showered and got ready for the beach.  First, I drove to the Computer guy to check on his progress and he said to come back at 4 pm and it should be ready.  We drove to the mall, parked under the building, paid 20 pesos ($1.50Cdn) and joined the crew on the Malecon.  We paid 100 pesos each for a glass bottom boat and got on board.  Our guide took around the Arch and along the way, we saw all kinds of beautiful fish of all colors.  It was really neat!  We went around the Arch into the Pacific, looked around then he took us to the Cabo side where he dropped us off on “Lover’s Beach” for the next two glorious hours of sunbathing, walking the beach and exploring.  We looked inside a huge cave that didn’t go anywhere and people had used some corner as a toilet, we walked to the Pacific side, better known as the “Divorcee Beach” because of the strong undertow (there were signs everywhere advising against swimming) then back to the “Lover’s Beach” side where you can swim.  The rock formation was really fantastic, made of a combination of granite and sandstone.  As we were waiting for our boat, another one was loading; they will drive forward to the beach and then you climb on board, this while the surf is pushing the boat back and forth.  Well, a young family came to climb on board and the young boy decided to soak himself as the boat was pushed by a surf and it rolled on top of him.  There was panic and screaming and the guy revved his engine back.  The boy was OK and no damage done.  They got on board and left then it was our turn but without incidents.

We got back to the dock, tipped our driver then went for lunch on the Malecon.  It was 3:30 when we were done so we drove the computer shop where he announce it would be another hour so we drove the MEGA store, picked up a couple items then I drove Val home and returned to the shop and had to wait another hour and half before finally getting my laptop back.  This ordeal cost me 1800 Pesos ( Approx. $150 Cdn with the new 350 GB hard drive).  Now the fun begins: I have to reload ALL my programs and organized my saved files and pictures.

We had a light dinner and went to bed early!  Another month gone by!

January 22 to 27, 2014; Los Cabos

JAN  22, Wednesday; Los Cabos

16* @ 6am; 30*in pm, no wind!

 

Well, we got another disappointment when we got here yesterday.  I went to the office to find out how much everyone had to pay only to find the prices had gone up from $392.month which is what I was quoted last September to $500 since January first!?  Imagine my shock when he told me; I pleaded with him in the sense of fairness but he wouldn’t budge and told us only his boss could change that so, today, Ed, Reg and I went to see him and pleaded our case but he also wouldn’t budge saying that his hands were tied by the Corporate Office in the USA.  We asked him if he would phone them and plead our case and he said he would and would have an answer for us by tomorrow.  We are NOT holding our breath on that one....Very disappointing.

There were a few disgruntle discussion this morning about some members of the group wanting to leave in one week.  The consensus at the start was to stay here for at least a month but now we discover that one has to be back in BC by the end of February and a couple of others have decided to accompany him so he doesn’t travel alone.  I think after expressing their feelings, everyone came to term with it so we continue on: some will leave in a week and some will stay for a month.  I definitely will NOT do this again!!!

Anyway, today we moved to the lower part so that everyone could have power and we could be together; a caravan moved out this morning.  We spent the day setting up, doing the internet and just plain relaxing.  Jack and Reg went to the beach and did some snorkeling and loved it.  Very hot today!!!  We had HH at Reg’s just because some of us were already sitting there.  Jack and Mim decided to go out for dinner and have lobster tail for $19.95 US at the hotel on our grounds so we went with them.  We had fun and good conversations then George and Dorothy showed up as they also decided to eat out.  Jack and Mim ended up buying us dinner to thank us for bringing them down this far; extremely nice of them!  We were in bed by 10 pm after sitting outside for a while...still warm too!

 

 

JAN  23, Thursday; sightseeing

19*C at 6am; 32* C and no wind

 

Some of the crew did some laundry this morning.  We took George and Dorothy with us and went to the glass factory.  I was here in the early ‘90’s and the place was very much smaller; now it is a big area with a huge show room.  We ended up buying some little items for the kids back home.  We then drove to the Malecon and walked the whole thing.  Things have changed here yet they haven’t.  Still lots of vendors and restaurants but the places have been cleaned up and now the whole area is very much cleaned up and beautiful.  There was a mall under construction when we were here last and it is now open so we went in to look around.  We met Ed and Judy, Reg and Sharon having lunch on the Malecon so we joined them.  Later we met Jack, Mim, Ross and Diane on the Malecon.  We got some info on fishing and going to “Land’s End” where the Arch is situated.  They only way to get there is by boat.  We left and stopped at Walmart to pick up a couple of items then Home Depot to pick up a pair of work gloves for me.  We came home in time for HH.  The Park manager came over to let us know that the main office called and no deal...we have to pay the full price so we’ve decided to pay a week at the time and maybe leave earlier; after all, there is only so much one can do here and the commodities are more expensive for what we are used in Mexico.

Val cooked pork chops in a mushroom sauce, potatoes and fresh carrots direct from a local garden.

 

 

JAN  24, Friday;

20* @ 8 am; mid 30’s

 

I slept in this morning and it felt good! Had a coffee, shower then went to Walmart to find an ATM and withdraw some Denero so that we can pay our rent (1820 Pesos = 140 US) for a week.  We’ve all decided to pay them a week at the time and maybe leave earlier than planned and spend more time in Todos Santos and Loreto.  The crew went to the beach today while we did our laundry and checked our e-mail.  We got one mail that announced to us that our friend, Cathy, in San Carlos, had heart problems and had to go to Tucson, Arizona, to the hospital where they put a heart monitor in.  The doctor told her that she had to slow down and take it easy which will be a hard thing for her as she loves to be active and busy.  We called her and talk to her husband Craig and gave them our best wishes and said we would be in touch again.

We went to Home Depot then to San Jose del Cabo to find the Vet and a groomer.  We had been given direction to one Vet but we never found him so we ended up in San Jose Centro for lunch and we made a call to Susan in San Felipe.  She gave us a number to call for a groomer and a vet’s name which we did and made an appointment for Tucker’s haircut and he will also give us the direction to the Vet that Susan recommended (he speaks good English).  We drove back to Cabo and home and got there in time for HH.  Friends of Jack and Mim showed up for HH and he gave us all kinds of new idea for around San Jose.  The funny thing is that he owns a condo in the same complex where I had mine.  Once again, we never made it to Costco.  Reg and Sharon gave us more movies to watch which we do in the evening.  We had a nice breeze to keep the heat down and it was cloudy most of the day.

 

 

JAN  25, Saturday; Los Cabos

17*C @ 6:30am; 32*C and humid in pm

 

Sat out with my coffee and watched the sun come up (my morning routine).  Reg came over to join me a bit later.  Then it was shower time and toiletries.  We picked up George and Dorothy and finally made it to Costco where we bought too much as usual.  There were a lot of snacks to taste then we had a hot dog to supplement.  Afterwards, we went to MEGA store, a huge Mexican store much like Walmart but cheaper.  After picking up what we needed, we came home and put everything away.  As I was unloading the groceries, a bottle of tequila that I had just bought, rolled out the back tailgate and smashed on the ground...I could have cried, what a waste.  It is HOT out there (30* and humid so probably hotter); we have both A/C’s going which meant I had to start the generator as the power wasn’t enough to support that much amperage!  We had HH at the palapa where we made plans for tomorrow and some discussion ensued about when to go to Todos Santos.  We came home for dinner; roast chicken that we bought at Costco covered in St-Hubert BBQ sauce and coleslaw salad.  We watched a movie with Matt Damon called “We bought a Zoo”; excellent movie!  To bed by 10 pm.

 

 

JAN  26, Sunday; To San Jose del Cabo

17*C @ 6 am; at least 34*C with humidex

 

I was up at 6 and Val at 7:30 am!  We showered and were on the road with the gang by 10 am to San Jose del Cabo.  We parked in the old part and walked around to look at the hotels and the stores.  We found the tequila tasting store and had a few samples; we ended buying a couple bottles for ourselves.  We walked a couple of streets then went to SHOOTER’S Bar by the Town Square where we had lunch.  It used to be spelled S-HOOTERS when we were her last.  From here, we walked back to our vehicles and drove to the NEW MARINA across the Bird Sanctuary.  They built a new bridge across and the place was absolutely beautiful.  We walked around the Marina then went to watch the Dolphin’s show which is just beside the Marina.  It looked like a lot of fun but unfortunately it was beyond our price range.  We took lots of pictures then drove out.  I got lost and we drove around until we got oriented but that’s OK because we got to see the neighborhood.  We came back to our site (14 KM away), read and rested for a while then had HH. 

Dinner was left over chicken and potatoes then we watched a movie...KIDNAPPED!

 

 

JAN  27, Monday; Relaxing day

17*C @ 6 am; 29*C in pm

 

I was up early again this morning, just can’t sleep in!?  Anyway, I took the laptop to the Palapa and checked our mail and banking then had a shower and got ready.  At 1 pm, we took George and Dorothy to Costco for him to get his eyes checked out which turned out fine then we drove around to look at things.  The rest of the gang went to the beach and some went to the glass factory to have a look. We stopped for beer and tacos then came home in time for HH.  Cooked fish for dinner then we went back out to listen to George play his piano.  Another great day in Paradise.

January 16 to 21, 2014; Bahia Concepcion to Cabo San Lucas

JAN  16, Thursday; Another surprise meeting

11* at 7 am; 26*C in pm w/light winds

 

We went into town today to do laundry and download our mail.  At the laundrymat, we ran into MARG, our friend Pat’s cousin.  She is here with three other rigs and they are coming down to the beach tomorrow.  What an incredible meeting!  We picked up a couple groceries then came home and put everything away and shaked our outside rugs as they were full of sand then it was relax time!  At 4, we had HH at Jack and Mim then came home, had dinner and sat outside watching the stars.  Another great day in Paradise!

 

 

JAN  17, Friday; Last day at Bahia Conception

12*C @ 7am; 27* in pm

 

I bought some drinking water from our friendly Mexican fishermen and filled our tank as we are out; now we can have a leisured shower.  A few of the crew along with Val went kayaking for an hour or two.  After breakfast, I began washing everything and putting it away.  The kayaks were the last to be loaded.  By 1 pm, we were ready to go.  Marg and her friends arrived (3 small rigs) and took over our Palapa as we are leaving in the morning.  We sat around with our crew and at after HH, went to the small restaurant and had dinner.  There was a disc jockey so we dance part of the evening then everyone left. 

It’s been a wonderful 7 days and warm.  We had fun, we are relaxed and all ready to depart.  We will definitely stop on the way back.

 

 

JAN  18, Saturday; To Loreto then CD Constitucion

11*C @ 6:30 am; up to 30*C at destination

 

I was awake at 6 am and finally got up at 6:30am.  Got the coffee going, had a shower then went out to finalize our departure.  Val was up by 7am, showered and got her stuff ready.  We said goodbye to Marg and her friends and were on the road by 8:45am.   We got into Loreto by noon and drove through town where the streets were quite narrow.  We missed our turn and ended up on the Malecon; we had to make some very tight turns and finally stop to ask for directions.  That is one of the problems with Mexican towns, the signs are rare and the few available are hard to see.  We went to the campground but unfortunately only 3 sites were available.  How disappointing!!!  We could have stayed but it would have meant that 3 rigs would have had to ‘boon dock” so, after a discussion, we decided to forfeit our stay and drove back out to the main highway.  We stopped for fuel where I took on 2000 pesos.  We went over the Gigante Mountains without any incidents and finally made it to the top.  The road from here was straight and as we got closer to town, we saw more and more cultivated fields.  As we were driving the wind picked up some and as truck went by I would feel the whole rig move.  We arrived in “CD Constitucion” and our destination, “The Mission RV Park” without any incidents and parked for the night.  We hooked up and paid our 250 Pesos for the night then all of us went to the Palapa near the office and hooked up to the internet and had HH in the shade.  It’s very warm, over 30*C and barely cooled off in the evening.  In bed by 9 pm.

 

We travelled 266 Km @ an average 55 Km/hrs in 4.5 hours

N 025* 02.944’

W 111* 40.766’

Alt: 200 ft

 

 

JAN  19, Sunday; To La Paz

11* C @ 6 am; up to 30* then down to 23* in La Paz, clouds and sun, light breeze

 

We were on the road by 8:30 am.  A couple of rigs had left earlier to get some fuel and they joined us as we drove by.  Ciudad Constitucion was quite nice and has grown since the last time we drove through here.  It is a very clean town but lots of stop signs.  I guess it’s better than topes!?  The highway from here was straight and in good shape and we got up to 90 Km/hr.  We reached El Cien and had a 10 minutes break.  From here, it became hilly and curvy.  We finally got our first glimpse of the Sea of Cortes since leaving Loreto and the city of La Paz.  We arrived and I noted lots of changes including the closure of Casa Blanca Campground so we had to double back to Km 11 and turned into Campo Maranatha.  We paid our dues (550 Pesos for two nights) and set up.  Afterwards we drove to town in Reg and Sharon’s truck and shopped at Walmart; very expensive!!  We came back home, put everything away and went over to Reg and Sharon for HH.  Val was not feeling all that well when we got home so she had a short snooze.  We had a short HH then came home, cooked dinner and watched some earlier recorded program.  To bed by 10 pm

 

 

JAN  20, Monday; La Paz

9*C @ 7am; cloudy with sunny breaks, 22* in pm

 

What a mess!!!  I meant to open the water valve for the fresh and instead, I opened the intake for the sewer-clean-up valve and filled my black tank to the top.  I only caught it because I heard this gurgling in the toilet and realized what I done.  I ran out, close the valve and open the sewer outlet.  Well, the hose popped out of the sewer pipe and made quite a mess.  Now I have to clean that up...YUCKS!!!  Anyway, we went to town later in the morning and joined some of the crew on the Malecon for lunch.  Afterwards, they left and we went for a walk on the Malecon then came back to our vehicle.  We stopped at a little Art shop and bought a couple of little things for Val granddaughter.  We came home and had HH at 4 pm then dinner consisting of shrimps and salad.  Tomorrow, we head for our final destination!

 

 

Jan  21, Tuesday; To Cabo San Lucas

11*C @ 7 am; cloudy and sun 30*C in Cabo San Lucas

 

We were on the road by 8::45 this morning.  Traffic was heavy coming out of town but we eventually made it out and drove SE towards Cabo.  We took Highway 1 which was longer but much more scenic.  We drove over our first set of hills/mountains and stopped in El Triunfo where there is a church built in the 1700’s.  This was a mining town at one time, rich in coal.  We visited the church, also known as a “Temple” and I think everyone was please about it.  We then continued on through the mountains where the going was slow and eventually arrived in Los Barriles where there are quite a few campgrounds.  We looked around then had lunch on the side of the highway.  Three of us went to a local restaurant and had lunch.  As we drove south, it got warmer and warmer.  We stopped at Latitude of Cancer (23* 27’) where the Tropical Region begins.  We took a look around.  They have rebuilt the whole area and now it is extremely pretty and we took lots of pictures.  Even the parking area is now meant for multiple vehicles/RV.  We drove on and finally arrived in San Jose del Cabo, drove through without any incidents and continued on West to Cabo San Lucas.  We arrived at our campground but first had to drive further West because of construction and made our turn, came back East and arrived at our Campground, Villa Serena.  The place was full because of two caravans being here so we had to park in spots where some had no power until tomorrow when one of the caravans is leaving and we will have more spaces.  We all gathered up at the Palapa by the office and had HH.  This is where we found out that some are leaving within two weeks contrary to what we had assumed.  Ed & Judy and Reg and Sharon have committed themselves to one month as we have.  I had been quoted $385 US back in September but now he wants $500 US.  It’s either pay or leave so we decided to bite the bullet.  Anyway, the dynamic within the group has changed somewhat!  24*C @ 8 pm....Very warm!

 

We drove 220 Km in 4.5 hrs @ an average 50Km/hr

N 022* 54.423’

W 109* 51.815’

Alt: 201 ft

January 9 to 15, 2014; Mulege to Santispac Playa, Bahia Conception

JAN  9, Thursday; Mulege and Wash Day!

9*C @ 8am; 22*C by the afternoon and cloudy

 

Actually it felt like rain all day but we never had any.  I washed the Jeep this morning, it was really overdue!  We went into town and did our laundry along with Judy, Dorothy and Sharon.  As I was waiting for our laundry, I walked down the street and found a store that had a key pad holder with two whales on it so I bought it for our Beaver.  We all (8 of us) went for lunch at El Candle or better known as Scotty’s bar.  It was good then we went back to the laundry to pick up our laundry and a few groceries and wine then came home.  We put everything away, read for a while then it was time for HH.  I BBQ’ed two steaks and we had that with a salad and Bollilo buns.  Another great day on the Baja!  It is warm tonight and still don’t have any rain. 

 

 

JAN  10, Friday; last day in Mulege

10*C @ 7 am; 23*C in pm

 

Back to sunshine this morning and getting warmer.  4 vehicles and we went for a drive to the Bay of Conception (Len and Terry stayed back) and we checked out 5-6 campgrounds and decided on the first one which is Santispac.  One of the things I didn’t realize was that there was a hurricane in 2009 which destroyed the area and things have been rebuilt to a certain degree.  No wonder I thought things had changed since the last time we were here.  Anyway, we stopped at Bonaventura beach which has totally changed (there is no more sandy beaches) and had lunch.  The people were very receptive and we had a marvellous lunch and lots of fun.  We came back to our campground after taking on gasoline for the Jeep.  I took George with me and went to town to fill his propane tank and to get some drinking water.  We had our last HH here then it was time to call it quit for the night.

 

 

JAN  11, Saturday; to Bahia de Conception

9*C @ 7am; 23*C in pm

 

Since we only have a short 20 minutes drive, we took our time packing and leaving.  I filled the water tank, dumped and we were ready.  We left at 9:30 and were parked by 10am.  We travelled a whole 12 miles (19 Km).  We are now on a huge beach with a Palapa Bar/restaurant and quite a few rigs but lots of spots empty.  We chose one with a palapa and set up.  Everyone is spread out along the beach.  What a BEAUTIFUL spot!  We are far from the road so don’t necessarily hear the trucks going up and down the hills.  First thing Val did is invite Jack to go for a kayak ride while I set everything up.  We have a very cosy little corner.  I went for a snooze in the afternoon and we had HH at Ross and Jack’s place.  The wind got stronger as the afternoon moved on but calmed right down once the sun was down.  Two fishermen came in with FRESH scallops and sold everyone a few kilos of them.  We had a pleasant surprise visit from Gary and Linda whom we met in San Felipe.  They’ve been here for a month already.  They told us all about Loretto and us, as a group, decided to stop there when we leave here.  We are here for 7 days.

 

N   26* 45.956’

W 111* 53.136”

Alt: 2’

 

 

JAN  12, Sunday, Bahia Conception and sad news

10*C at 7 am; 28* in pm

 

We sat out in our palapa first thing this morning and watched the sun come up.  Started the generator to make coffee and toast then got dress and went for a bike ride around the park.  Val took the kayaks with Judy and went for a paddle in the Bay; truly paradise!  We went into town to get some needed vegetables, beer and wine and I filled up the Jeep.  We decided to take a ride towards Loretto but only got about half way then decided to return as it was getting close to 3 pm when George and Dorothy were supposed to serenade us all with songs, guitars and keyboard with speakers and all.  We listened to them until dinner then everyone went in to eat.  After dinner, we all gathered outside by Reg’s unit and listen to more singing and music.  We finally called it quit at 9 pm.  It was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed it.

We learned today that Len and Terry have decided to return to the States via the Santa Rosalia ferry to Guaymas on the mainland.  Terry has been very sick with anxiety about the road ahead and past to the point where she is making herself very sick so they’ve decided to return.  That is really too bad.

 

 

Jan  13, Monday

16*C @ 7 am; 20* C and very windy

 

Another beautiful sunrise; I watched it with a cup of coffee.  This is really a tough life!!! J  Our routine is to get up around 7 pm, start the genset, make coffee and toast, charge the phone, batteries, computer and whatever else need charging then sit on the beach or palapa chatting or reading a good book.  We have vendors that come out with water, fresh vegetables and bakeries such as chili relleno, pies and pastries.  We go to town about the second or third day for something to do, groceries or just to replenish on taco de camarons and use the internet.  HH only lasted one hour today then we all went home to cook dinner.  Afterwards we watched a recording I had made earlier then called it quit for the night after shutting down the genset.  Our friends Len and Terry left this morning for Villas Marie Isabel campground in Mulege and, they hope soon, for the ferry back to the Mainland.

 

 

JAN  14, Tuesday; to Mulege    

17*C @ 8 am; Strong gusts of wind all day, 23*C in pm

 

It really howled overnight; it came as strong gusts from the North-West that woke me up a few times but at least it is still sunny this morning.  Genset started and coffee made!  We went into town at “Scotty’s Bar” but it was closed so we went across the street and waited for them to open.  On the in to town we stopped at Villa Isabel to see how Len and Terry were making out only to find them gone!??  In this wind??  At noon, we went in and proceeded to download our mail and do some banking before the battery died (I forgot to bring the power cord).  Anyway, we called and talked to Rochelle, Jeffrey and Joanne for a few minutes.  We came home in time to watch a Caravan of 14 Units come in.  We may have some competition when we arrived south as far as camping is concerned!??  As I was sitting with the gang, I felt like my stomach was quizzy so I stood up and passed out for about 20 seconds.  Everyone caught me in time and Val thought I had a stroke but I felt it was more food poisoning as my stomach felt awful and I had the symptoms for it.  I had fish tacos at “Scotty’s” and I am sure that’s what caused it.  Anyway, the gang was great catering to me, laid me down and gave me a pillow and blanket as I felt shivers.  Eventually they got me home and I went to bed for a couple hours.  Val kept checking my vitals.  I had a bowl of chicken soup then went to bed early!

 

 

JAN  15, Wednesday; Bahia Conception

16*C @ 6 am; 22* and windy in pm

 

We had a surprise first thing this morning!  I got up to find two Jeeps parked right beside us and two tents.  I investigated, and found out that they were our friends from KIKI, San Felipe; Bob & Sue and Bruce.  We knew that they were travelling to Cabo but never expected to see them here.  What a surprise and what a nice reunion!  We also heard from one of the Mexican salesperson that he saw Len and Terry’s motorhome parked at the Ferry Terminal when he went to Santa Rosalia yesterday so that is good news as we were wondering what was happening with them.  I am feeling very good this morning after a good night sleep and don’t seem to have any side effects.  We read and visited with everyone then we went out for dinner with Bruce, Bob, Sue, Linda and Garry, all from San Felipe and had a great dinner and great fun.  We came back at 8 pm and proceeded to have tequila and more drinks.  None of us felt any pain when we went to bed at 10 pm.

I uploaded more pictures

 

 

January 6 to 8, 2014; Guerrero to Mulege, BAJA

JAN  6, Monday; Guerrero Negro, Baja Sur

12*C @ 7 am; 24* in pm.

Definitely much warmer then yesterday and the day before which is very nice.  Everyone was ready by 10 am to go for our whale watching trip.  The cost was 625 pesos or about $53 Cdn.  The tour guide took us on a bus to the launching area past the salt fields work area.  We got on our boat, all nine of us and we went out into Ojo de Liebre lagoon which means the “Eye of the Rabbit”.  We went to the entrance to the Lagoon from the Pacific and began chasing whales.  We had a couple come close to our boat and right under it.  When it first happened, everyone went to one side which caused the boat to tip to the side...I’ve never seen people move back so fast!  From then on, when one came close we were very cautious.  We spent just over 2.5 hrs then came back to the dock and took the bus back, being home by 3 pm.  Val and I went to find a grocery store and get some wine and wieners.  We got back in time for HH.  Because we changed time, the sun now sets an hour later so it’s weird to call it quit before dark. 

We learned today that this town got its name from a sail vessel that venture into the lagoon and became stuck back in the 1800’s.  Guerrero Negro means the “Black warrior” which was the name of the stranded vessel.  This town came into existence because of the salt field.  It is now owned by a Japanese company and the Mexican Government.  At HH, everyone agreed to stop in San Ignacio so that’s where we are headed for tomorrow

 

 

JAN  7, Tuesday; To San Ignacio

7*C at 7 am; it got to a balmy 26*C in the pm

We were on the go by 8:30 this morning under sunny warm day.  I drove to the Pemex fuel station and filled up.  We headed out by 9 am.  This section of the road was fairly straight until we got near San Ignacio where it became hilly.  We had to go through a Military check-point then 10 minutes later, we pulled into “RICE & BEANS RV PARK”, a Passport America member and paid $12 each for the night.  After setting up, we all drove to the town centre where we had lunch and a couple beers.  The people there were quite overwhelmed by our group but I think they did quite well.  The place hasn’t changed much since the last time we were here.  I took a few pictures then it was time to come home after visiting the town and the church which was built in 1786.  A couple of incidents worth mentioning; Jack and Mim had to drive back to town to get water but the place was closed so he drove back.  We were sitting at the store on the main highway when we saw him drive by and hit a “tope” quite fast and the truck bounced off, it was hilarious; the other incident, we were following George and he drove right by our campground entrance even though there was a huge signs on the highway indicating the turn...there are definitely no boring time with this crowd!!!

We had HH at 4 pm and since it was Jack’s birthday, we celebrated with a cake and some snackies which turned out to be our supper.  We had fun and lots of laughs today and the nice thing is that the temperature was warm.  As a matter of fact, I had to start the A/C to cool things a bit in our home.  We called it quit by 7 pm and went home.  It was an excellent day; very relaxing.  Everyone is really enjoying this trip and the sights I am showing them which is really nice for us!

 

We drove 88 miles in 2 hrs at an average 48 mph

N 027* 17.913’

W 112* 54.298’

Alt: 348 feet

 

 

JAN  8, Wednesday; To Mulege

6*C at 6 am; mid 20’s by the afternoon

I was up at 5:30 and Val at 7am!  We were on the road by 9am.  This was another short day drive.  We only had one incident where Len stopped on the hill coming down “The hill from Hell” as he got nervous and Reg, coming behind him and a bit too fast, couldn’t stop so he had to pass him while a semi was coming up.  I guess it was a bit close because when we got down to San Rosalia at the bottom of the hill and stopped, there were a few choice words between them but they finally “kissed and made up”.  We got our first view of the Sea of Cortes as we got to the top of the hill.  We finally arrived in Mulege and at our campsite, “Villa Maria Isabel RV PARK” at 11:30am.  As we were turning at the entrance, there was an accident on the road just ahead and the cop was trying to make us go straight but I refused and went in the Park.  It was quite comical even though I had my signal on.  I just ignored him and came in once the driveway was cleared.  The campground is by a creek that empties in the Sea.  We all set up, had lunch then went for a walk to town with Reg & Sharon, George and Dorothy.  We had a couple of tacos at our favorite little Taco stand then walked up the street to the laundry.  We met Jack & Mim and Ross & Diane there as they were doing laundry.  We walked back to our campsite and arrived back in time for HH.  I think this was another great day!?  We are here for 3 days.

 

N 026* 53.836’

W 111* 57.868’

Alt: 10 ft

 

We drove 138 KM (86 miles) in 2.5 hrs @ average 59 KM/HR

January 1 to 5, 2014; Ensenada Baja Norte to Guerrero Negro Baja Sur

2014, JANUARY  FIRST, Wednesday; Ensenada
8*C at 8 am; 20*C, sunny and no winds

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!  Being close to the Pacific makes for cold nights and cool mornings.  I didn’t get up until eight this morning; very unusual for me.  We went to old town central near the Harbour, parked and walked around.  I had forgotten most of the stuff here so it was neat to re-acquaint ourselves.  We of course had fish and shrimp tacos, fresh from the ocean.  Our parking attendant claimed that he lived in Winnipeg at one time; his English was ok.  We spent a couple hours there then came home.  We got home at 3:30 pm after stopping at a SORIANA SUPER where Val looked for slippers but no luck.  We called Ed and Jack to let them know about the route in then we had a glass of wine and watched the sunset.  Val also called friend Donna as she had called 3 times while we were out (we didn’t have the phone with us).  We had a light dinner, watched the tube then to bed by 10 pm.

 

JAN  2, Thursday;
9*C at 8 am; sunny and 19*C in the afternoon

Again I was up at 8 am; is this becoming a trend?  A beautiful day, Val went for a long walk, I walked Tucker and then it was laundry and internet time.  The “gang” arrived around noon and set up around us; six rigs: one motorhome (Len and Therese), a truck camper (George & Dorothy), two fifth-wheels (Jack & Mim; Russ & Diane) and two trailers (Ed & Judy; Reg & Sharon).  After setting up, we all gathered on the grass by the sea wall and proceeded to have a couple drinks and a few of the ladies brought out snacks.  I learned that the office told everyone that we were here until Saturday so they all paid for two nights!  I guess we are spending one more night here (FREE)!  Some of the guys decided to go for a walk to the end of the Malecon.  Eventually, we all went in as the sun set and it got colder.  Dinner, some TV then to bed

 

JAN  3, Friday; last day in Ensenada
7*C at 7 am; 18*C, sunny and no wind

The whole crew decided to go shopping and we went with George.  We went to Walmart where everyone stocked up on groceries and we all bought ant powder and raid for the small critters and in anticipation of lots of ants in Guerrero, Mulege and Cabo.  We stopped at a Taco Place and had lunch then to the Pemex to fuel up.  We got home and sat around on the grass and in the sun and proceeded to have happy hour and planning tomorrow.  Dinner then we watched to tube for a while

 

JAN  4, Saturday; Heading further south
11*C at 6 am; approx 18*C, cloudy

We were up at 6 am and ready to go by 8 am.  We drove to the Pemex and fuelled up, then were back on the road by 9:15 after hooking up the Jeep.  We caught up to the rest of the gang and I took the lead with 6 little ducklings tagging along behind!  The trip down was pretty well uneventful except for the road construction in 5-6 different areas.  The going was extremely slow due to poor detour and some of them were 6 KM long.  We stopped in Colette for lunch.  Everyone seems to be a bit more relaxed now.  We continued on and hit our first Military check-point near El Rosarito.  We arrived at the village without any mishap, the trucks took on fuel and then we went to our campground at Hotel Sinahi where we paid $20 for one night with full hook ups but we didn’t connect to any of the services.  We got here at 3:15 pm for a total day of 6 hours and 45 minutes.  After a drink or two, we all went to the restaurant at the hotel and had a very nice dinner, margaritas and cerveza and lots of laughs.  We came back to our rigs and called it a night.

We travelled 150 miles in 4 hrs and 50 minutes @ an average 50 Km/hr

N  030* 04.036
W 115* 42.961
Alt: 132 Ft

 

JAN  5, Sunday; To our halfway point.
7*C at 6 am; cloudy and it warmed up to 20*C as we drove south

We were up early and on the road by 8:10 am.  We continued south and I found the roads much easier this time around, one could see that they have been working on them, making them wider or improve the shoulder.  We stopped for a break in a small village and I had a taco as breakfast; a couple of adventurous guys followed my lead and tried them.  We continued onward and the road became quite narrow and tortuous at times but we still made good time at 70-80 Km/hr.  As we got to the Plateau, the wind became a bit stronger with gust blowing us sideways at times.  At one point, our friend Ed was blown almost off the road by a passing truck and right after, a car pulled out and they almost had a head on.  We stopped along a pull out to examine the rigs and make sure there were no damages and to calm the nerves a bit.  We drove on and stopped for lunch at the turn off to Bahia Los Angeles.  We were there for half hour then drove on.  The road became easier and straighter and we arrived at a military check point where we were ALL inspected so it took a while.  We arrived at the BAJA SUR check-point where we were fumigated and paid 20 pesos (1.50Cdn) then onward to Villa Jesus Maria where everyone fuelled up except as they don’t take Visa.  From here, it was a short drive to Guerrero Negro and we finally all settled in at Hotel Malarrimo & RV Park by 1510 pm.  We paid our dues ($20/night) for two nights then had Happy Hour. Five of us decided to go for out for dinner at the Hotel and everyone was very satisfied with their meals I think!?  I know I was!

It was a long and eventful day but I think everyone is feeling much better about the Baja and the roads.  We made arrangement to go on a boat tomorrow to see the Grey Whales and their babies; should be fun!

We drove 220 miles (351 KM) in 5 hrs at 67Km/hr

N 027* 58.073’
W 114* 01.826’
Alt: 10 ft