So, what is Baja like, you ask......
For a start, I'll say, spectacular, rugged, unforgiving, limited, friendly, exotic and confusing,
SPECTACULAR! Sunrises and sunsets along the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean; magnificent mountains rising up, so close to the beaches;
RUGGED! The roads, though vastly improved since our last trip, at times and in certain places, provide a jarring, slow and arduous ride. Elsewhere, (Cabo San Lucas to Todos Santos for example), the quality of the roads far surpasses that of highways in the United States.
UNFORGIVING! The weather can be ferocious! Hurricanes occur regularly each year, wreaking havoc on makeshift homes, crafted from palm fronds and tree branches, with floors of woven mats. Floods rip through arroyos and wash away even the sturdier homes.
LIMITED! The influx of people from the north seeking adventure, create pressure on local resources, sometimes taking away needed resources and services for local communities.
FRIENDLY! The local population seems to be incredibly tolerant of the business interests and visitors from the US and Canada, despite the inconveniences caused. Yes, the local economy and people are benefiting in many ways from tourism, though the development seems to be out of control in places and not always well thought out. Certain business entities show little sensitivity to planning projects in a way that considers the impact on the local residents and businesses. These are my personal impressions after talking with a few business owners about the impact of development on them personally.
EXOTIC! Plant and animal life! Food! Language! Customs!
CONFUSING ! It's easy to get lost! We are lucky to be traveling with Kathy and Lonnie, who have done all the important research about places to camp and sights to see! We've learned to be careful about what we order off the menu! ;-)
In closing this blog entry, I have to confess that my limited resources and skills with technology is preventing me from uploading photos at this time. I appreciate your patience and plan on doing a LOT of editing of our blog when we get home!
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Friday, January 22, 2016
Buenas Dias from Loreto, Baja California Sur!
First, lo siento (apologies) for the lack of blog entries... not much Wi-Fi available on the beaches!
We are taking a couple of days to rest, relax and re-provision here in Loreto; hot showers, fresh sheets, clean clothes, lights at night, and (yes) internet access! That said, this initial blog entry will be a quick look at our journey to the Mexican border. Now that I've waded through the login "instruciones" en espagnol and Larry's computer recognizes me as a friendly user, hopefully, posting will be less sporadic...... Unfortunately, glorious seaside sunrises over the bahias along the Sea of Cortez do not always coincide...... We'll do our best to share the Baja experience!
We departed Oregon City the morning of January 7; heads down, with our sights set on the Baja border at Mexicali. Later in the afternoon, after traversing the Siskiyou Pass and enjoying a look at Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen, we joined our travel companions Kathy and Lonnie in Corning, CA at the Rolling Hills RV Park. After a good night's sleep, the travelers in their sibling campers headed out in the cool of he sunny morning at about 9. All the passing sights kept us entertained along the stretch of I-5 through the heart of California - fields of produce and orchards of gnarly trees, snow geese, wetlands and waterfowl; hawks hunting for breakfast at the roadside rodent buffet..... A quick stop for Mexican fishing licenses at the Vagabundo office in Rio Vista and we were on our way, past Sacramento and Fresno and on to Bakersfield for a stay at the Orange grove RV Park. Before departure the next morning, we harvested a grocery bag of ripe, juicy oranges from the trees around our camp site. - up we climbed over the pass to Tehachapi, Boron and Borax Road. An army of mega windmills stood at attention as we passed by. Settled in at the 29 Palms RV Resort for the evening, fretting about the lack of rear lights on the camper.
January 10 - Lighting problem solved the next morning and we ventured our way through Joshua Tree National Park. Rock formations, plant and animal life was breath-taking! I'll say no more, but will get some photos uploaded ASAP! I PROMISE! We pulled into El Centro fairly late, so we "boondocked" in the far corner of the Costco parking lot. A little bit of a stretch for us, but El Centro accommodations were limited......
January 11 - up and out early and headed for the border crossing at Mexicali....
More to follow! Thanks for joining us!
First, lo siento (apologies) for the lack of blog entries... not much Wi-Fi available on the beaches!
We are taking a couple of days to rest, relax and re-provision here in Loreto; hot showers, fresh sheets, clean clothes, lights at night, and (yes) internet access! That said, this initial blog entry will be a quick look at our journey to the Mexican border. Now that I've waded through the login "instruciones" en espagnol and Larry's computer recognizes me as a friendly user, hopefully, posting will be less sporadic...... Unfortunately, glorious seaside sunrises over the bahias along the Sea of Cortez do not always coincide...... We'll do our best to share the Baja experience!
We departed Oregon City the morning of January 7; heads down, with our sights set on the Baja border at Mexicali. Later in the afternoon, after traversing the Siskiyou Pass and enjoying a look at Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen, we joined our travel companions Kathy and Lonnie in Corning, CA at the Rolling Hills RV Park. After a good night's sleep, the travelers in their sibling campers headed out in the cool of he sunny morning at about 9. All the passing sights kept us entertained along the stretch of I-5 through the heart of California - fields of produce and orchards of gnarly trees, snow geese, wetlands and waterfowl; hawks hunting for breakfast at the roadside rodent buffet..... A quick stop for Mexican fishing licenses at the Vagabundo office in Rio Vista and we were on our way, past Sacramento and Fresno and on to Bakersfield for a stay at the Orange grove RV Park. Before departure the next morning, we harvested a grocery bag of ripe, juicy oranges from the trees around our camp site. - up we climbed over the pass to Tehachapi, Boron and Borax Road. An army of mega windmills stood at attention as we passed by. Settled in at the 29 Palms RV Resort for the evening, fretting about the lack of rear lights on the camper.
January 10 - Lighting problem solved the next morning and we ventured our way through Joshua Tree National Park. Rock formations, plant and animal life was breath-taking! I'll say no more, but will get some photos uploaded ASAP! I PROMISE! We pulled into El Centro fairly late, so we "boondocked" in the far corner of the Costco parking lot. A little bit of a stretch for us, but El Centro accommodations were limited......
January 11 - up and out early and headed for the border crossing at Mexicali....
More to follow! Thanks for joining us!
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