February 19, 2015 - Playa Tecolote to Puerto Lopez Mateos

We got an early start this morning, about 8:30, so we could beat the caravan when they left the beach this morning. We know that WE travel slowly, but we didn’t want to be behind EIGHT RVs traveling slowly together! We also saw another caravan of RVs coming toward us and there were 17 LARGE Class A type rigs traveling together. It was amazing to see.We passed this place going in and out of La Paz and thought it was a pretty interesting use of tires. They stacked them and used it as a road base into their little housing area.We stopped in La Paz to pick up a few more groceries and check emails while we would have cell service, then finally got out of La Paz about 10:30! As we left La Paz, we finally took a picture of the giant Dove of Peace statue that marks the west entrance to the city.

Once we left the city, we began retracing our steps along Highway 1. The road crews had paved a few more miles of the road northwest of the city, but we still had miles of gravel roads and road construction.

We passed through hills and areas of datillo, which are a type of yucca. It looks like a small tree, probably most similar to the Joshua trees found in the southwestern United States. We also passed not one, not two, but THREE dead cows along the side of the road which had been hit by vehicles! Yikes! I am sure the vehicles had extensive damage. Glad it wasn’t us!

We continued on to Ciudad Constitucion where we stopped at Palapa 206 RV Park to dump and fill with water for which they charged $60 pesos (about $4.30 USD). We also need to fill propane and the cost per liter is $8.46 pesos (about 60 cents per liter or $2.28 USD/gallon).

We turned off Highway 1 just north of Ciudad Insurgentes and headed out to Puerto Lopez Mateos. We saw several osprey nesting perches as we came out to this area and saw one land on the nest. It was cool, but we couldn’t get a picture.

We are camping in the parking lot area near where the whale watching tours take off. There are five or six little restaurants and some souvenir stands also. It cost $15 pesos to park overnight (just over $1 USD!). There are two other RVs here tonight.

There are four different “companies” that do the whale watch tours in the bay and they all charge the same price, one hour boat tour = $1000 pesos (about $72 USD) per boat. You can put up to 6 people in a boat, so if we decide to go, we need to find 4 others to share the boat with us to bring the price down. I asked how many whales they were seeing when they went out and we got different answers varying from 4 to 10 whales which is much fewer than we saw at Guerrero Negro. We need to decide whether to go, or not.We walked down to the end of the dock and sat for a little while before dinner. The tide was out, and most of the boats were in. On our way back to the RV, we spotted a heron along the shoreline enjoying the last bits of sunlight.

After dark, Tobey went out to look at the stars and came back to get me – not because the stars looked so good, but because of the sounds he was hearing! From the parking area you could hear the whales spouting! We walked back to the dock and could hear them spouting, even though you couldn’t see anything. It was really a fun experience!

GPS: 25.19448N, 112.12321W
RV CAMPING – BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR

February 18, 2015 - Playa Tecolote

We got an early start this morning because we wanted to climb to the top of the tall peak in the photo below – and we did!

We left camp about 8:30 so it was still cool, which helped. We criss-crossed some dirt roads then bushwacked our way up the hill. There is no trail, but lots of loose volcanic rock, so it was slow going.

Our first destination was this cave on the left face of the tallest peak which looked MUCH larger from below. We made it, but it was a bit of a disappointment!

We circled round and got a closer view of what we called the “reclining man” rock formation. It is the small hill to the left of the tallest peak in the first picture. You can see his pointy head, the “eye” which is really a hole through the rock, and his mouth in this picture below.

Scrambling higher, as we circled around the top peak, we could see the bay about 2 miles down the road from us! There is another bay between here and there, but it was obscured by another peak.

An hour and a half after we started, we made it to the top! There were great views all around, but not very good footholds, or handholds. I have to admit, one of my thoughts was, “people die doing stuff like this.” We carefully made our way over to the “reclining man” and down the hill. We could see a good view of the entire beach and the RVs parked on it.

We were treated to several different desert flowers amid the rocks and cactus.



We were careful not to get too close to these cactus – they had HUGE spikey stickers!
We managed to do the downhill climb in about 45 minutes and then back to the RV after 2-1/2 hours total. We were still smiling when we made it!

We spent the afternoon relaxing and reading. This evening we got together with the four other couples we’ve met for happy hour. I made a couple pitchers of mango margaritas and everyone brought snacks. The wind died down and we built a campfire and sat around chatting until 8:30. It was a great last night here at Tecolote and we really enjoyed ourselves. Tomorrow we will pack up and head a little further north.

RV CAMPING – BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR

February 17, 2015 - Playa Tecolote

Wow, what a great day! Before breakfast we heard a truck racing up and down the beach and peeked out of the RV to see what was going on. The guy in the left part of the photo had that truck driving in the water, throwing up a big spray of water while he took pictures of it. We managed to catch one of the last runs. He must have been happy with his photos because he hopped in and off they went!

We took a nice walk on the beach later and saw a truck up on the hill overlooking the beach! There is no road up there, he just went up the side of the hill.

We followed the shore around the hill along a narrow stretch of rocky beach. There were lots of pelicans sunning themselves on the rock outcroppings.


After we rounded the point, the beach got a little wider ad we spotted a hawk up on the hill, which was fun to see.

We circled back up the hill and walked a dirt track road back to our beach which gave us some elevation for viewing the bay. The water is so clear and the variation in the water colors is amazing.

Looking from the top of the hill back to our beach, it almost looked deserted. Several rigs had pulled out and it looked like it would be a quiet day.

The quiet day didn’t last! Around 2 pm, a caravan of eight rigs – most of them large, pulled in. Lucky for us, no one parked in front of us, but three pulled in front of the folks just three over from us and parked, blocking a good share of their view to the water. The beach is really long, with lots of space, so it didn’t seem very considerate to us.

Later this afternoon, a German couple who are parked two rigs over invited us, along with three other couples over for cake. It is a wonderful German tradition that we enjoyed whenever we visited our German exchange students, so we readily accepted. It was really fun sharing stories for a couple hours before the wind picked up and it cooled down.

We took a short walk before dinner and played some cards. Tobey is so far ahead on wins that I should give up! Oh well, I keep trying and it is still fun.

RV CAMPING – BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR

February 16, 2015 - La Paz to Tecolote

We decided that one day at Carnaval and in La Paz was enough for now – we needed the beach! After lunch, we stopped for groceries, gas, and looking for some medicines.

One of the appliance stores we went by had this washer in the window. I love it! It looks like it wants to look you in the eye and talk to you about your laundry!

I might have mentioned before, but the US medical system is so broken, it is crazy. We were able to pick up some asthma inhalers here for less than $4.00 USD each, while they cost over $50 at home – with insurance! There is something so wrong with this system. ANYWAY, we did have to stop at several pharmacies to get what we needed then head out of town.

We got back out to Tecolote about 4:30 and are parked the RV facing the beach. We will hang out for a couple days, then decide where we go from here. Again, a beautiful sunset!

GPS: 24.33733N, 110.31092W
RV camping – Baja California Sur

February 15, 2015 - Playa Tecolote to La Paz

We took our RV into La Paz, Baja California Sur, this morning so we could see some of the events of Carnaval. We camped at Campestre Maranatha again, and were surprised to see Simon and Kimbra, a couple we have criss-crossed a few times on the way down. They invited us to share a table with them this evening which they reserved for watching the Carnaval parade, so we agreed to meet them there.

We went into town early for lunch and caught a bus (10 pesos each) just outside the RV park which dropped off about five blocks from the Malecon where the Carnaval events would be taking place. Strolling along the area we hoped to see some of the Carnaval stuff, but everything was closed up!

We found a local restaurant, El Estadio, which had been recommended for fish tacos for lunch.
It was very popular with the locals – when we arrived the line was out to the street with people waiting to get their food. They were large tacos, and the prices were good, but not the perfect fish taco we have been searching for. After lunch we took the bus back to the RV to rest before evening.

The parade started at 5 pm, but it was after 6 pm before it got to our vantage point. There were lots of floats and groups walking in the parade. Tonight the parade went from west to east on the Malecon, so we were looking into the setting sun as they passed by. The will have the parade again on Monday and Tuesday and rotate the direction in which it travels.

The parade lasted a little over an hour, then Kimbra and Simon headed back to the camp and Tobey and I stayed to grab dinner and see the sights of Carnaval. There were several stages set up along the street with music, dance groups, and comedians.

In addition to the entertainment, there were the typical midway games you would see in the US and also cash gambling games! The game below was a dice game where you placed your money on a number and if the roller hit your number, you got $$$. There were several different games of chance available for gamblers.
There were two huge displays of blankets and the guy up on the stage was conducting an auction to sell them. He would have the guy on the pavement open up the blanket and walk them around for the crowd to see and touch – then he would add two or three more blankets to sweeten the sale! It was pretty entertaining.
This guy was really good at spinning cotton candy. Before he finished, he added two other colors of cotton candy and the bag was as tall as the lady on the left! I have never seen that much cotton candy at once.

We stopped to watch the guy in the picture above demonstrate his slicer and juicer tools. Seems like we see this demo at any fair you go to, and he offered not one, but two, for the price of one! How could we pass it up? Oh yeah, we remembered the same tools we have at home and NEVER use!

We planned to catch the 10 pm bus back to the RV park so we got to the bus stop and waited, and waited, and waited. The 10 pm bus never came, and neither did the 11 pm bus. At 11:30, a bus came, but he said he was “off duty” and the next bus would come at 12:30. We decided to go back to the Carnaval and walk around while we waited. We got back to the bus stop at midnight – just to see the bus pulling away! Tobey chased after it, a police man tried to stop it, but we were out of luck.

We could have gone back to watch more music and catch the 2 am bus, but I was done. We finally flagged down a taxi and got back to the RV park about 12:45 am! Taxi cost – only $150 pesos (about $10.75 USD). It was a more than the $20 pesos ($1.45 USD) for two on the bus, but I didn’t care, I was tired!

It was an entertaining day, but one day of Carnaval was enough for us.

February 14, 2015 - Playa Tecolote

  Happy Valentine’s Day! 

We have mastered the art of doing nothing and it felt good! I slept in, we walked on the beach, collected seashells, read, played cards, and it managed to take all day.There were several more campers at the beach today, many of them locals out for the weekend. We did laugh as one large Class A rig jockeyed around forever trying to get his rig at just the  right angle, which he finally did.
Tobey got to try out his Christmas present, a sand shovel. A French-Canadian couple in a Mercedes Sprinter got stuck in the sand near us, so we went to help. Another fellow had a 4wheel drive truck and chain. We dug, he towed, then we dug again, and he towed. After four or five attempts they were finally in a spot that wasn’t the deep, soft sand so they could settle in for the night.
We have heard that there is a lot of live music at Carnival in La Paz. Tobey had a dream that we got to see Santana. Today, while sitting in the RV, he sat straight up and ran outside and told a young Mexican family that they had made his day; they were playing his favorite Santana song on their truck stereo! We will head into La Paz tomorrow and try to take in some of the activities of Carnival, and who knows, maybe Tobey’s dream will come true.

February 13, 2015 - Playa Norte, Los Barriles to Playa Tecolote

Today definitely started out as Friday the 13th! Tobey went to fill the RV with water and the PVC pipe coming out of the ground cracked as he was starting to screw the hose on. Water started spewing everywhere but into the hose! He found the main shutoff, but that shut all the water off to the RVs along our row. He went down to tell Cathy and Richard who are wintering here and they called the RV park manager, but they also told us that it happens often! Geez. Anyway, we had to leave with less than a full tank of fresh water. We were able to dump our tanks and Jose turned the water on long enough for us to rinse the hoses. What a nightmare!

We headed north to El Triunfo, a small mountain, mining community which is located in one of Baja’s most historic areas. In 1862, silver and gold were found there. The population is now less than 300 people, but in 1862 it was the largest community in the southern peninsula with were more than 10,000 people!

We parked the RV on the highway and walked up the hill to see the ruins of the old smelter. The smokestacks can be seen from the road, but you had to walk up to see the old equipment. We went here 10 years ago, but Tobey didn’t remember it. I will show him the pictures when we get home!!!

 

They are doing a lot to restore many of the buildings in town, and it was really fun to see.


When we got back to the highway, we also chuckled over the cow walking down the middle of the road. This one seemed to know EXACTLY where it was heading and ended up stopping on the sidewalk where there was a small tuft of grass on which to graze!
You might notice all of the RVs parked along the road in the picture. This was an RV caravan – mostly all Germans, who are traveling for about 6 weeks through the Baja as a group.


 

We backtracked about five miles to catch the road to La Ventana, an area popular for wind and kite surfing. We had planned to camp there for a couple nights. At La Ventana Campground we were shocked at how full it was – and most of the people are there for the entire winter season. There were a couple places along the outside wall near the highway, but this just didn’t appeal to either of us! Almost every RV, camper, or tent had these canopy enclosures around them. It was definitely a place for sports enthusiasts, not us!

We checked at the two other RV parking places in town and they were full, also. On top of that, it was cloudy and cool, and no wind! There wasn’t a single person in the water, and the forecast was no wind for a couple days.

Not to worry, we went with Plan B and headed further north to La Paz, then continued northeast to Playa Tecolote. We found a great spot on the beach and will spend a couple nights here before going back to La Paz for Carnival. There are a couple restaurants out here and we will probably have lunch at one of them tomorrow.

We walked a bit on the beach which is kind of rocky near the shore, but not bad. There were some locals families whose children were playing in the water, and another that was flying kites.

The sunset was actually behind us, but the reflection over the water was really pretty.Not a bad way to end the day – and it’s free!

GPS: 24.33719N, 110.31031W