Here is a shot of the military seen up and down the road as we drive. Yes, they often carry machine guns!
Here is our first glimpse of the bay, followed by a beautiful morning view right outside our trailer.
One of the interesting things about this particular beach, is that we have some very lovely, if sometimes noisy, neighbours! Sonya caught some of them sunning themselves below.
The evening before we left we had (yet) another Happy Hour. This one provided extra viewing pleasure because of the near full moon coming up.
The drive to Cataviña was 174 km, which, under normal circumstances, would be a pretty easy drive. However 108 kms of this drive were complete with some “Dandy Potholes” as described by Lisa, and as evidenced by the following picture with Wayne bobbing and weaving down the road just like Mohammed Ali.
This also included some cozying up to some big rigs.
The outcome of too many of these events can be that your goods, like these tomatoes, just don’t make it to their intended destination!
The only casualty on this part of the drive was that Robert and Corrine lost a wheel cover on their motorhome. Corrine was at first afraid that one of their bikes flew off the back end. Luckily this was not the case.
Happy to have made it to Cataviña, we celebrate with another Happy To Have Made It Hour at our rig.
As we are nearing the end of our tour, we thought that we would introduce you to some of our travel mates.
Dan and Lisa Goy
These two are THE consummate wagon masters. Plus they have written an extraordinary tour / resource book for which even Sonya has no recommended improvements! Dan has such a deep and rich knowledge of Baja he could easily work for the Mexican Government advancing tourism. Lisa is the radio lady we introduced you to in an earlier entry. Sonya figures Lisa is so good she could take on a second career as an Air Traffic Controller, but we expect she would only do it in Baja, in the wintertime, near her favourite beach!
Wayne and Anke
Wayne and Anke are from Chilliwack, BC. These two spent many years in the USA as Wayne went to work for Alaska Airlines after they both worked for Pacific Western Airlines in the Vancouver area (where they met). They moved back to Canada after he retired. They have spent years RVing and know where all the great boon-docking spots are located. They have been invaluable in sharing their knowledge about boon-dooking. They make a cute couple as seen in their picture here.
Robert and Corrine
Robert and Corrine, also from BC (West Kelowna), travel with their steadfast boxer, Bruce, in their Class A motorhome. These two are as approachable as any two people could be and the picture really captures their personalities. They enjoy our happy hour get togethers to catch up on the day’s events. Corrine is often telling Robert - “hold your line", as the big rigs and buses are passing - especially on the curves. Yes, I think we all have some version of Corrine’s advise to Robert for those tight spots when you only have 3 inches of the 6 inch wheel hanging on the road.
David
Our fellow Albertan from Red Deer, David recently sold his condo and is a full-time RVer. The Baja trip is one of his bucket list items. Sonya noted to me one day that David is the only one among us that does not benefit from the assistance of a co-pilot / second set of eyes on the road (read back-seat driver). I commented to Sonya, "some of us are luckier than others" - I leave it to you to decide who that may be!
Chuck and Christina
These two hail from Abbottsford and Vancouver and are "travel spouses", as they call themselves. Chuck and Christina are adventurers at heart and have done some incredible touring the world from the time they were young. They both remind you of the saying - “ the world is your oyster”! They love traveling together and have many future travel plans, including Texas (next), a road trip to Alaska and over to Russia. They plan on returning to Baja sometime in the next few years as well.
When our rigs are parked close together, Sonya says “Goodnight John-Boy” and Chuck says, “Goodnight Sue-Ellen” (for those of you that remember The Waltons, tv show).
Dave and Deanna
The “youngsters” of this group, these two are as charming as can be and are the life of the party. They live in Osoyoos where they can enjoy a relatively warm winter and gorgeous environs. Dave and Deanna have been our tail gunners for a good portion of the trip, making sure that all the ducks are in a row. Second only to Lisa, Deanna is most often on the radio with, “Is it clear ahead, we have a big rig itching to pass?”
Larry & Linda
Larry & Linda also hail from BC. You may recall that Larry was one of the guitarists (actually the lead guitar) of the group Fast Eddie and the Slow Lerners whom we mentioned a couple of posts ago. Larry and Linda are staying in the Bahia Concepción area until January when they will be picked up by another Baja Amigo tour group.
Tim
Tim was our token American on this tour, which Dan found unusual, as most tours are about 50 / 50 Canadian and American. Tim hails from just east of San Francisco. He was a great sport and even tried (albeit in vain) to learn the Canadian National Anthem in English and French as it is often sung at the Grey Cup. Tim had to learn about real football - 3 downs vs 4, wider and longer fields and one additional player. Tim is a avid cyclist and plans to go to Europe to watch the Tour de France. He stayed with us all the way through to La Paz, at which point he turned back south when we went North. Dan and Lisa will be picking him up in March.
This has been a wonderful group to travel with, as each helps the other as the circumstances arise, without a moment’s hesitation. We have enjoyed every day of being with them.
Where has the time gone?? We only have two stops left - Vicente Guerrero and Valle de Guadalupe.
We’ll see you next on the other side of the border.
Paul & Sonya