January 27, 2015 - Loreto to La Paz

The one thing Tobey and I both forgot about the Riviera del Mar RV Park was how noisy it is being in town at night! Some of the other RVers were up late in the palapa behind our RV sharing a few drinks, the neighbors behind had music going all night, dogs barking, roosters crowing, and the trash truck making its early morning rounds! Neither of us slept well, so we decided to move on.

Just south of Loreto is the Nopolo Resort area so we took a short detour through to check it out. It is an area that was chosen FONATUR, the government agency created in 1974 to develop sustainable tourism. Cancun was developed by FONATUR, but the Nopolo area will be hard pressed to compete with Cancun. There were lots of beautiful looking homes and condominiums, some restaurants, golf course, tennis courts, but it was still a very quiet area. We continued past several lookout areas where we had good views of the islands in the Sea of Cortez. 

We stopped in Ciudad Insurgentes for lunch where we got three gorditas de Nopal Huevo to go with a salad.

Gorditas are a Mexican flatbread made from cornmeal and ours was stuffed with pork and peppers in a tomato sauce. They were really tasty and filling. ($45 pesos – about $3.25 USD).

We passed through several “geological regions” as we made our way to La Paz. Mountains, plains, plateaus, and flat areas – even an area of “Zona de Neblina” (fog). Fortunately, for us today, there was no fog!

South of Loreto the mountains were shrouded in the clouds. Near Km G-83, the eastern coastline of the peninsula is steep, rocky, and majestic.

This is the Llano de Magdalena – (the plains), which were south of Ciudad Constitucion. Again, the closer to La Paz we got, the coastal mountains changed to a lighter pinkish color with bands of volcanic ash.

We did encounter road construction in the last 15 miles before La Paz. Lots of road construction! Much of this construction was underway before Hurricane Odile, but the hurricane definitely hampered progress and caused further damage. We were careful not to get too close to the right edge of the road – it was quite a drop-off!

Once we hit the gravel, it continued for more than four miles, teased us with a few miles of blacktop, then another four or five miles of gravel!

At Km H-21 we passed through another agricultural inspection station and back onto a wide, paved road the rest of the way into La Paz. This is our first view of the bay and city!

We are dry-camping at Campestre Marantha, on the northwest side of La Paz. Cost is $200 pesos (about $14 USD). We made reservations for an electric site on our return trip because we plan to be here during Carnival and spend a few days.

GPS: 24.09767N, 110.38714W

On a side note:
Yesterday when we left Santispak, we passed these two guys on their bicycles, going up a VERY STEEP grade! We weren’t able to pull over and get their picture, but this was taken by Richard Clarke and he posted it on a forum which I belong. He saw them later in the day on a flat stretch of the road and was able to stop and chat with them.

 
Joff (left) from London is on his second world tour on his penny farthing. He previously cycled from England to eastern Asia. The final destination of this tour will be Argentina.

 
Felix from Austria (right) is on his way through Mexico. His girlfriend mistakenly reported him missing several days earlier to the Mexican Embassy. The police caught up with him that day. Turned out he had no phone signal to contact her.
photo by Richard Clarke

January 26, 2015 - Santispak to Loreto

It rained off and on all night and we woke to cloudy skies. We decided to go ahead and head south to Loreto in hopes of getting some sunshine, and we did! On the 71 mile drive, we passed several beach RV camping areas, but were pleased with our choice at Santispak and plan to stop there again on our return trip north.

We did pass through areas of large cardon cactus and saw lots of turkey vultures sitting on top of them.

We also had a great view of Sierra Giganta, the giant peaks of the Peninsular Range Mountains.

At Km F-0 (also Km G-120) we arrived in Loreto. We are camping at Riviera del Mar RV Park where we stayed 10 years ago. It is in town, only about 6 blocks from the historic district, and is $230 pesos per night which includes water and electric. (about $16.50 USD.

Loreto is the oldest permanent Spanish settlement in all of the Californias. Junipero Serra started his expeditions to settle Alta California here, and Loreto was to serve as the military presidio, the residence of the Father Superior of the peninsula’s missions, and the seat of its civil government until 1829. In 1829, the town was destroyed by a hurricane and the capital was moved to La Paz. In the mid 1990s, Loreto became the headquarters of the Parque Nacional Bahia de Loreto and the government started working to promote tourism in the area.


 
After setting up, we walked into town and saw the civic plaza, city hall museum, and the Mision de Neustra Senora de Loreto Concho which was completed in 1752. We walked down to the malecon and walked along the waterfront.


We then headed back into town and picked up some groceries before heading back to the RV.

A local fisherman came in and we bought a kilo of whitefish for $150 pesos. ($10 USD). The owner of the park came to buy some also and she told us it is very good and she always buys from him.
We walked back into town for dinner and ended up at Islas Loreto on the malecon. I had tortilla soup and Tobey had the fish of the day (parrot fish) which was cooked in a orange liquer, butter, and parsley sauce. Both of them were very good and we walked home with full tummies. ($280 pesos – 20 USD)
We plan to leave in the morning and continue heading south, but will probably stop here again on the way north. We are both feeling better and hope that by tomorrow the colds should be left behind!
GPS: 26.01768N, 111.34603W

January 25, 2015 - Playa Santispak

It was a pretty lazy day today, which is a good thing since I have managed to catch Tobey’s cold.
It rained a little overnight, but we woke to beautiful skies. We took a walk down the beach and visited with a couple from Canada and met their Aussie, Maya. It made us miss our Penny, but we know she is being well taken care of by our moms. Last report Penny was going for long walks, swimming in the lake, and take long naps. Lucky dog!
The RV park here is really little more than a leveled off sand parking area on the beach, but it just fine for us! We are camped in the cluster of RVs in the picture below. There are also some more beach parking areas past this road.
After breakfast we sat outside and read, enjoying the sunshine. We did see three or four dolphins in the bay, which was really cool. Later, we talked with another couple who are camped here, and they told us that they had been motoring around in their little dinghy and there were probably 200+ dolphins out there, swimming all around them. I want a kayak so we can get out and see that!!!

A little while later, three Mexican guys came back to shore in their boat and were selling fresh scallops they had just caught, so we bought some. One kilo of scallops for $150 pesos – just over $10USD for 2.2 pounds! We cooked them in garlic and butter tonight and they were pretty tasty.
This afternoon the clouds rolled back in, so I took myself inside to read and rest. Tobey walked the beach a bit and rested, too.

We have decided to head south to Loreto tomorrow, but plan to stop here on our way north later in the trip and spend more time.

January 24, 2015 - Vizcaino to Santispak RV Park

Today has been a bittersweet kind of day for us as we made our journey. One of our dear friends back home passed away two weeks ago and his memorial service is today. We loved sharing our travel stories with him and he was an avid follower of our blog. He always said he thought we were on a type of pilgrimage when we traveled, and who knows, maybe we are. We will miss his thoughtful questions and insightful observations. RIP, JHP, our dear friend.

When we pulled into the RV park last night we came in through the hotel entrance which was not a good choice. The driveway was very steep and we scraped bottom on our scooter ramp. This morning, they opened a gate at the south end of the property so we could make an easy exit to the street. Our scooter (and we) were much happier!

It has been a cloudy, windy, and chilly day today! Heading south from Guerrero Negro, the km markers are counting down, so we left Vizcaino at Km E-144. Near Km E-67, we were able to see the 6,547-foot high Volcan las Tres Virgenes (Three Virgins Volcano).
It was known to erupt in 1746 and emitted smoke in 1857. Around Km E-42, we stopped and were able to see some of the lava flow up close, and the elephant trees growing from the rock.

At Km E-0, we arrived at the town of Santa Rosalia, which is an industrial town with very little vegetation. The surrounding hills bear the scars of more than a century of copper and manganese mining. The old smelter is closed, but it appears that the town has reopened a new facility just to the north of town where they are apparently reprocessing the numerous mine tailings. We parked at the Ferry Terminal lot because the streets in town are narrow and would have been difficult to drive the RV through, and walked into tour the town.

Santa Rosalia was built by the French and as a result, almost all of its buildings are made of imported lumber, rather than masonry. Many of them have broad verandas and are packed closely together.

A few blocks into the town stands the metal church which was designed by Gustave Eiffel (builder of the Eiffel Tower in Paris). It was constructed of prefabricated galvanized iron because it was originally destined for a humid African country where resistance to termites was needed. How it ended up in Mexico is something we don’t know!


We climbed the hill to the Mesa Frances to see the Museo el Boleo which appeared to be closed for some time. It had originally been the mining company office. Down the center of the broad street was an array of mining railroad equipment. At the Frances Hotel, we could look up the hill and see a brick tunnel leading from the smelter to the smokestack high above the town.
We also had a view out to the harbor where the breakwater walls, constructed from blocks made from the slag left over from the smelting process protect the marina.

Back in town we grabbed a couple of fish tacos for lunch, then stopped at the French Bakery, El Boleo, which was established in 1901. We got some pastries that we will have for dessert tonight.


The whole tour of the town, including lunch took us just over an hour. Maybe if the weather had been warmer and sunnier we would have explored a little more. We continued south and checked out a couple RV parks we might stop at on the return trip before deciding to stay at Playa Santispac, on the Bahia Coyote, about 13 miles south of Muleje at Km F-114. There are several RVs parked here along the beach, but it is a pretty quiet spot. Cost – $100 pesos per night (about $7 USD). There are two beach restaurants here, also. The sun is trying to peak through the clouds, so we hope we get a nice sunset.

There are also lots of boats anchored in the bay and we have seen a few people out fishing and kayaking. We are hoping for a sunny day tomorrow so we can just hang out and relax.



GPS location – 26.76582N, 111.88623W

January 23, 2015 - Guerrero Negro to Vizcaino

Our whale watching trip was scheduled for 11 a.m. today, so we were able to take care of housekeeping details like dumping the tanks and refilling with fresh water.
We booked the tour through the RV park and it was $650 pesos per person (about $45 USD) for the 4 hour tour. We were afraid we wouldn’t be able to go – all three of their 8am boats were full, as well as their two 11 am boats. They opened a third boat and Tobey and I, along with an interesting young couple from Germany who are bicycling from Anchorage, Alaska all the way to Argentina, were the only people on the third boat! You have to get lucky once in a while!!
The drive to the docks went through town and our guide gave us some history of the area. Guerrero Negro is largely supported by the salt-producing industry. It was interesting to see the evaporation ponds which are supposed to be the largest in the world, along with the docks where they ship the commercial grade salt to the US , Japan, and Argentina. After arriving at the dock and getting settled into our panga, we zipped about 15 minutes out into Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Eye of the Jack Rabbit), which is one of the major breeding grounds for the California gray whale. The lagoon is more commonly called Scammon’s Lagoon, named after the American whaling captain who found the entrance to this lagoon in 1857. The California gray whale population was exploited and down to about 2000 whales at the turn of the century, but with international treaties and efforts from the Mexican government, the population is now estimated to be over 20,000 whales. The warm, calm waters are an excellent breeding ground for these whales who migrate from the frigid Alaskan waters in the fall.
Researchers count the whales by a scientific method developed from the University of Oregon (we think). Anyway, the estimate is there are currently 650 adults and 400 babies in the lagoon. We certainly saw our share!

Gray whales can get to be 45 feet long and weigh 35 TONS! The females are usually larger than the males. The baby above was watching us. The mama below is covered with barnacles. Most of the babies are only 3-4 weeks old right now.

We were really lucky to only have four of us and the captain in our panga – same size as the one pictured below. We were able to move around, always had a “window” seat! The whales came right up to the boats and swam under them, popping back up on the other side!!

It was really an incredible experience – definitely the best whale watching experience we have ever had! We were allowed to touch the sides of the whales as they swam along next to the boat.

Unfortunately, the tour had to come to an end and as we said goodbye to the whales, they waved goodbye to us!

Whale watching at Guerrero Negro

Skirting the shoreline on the way back to the dock, we saw lots of migratory birds, and some lazy sea lions sunning themselves on one of the lagoon anchor spots.We arrived back at the RV about 3:15 and wanted to get a fish taco at the “El Muelle” truck, but they had already sold out and were closed up. We tried another stand, but the tacos were not very good. Oh well, the road going north in a couple months is the same one, so we will have to plan our time better!
GPS: 27.64633N, 113.38528W

January 22, 2015 - Catavina to Guerrero Negro, California Baja Sur

We left our camping area and drove about five kilometers to stop and see the “pinturas rupestres” (cave paintings) which are located near Km C-176). We hiked to them ten years ago and there were no trails then, and according to our guide book, there are still no trails. Not true. Between 2005 and now, the Mexican government built a museum, gallery and hiking trails. Well, the museum and gallery have fallen into disrepair, but there are beautiful hiking trails and signs, and arrows pointing the way to the cave! We parked near the abandoned museum and hiked back about .3 mile and followed the signs up the hill to the cave.


There are numerous red, black, and yellow paintings in the tiny cave. While these are not the largest (and some people say not the most awe-inspiring) of the Baja cave paintings, they are probably one of the easiest to reach. It was cool to see some of the culture of the Baja’s earliest inhabitants and we were glad we made the hike to see them again.

Back on the road, we continued through the boulder field and saw lots of cirio cactus. They always remind me of carrots, growing in reverse, roots in the air!

At Km C-180, we crossed an arroyos where there were groves of native Washingtonia fan palms – and even a little water crossing the road!

We also left most of the boulder field behind at this Km marker. Around Km C-210, we did pass by “El Pedregoso” . It is funny to read the guide book – it says, “On the right (west) side of the highway can be seen a hill of grotesquely shaped granite boulders It is named El Pedregoso (the rocky one). It is a boulder field in the process of development.” It didn’t seem that grotesque to us!

Near Km C-245 the highway passes through a large forest of cardon (giant cactus). There were more of the cirio cactus, as well.

The wind blew today … and blew! It was a tough drive for Tobey. This is the only highway through Baja California going north and south – Hwy 1. It is two lane, narrow, and most places have no shoulders or pullout areas. Fortunately, there is also very little traffic! On this stretch of wide road, we spotted some white burros. They didn’t mind us at all!

The huge flag below is at Km D-128, Paralelo 28, the State Line between Baja California and Baja California Sur.

Just past the flag, we had to pass through a military check point and agricultural inspection station. We were asked if we had any citrus fruit, which we don’t, and where we were heading (Cabo). Pay $20 pesos to have the undercarriage of the vehicle sprayed with insecticides and we are on our way.

We fueled up and are camped at Malarrimo Hotel and RV Park in town. It is $215 pesos ($14.85 USD) per night and includes water, electric, and WIFI (not very good). Amazing, the electric actually works for us! Tobey is feeling a little better, but certainly not 100%. Early to bed for him! We are signed up to go on a whale watch excursion tomorrow morning at 11, then will decide whether we stay another night or move on.