Day 49

We had a long distance to go in order to exit where we could cancel our vehicle and tourist permits. We departed at 7:30 AM and headed north through Ensenada. On the way toward Tecate the Wagonmasters (of all people) had a mechanical problem that left them stranded on the roadway.

The outstanding Tailgunners, Mike and Susie, moved to the front of the caravan and led everyone safely out of Mexico.

Although the Wagonmasters had extended their vacation in Mexico, they were able to get things patched together and departed the next day.

Carole & Ken

We had the best tour yet with a wonderful group of people. We hope we will see everyone again. 

Day 48

We all enjoyed some free time today. Some slept in late, others took care of laundry or went out exploring. Clif, Joan and Carole drove over to visit the home of a mutual friend who keeps a house in this area. The house is beautiful with a lovely view of the bay.

One more margarita

We staff kept busy getting things ready for the evening. We decided to have one last margarita party before dinner. Then it was time to head over to the very nice restaurant at the Estero Beach Resort. With linen tablecloths this was a great location for our Fairwell Dinner.

Fairwell Dinner

We started out with a round of margaritas and then a delicious dinner. All the entrée choices sounded great and it was hard to decide on any one.

With dinner over we had some gifts to help remember our journey through Mexico for each rig. First there was a framed group picture of everyone. There were small glass pitchers from the Glass Factory in Cabo San Lucas and clay bowls from Creel. Carole was able to have a local artisan create small but beautiful steel whales to commemorate our encounter at Guerrero Negro.

Some great memories

We ended the evening with everyone sharing their most interesting and their funniest memories from the tour. Most found our experience in the Copper Canyon significant. The other strong theme was touching the young whales at Guerrero Negro. There were other great memories people shared too. When it came to the funniest – well, what happened in Mexico stays in Mexico! Most of all we have the new friendships we will treasure from this caravan.

Carole & Ken

Day 47

Everyone on the bus!

Mexico Flag



Our tour begins with a narrated drive through Ensenada, passing the monuments of the old city. We travel through residential areas and pass the University of Baja California, the Research Center and Plaza Civica, home to the largest Mexican flag in the country. The pole is 350’ high and the flag weighs 500 pounds!! 

Arriving at the center of town, we stopped at the Riviera Pacifica, once a hotel land casino that was opened in 1930. It briefly put Ensenada on the international glamour map. Jack Demsey was the general manager and people like Lucile Ball, Lana Turner and even Al Capone stayed there. It is now used for cultural events. It's a grand structure with its majestic ballrooms, beautiful hand painted ceilings and lovely handmade tile.  There were exciting murals and simple breathtaking chandeliers. 

Riviera Pacifica

It is said that the margarita was invented here at the Bar Andaluz on August 21, 1948!

Leaving Riviera Pacifica, we drove past some of the oldest homes it the area. The architecture was very eclectic. We drove by the famed Hussong's, cantina founded in 1892. 

We were dropped off downtown for an opportunity to do some more shopping.  Several of the shops were closed however, because it was Monday and the cruise ships weren’t in, but it was fun just walking around. 

Next we headed for the local bakery “panaderia”. As we got off the bus the delicious smell of pastries wafted from inside.   Where we each got a tray and tongs and loaded up on pastries and breads for the next leg of our tour.

We then headed to our final destination, La Bufadora (the blowhole). It is about thirty minutes from Ensenada, in a seemingly remote section of the Pacific coastline. We drove through the countryside which was dotted with farms of asparagus and olive trees. We pasted by several American communities along the rugged coastline as well. When we reached our destination we had to walk through a gauntlet of very aggressive venders. But the end result was worth it.

From a safe distance you can look down about 45 feet into what looks like a rock crevice about 10 feet wide. The crevice, however, is actually the mouth of a cave. As the waves recede from the cave it fills with air. When the waves come back in, the water entering the cave compresses the air until it explodes, blowing the water as high as 90 feet into the air. Granted, that isn't a terribly scientific explanation, but it gives you an idea. How high the water shoots up depends on the tide conditions. You might wait five or six minutes between swells before you see anything. I liked seeing the rainbow in the mist created by the sun’s rays.

After we all enjoyed natures show we were hungry again! Not really, we ate too many pastries on the bus!  We found a restaurant with a view for lunch.  Some of us had never had fish tacos before so they tried them!  Well, it was back on the bus with some very full tummies and back to the RV Park. While we were all resting or walking off lunch the staff was slaving over a hot stove preparing a lasagna dinner for us, plus a delicious desert. We are so spoiled!! And to think our adventure is almost over! And if it couldn’t get any better, we had another fabulous sunset!

 

Paul & Eileen

 Manana



Day 46

Daylight savings started today, Hooray!!   It’s a travel day! We are leaving Vicente Guerrero, headed to Estero Beach about 100 miles north.

A few of us took advantage of the Mexican style Sunday brunch that they offered here at the Posado Don Diego RV Park. We needed to fuel up for the drive!  After our travel briefing we hit the road! Being so close to the Pacific Ocean we had early morning clouds which quickly burned off leaving the sky a beautiful aqua marine blue. The further we head north the cooler it becomes!! Our Adventure Caravan windbreakers have sure come in handy. As we passed through this little bustling town there were families all dressed up in their Sunday best heading for church.

As we head up Baja and get closer to the states you can definitely tell there is a big American influence here. The Pemex gas stations for example are advertising “we take American credit cards here”. Further south, they rarely took our cards. Also more people speak English as we get closer to the border.

As we head out of town off to our right a cowboy was herding his cattle. Perhaps taking them to market. We have seen many cowboys on this trip and lots of cows!  There is a sheep farm on our left with horses grazing on the sparse pasture grass. We pasted vast seas of what looked like “rolling gentle swells”. They were plastic greenhouses that housed big plump juicy strawberries, tomatoes, onions, carrots and much more.  I even spotted a few fields of celery! The fertile soil along with the perfect temperatures is ideal for growing everything. The soil is reddish brown in color.  We continue up out of the fertile coastline. It’s amazing how quickly the countryside changes! We see groves of olive trees on the hillsides.

Yucca Cactus

Spring is getting an early start down here, with the wonderful warm days and cool nights. A rainbow of color greets us along the roadway with bright yellow daisies, wild mustard, and purple and white flowers that I don’t know the name of. Yuccas dot the hillsides and are in bloom with their brilliant display of color.  We pass by prickly pear cactus or “nopal” farms. Farmers are out tending the crops even on Sunday. Always something to do on the farm! Cactus is a staple vegetable here in Mexico.

All along the roadway there are makeshift markers or monuments erected in memory of the many souls that have lost their lives to tragedy. They are adorned with plastic flowers, candles, little crosses and sometimes photos.

Sunday Swap meets line the roadside in many a small town. The countryside opens up to rolling hills of grasslands the perfect color of green. We haven’t seen very much grass on this trip.

The town of Santa Tomas is nestled in a lovely valley, surrounded by a beautiful countryside with rolling hills of grape vines lined with olive trees. This is where the wine industry began in North America back in 1888. Ruins of the original winery are still visible today. Of course we had to stop by the winery for a few samples! Their wine was excellent along with the scrumptious olive infused cheese and salami.  

As Mexico tries to improve their infrastructure they are making the highway wider, taking out curves, and adding much needed bridges over the arroyos. It’s a slow process but they are making headway. One of the locals told us that they call the newer roads “fat roads” because the new lanes are a lane and a half in width plus a shoulder. They said that before the improvements you would have to hold your stomach in and squeeze by!

We arrive in Estero Beach at 3:45 after a great day of travel to find that our sites back up onto a lawn with a walking trail that overlooks an estuary full of bird life! We enjoyed a nice pot luck dinner. It is wonderful!! 



Paul & Eileen

Day 45

Today was a travel day.  We had a long and ahead of us of about 270 miles so we headed out at 7:30am.  The drive was beautiful and we went through some varied landscapes.  We had hilly terrain; steep mountain grades both up and down, lots of "curva pellagrosa" which in Spanish means "dangerous curves". 

Baja Desert



Boulder Forest

We saw different species of cactus plants all were most unusual.  One section we drove through was what I would call a boulder forest-the ground on both sides of the road was strewn with large rocks.  It almost looked like many trucks loaded with boulders had dumped them out. 

We arrived at our campground for the night at around 4:30pm.  We stayed at Posado Don Diego RV Park in Vicente Guerrero, BC.  Everyone made the trip safely.

Ken &Sandra

Day 44

Hola

Today was one  of the highlight days of the Caravan as most everyone had been anticipating getting to see the gray whales that have migrated down from the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean beginning in December to give birth to their young and then migrating back to their original location at the end of March and first of April.  

Watch This

  We had a beautiful day beginning at 7:30am when our guide gave us a briefing on the whales' activities.  We boarded a bus and they drove us out to the boat docks and we loaded onto 2 twelve passenger boats and we and went out into the Ojo de Liebre Scammon Bay which is where the young are birthed.  We saw numerous whales from a distance at the start  then it was as if they had been playing tease with us for awhile.  They began appearing very close to the boats and even touching the boats and we could reach out and touch the whales.  They felt like a wet ruber boot and they had gray spots on their skin.


  

Keep Watching



Can You Do This?





A Perfect Ten!

What started out as a whale watching tour ended up being a "human watching" expedition by the whales.  They seemed to enjoy our presence and we got to see them sticking their noses up out of the water for a few seconds and also they breached several times for us and rolled on their side and waved to us with one of their flippers.  

Scratch Right There




A Little To The Left



THANKS!



Bye

We also saw some occupied osprey nests and several seals which had climbed atop a channel buoy and were playing and making a terrible fuss.


Singing Out Of Harmony



Ospray Nest


 

Ken & Sandra


  

  

Salt Works Tour   

We reconvened at our tour bus at 2:00pm for another trip through town on our way to visit the Guerrero Negro Salt works plant. What an operation!! There were acres upon acres of shallow saltwater ponds, all in various stages of the evaporation process. As we drove out onto the salt it looked like a winter wonderland. It was deceiving. We were in our shorts and it was hot!

Three Gondola Cars

One piece of machinery was something like a combine, harvesting corn, only it was harvesting sea salt! Another special monster truck had three gondola cars that carried 360 tons of sea salt at a time. They harvest 2,000 tons per hour! It was truly unbelievable! And they never stop, working around the clock, 24/7.

The salt is offloaded at the plant where is gets washed as it moves along conveyor belts that carry it up to be dumped onto 

Salt Mountian

 a salt mountain, it’s not really a mountain but it sure looks like one. There it awaits its turn to be transported in 6,500 ton barges pulled behind powerful tug boats out to the Isla de Cedros for transferring to tankers that can’t get into the shallow bay.  
A few of us were able to experience the thrill of getting up close and personal with the big monster machinery!  One more adventure to cross off the bucket list!

Yes We Can

I Can Operate This Grader

We were all fortunate enough to dig into that mountain of sea salt, filling our little baggies and containers with wonderful sea salt. Some of us even brought their sand toys to play with! (You know who you are!)    

I will never think of salt the same way again. 

By late afternoon the winds picked up to a mighty roar covering the town and our RV’s in a cloud of dust. The town’s people seemed to take it with a grain of salt!

For the shell enthusiast’s in the group, I didn’t want to forget to tell you that our RV park roads and spaces were paved with thousands of the most beautiful Mexican scallop shells! It was truly amazing.

 As I sit here writing this blog a big bright beautiful full moon is rising over the enchanting desert! The wind has died down and it is a little chilly outside. Reminding me of home and a favorite book I would read to my granddaughters when they were young “The moon come too”. What a way to end one of the most memorable days of our lives! I will never forget being kissed by a baby gray whale, and feeling their adorable little baby whiskers!!

If there was one day on the wild adventure that I would wish to share with my family and friends at home this would be that day!!!   Wish you were here!!     

Paul & Eileen

Adios me amigos     

 

Day 43

They Call The Wind Mariah

Today was a travel day.  We left San Ignacio and Rice & Beans Hotel and RV Park at 9:30am and headed north on BCS Hwy 1 toward Guerrero Negro, BCS.  The weather was quite chilly and windy.  Driving was difficult at times as the highway lanes were narrow and the wind made staying in your own lane challenging. 

It's Still Blowing



Can You See Me Now



We encountered a couple of dust storms as we drove through the Vizcaino Desert.  Everyone made the trip safely and we arrived at Mario's RV Park and Hotel shortly after noon after driving around 90 miles.  We had a social hour at 4:30pm and the staff gave away some neat door prizes-probably the most sought after was a decanter of T. which was the first prize chosen by Paul Westphal of Missouri.  Most of the remaining prizes were goodies which promote Adventure Caravans.  Much fun was had and then we had a delicious dinner at the hotel restaurant.



Ken & Sandra



Day 42

There is another good day ahead.  Ride shared into the city of Ignacio about 9:30am and took group pictures and toured the San Ignacio de Loyola Mission built in 1786.  It’s in good condition as it was built with 4 ft thick volcanic rock. 

San Ignacio de Loyola Mission
built in 1786

We toured the town square, visited little shops and bought dates.  They have thousands of date palms in the area.   It’s a quaint little oasis in the desert. 

When we returned to the RV Park and we spent some time catching up on chores.  Paul W had a tire problem and got that taken care of.  Glad it didn’t happen on the very narrow roads.  We had a travel meeting at 4:00, happy hour at 4:30, and LEO (let's eat out) at 5:00. OH-no, more beans and rice, or rice and beans.   

It was then time to get ready to travel in the morning to Guerrero Negro (90 miles) for some whale watching.  It’s been an exciting trip and does not feel like the 49 days should be coming to an end.

Cliff & Joan



Day 41

Lunch in Santa Rosalia



Excellent Taco

We arose early, made coffee for Joan and photographed the sun rise (kind of late). It was a travel day and we had to prepare to leave camp at 9:30.  As I prepared motor home to travel and hooked up car to head for San Ignacio Baja the venders   showed up and we bought more bread. 

NICE

On the way San Ignacio to we made a small side trip to see the “IRON CHURCH” in Santa Rosalia.  It was a prefab building designed by same person who built the Eiffel Tower. It was kept in storage until 1895 when it was purchased for the needs of mine employees in Santa Rosalia. 

We then got on more narrow winding roads and went on to San Ignacio and the Rice and Beans Campground.  We parked and got ready to get into a cold pool.  Some of the group braved the cold and took a swim.  We had a Happy Hour and as the cold night slipped in, went to our living quarters for the

night.

Clif & Joan

Day 40

Mission of Santa Rosalia de Mulege

 A free day (on our special Santispac Beach)!  We slept in but when we did get up much to our surprise there was a vendor outside our door with local produce, bakery goods and more.  We made people aware, if they looked like they were up.  Sorry Peter and Deb.  Two other vendors showed up with Clothing, blankets, dishes and other good stuff, but kind of pricy for us poor caravaners. 



Mission of Santa Rosalia de Mulege



We ride shared to Mulege.  We saw the Mission of Santa Rosalia de Mulege, founded by Father Juan Manuel Basaldua in 1705 and on to the other end of town to see a lighthouse.  In our all terrain Ford Fusion we got stuck in the sand and had to be pushed out by Ken A, Peter, Paul L. and Clif while Joan drove the car.  Most of us stayed at the shoreline while Peter, Bob and Ann climbed up to the lighthouse.  On the shoreline we found washed up sea creatures and when put back in the water they squirted purple “ink”.  Were they sea Cucumbers? 

We continued back into town and had lunch at a good restaurant (delicious) then a bit of shopping and headed back to camp for our drivers meeting to end our day. 



Clif & Joan



Day 39

On our free day at Santispac some climbed the mountain to take pictures of the bay area while others walked the beach in search of that special sea shell.

At 3:00pm we met at the Wagonmaster's and had a very different gift exchange. I can't tell you about it as whatever happens on the Baja stays on the Baja but it was a lot of fun.

Staff Prepared Dinner

At 4:30pm we had an excellent dinner of ham, sweet potato pie, corn and then chocolate brownies prepared by the staff. Peter made a motion that the staff prepare all the dinners for us until we reach California and everyone was in favor, but again, I think there is a better chance of the Sea of Cortez freezing over in July.

Great Music By Peter

Fire and Marshmellow Danc

At 7:00pm we had a bonfire with all the wood that we had collected along the way. Peter brought his guitar and played and sang to the delight of everyone. Those that weren't singing along were humming or tapping their feet. The weather was perfect with not a cloud in the sky and we were able to point out some of the stars and constellations that we had learned about the night before. The tranquility of the night sky was interrupted by a bright satellite that slowly passed overhead.

The wood was eventually all burned, the fire began to dwindle and the evening air began to cool bringing to a close another great day with our new caravan friends.



Paul & Donna