The Drive To El Centenario and Rancho Verde

This was our most challenging drive yet - 335 kilometres and more than 7 hours to get to El Centenario, including lunch (just a sandwich in the truck) and a fuel stop. The trip included two long construction zones and several shorter ones!

Driving today started with Lisa warning about a hole in the Tope (speed bump). Now speed bumps are challenging enough with a big rig, without having a hole in the middle of one to complicate matters. The windshield wipers got quite the workout today, as we frequently had to clear the accumulated dust and sand. We thought we were in a sand storm, somewhat akin to a prairie snow storm. This picture with the motorcycles gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “Eat my dust”!

While going through one of the construction zones, Sonya says to me, “Speed limit is 40 kmh here .” I said, “We’re only doing 16 kmh, what would you like to me to do?”

We even lost radio contact with our tail gunners Dave and Deanna for a short period of time, because Deanna was, in her words,” busy holding the kitchen cupboards closed because the coffee and pop were flying everywhere!”

On one of the stretches, we were warned about a particularly sandy uphill section. I didn’t think anyone would intentionally pull an RV through a golf sand trap! I had to use four wheel drive and first gear to get through it. Dave (an ex snow plow driver) and Deanna almost didn’t make it through, but Dave said, “Don’t worry, there’s lots of heavy duty construction equipment around to pull us out!” Deanna absolutely didn’t want that to happen because in her words - “I don’t want to be in the travel blog getting pulled out."

You can see from the picture below how rough the conditions were as Chuck and Christina’s rig almost kissed the semi as they passed!

All in all, none of us knew that we were required to bring RVs capable of off-roading!

After making it to our RV park for the evening, we had an early Happy Hour. In this case, it was because we were HAPPY to have made it through to the park in one piece!

Friends, Blake and Darlene and old trail riders, sent a commentary on the last blog, that we include here because it is so cute and apropos.

“Your trail bosses (Dan and Lisa) and their instructions reminded me of our free-range trail rides:

Ass deep in the saddle,

Heels down, toes up,

Control your horse (rig),

And watch for the one in front and behind …

Can’t beat a good trail boss. Treat them real nice."

Couldn’t say it better!

Next morning, on our way to the beach for 3 days, we had to make a resupply stop. Dan uses Walmart, not because he favours them particularly, but because it is the only place where you can park 8 big rigs! There is an interesting rule in Mexico - you cannot buy alcohol before 9 am Corrine asked if we were going to wait and Dan promptly responded with “off course - it’s booze”. So, we all hung around the checkout until exactly 9.

Aaahhh, now for a 3 day respite on the beach at Playa Tecolote.

Day 2 of our beach stay, we enjoyed a pot luck dinner with great food contributions from everyone. After dinner, we sat around the campfire enjoying the afterglow of the sunset.

While here, we walked for miles on the beach, something we don’t have the opportunity to do often. We all conjure up our own images of footprints in the sand. Here are some of mine!

En route to Rancho Verde, we stopped in a small town called El Triunfo.  This is a town of about 1800 inhabitants that was once a town of 35,000 at its height when the silver mines here were active. The large chimmey stacks are still visible from quite a distance.  The larger of the two stacks, Ramona, was designed by none other that Gustav Eiffel, the designer of the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris.

While described as a ghost town in many of the tour books, this town is experiencing a rebirth thanks to tourism.   We stopped on main street, lining up our rigs on both sides of the street, as space would allow.  People watched as we pulled into town, as they knew we were going to the El Triunfo Cafe, a restaurant and bakery.  The owner, Marc,  is an incredible baker and they have an amazing chef.  The baked sourdough bread was heavenly and the cinnamon rolls were the best we have ever tasted anywhere1

Sonya got a shot of the oven that is used.  This is no doubt a big part of the secret to their success.

After having the best Tuna tacos either of us have ever had (two vegans gone amok), we were about to get back on the road to Rancho Verde, when Sonya was interrupted by someone yelling, "Hey Ms. Enbridge!"  Sonya turned around to see Craig, the Enbridge Beechcraft Baron pilot, who often flew her back and forth from Calgary.  Some of our travel mates were a bit confused when Sonya was hugging this apparent stranger in this small Baja town, off the beaten path.  Craig and his grade school buddies were down in the southern part of Baja touring around on quads.  Isn't it unbelievable the people you meet and the places you meet them! 

See you next at Pescadero.

Vaya con Dios,

Paul & Sonya

A Few Interesting Folks We Have Met Along the Way

In Cataviña, we met an 83 year old gent named Ralph.

Ralph is from New Mexico, where he summers and winters 6 months down here in Cataviña, and has done so for the last 30 plus years. He  doesn't even have a cell phone - not that we have any reception down here anyway. Ralph explained his parents and siblings were all missionaries but he missed the boat and is considered the black sheep.   Dan tells us he is a “survivalist" and is well stocked in both places - stocked with what we are not sure.   He told us of a tale where an RV had just recently broken down not far from his place. So, he loaded up his wire welder (automatic welder to some of us) and whatever tools he could think of and off they went to repair the broken spring frame (which holds up the axle) on the trailer.  Four hours later the guy was on his way.  Ralph doesn’t even charge for his services - so I guess he is really a “missionary" of sorts helping out one and all  - or even considered an  angel to those in distress.

At Playa Santispac, in Bahia Concepción

Johnny Walker

John lives full time on the beach at Playa Santispac, although he is a Floridian.

He is called Johnny Walker because he is out walking on the beach every day.  His name  is not a reflection on his Scotch preferences.  We chatted with him for a few minutes and he promptly told us of his land leasing woes with the local Ejido (pronounced Eh-Hee-Doe).  This is the land administration council that is leasing the land to John.  He paid his rent in mid-May, only to be told that he would have to leave by the federal government on May 20.  When he showed the federales that he had paid for one year in advance, they were shocked. Seems the Ejido hadn’t paid their taxes to the federales.  Johnny recognizes that he may end up moving, but like any good American negotiator, he is not going to do so without due compensation! Judging by outdoorsy additions, I don't think he has too much invested in leasehold improvements!!

Wolfgang and Alexandra

While continuing down the beach on our stroll, we met this lovely German couple from Bavaria - Wolfgang and Alexandra.

They flew to Anchorage Alaska with their bikes and whatever they could carry on their backs (including their tent), and set off. They came down through Canada and rode the Jasper-Banff Parkway and cycled all the way down through the USA and Baja California to where we are now on the Bahia Concepción.  They are cycling all the way down the peninsula and catching a ferry to Mazatlan then cycling down to Guadalajara, Mexico to catch their plane home to Germany on December 14.  They estimate that they cycle 85-110 kms each day depending on how mountainous the ride happens to be.  And we thought we were roughing it!

Since Dan was kind enough to bring a double kayak along, we set off to meet all the folks moored in the bay.  Here is a collection of the folks we met:

The California Sailor

While we were out kayaking in the Bay, we paddled out to a trimaran boat and chatted with a California gentlemen who lives in Nicaragua, but was up here on a vacation style cruise.

He had repairs to do on his boat, as can be seen in the picture by the need for a paint job, but he was taking a bit of the mańana attitude towards it.

Chantale and Pascal

Next we paddled up to visit a  lovely couple from France, Chantale and Pascal,  full-timers on their 17 meter boat.

They were quite surprised when I paddled up and announced our presence in French.  They are adventurous souls having cruised the world on this boat, but return to this area every year because it is just so beautiful.  They told us  of a couple from Montreal, they know who are sailing the world starting their journey on the St. Lawrence. Their boat sank in Central America but undaunted they bought new one and carried on.  They are now in Australia!  Now that is the spirit of adventure. Chantale and Pascal currently have no plans to return to France.  Oh, the places they may go!

The Ozzies

Our next kayaking stop was up to a boat  from Australia.

This lovely couple had just sailed in from Asia and where planning to make their way up to Vancouver.  They understand well that no matter what time of year they come, the weather will be a bit of a shock!  They have a knack for understatement it seems!

 Winnipeg Winter Escapee

While we were on a boat looking for whale sharks (yes that is correct),  we came across a fellow briskly rowing his little boat to shore.

Our captain, Emilio was looking for tips on where we might find the sharks!  We were quite surprised to find out that this gent was from Winnipeg!  Who would expect a Winnipeger in central Baja.

Pietra

We were curious about this rather military looking rig (called a Man and made by Mercedes-Benz) down here on the beach in Tecolote - looks a bit like a tank. So we walked over to say hello and to find out their story.

Pietra and her partner are from Germany and brought the rig over to Halifax and drove down through the Carolinas (got caught in a hurricane) , eventually heading west and now are enjoying a few months in the Baja before heading over to mainland Mexico. They plan to be on the road at least 5 years, "or as long as it takes". Now you are wondering where they are headed! From Mexico it is down to Central America, South America, then over to Africa, Australia and then Indonesia and Asia! Wow - that is adventure! They have a world map on the side of their vehicle to remind them of their objective!

There are many kind and interesting folks you “meet on the trail”!Until we next meet virtually on our trail,

Adios,

Paul & Sonya

Driving in Baja Mexico

As you will have seen in the last entry, some of the roads we travel are quite narrow, with enough space for two semis to pass with barely the thickness of a piece of paper between them!  So, in the interest of safety and sanity,  here is how our driving day typically goes.

7:50 AM:  Group congregates for Dan and Lisa to provide the morning briefing.
Dan tells us what to expect on the road ahead:
narrow,
windy, and
construction
Everyone stay 10 seconds apart and gear down for the 12% (yes that is correct) grade.

8:00 Departure - everyone in their rig.
Lisa calls for a radio check in (we have very good marine radios)
"#5 ready” (That’s us.)  All check in.

And we are off.

Lisa: “All clear ahead.”
Tailgunners Dave and Deanna, #9: “Big bus trying to pass us.”
Lisa: “All clear ahead - everyone put your left signal light on.” (Tells the bus it is clear to pass.)

Everyone reports in:
“Passing #8.”
“Passing # 7”

Lisa: “Traffic ahead - big rig.  Everyone put your right signal light on for a few moments.” (Tells the bus it is not safe to pass any more of us.)

We all wait for the big rig to pass each one of us.

Lisa: “All clear ahead, back with the left signal so the bus can continue passing each of us.”

Everyone reports in:
“Passing #6.”
“Passing #5” (That’s us.)
“Passing #4."
“Passing #3."
“Passing #2."

Lisa keeps us up to date, in real time,  with any of the following:
“Watch out for the big hole in the middle of the road.”
“Look out for the cows, they are right by the road.”
“Look out for the tope" (pronounced Tow-pay and means speed bump).
“Look out for the flagman in the construction zone.”
“Military checkpoint ahead - everyone slow down, take your sunglasses off so that they can see your eyes and remember we are going to Guerrero Negro today.”
“Everyone pull over to the right at the Pemex, we are all refuelling.  Diesel pumps are at the back.”
“Everyone put your 4-way flashers on and slow down.  At the big red sign, we will be turning off to the campground.”
“Everyone stay in your rig until Dan tells you where to park.”
“Good job everyone.”

AND SO OUR DRIVING DAYS GO

We are all focussed on “keeping the rubber side down,  the shiny side up, and between the ditches,” and staying in radio communication!

NOW it’s HAPPY HOUR!

Even with all the best efforts, things still happen.  Here Dave and Wayne are repairing Wayne’s RV mirror after a semi clipped it.  The mirror housing is fine, but the mirror is toast! Dan, our wagon master, carries a spare mirror or two, just in case! Seems this may have happened before.  No doubt, Sonya will add a spare truck mirror to our endlessly growing packing list!

Speaking of Dan bringing us into the campground, take a look at how cosy this one is.

Now, for everyone of these, we get others where we have spacious beach sites. We alternate between tucked and tight and open beach front - a nice balance!

While in Guerrero Negro, we visited the world’s greatest salt mine.   It is 51% owned by the Mexican government and 49% owned by Mitsubishi.  They produce 9 million tons of salt per annum for export to Japan, Korea, the USA, Canada, Taiwan and New Zealand.  The fields cover 33,000 hectares, including 28,000 hectares of collection ponds.  About 700 million tons of sea water enters the system each year.  As the water in the pond evaporates, the salt concentration increases.  The collection ponds are controlled by dykes and gates - hey Dad, every Dutchman’s dream - looks a bit like your garden watering system!

Guerrero Negro is the perfect location for such an operation because it is a large flat area close to the coast.  It has a dry climate, receiving only 1/4 inch of rain per year.  The sun and the wind provide perfect evaporation.

The collection process seems just like snow removal on the Canadian Prairies!  When the salt is ready for collection, they grade it into wind rows, pick it up (with a machine similar to a snow removal truck) and then haul it away and pile it up! They then send the salt out on barges to an island where the big ships pick it up.  Check out the pictures below.

Here we are on the salt flats.

Here we have a grader that creates the wind rows and the pick up machine.

Here is one BIG dump truck!  Check out the size compared to the van beside it!

Yup, looks just like the snow pile near Whitemud Freeway in Edmonton!

Most days end with a Happy Hour and, whenever possible, a campfire.  Here we are gathered around a fire on the beach for a relaxing evening.

Check out the cool effect picture of our two leaders enjoying the campfire ambiance.

After driving for about 2 hours we arrived at Loreto, a Westjet holiday destination, where we are enjoying three days in this lovely sea side town. Loreto is the birthplace of California, the first permanent settlement in the Californias, including the USA.  Loreto was the capital of both Californias for 132 years.

The next day included an excursion to the Misión San Francisco Javier, the second oldest Spanish mission in Baja.

It is way up in the hills and must have been quite a challenge to build way back in 1744. The Mission is built of stone from a quarry near Santo Domingo, 20 km southeast of San Javier. Can you imagine hauling all this stone through this mountainous terrain? In 1817 the Mission was deserted.

Driving to the Mission was also a revelation - with major missing parts in the road and more construction.  Dan reminds us all to put our seat-belts on, “… because it is important that they find us all together!”  Love the touch of humour.

Yes, that is the Canadian flag flying on Dan's van.

Apparently the hurricanes regularly knock out parts of the road, but the locals get right back up and make every effort to restore the road.  Orange pylons tell you a chunk of the road has washed out and you need to scoot around it!

On the way back down, we stop at a point where we can see the Sea of Cortez, about 30 km away.  While standing on the ledge, Sonya insisted that I do a yoga pose for the camera.   Here you go:

In the evening we did a lovely stroll through town to see the oldest mission in Baja, Nuestra Señora de Loreto (Our Lady of Loreta), founded in 1697.

The Jesuits built an incredible network of mission from the Baja all the way up to Sonoma, California.

Sunday is a down day with a group dinner before we start out Monday morning at 0800 for our longest drive yet,  a 335 Km drive to El Centenario.

Hasta luego (until later),

Paul & Sonya

Baja California, Part I

A quick note, before we start - you should be able to click on the picture to see a larger version of the picture. At the bottom of each blog entry, there is a map reference so that you can get a sense of the location from which the blog is being sent.  At the very end of the log, you can sign up to receive an email update when we post a new entry

After leaving Chula Vista, we made our way to meet our group at Potrero, about 10 minutes north of our Mexican border crossing at Tecate, BC (Baja California, not British Columbia).

Our tour leaders, Dan and Lisa Goy pictured below, are from the greater Vancouver area and have been leading these tours since 2008. We are their 25th tour to Baja California!

One of our colleagues mentioned that they had only been on Mexico All-Inclusive vacations. Dan pointed out that this too is an all-inclusive trip - we are Included with All the Mexicanos!

Most of our companions (5 couples) are from British Columbia, Dave from Red Deer, and Tim from east of San Francisco.

After having our orientation pow-wow, we geared up to depart Tuesday morning! As can be seen our wagon train clogged up the border. The border guard asked to inspect our trailer. The inspection came to an abrupt completion when she opened the pantry and Sonya’s multitude of tea boxes proceeded to all fall toward her. "OK, you can go", was all she said and we were on our way!

Upon entering Ensenada, we started with what every good trip should start with - a stop at Costco!

Sonya bought 6 huge avocados for $2 - now what? I reminded her we were in a trailer. Here is the solution for you Northerners (should you ever actually get 6 ripe avocados) - peel, mash and add a bit of lime, lay flat in a zip lock bag, remove as much air as possible, and freeze. Yup, works like a darn.

The private security guard touring the parking lot at Costco knows Dan well, and patrolled around our rigs constantly to be sure that no one untoward disturbed them!

Our campground at Punta Banda was about 15 minutes from Costco in Ensenada. Ensenada is one of the only deep water ports in the state of Baja, California and a large tuna farming area. We got settled in and then jumped in the Van for our first excursion - a trip to La Bufadora. This blowhole is actually one of the largest marine geysers in the world. This geyser is caused by the breaking of waves against a cave that is at the bottom of the cliff, reaching a height of up to 65 feet.

Wednesday, we were given a quick tour of the old Riviera (now a cultural centre), shown below, which opened in 1930 as the Playa Ensenada Hotel and Casino.

The opening act in the ballroom was none other than Bing Crosby and the Xavier Cugat Orchestra, including a singer Margarita Carmen Cansino (later known as Rita Hayworth). The hotel was owned by Jack Dempsey and his financial backers. Al Capone was rumoured to be a silent partner. Playa Ensenada was a big hit with the Hollywood crowd until the repeal of Prohibition in the USA in 1933. Quite the history - if those walls could talk!

Next we stopped by Cantina Hussong’s (established by German immigrant Johan Hussong), where the Margarita was invented by bartender Don Carlos Orozco. He made the cocktail for Margarita Henkel, the daughter of the German Ambassador. As the sun was not yet over the yardarm, neither of us chose to have a Margarita. Hussong’s was among the earliest liquor establishments in Ensenada. Their liquor license was and still is #002.

Next stop the fish market - check out the size of those tuna!

Thursday morning we were off to our next destination - Lazaro Cardenas, 210 KM from Ensenada - 4 1/2 hour drive. Along the way, we had an “ Interesting" drive through extensive road construction. Glad we had some basic training with all the Anthony Henday work in Edmonton this summer. However, only occasionally did they have flag people, and we never did figure out what they meant as they would just wave their orange flags at everyone going every direction! It is the only interstate highway we have ever seen with speed bumps and potholes causing you to drive from side to side. The trip brings a whole new meaning to “Share the Road", check out the pics.

For two days we camped on the beach boon docking (dry camping), backing right onto the Pacific Ocean - LOCATION. LOCATION, LOCATION - the first rule in Real Estate!

Now, we have all seen spectacular sunsets, but here is another shot that captures some of the essence of where were are:

The last evening at Lázaro Cárdena, we had a hot dog roast. Of course, you know who will be gathered around the fire right? Fire is a guy thing!

Saturday morning November 12 (Happy Birthday Mia!), we were off to Cataviña. Our guide, Dan, gave us instructions that morning. He said that the road is narrow, so your first job is to keep your right wheels on the road! If your right wheel goes off the road, you are off the road and that is the end of your trip! Very comforting words, as you can imagine! His second rule was to stay on your side, as you have to share the road! We went through 2 military check points, one chap inspected the bedroom and said it was very nice! Sonya, feels it is all due to the matching comforter and toss cushions - she is feeling vindicated!

Seen below is one of the better stretches of our road.

Here you can see, we were sharing the road with cars and big rigs alike! As we neared Cataviña, Lisa advised us by radio that we were entering the Cataviña Boulder fields. Although the pictures do not do it complete justice, these should give you a bit of a sense of what we saw.

After some interesting driving, we arrived at our destination. We were fortunate enough to do a short tour of a cave with paintings that date 4-6,000 years ago.

Time to say hasta leugo for now,

Paul & Sonya