| 10-9 & 10
Another oasis and our first experience sleepoing in a palapa. This, too, was an American enclave of homes - 600 strong we were told. We visited Diane, Bruce, Pam and Randy who had invited us to their park when we met in San Quintin. We shopped, laundered, went sight seeing, mingled, read, walked, and relaxed. We are writing less and enjoying more!
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| 10-11
Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink. We are lounging in our palapa on El Coyote beach on Bahia Concepcion. Blue sky, deep blue water, white sand at our feet. The breez is brisk, waves breaking and the sun is HOT. This will be our truly first night on the beach with no support or amenities...sleeping on the sand in a three sided palapa made of drift wood and covered in palm fronds. Great view of the desert islands which dot the bay. Lots of coastal climbgs to get here, but worth all the sweat! We went looking for ¨Wilson¨this afternoon, alas no luck, found only cactus. The family down the beach in the Airstream said that the restaurant in the bay over the hill has good food, so I guess we will ride over there for dinner and save our food for tomorrow (too far, we stayed home and cooked in the moonlight in front of our palapa). The ride into Loreto is 84 miles so all are trying to break it up into manageable segments. Only problem is there are no support services for the last 60 miles. We are averaging little over 10 mph for our 40-50 mile days. The long steep climbs set us down to as low as 3.9 mph. Reading quietly in the shade, with periodic dips in the bay watching the shadows slowly slip up the hillsides: are we learning to slow down and just be in the moment? Judee made a neat ornament for her bathing suit out of colorful sea shells and found fising line. Mr. Seagull came up to our geet and barked for our attention all the shile ruffling his feathers and giving us the yellow eye. We have completed three weeks on the road. Breakfast is eggs, ham, onion and coffee. Great sleeping last night - wonderful heavenly stars and a half moon.
swimming |
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10-12
For several nights we have pitched the rainfly and footprint to create our own palapa for sleeping. It has been too warm to seal ourselves into a tent. However, we are now using insect repellant and need something for the itching when the spray has not been effective!
10-16
We lived in paradise for several days -- Loreto and the Bahia de Concepcion. Mornings begin in the quiet cool of the day, women sweeping the sidewalks in front of their home and businesses and the men washing and picking up the roadways. Children in crisp uniforms file into school yards to learn and play. The many Americans, Mexican business men, and groups of Mexican women chatter over coffee and wonderful breakfasts at Cafe Ole, watching a stream of tourists head to the bay to kayak, dive, snorkel, and fish. On occasion, bicycling teens parade by on the cobblestone street in teams of ¨devils¨, ¨falcons¨, ¨butterflies¨, ¨pumas¨dressed alike and celebrating school sports.
Loreto is a sleepy little town on the bay with paved, not dirt streets, a plaza, mission church, museum,, shopping streets covered by carefully manicured trees that arch gracefully over the walkers. Arts and crafts stores, Taxco silver, woven goods, curios made of shells and found objects as well as ceramics and interesting beaded 3-D art objects are sold along this shaded tunnel with benches around each tree base.
Everywhere in Loreto we meet transplanted Americans building dream houses in this oasis town. One community a bit out of town, Nopolo, is a huge enterprise, hoping to attract 5,000 expats. But after 2 years, have less than 100 homes completed. We went out to see the tennis courts, golf club and to slum around pools for the afternoon at the all-inclusive $180 per person off season rate hotel.
We camped in an RV park, Riviera del Mar ($5 p/p) that had a large palapa with hammocks, rocking chairs, tables, lights, washing machines for $1 per load, and the nicest bath and shower facilities we could ask for. Gardens, shade and so clean, because of our young hostess who was extremely accommodating and helpful.
We hated to leave, but pressed on to La Paz. The map showed 80 empty desert miles with a mean climb and then
more from 10/16
Possibly the only bargain in La Paz, is the funky little place we found to stay with every manner of rusted, collected, culled, found, painted, beaten, and broken object suspended, netted, bagged, nailed together to create a most eclectic, hodge-podge of fun! We met here an Ohioan, who just come from the Copper Canyon and gave us the inside scoop for our next destination.
Today we are ¨working¨finding the Internet, so we can communicate with you and purchase a ticket for the ferry to the mainland.
All in all, we have settle din to life on the road, albeit, a little timid still of Baja´s vast distances, rugged terrain, and beastly sun and parched deserts. ON TO THE MAINLAND......
To
Central Mexico
