Day Twelve: Todos Santos!

Mister was up several times during the night, feeling miserable - pobrecito! He finally fell into a deep sleep, just in time for everyone else to wake up. Lionel went to the store to pick up some essentials - coffee! And he returned with fresh corn tortillas, still warm! Ah, the beauty of Mexico once again...even the corner market has fresh homemade tortillas!!


Mister slept for another hour or so more, then we had breakfast of chorizo, eggs and potatoes. Today we are going to look at a property that Lionel has had his eye on for quite some time. In is located just north of town, and it was originally $275,000 USD for 316 acres, but has dropped as of late to $125,000. He decided to ask about it at the realtor's office to get the scoop, as well as directions. The only problem, the realtor said, was that there was a squatter on 2 acres and that they had been unsuccessful on moving her. We were sure that an old lady in a shack wouldn't be too much trouble, and if we liked the property, we could work something out.

The above picture is of a "flat cow" we found along the way. And Lionel is toasting to the "Maestro". It is a Baja 1000 tradition.

Armed with a map and directions, we set out. The drive was a gorgeous tour through many thriving examples of indigenous flora. Several small ranches, cattle farms, and even a tiny village were plopped down this dirt road along the way. We chatted with a gentleman tending his beautiful garden, in awe of the pristine location, and then...we found the property.

Two abandoned homes mark the entrance. One was completely collapsed, full of the personal effects of the former resident, including a gorgeous hand carved bedframe. If we had had the space, I would have taken the headboard with us, for sure. The other house was empty, with no signs of use in a very long time, but it was livable, and locked up tightly. At least the bedroom and living areas were. The kitchen was open on one side and full of pots, pans, and an old propane stove...all still appeared to be in working order, although covered in dirt and dust. The living space/bedroom area was neat and tidy...beds made, stuffed animal on the pillow...as though the residents would be right back. But no one had been here in ages. I wonder what happened to them?
We hike our way down a path to the water - water! Yes, water flows, and by appearances, often gushes through this part of the property. This is important in Baja, well, anywhere really, access to water. The fruit trees are thriving - grapefruit, figs, oranges, mangoes, and a few others we were unable to identify. This would make a lovely retreat.


We explore further, wondering where the old lady's shack is and how we would be able to work with her, around her. We pile back into the car to drive further up the property, hoping to find the small waterfall that was pictured on the MLS listing. Instead we find the old lady's "shack"...all seven houses, multiple animal corrals, cattle, chickens, goats, and multiple families!!!
The "little problem" was not just a little old lady squatting in a shack on the creek, this was a thriving community. They aren't going anywhere! And no one is going to make them.

The picture below is a family we met after we left the property. We do not know if they are part of the family that lives there. They were kind enough to pose for a photo.


Oh well - to the beach we go- vamos a la playa!!

Above is Sis in the surf shop, El Diablo Blanco. Below is Mist, obviously enjoying the beach!


We head to Playa Cerritos - once a "secret" surf spot - now flanked by hotels and even two surf shops. The kids and the mutts splash and play, enjoying the last of the day before heading back to the hotel for dinner. Tonight's menu, grilled lobster with chayote squash, onions and corn tortillas. The kids and I cool off in the pool while Lionel makes dinner, then we eat and ZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Day Eight: Mulege to El Requeson!

Woke up at 7 am to a beautiful day in Mulege! We were not in a hurry to go anywhere, as our destination this evening was Concepcion Bay, about 20 miles south. So, we enjoyed our surroundings at Hotel Serenidad. Breakfast at the hotel restaurant was not as good as our dinner. Lionel and I chose what we thought were different, authentic Mexican breakfasts: Huevos a la Caballo (eggs with salsa, beans, avocado and ranch cheese) and Molletes (Mexican toast spread with beans, covered with grated cheese and salsa. What we were served was basically the same thing: eggs on a fried tortilla, covered with salsa and a spoonful of beans on the side. The only difference: mine had peas on top :) Oh well, not every meal can be fabulous, right? At least the coffee and the kids pancakes were good!
We watched several of the personal aircraft take off from the airstrip and chatted with some of the pilots. It was good day for flying, and these guys were definitely taking advantage of it. Lionel had to take his Psychology test for school (how terrible to be taking his online course in Baja!) so the kids and I showered up and went for a walk around the grounds. He then took the kids swimming while I updated some of our blog.


The kids then began to "garden" while we packed up our things and loaded up the car.


The hotel landscape is accented with many artifacts from the past, including this old mill wheel.

We were on the road at 12:30, ready to drove through some of the prettiest coastline in all of Baja! South of Mulege, the mountains tumble right down to the Sea of Cortez, where the water is the prettiest shades of blue and turquoise. There are many secluded coves with sandy beaches, most of which are dotted with tents, campers, RV's and palapas. Some are even further developed with small communities. We chose the beach called El Requeson, where there is a sand bar that stretches across the sea to a small island. There aren't too many campers, and there is one open palapa - so we decide to set up camp.




There is still a lot of daylight left, so we casually set up our spot. After all, we have traveled long and hard today ~ a whopping 22 miles!! :) The palapa is the perfect size for our sitting and cooking area, and makes a great hideout from the wind. There are three outhouses to the back of the beach, and several trash cans. The beach is very clean, and obviously well taken care of by the family that lives here.


Our palapa even has a garden! Believe it our not, there were tomatoes and cilantro growing here! It took all of Sis's self control NOT to pick the itty bitty tomatoes!
Our "palapa-eye" view to the sea. Yeah, this IS livin'!

A nice older lady named Rosa came by, selling her handicrafts. We purchased two necklaces and one bracelet handmade from seed beads and shells, for $130 pesos...$10 USD. Then, we set up the tent. Surprise! Sis found Mister's kitty, who had apparently found a hiding place in the nooks and crannies of the tent. Hooray! After a hard day of driving (haha) the kids snuggle into the tent to read.
We played the rest of the day away on the beach, then cooked a yummy dinner of carne asada, pinto beans and onions with fresh tortillas. We then turned in early for a good night's sleep!

Day Five: Guerrero Negro ~ Whale Watching!

Today we will embark on a life-changing journey. To encounter the majestic grey whale, Ballena Gris in its natural mating habitat. The grey whales travel over 11,000 kilometers to come to Baja to mate, and/or calf their babies. From what the tour guides told us, the whales find the water temperature and buoyancy ideal for mating. They nestle into the bahias along the coastline, and begin their courtships. The female whales, which are considerably larger than the males, will often mate with several partners to insure that they are pregnant when they migrate north. Whales have a prolonged gestation period of 10 to 12 months. So, they mate, travel north, then return the following season to give birth and possibly mate again. We are feeling extremely lucky to even have this opportunity to see the whales, not to mention the possibility that we may get to have a close encounter with one of these massive creatures.

We awoke at 5:00 am, due to the fact that I set the alarm before changing the time zone on the phone. Ooops!! Oh well, Lionel and I had a couple cups of coffee, let the dogs out of the car, and relaxed for a bit, before arousing the kids from their peaceful slumber. We then made our way to the restaurant for a delicious breakfast of chilaquiles, a ham and cheese omelette, and of course, the requisite pancakes!

After breakfast, it was time to get on the bus for the ride out through the salt mines to the lagoon. The salt mines, or La Salta Exportador, is one of the top 3 producers and exporters of salt in the world. In fact, the majority of the table salt that we enjoy in the US comes from the salt marshes of Guerrero Negro. The quick bus tour of the salt flats was very interesting; there are mountains of salt, hundreds of thousands of tons of it! The salt operation is very sustainable and "green", as the salt is harvested by solar evaporation in the massive marshes, and then transported by barge to all points across the world, mostly to the US and Japan. The barges carry hundreds of tons of salt at a time.

An interesting thing to note, the salt company is also conservation minded...as an Osprey had made her nest on one of the barges when it came into port, and they halted it's operation. They won't move it or disturb her until her babies have hatched and she has moved on. The barge has been sitting for some time, and it looked as if it was going to be sitting for a long time to come, as the Mama Osprey was quite settled in.

We made it to the launching point, donned our life vests (to be safe!) and clambered onto our panga, the KETOS. For those of you unfamiliar with the panga, it is a fiberglass and wood boat, about 20' in length. The ones designed for whale watching have four benches with flotation cushions, and an outboard motor. It is not big by any means, nor is it all that comfortable in choppy conditions.

And of course, it was windy and very choppy! The panga took off of the launching point and we were flying! What a ride! Up and down...bump, bump, BUMP!!! Mister instantly went into a "Mr. Peepers-like" state, closing his eyes, leaning up against me, and holding on for dear life. Sis, on the other hand was truly excited and loving every second of the ride. She didn't complain about the wind or the bumps ~ it was like a rollercoaster!

Once we got out into the lagoon, we began to look for the tell-tale shapes and sprays of the whales. Since the water was rough, it was difficult at first to know what to look for, but, once the first what broke the surface, cresting with the waves and spouting a large spray of water into the air we began to spot them more easily. As you can see from the photo, the whale is quite close to the front of our boat.
Even with the rough conditions, we were able to see several single whales, as well as mothers with their calves, and even a few pods of dolphins. They all seemed playful, although they didn't get too close to the panga. Under still conditions, the whales are known to approach the boats, getting close enough to touch and pet. But with the constant up and down of the panga due to the wind, they kept their distance.
Still, to see these incredibly massive creatures ~ up to 45 feet long ~ all around us, swimming, spouting, pushing their heads above the water as if to say hello, was breathtaking! Sis became quite adept at spotting the whales, especially the mothers and their babies. Both kids were obviously comfortable at sea, as they were both looking around with great interest, and no signs of seasickness...that was reserved for me! And then Mister fell asleep! The boat was rocking all over the place and that kid is sound asleep!

As the tour wound down, bag lunches were served - chicken salad sandwiches, bananas, candy bars, and apple soda. We, well, Sis and Lionel, ate as we made our way back to the shore. The mere thought of food, made my stomach lurch a bit, so I passed on it. And of course, Mister was still asleep. We then took a short jaunt to see the sea lions basking on the buoys. They were quite content to let us photograph them. the large bull even struck several masculine poses to show off his prowess. He was quite proud of himself.
It was then time to return on the bus to the hotel, where we spent the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying the cool breezes in the courtyard palapa. We met several campers that were arriving for their own whale watching adventures and socialized for a while before deciding that it was time to eat. Tonight's menu: pizza from Maximo's! One Hawaiiana and one Mexicana ~ delicious! We scarfed our pizza, watching a movie and snuggled into bed. Tomorrow will be another long drive! Buenos Noches!!

Day One: White Mountain Lake to Yuma Arizona!

Our journey begins! We set off this morning at rough 10:30 am, in an unusual caravan for vacationing. The fire department's Type III engine was in desperate need of some repairs on its foam system, and since we were heading in the direction of Phoenix anyway, Lionel decided that he would drive it down for them. What a guy!! So, we gathered up the family....Mom, Dad, the Sis, the Mist, the mutts, and the cats, and away we go!!!

First stop, to drop off our beloved kitties, Mouse and Squeek, at the neighborhood kennel, or as we prefer to call it, the "cat hotel". There, they will be well cared for and loved while we are away. They don't really do cars very well, and until we have the RV making trips to Baja, the cats will vacation at the cat hotel :)

Next, we start our caravan through Taylor, and then to Heber. In Heber, we stop for gas and a potty break. As we drive out of Heber, 49 miles from our house, there is a major accident. A car is on its side, quite a distance from the road. From the looks of things, the accident has just occurred. Of course, one can't very well pass an accident, especially when in a caravan with a fire engine! So we pull off the roadway and Lionel runs over to see what he can do to help. He brought blankets to the victim, and stayed with the group until the Heber Fire Department arrived. No one appeared to be seriously injured (thankfully) and as soon as help arrived, we were on our way again. Yay, Lionel!!!

Next stop was in Payson, 90 miles into our trip, to fuel the fire engine and grab some lunch at Sonic. Jr. Deluxe Cheeseburgers for Lionel and Bobo, a corn dog for Mister, and a Chicken Wrap for me...oh, and tots, too. Lots of tots! I love those things!!!

The trip as thus far been uneventful. A bit of rain coming through the White Mountains, and now as we pass through Payson and drop down into the Sonora Desert, the foliage is magnificent. It is a rare treat to see the desert in its full springtime glory. The wildflowers along the sides of the highway are brilliant shades of purple, yellow and orange, and the desert is as green as I have ever seen it. Just beautiful!

Finally, we drive into the Valley of the Sun, and the temperature is definitely a change from where we had come. Fire in the fireplace this morning, to take off your jacket, kick off your shoes, and put your hair up this afternoon. We drop the fire engine off for its repairs in Peoria, then continue our trip with the entire family in tow.

Another gas stop in Gila Bend - 246 miles into our day. Just an aside, if you are coming into Gila Bend from the east, don't stop at the first gas station to fill up. They have a major price difference between cash and debit/credit and its not very well signed. We have been burned here before, and now we go to the Circle K further into town.

The kids have been great thus far, although every time we stop, Bobo has to ask, "Are we at the hotel yet? How about now? Now?" It was funny, maybe, the first time, but....yeah, no, its pretty annoying. But, she knows that, and that's half the fun! Mister has had a lovely nap, waking up in time for lunch. He is currently sleeping again...what a life!

We are 32 miles east of Yuma, where we will turn in for the night. You have got to love Verizon's Mobile Broadband....as I am blogging as we drive. No, not as I drive. I am the passenger!!! By the time we get to our hotel, we will 378 or so miles in today. Whew! It's been a long day, but we are that much closer to Baja! I will not be able to blog on the road tomorrow, as we will be crossing the Border and "roaming". But, I will attempt to blog, at least a short one, from La Fonda, either tomorrow evening or Sunday morning.

Thanks for traveling with us!!!
The BajaFam