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.

Day 6 Playa Norte Los Barriles BCS, Mexico

When I woke up, I could see pink sky out my window. I got up to watch the sunrise.

Tim took a walk on the beach.

I started the laundry early this morning, in an effort to be finished sometime before lunch! There are no dryers here in the laundromat. We used our RV dryer but it takes so long for a small amount of clothes. The most efficient dryer was the wind and the sunshine.

I walked while waiting for laundry.

Real beach buggy.

Today was supposed to be the NASCAR Daytona 500. This is an important holiday for Tim. He really wanted to watch this race. We planned to go to the Gecko Bar and Restaurant next to the campground. They tried but were not able to get the right channel. We returned to the RV to learn there was a rain delay. We waited a couple of hours and then tried to go into town. We knew that the race had resumed by then. When we got to Smoke House…there was another rain delay. We hung around the RV all afternoon…getting some chores done while we waited. We decided that no matter what we were going back to Smoke House for dinner. When we arrived, we learned that the race was postponed until tomorrow! In any event, we had a good dinner!

Day 5 Playa Norte Los Barriles BCS, Mexico

This morning was lazy and we got a slow start.

Tim took a beach walk while I worked on pictures. After posting the blog, we sat outside in the sunshine watching the water.
We went into town and found a street vendor selling sweet corn tamales.

We enjoyed them for our lunch with a little Mexican orange fudge for dessert. The fudge is made of milk, sugar, and orange rinds. It’s very sweet and very orangy!

This afternoon, we took a Jeep ride in the arroyo near the campground.

We began to see a trickle of water and then a stream running in the wash. I remembered that there was a waterfall nearby, accessible only with 4WD…Kyle and Allison, are you interested??? I love to find surprises on our adventures!

We drove as far as we could and then walked in the water between the rocks to the waterfall.

We saw a bunch of caracaras. They looked smaller and less vibrantly white…maybe juveniles?!?

This lizard blended in so well with the sand, I only spotted him because he moved so quickly.

We saw wild burros…a mom and two foals. The babies hid behind mother when I tried to take their picture.

We enjoyed happy hour this evening with Carol and Brian. Salsa and chips and crab dip and crackers. A nice way to end our day.

Day 4 Playa Norte Los Barriles BCS, Mexico

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Our Jeep ride today took us to the north of Los Barriles. This was my favorite ride so far in Baja!!! We traveled on a road along the coast.

We passed many gorgeous homes along the water’s edge.

Most of the time, we were more than 100 feet above the water and our views were spectacular.

We stopped several times to walk along the beach.

Our lunch spot.

I’m not sure why this still surprises me…but it does!

The road took a 90 degree turn here, inland. We traveled over the mountains and ended up in the town of Los Planes. Here we circled back on paved roads to San Antonio, through San Bartolo and into Los Barriles.

Tim found an open barbershop. His haircut was 75 pesos…less than $4.00!

We got back to the RV and walked next door to El Gecko for Happy Hour. We enjoyed 2 for 1 drinks and handmade guacamole.

We grilled some shrimp for our dinner!

Day 3 Playa Norte Los Barriles BCS, Mexico

Buenos Dias!

Tim tried to get a haircut this morning. He was at Jim’s Barbershop and Bar at 9am. The woman next door told him that the barber would be there at 10 am. Tim went back at 10. He waited until after 10:30. Still no barber!

We drove the Jeep in the arroyo or the wash 10 miles all the way to the town of San Bartolo. In the dry season there is no water here. During the rainy season or during a bad storm, this wash can quickly fill with water. We followed the sandy, well worn trail.

As we got closer to town, we crossed running water and the vegetation began to be dense and green with bamboo-like grasses and tall date palms.

At the end, the path became too narrow for us to pass through.

We found an alternate route to the highway and drove into town.

We found this small roadside restaurant. We ate savory empanadas for lunch and then bought mango empanadas, and some other treats.

We stopped at the ice cream shop for an afternoon snack.

We stopped again to purchase oranges. It is orange season here and they have been juicy and sweet!

We took the highway back to town. The pictures show the wash far below.

Tim tried the barbershop on the way back to the campground…and he tried again at about 4 pm…It must be closed on Thursdays!

It was windy again today and perfect for the kite boarders and windsurfers!

I prepared sweet potato and fish cakes after finding a recipe online. They were similar to some we ate the other night in Todos Santos. Something different!!