Yesterday was a long day. We decided to do something a little closer to home today. We started at Playa Miramar with a nice walk to the cove with the rocks.
What creature is this??? We could see where he had stopped to dig in crab holes, his footprints a long trail in the sand.
We headed to the lighthouse beach. It is much closer to here than Los Barriles. We stayed on the south side of the cove to get out of the breeze. We picked up shells, read, walked, picnicked, and rested in the gorgeous sunshine.
This evening we went back to La Palapa for dinner.
The restaurant is outside…the Mexican dogs are outside…why wouldn’t they be welcome?!?
Once again, we began our day with a walk to the cove near our campground. The wind had died down a little bit so instead of winds at 24mph…it was now less than 20mph…
Our plan for today was to take our lunch and head south. We wanted to take the sandy coastal road all the way to the tip of the peninsula.
We were unprepared for the beauty we would find. There were no less than 20 beaches along the road. We stopped at many…but not all. Some beaches were occupied by surfers, others by a camper or 2. But most of the time, we were all by ourselves on one beautiful beach after another.
So…we took another dirt road…and saw some more beaches…I want to try to explain…as we were bumping along on this rough road in the desert…suddenly we would see the brilliant glimmering water and it was just so lovely. I was repeatedly awestruck.
As we got closer to Cabo San Lucas, the views were incredible.
I had been missing the whales. Today, we saw many spraying and breaching but very far away.
Some very palatial homes.
A really cool tree.
See the goats on the ridge.
We saw this Uber Eats driver in Cabo.
A trip to Walmart for the stuff we can only get there…and we were wiped out.
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.
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’.
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.
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.
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 hillsides just wash right into the road when it rains!
The
views though are stunning!
The view of Los Barriles from the road.
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!
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!!!
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.
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.
