February 26 to 28, 2014; Guadalupe to El Golfo, Sonora, Mexico

FEB  26, Wednesday; To Guadalupe
10*C @ 6am; 19*C in pm and windy

The mornings are getting much cooler as we head north!  This campground only had 6 sites, all pull-through.  It is also a campo for kids and Christian families.  We were on the road by 9:30 am; we drove through San Quintin where we got slowed right down due to a demonstration; they were walking and blocking the whole highway.  This went on for two blocks when they finally turned off so that we could continue north.  We ran into another Military check-point which was easy then onwards.  We had one more check point to go through then we finally arrived in Ensenada.  We had lunch on the outskirts then went on.  Traffic was heavy though town and something was happening on the waterfront as it was all blocked up.  We finally made it through town and headed north towards Tijuana and Hwy 3.  I missed the turn and had to go turn around then finally we got on Hwy 3.  We arrived in Guadalupe and just past the town, our RV Park for the night, Rancho Sordo Mudo which is a deaf & blind school for unfortunate children.  We got here around 3 pm and gave a donation of 100 pesos ($10.).  We now have Satellite with DISH but our programs are all screwed up.  We will have to fix that tomorrow; right now we don’t have internet so can’t use SKYPE.

We travelled 240 Km (150 miles) in 3 hrs @ 65 Km/hr average.

N  32* 06.699’
W 116* 32.829’
Alt: 1155 feet

 

FEB  27, Thursday; To El Golfo de Santa Clara in Sonora, Mainland Mexico
12*C @ 7 am; 20*C in pm with some rain and winds

Just as I got the coffee started, the power went out so I got the generator going; wonder what happened!?  It is cloudy again today and the guy that collected our fee yesterday said that the forecast was 80% chance of rain today or tomorrow!?  Well, it did rain, near Tecate and for almost a whole hour then it cleared up as we headed east.

We were on Hwy 3 by 8:30 am and slowly made our way to Tecate.  There’s been a lot of work done on this highway and for the better; it is now much wider and safer.  At Tecate we got on Hwy 2 D (Toll) and paid a total of 350 pesos from Tecate to Hwy 5 south of Mexicali.  Not bad considering the quality of this hwy and what they did to get over the mountain pass east of here (see pictures).  We drove a very desolate desert then arrived in Mexicali where we had lunch and turned south on Hwy 5.  At the end of the 4 lanes, we turned east on Hwy 4, went through a few local villages and lots of topes, stopped for fuel, 778 Litres  then finally made it to Hwy 3 south towards El Golfo.  For some reason unknown, my GPS locked up on me as if it was out of power yet the battery showed full and eventually started again!???? 
We went through an inspection but didn’t have to stop then finally arrived at our destination, Colorado River RV Park at 3 pm.  The park is quite nice and we are in view of the Sea and the people are very friendly, so far.  We paid $120 for 12 days under RPI membership.  We are now on “Mtns time”; we moved our clocks one hour ahead. 

We travelled 219 miles in 5 hrs at an average 72Km/hr

N  31* 40.544’
W 114* 29.283’
Alt: 55 feet

 

FEB  28, Friday; El Golfo de Santa Clara, Sonora, Mexico
17*C @ 8am; 22*C in pm and very windy

I slept in this morning and it sure feels great!  It is cloudy with sunny break and windy!  First thing I did is unloaded the kayaks and bikes, took the bike rack off and washed everything and I do mean everything: rack, ropes, tie-downs, kayaks and bikes.  Then I washed the Jeep, it was well overdue!  Val went to do the laundry while I was doing that.  I also dumped the fresh water from the tank and reloaded it with fresh stuff.  When all this was done, we had lunch then went into town/village.  This place sure doesn’t have much and it is very dirty; there is garbage everywhere and poverty shows everywhere.  We won’t be back, that’s for sure.  The Park itself is friendly and they seem to make their own entertainment.  From what we gathered, Colorado River Club is not all that keen in putting money in this place and it shows in some places.  Most people meet in the Palapa for HH so we attended today and met a few more people.  The guys meet in the morning for the “BS over coffee” in the club house.  It was windy all day from the south and by early evening, the wind got quite strong; there is a storm brewing in Southern California.  I got to BBQ chicken before it got too bad.  We finally got our programming on DISH so were able to watch the news in a long time.

February 21 to 25, 2014; Bahia de Concepcion to San Quintin via Bahia Losa Angeles

FEB  21, Friday; To Santa Rosalia and San Ignacio
14* @ 7 am; 26* along the coast and 29* inland

After our morning toiletries and battening down everything that was loose, we drove to the dump station and emptied our grey and black tanks and dumped some of the drinking water to lighten up the load a bit; we kept 30 gallons in reserve.

We were heading north by 9:45 am!  An hour or so later, we stopped in Santa Rosalia, where the ferry to Guaymas on the mainland, is situated.  We stopped along the highway and walked into town where we visited the church built in the late 1887 and designed by the same guy that designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  The unique thing about the church is it is built all in metal including the outside and inside walls and ceiling.  It is quite beautiful.  We then walked over to the Panderia (bakery) where the best French bread in the whole of the Baja is made, so goes their reputation.  We bought some bread along with apple turn-over.  The other interesting thing about this town is that all the houses and business are built in wood imported from the USA North-West.  This was a mining town for copper and steel with a smelter to match.  The mining has come to an end but the town survived and prospered.  There is a big oil and gas terminal in the port which creates a lot of work.  We also saw the beginning a new industry in steel being developed so there is a future here.  We had lunch in town then walked back to our rigs and continued on to San Ignacio.  We arrived here at 3 pm and set up in Rice & Beans RV Park.  We are here for two days but Ed and Reg are heading out tomorrow morning for the border.  We’ve had a good time with everyone but like all good things, it must come to an end and this is it.  We paid $23 per night.  The last time we were here, we paid $12 and when I questioned it, the answer was that it was the price for a big group and now we are a small group!???   No sense of arguing, we won’t win!  We had HH at our place then it was dinner time; we cooked lobster tails on the BBQ and Val made a salad.  We went to the restaurant and checked our e-mails, posted our blog then came home and got ready for bed.

We travelled 97 miles (157 Km) in 2.5 hrs at an average 40 MPH (62Km/hr).

N  027* 17.945’
W 112* 54.329’
Alt: 380 feet

 

FEB  22, Saturday; Explore San Ignacio
8* C @ 7 am; 25* inland, 21* by the ocean

Quite a difference in temperature for the morning compared to Santispac but it made for a good night sleep.  I was also able to hook up my cpap machine which allowed me a very good sleep (we had no hook-ups at Santispac).

After our last four “chicklets” left for points north, we headed out to Laguna San Ignacio but first stopped in the village where we found the rock and painting museum which we totally missed the last two times we were here.  It was situated at the end of the wall for the Mission on the south side.  We walked in and looked around.  It was well done with a complete replica of a cave with paintings on it (check out the pictures).  Across the street was a small café and when we walked in we were overtaken by the beauty of it all.  The owners did a mini zoo with elephants, zebras, rhino, birds, spiders all made of wood, tin and cloth.  It was beautiful so check out the pictures.

We continued out of town on a nice paved road all the way to CAMPO #3, the ECO SYSTEM WHALE WATCHING CAMP, except for the last 6 miles which were dirt road with lots of washboards in some places.  In the camp, we walked around, had lunch here with a beer (Val had cheese quesadilla and I had scallops cooked with green peppers, onions and a very nice sauce), it was delicious!  We walked the embankment and found a dead baby whale washed up on the shore and the vultures having a feast.  We headed back to San Ignacio where I barely made it with the gas left in the tank; I had to put $20 in to get us home.  We met a couple of fifth wheel and campers heading up to CAMPO # 3 where there is an RV parking with NO services.

We had a quiet HH then dinner.  In the evening, we went to the hotel to check our e-mail and I downloaded my tax program for 2013.  Tomorrow, we head for Bahia de Los Angeles (Bay of the Angels).

 

FEB  23, Sunday, to Bahia de Los Angeles
15*C @ 6am; 24*C in pm, cloudy

What a day!  First thing this morning, I found the rear tire on the jeep FLAT!  So I had to take it off and thanks to my neighbour Drew, he gave me a ride to the shop to get it fix.  That cost me $12.Cdn then we came home and I put the tire back on.  I put the rest of the stuff away and we were on the road by 11 am.  We went through the Military check-point just outside of town then onward to Guerrero where I fuelled up.  I took on 164.5 litres @ 1.24 pesos.  Their machine wouldn’t take any of my credit cards so I had to pay cash which really irritated me; I could have stopped at another one that I saw accepted cards.  We had lunch here too on the side of the road.  We continued North, through the 28^th Parallel and into Baja California Norte.  That meant that our clock have now moved one hour back (BC time!).  At one point, going though El Rosarito, we had to get off the highway as an extremely wide load came through.  It had 4, yes 4 pilot cars ahead clearing the way for him.  It was a huge tank and it took the width of the road.  We continued on and finally turned East on the highway to Bahia de Los Angeles.  We took a short break here and then went to the Bay.  We arrived here at 4 pm or 3 pm local time.  The sun is shining!  We decided to stay at Guillermo Hotel and RV, paid a whole $20 for two nights neither power nor water) then had HH in plain view of the Bay.  We decided to go out to the restaurant here for dinner.  I had a scallop dish and Val a chicken dish plus 3 beers…total cost: $30.  We came back to our Home and relaxed before going to bed.  I am tired!!!

We travelled 211 miles (340Km) in 4.5 hrs @ an average 76 Km/hrs

N   28* 56.877’
W 113* 33.482’
Alt: 20 feet

BIG NEWS:  My grandson, Graeme, has formally proposed to his girlfriend Courtenay and the wedding is set for November 2014 in CABO san LUCAS so guess where we are flying to!?  AGAIN!!!

 

FEB  24, Monday; Bahia Los Angeles
13*C @ 6am; 23*C in pm

It is hard to get the internet here in the village as they shut off the electricity from time to time; never been able to figure out why!?  It was cloudy with sunny period the whole day.  We went exploring around and checked out a few Campos and RV Park, old and new.  None have electricity or water and a few don’t even have sewer.  We checked the army base north of town then went to visit the Museum.  They’ve added a huge display of a mountain goat on a make-shift mountain about 8 feet tall.  Took a few pictures then we went for lunch which was OK.  By 2 pm we had done everything that could be done here so we came home and relaxed with a beer and a glass of wine.  Tucker found himself a new friend (female) and played with her for a long time before we called him in.  For dinner, it was a light meal, read in the evening then to bed early.  Tomorrow, we head for Rosarito then Ensenada.

 

FEB  25, Tuesday; to San Quintin
16*C @ 6 am; up to 20*C in pm; mainly cloudy

I was up at 6 am and Val at 7 and on the road by 8:30!  Now that’s good timing!  Anyway, we headed for Hwy 1 and turned right on it 45 minutes later.  The return trip is always much faster it seems.  We did encounter an accident and stopped to offer help but they had everything under control so we continued on.  We saw one biker on his back with some people fussing over him and Val saw a pick-up truck in the ditch.  There must have been 20 bikes there.  We took a couple breaks and finally arrived in Rosario around 1:30 pm.  We topped up on fuel here (159 litres), had lunch at “MAMA ESPONISA”, famous for its lobster and crab.  We climbed our last set of hills, stopped for the Military check-point then arrived on the coast and headed directly north to San Quintin where we stopped for the night.  We got here at 3 pm and are camped at LOS OVINOS Hotel and RV, paid $180 pesos ( $15) and set up for the night.  We were the first here and by 5 pm, there were 4 other rigs in.  It was cloudy most of the day but the sun did come out around 2 pm.

We travelled 355 KM (219 miles) in 5 hrs @ an average 70 KM/hr.

N 30* 29.317’
W 115* 56.415’
Alt: 40 feet

February 16 to 20, 2014; Santispac Beach, Bay of Conception

FEB  16, Sunday; Back to Santispac Beach
14*C @ 5:30am; 30*C in pm

Once again it was VERY noisy here at 5:30 am; chicken and rosters doing their thing, dogs barking and inconsiderate local people getting their bloody boats out of the storage this early to go fishing and being noisy with truck (Dodge diesel) and loud ATVs.  Sure glad we are leaving today!  We did leave around 9:40 am and I stopped for fuel on the way out and took on 144 litres.  Fuel now is at 1.28 pesos (approx. $1.05 Cdn).  The ride back to Santispac was without any incident; we arrived at the beach around noon and set up.  We did a “circle the wagon” arrangement.  I drove in facing the beach, Ed backed in facing us, and Reg closed the gap.  This way we are making a small partial square.  The kayaks were unloaded and ready to use.  It is very warm, 30* at one point.  Some of us went for a soak in the sea and found the water warmer than the last time we were here.  We paid for 4 nights ($20 Cdn).

We rode for 109 Km @ 70Km/hr average in 1.5 hr.

N 26* 45.948’
W 111* 53.162’
Alt: 5 feet

 

FEB  17, Monday; Santispac Beach
16*C at 7 am; 30* C in pm and windy

It was a warm but quiet night!  First thing in the morning, the sales people came around with water, vegetables and pastry for sale. Then later, it was the turn of the blankets and trinkets.   We had the pleasure of two schools of dolphins performing for us in the Bay as we were having our coffees.  We went to town to upload our mail and found half the town closed…it is Monday!!!  Anyway, we drove around and explored, visited the old jail which was really interesting.  They used to have prisoners as far away as La Paz and could hold 100 or more men and women.  From here, we went to find another campground and RAY’s Restaurant which is in the “CHURCHE’S” book.  Definitely not somewhere we would take our rig; it is 3 miles of sandy roadway and very dusty but the place was very clean and grassy and among farm lands.  We had a late lunch in town at another restaurant, checked our mail then came home after picking up wine and bread.

The rest of the crew had stayed behind and enjoyed sun tanning and kayaking.  It was very windy in the afternoon and lasted until after 6 pm when it calmed right down.  We had our generators going and watching TV around 7 pm when this jerk came around and started swearing at Judy who was outside looking at the stars, telling her to turn off their f….ing  generators as it was too loud.  Well all three of us heard and were outside within seconds and we gave that guy a piece of our minds.  I don’t think he expected that!!!  He was lucky to walk away unscathed; Ed was quiet upset over the whole thing.  I just can’t believe how some people are so bloody ignorant; all he had to do is ask nicely and we would have obliged, just incredible.  Anyway, we sat out for a while then called it a night.

 

FEB  18, Tuesday; Bahia de Conception.
15*C @ 7 am; 32* C in pm with light winds for a while

We spent the whole day here, never moved except for a walk on the beach and some kayaking.  It was a hot day, the hottest yet.  Sharon had to go into town as she is having pain in her lower jaw.  Val figured it was a gland infection which turned out to be correct.  Ed and Judy went with them for support.  We called it quit early for HH and came in, started the generator, turned the A/C on and had dinner.  Afterwards, we watched a movie then to bed.

 

FEB  19, Wednesday; Santispac
16*C @ 7 am; 29*C in pm

It was a warm morning with no winds.  We watched for dolphins but saw none.  We went into town later in the morning to have my computer looked at and got a few things fixed (I hope) that the other guy in Cabo either missed or didn’t do.  We also picked up some beer and milk (essentials of life) and had lunch at “SCOTTY’s”.  We came home after stopping at the Mission on the far side of the river.  I filled with water (150 pesos) and propane (972 pesos total for 129 litres @ 7.54 pesos ($0.70 Cdn).  We had HH then I cooked fresh halibut fish for dinner then we watched a movie in the evening.  The wind has picked up and is cooling things down; maybe we will have a comfortable night!?

 

FEB  20, Thursday; Bahia
14*C @ 7:30 am; 25*C in pm with winds

Partially cloudy this morning and we had dew overnight.  We went into town to check our e-mail and picked up some wine and a few other things.  We had lunch at “SCOTTY’s” with the crew then came back home where we proceeded to pack up some of the stuff.  Sharon has had a problem for a while now with her jaw and tooth and had gone to the hospital to get it checked out but she feels she should go back as soon as possible so it was decided that they would go back with Ed & Judy accompanying them; we will continue on our own as it was always understood.

It’s been much cooler today but still warm.  We had a wind from the north but it eased up around dinner time.  We even all wore a coat at HH.  We had a light dinner then it was early in bed.  Tomorrow, we head for San Ignacio with a stop in Rosalita

February 15, 2014; Last day in Loreto and visit to an old Mission

FEB  15, Saturday; visit to a local Mission
13*C @ 6am; 28*C in pm

We got woken up around 5:30 am by local people getting their boat around 5:30 am and going fishing.  Storage shed are next to us!!!  We left at 10 am and rode with Ed and Judy in his truck as Sharon wasn’t feeling good and decided to stay home.  We went to visit an old Mission still standing from the1700’s.  The road up was tortuous and reminded me of our drive through the “Devil’s Spine” a few back when we drove from Texas to Mazatlan.  We went over the Giganti Mtns and into the West side where it flatten out into a small valley.  The road had a lot of repairs going on where rock slides and flood water destroyed bridges, culverts and washed out the road in many places, otherwise it was paved all the way. 

The Mission is the oldest one in the Baja that is still standing with all its original stone walls.  Everything inside was also still original including the Altars.  The story goes that Jesuit father Francisco Piccolo (who founded the Mission) came here in the late 1600’s to convert the local Indians and the Mission was built in the mid 1700’s by Father Miguel de Barco.  They came up the Valley from the Pacific Coast.  The village finally got power in 2010.  We had lunch in the only restaurant in the village, run by the family; very informal.  The food was good and so was the beer then we drove back down.  We arrived back at 1:30 pm.  I filled the water tank then it was time for HH.  Dinner was a light one as we were still full from the lunch. 

Tomorrow, we head to Santispac beach

February 11 to 14, 2014; Cabo to Loreto, Baja Sur

FEB  11, Tuesday; Our last day in Los Cabos.
15*C @ 7 am; 30* C in pm

I called Rochelle last night but there was no answer; I found out why this morning.  They are in Palm Springs visiting Kevin’s parents who are spending the winter there.

 It was another hot day and light winds.  We went to the beach where we saw quite a few whales jumping in the not too distant.  In the afternoon, when we got back, we packed the rest of our stuff including the bikes and the kayaks and after filling the water tank, I unhooked the water system and put that away.  HH was at our place as we had lots of shade and a nice breeze flowing by. 

For dinner, I BBQ’ed the last of our steaks and lobsters.  Val made a salad to go along with it all.  I heard back from Loreto and we can now move there on the 13^th instead of the 14^th which is great.  I wasn’t looking forward to spending two more night in La Paz.

 

FEB  12, Wednesday; To La Paz
15* at 6 am; 32* in pm

For some reason I was awake at 5 am and couldn’t go back to sleep so I got up.  We had a lot of dew this morning so I had to wipe the windshield.  For some reasons, the main slide on the driver side wouldn’t go in.  Upon a closer inspection I noticed a bulge on the top side where the lock is situated; for some reason, unknown to this writing, it was crooked and I had to bang it back enough to get the slide to go in.  We left the Park at 9:45 am after saying goodbye to our neighbours and headed west on Hwy 1 then north on Hwy 19.  I stopped for fuel and put in 220 liters then continued north until I met up with our two chicklets.  Another mishap was the screw on the window sun visor on my side came undone!? (I got that fix in no time in La Paz). 

Hwy 19 is 4 lanes all the way north except for the by-pass at Todos Santos and the connection back to Hwy 1 just before La Paz.  We had a hot and sunny day and no problems except for taking the wrong turn in La Paz and getting disoriented for a bit but soon found our way back on Hwy 1 and arrived at our campground unscathed.  We paid $25 for the night then drove to the Malecon and had lunch then walked around for a bit.  We are staying at Camp Maranatha once again.  We had HH and a guy walked by and began chatting with us for a while.  We called it quit at 6:30 pm; it is just getting dark now and we have an almost full moon.  Tomorrow will be a long day…347 KM to Loreto!

We drove 108 miles in 2 hrs and 25 minutes @ an average 69KM/HR.

N   24* 05.861’
W 110* 23.195’
Alt: 6 feet

 

FEB  13, Thursday; To Loreto, Baja Sur, Mexico
13*C @ 7 am; 32*C in pm

We left at 8:40am after I got us a coffee from the little restaurant on the grounds.  It was STRONG!!  The drive to CD Constitucion and to CD INSURGENCE where we had lunch was uneventful except for this place where we saw this guy standing in the middle of nowhere, on the road and doing all kinds of body gesture; he had to be mentally challenge!?  Traffic had to go around him as he was standing on the road, very strange!  Traffic was light and we made good time, we had two breaks for bathroom.  After lunch which was almost a half hour break long, we went on.  Eventually, we got to the GIGANTE MTNS and down the pass to the Sea of Cortez.  This has to be the most beautiful part of the trip, as far as I am concerned!  The drive down is full of curves, slow with many switchbacks and absolutely breathtaking as far as the scenery is concerned.  Our pictures don’t do it justice.

We finally arrived at LORETO SHORE HOTEL AND RV PARK by 2:40 pm and set up.  Afterwards we sat and relax and had a nice HH.  Everyone is getting much more comfortable with the roads now.

We drove 214 miles in 5 hrs @ an average 70KM/HR

N   25* 59.958’
W 111* 20.823’t                                                                                                          
Alt: 21 feet

 

FEB  14, Friday; HAPPY VALENTINE DAY!
14*C @ 7 am; upper 25*C in pm and light winds

We went into town today and looked around.  First, though, we went to a neat little Steak House we saw on the way in and made reservation for tonight then we went and found the second RV Park here which is situated within walking distance to the Malecon and the town Center.  We drove on the Malecon and found a restaurant to have lunch then we walked the Historic Town Square and the side streets.  This is a very beautiful town, incorporated in 1697 and the longest populated town in the Baja.  We also visited the Mayor’s Building and the beautiful Cathedral.  We took lots of pictures.  Val found and bought a toe ring then we stopped for a beer and I had to have a pulled pork taco.  We walked back to our vehicles and we, Val and I, went to the LEY for some groceries and beer & wine.  I also stopped at the bank to get some cash as the restaurant we are going to tonight, doesn’t take credit cards. 

At 6pm, we drove to the Steak House and had a great dinner consisting of, for me, a Porter House steak, baked potato, salad and a clam chowder soup to start with.  Val had pasta!  Everyone was pleased with their dinner and the service was great and the ambiance, very romantic.  Our bill was less than $50 Cdn including the tip, wine and margarita!  We went into the town Square afterwards but there wasn’t much happening so we came home and had a nightcap.  Around 9 pm, loud music was heard from the neighborhood which was quite loud; it lasted until past my bedtime

February 6 to 10, 2014; Haircuts, Pedicure, Miraflores and preparation for departure

FEB  6, Thursday; Beach day
13*C @ 7 am; 23* C in pm with light winds

We had a very nice day,  it wasn’t windy and when we got to the beach, the water was calm so we were able to do some snorkeling.  It was great, lots of fish of all kinds of colors swam around us and Val fed them a banana which they proceeded to devour including biting one of her fingers.  We had a good laugh over that!  We came home around 2 pm and I drove to Walmart to get some beer and milk as we are out.  At 4 pm, we all gathered at Reg’s place and had HH.  We picked up pizzas at Costco and we all had that for dinner.

This is the last day for 6 of our Chicklets; tomorrow, Jack & Mim, Reg & Diane and George & Dorothy are leaving to go back north with a stop at Santispac Beach for a few days.  We will miss them.  We had a good time together and we will be sad to see them go.  We called it quit by 7 pm and everyone went to their respective houses.

 

FEB  7, Friday; Haircut and Manicure
10* @ 6am; 28*C in pm with light winds.

Well, three rigs from our crew left at 8:45 this morning!  At 11 am, Sharon, Judy, Val and I attended our appointments for haircut (me) and pedicure for the3 amigettes; $23 Cdn for Val and I…Can’t beat that!  After dropping off Sharon and Judy, Val and I went to “Latitude 22” where we had lunch and I bought my last T-shirt then we went to Walmart for some veggies.  Very hot today!  It seemed strange having HH with 6 people short but we made good anyway.  They presented me with a T-shirt which was supposed to be ready yesterday and presented to me by the WHOLE gang but unfortunately it wasn’t ready until today so Reg presented it on behalf of everyone!  THANK YOU ONE AND ALL!!!  Val made a stew for dinner…Yum, Yum!  We watched another movie in the evening.

 

FEB  8, Saturday; To Miraflores, a leather factory village
14* C @ 7 am; 30* in pm

We left this morning at 9:30 am and headed for the village of Miraflores.  We took the bypass for the airport and paid $2.80 Cdn.  That made the first part of the trip much faster as we missed all of the stop signs and lights.  It was sure much easier to drive without any big trailer and motorhome and we made good time.  We went into town and found the “leather factory” which turned out to be a big disappointment.  We were expecting something much more elaborate the way the “Churches’ book” describe it but we did watch one guy make leather sandals which was interesting.  They had a room with some of their belts, shoes, sandals, bags and even saddles for horses but we didn’t buy anything.  We continued on to RIVERA BEACHES, about 10 km from Los Barilles, where we visited a neat RV Park which had very nice sites with 30 amps, water and sewer.  The restaurant was close so we drove to Los Barilles and had lunch there.  We checked out a couple RV parks then it was time to drive back home.  We got back by 4 pm without any incidents and had a quiet HH.  Dinner then a movie to end the evening

I UPLOADED A BUNCH MORE PICTURES!!!

 

FEB  9, Sunday; driving the back roads
15*C at 7 am; 32* in pm

We were supposed to go with Ed and Judy to explore a road along the coast but he woke up quite sick from something he ate yesterday so Val and I ended going by ourselves.  We decided to drive to San Jose del Cabo and do some geo-caches along the way.  We found two, had lunch in San Jose then we drove across to the Marina and found the back-road along the coast to the East Cape.  We stumble upon a Bed & Breakfast EL Encanto in the Laguna Hills and a really neat pub, named “The Buzzard” so we had a beer here then drove along the dirt road and saw some beautiful beaches and very few people.  We even saw some whales breaching in the distance.  It was a gorgeous day!

We drove back to our camp but gassed up first.  We were just in time for HH.  We had dinner: banger & mash with cream corn.  We watched a movie in the evening.  It was a very hot day and still is warm outside at 8PM:  21*C

 

FEB  10, Monday; Wash Day!
16*C @ 7am; 34* C in pm; it was HOT!!!

We have two days left here so today was wash day.  I had our home washed on the outside all around, and then it was the jeep’s turn (total cost, $45 Cdn):  Empty everything, vacuum, washed the inside and partially reload some of our stuff.  We relaxed for a while then went into town to get some motor oil for the jeep as it needed it then to Costco and Walmart to pick a couple of items.  We came home, had HH then dinner: Chicken Caesar salad!  We watched a movie in the evening.

Tomorrow is our last day in Los Cabos; we are headed north to La Paz then to Loreto

February 1 to 5, 2014; Los Cabos

FEBRUARY  1, 2014, Saturday; Cabo san Lucas
15* @ 6 am; 22*C in pm, light winds

We had some strong winds overnight as everything was folded over and the carpet was a mess but it’s all calm this morning.  I was up at 7 am and working on my laptop trying to organize the hard drive and make a list of the programs I need to download.  I had some problems because some of the stuff the computer did was in Spanish.  I also worked on my blog and updated it to the end of the month.  As I was sitting under the Palapa, I had some guy coming over and screaming at me because I was using the ASDL.  I would have been cooperative except for the fact that he was a real jerk and tried to grab my laptop but I pushed him away.  I am sure that if the manager wasn’t there, it would have come to blow!?  Anyway, after that incident I went home and had lunch then we went to town back to the computer office where I had him fix a problem with a USB outlet then got him to help me with my WINDOW LIVE E-MAIL program.  We came home after stopping at WALMART where I got a couple of light bulbs for the stove canopy and some vegetables then we came home and had HH with the crew.  Dinner was BBQ pork chops, potatoes and vegetables.

 

FEB  2, Sunday; SUPERBOWL!
12*C @ 6 am; 23*C in pm and windy

I spent the whole morning downloading all my needed programs, bought a new Quicken program on line but couldn’t get to my bank accounts on line so will have to phone tomorrow, Monday.  In the meantime, Val did the dusting and washed the floors; I helped by cleaning the windows and the front of the motorhome.  Then, we went to Chileno Beach where the rest of the crew was.  This is a beautiful and improved beach with areas for snorkeling and lots of Palapa to hide under from the hot sun.  There were a couple of yachts at anchor in the Bay and quite a few people on the beach, locals and tourists.  We got back by 2 pm, changed, let Tucker out for a while then we got ready for the pub and the “SUPERBOWL”!  We had paid 325 pesos each and were given 300 pesos in credit so all our beers and food were deducted from that amount and we ended giving one beer to the table next to us.  The only money I paid was for the tip (service was superb).

SEATTLE HAWKS WON by a margin of 35 points; WOW!!! Good for them but unfortunate for Denver’s Broncos and Quarterback Manning!  Once at home, we watched a movie then it was bed time.

 

FEB  3, Monday; Los Cabos
15*C @ 7am; 22*C and windy

I was at the Palapa by 8 am downloading mail, new programs still missing and setting them up on the laptop.  I came home, had a shower and went to visit Reg and Sharon while Val showered.  Val did a load of laundry.  Our neighbor has satellite internet and he gave me the password providing I don’t download music or movies; now we don’t have to leave the rig.  We went to town to find a harness for Tucker as we lost the last one.  We bought this really colorful one; should be interesting to see him with it.  We had lunch at a local bar called “SQUID ROE” and of course, expensive so we just had tortilla soup and beer, there is nothing cheap in Cabo now.  We came home, read for a while then had HH at Ed and Judy.  We had a light dinner, watched a movie call “All the pretty horses” with Matt Damon then it was bedtime.  It was windy most of the day from the North and a cloudy sky threatening rain.  It really cooled off in the evening.  The rule of thumb down here is that if the wind is from the north, it will blow for at least 3 days; this is the third day!

 

FEB  4, Tuesday; Beach time
14*C @ 7 am; 24* in pm

We went to the beach today and got ourselves wet.  This was a relaxing day and not much to report.  We tried to watch a movie in the evening but ended up in bed.  Good night!

 

FEB  5, Wednesday; Cabo San Lucas
12*C @ 7 am; 21*C pm, light winds

We got up to sunshine but it soon clouded over and it was cool most of the day.  We went to Cabo San Lucas on the Malecon and part of the old town with Ed & Judy, Reg & Sharon.  George & Dorothy joined us later.  We had lunch at our favorite place and had fish and chips (Mahi-Mahi or better known as Dorado here) then we walked everywhere.  I bought a T-shirt and Val bought a summer beach dress.  We stopped for ice cream then came home.  Jack & Mim, Reg & Diane went to the beach but soon came back because of the cloudiness.  We had HH at Ed & Judy then dinner at our own places.  I backed up the hard drive and uploaded some pictures from the camera.  Oh, and we made an appointment for a haircut and manicure for four of us at this college which is really cheap.  Six days to our departure for destinations north!