Day 2 Cabo Pulmo Playa BCS, Mexico

Sunrise.

Fish for breakfast.

We began our day with a walk.

The beach here in Cabo Pulmo is comprised of smooth round rocks. In front of the RV the stones are rather small and as you walk, you can here the tinkling sound of the rocks tumbling in the curling waves. It is rather musical. In the cove on the other side, the rocks are larger…more like small boulders. It’s very windy today and the waves were crashing thunderously onto the rocks. The clattering could be heard above the noise of the surf…a symphony in its own right.

We drove north to get gas for the Jeep. On our way, we drove down every sandy road to walk along the water.

It was much to windy for a picnic on the beach. We had our lunch at a community park in the town of La Ribera.

I spent my afternoon hunkered down in the RV, talking with family.

While I was on the phone, Tim took the fish I had out of the freezer for dinner and put it back…he was taking me out to dinner. Cabo Pulmo is a national park. There is a tiny town here with a couple of shops and a few restaurants. We ate at La Palapa, an open air restaurant right on the water.

The town is focused on preservation of the reef and marine habitat. There are no plastics in the restaurants…metal straws and real dishes. There are conservation messages posted in town as well.

Sunset on the mountains behind us.

Mileage:  75,558

Cabo Pulmo Playa BCS, Mexico

People could not believe that we were going to take the RV to Cabo Pulmo.  We were here a week or so ago…scoping it out for potential camping.  It is not too far from Los Barriles.  We left this morning at 8 and we got here at 11:00…it’s 37 miles…what in the world took us so long?!?

Well the road is paved…until it isn’t…

We drove 6 miles on a washboard gravel road at a rate of between 3-5mph…well that took a while.  Are we there yet???  Where are you taking me???

The road was quite busy too.  A lot of people travel this beautiful, rough, and bumpy coastline road in their rental cars!!

Was it worth it??? Here are a few pictures. 

At low tide, the reef becomes visible. 

The pelicans were actively feeding, diving into the waves.

View from our campsite.

That’s the RV in the distance.

We plan to stay for about a week and do some splorin’.

Day 14 Playa Norte Los Barriles BCS, Mexico

After a nice morning walk, we headed into town to get provisions. We are moving to Cabo Pulmo tomorrow. It is a national marine park along the coast south of Los Barriles. There are not a lot of goods and services there.

We went to the grocery and the produce market. We also went to the water purification store. Buying bottled water here is VERY expensive. Most towns have small stores that sell purified water. We took our 5-gallon collapsible container and several other water storage bottles and got them filled. For about 12 gallons of water, we paid less than $2.00. They even sanitize your jugs before filling them.

In this town it is very evident that the business owners have a lot of pride. We see people out every single day sweeping the patios and sidewalks and even using a mop outside. Today there was a big crew working to sweep the main street.

It was cloudy and there was the forecast for high winds, so we chose not to go to the beach. We decided to drive into San Bartolo today. First, we took some sandy back-roads and just wandered for a while.

These trees appear to grow up out of the rock.

Big bull up ahead.

The coolest area we found was here at these rocks. There were lots of cows with calves in the area. We didn’t get too close because there was nowhere for them to go and we didn’t want them to feel trapped.

We went back to town and had eggs for lunch…Tim had huevos Mexicano and I had huevos con chorizo.

We went to the hardware store to get some propane for our grill. On the window was a poster…If these people would please do the favor of paying their bills…

Brian and Carol invited us to supper this evening. We went to Cafe Maria where we toasted to “Baja friends.” Hopefully they will still be in Los Barriles next week when we return from Cabo Pulmo.

If we do not post for the next week or so…no worries…we are not certain that we will have cell/WiFi where we are going. We will catch up when we get back.

Day 13 Playa Norte Los Barriles BCS, Mexico

Last night, after I posted the blog, and well after dark, I went scorpion hunting. The Alaskan family we met the other day had been out at night and seen lots of scorpions. I got out the blacklight and went for a walk around the campground. I did not find any. I was both glad…because we sleep here…and disappointed…all I saw was a big cockroach that scurried away before I could get a picture!

We saw the sunrise again this morning.

The weather forecast today was for wind…It was warm and sunny but the wind was pretty stiff. We decided to just stay at home. It was a lazy day spent relaxing and reading and not much else.

We did go into town this afternoon to watch the end of the NASCAR race and to have an early dinner. The driver I favor, Joey Lagano, won this week.

We took a ride along the beach. The sand was blowing and the surf was rough.

There were a few brave windsurfers and kite boarders out today but we noticed that they were NOT beginners. Lots of them were catching air and doing some pretty cool acrobatics.

Day 12 Playa Norte Los Barriles BCS, Mexico

We saw the sunrise again this morning.  By 8:30, we were on our way to the community market that occurs every Saturday in La Laguna Park.  There were so many wonderful things to purchase.  We bought fresh asparagus and strawberries and bread and empanadas and Mexican coffee and other treats.  I really enjoy shopping that way.  There was lots of beautiful art and jewelry as well…but we have no need for that anymore!

We stopped at the local grocery and then went back to the RV to pack a cooler for a trip to the beach.

Today we took this road.

It is a sinuous, winding road that has more than a few issues and problems!

The views though are stunning!

We shared the beach today with a family from Alaska…mom, dad and two children.  They purchased a trailer and truck in Idaho and made their way to Baja about a month ago.  They live in the trailer on this remote beach, very far from town and other people, in complete solitude.  They have come to Baja for the past several winters.  The dad works on a fishing boat in Alaska and this is the off season for him.  The parents find Los Barriles to be too crowded and busy.  The kids brought schoolwork enough to keep up.  They are well behaved, well mannered kids who got along well while we were there.  They enjoy nature and have had fun finding scorpions and snakes in the area surrounding their camper.  What an amazing adventure for these children and their family.  There are lots of good things and lots of other things about raising a family this way…but there is no right or wrong way to live…just different and these are experiences and memories that will never be forgotten.  We always feel fortunate after meeting people who are also living their dream!

Apparently, Sudoku and wine do not work well together!

Day 11 Playa Norte Los Barriles BCS, Mexico

The best part of the day was daybreak.  Today I was up and dressed and walking on the beach when the sun came up. 

Brian and Carol were out on paddleboards and so I was able to capture some pictures. 

Lucy sat on the beach with me, looking for her humans.

Carol and I went on a nice walk later in the morning.

The remainder of the day was about getting our propane delivery.  It was scheduled for 11.  I called at 12:30 and I was told 2….at 3:30 we had all but given up.  Shortly before 4, the driver called to say he was on his way!!!   Hooray!!!  Mission finally accomplished!!!

We don’t have pictures of our waiting…some sudoku, some reading, some laundry, some cooking, some chores.  We did get delicious chicken empanadas from a man driving through the campground in his car.  Later there was a shrimp vendor and we got some nice camaron. 

I cooked some venison from my brother with peppers and black beans and corn and tomatoes.

Tomorrow we plan to have adventures and pictures!!!

Day 10 Playa Norte Los Barriles BCS, Mexico

Our goal today was to get the propane tank filled.  We were told that the mobile propane truck was coming to fill the LP tanks next door at the restaurant and would visit the campground after that.  We were told they would arrive around 11 or 12.  We both took walks and then we waited and waited and waited some more.  At 1:30, I went to the restaurant and they told me their next propane delivery was not for at least 10 days…maybe 2 weeks.  The woman was kind enough to give me the number to call Peter for delivery.  He was unable to come today but he promised me 11 tomorrow.  Let’s wait and see what happens…we are in Mexico and living on Mexican time…they will here… when they get here…

We went back to the waterfall this afternoon.  It was a short drive and it is a nice shaded walk and the water is refreshing and cool.

Day 9 Playa Norte Los Barriles BCS, Mexico

Today was a quiet day.  We both walked on the beach this morning.  As I was walking, Lucy, Brian and Carol’s dog, bounded up to me.  She was by herself and I saw no sign of her parents…As I turned around, I saw both Brian and Carol in the water on paddle boards.  Lucy sat on my feet waiting for Brian to come in.

Tim and I rode back to the lighthouse today.  The beach there is so inviting and relaxing.  We ate our picnic and spent the afternoon just soaking it up!

This fish washed up onto the beach. Tim tried to rescue him by getting him back into the water.

I walked down to the point and saw this marker for a turtle nest.  The sign did not indicate the nesting date but I did see the remains of sea turtle eggs in the sand.  I sure hope the baby turtles made it safely to the sea.

We went to dinner tonight at Mi Casita.  The waiter encouraged me to try the pineapple shrimp.  It was beautifully prepared.  The shrimp sat on a bed of mashed potatoes on top of a roasted wedge of pineapple.  Everything was then drizzled with a tamarind sauce.  This was a special dinner!

We walked to El Gecko for a glass of wine and then looked at the stars.  We could hear the rays slapping the water.  It sounded like they were so close…but it was too dark to see.

Day 7 Playa Norte Los Barriles BCS, Mexico

Watching the sunrise is such an uplifting and peaceful way to begin each day!

After breakfast, we drove south to the small mission town of Santiago. There is a quaint town square and schools and the msiion church.

From town, there were several sandy roads that led to the National Park of Sierra La Laguna. We started at the hotsprings in El Churro.

We drove all the way to San Jorge only to discover that we would have to pay additional fees. Since we were not planning to use the hotsprings, we elected to turn around. We passed this sweet church in Santa Rita.

Nice view from the ridge.

We found an open air garden restaurant on our way back and stopped for lunch….limonada and enchiladas con camaron.

We spent a low key evening at home.

Day 7 Playa Norte Los Barriles BCS, Mexico

I caught the sunrise again this morning.

The manta rays were very active this morning, breaching the water like popping popcorn.  These rays have a wingspan of at least 18 feet.  They are very acrobatic and we have seen them flipping gracefully through the air and landing with a great smack on the water.  It is very hard to get pictures because their behavior is so erratic and unpredictable.  

I took a beach walk again this morning.  It is so beautiful here.

The girls also walking along the beach this morning.

We packed our breakfast and drove to Punta Arena.  It took us a little while to find our way on the sandy roads…but we found the lighthouse.  Once again, we found ourselves all alone on an incredible piece of paradise!

This calf was nursing as we approached, he bolted to the opposite side of the road as we passed by and mama cow did not appear to be too happy with us.

This afternoon we went back to Smokey’s Smoke House to watch the Daytona 500.

Tim’s favorite driver, Denny Hamlin won again! It is Denny’s 3rd Daytona 500 win in the last 5 years.

There was a bad wreck at the end of the race and the emergency crews had to cut Ryan Newman from his car…a sobering reminder that this is a dangerous sport. We hope that he is okay.