Scanned in December 2001; and cleaned up a bit.

Well this is being written a month after the fact which may help to keep it short, but should at least give you an idea of our Baja Experience. The kids had a week off in the middle of Feb. and about a week before it came up we said let’s drive down into Baja during their vacation week.....so Dawna had a very busy week getting ready because, of course, we were not doing it the simple way but rather were driving....so had to have the car in good shape.... and were mixing hotelling it with camping so had to have camping provisions, etc. Anyway with the proper shots out of the way and tourist cards in hand we took off about 3 PM on Friday afternoon when the kids got out of school. It was raining (the only storm of the winter) and word was the weather in Baja was poor also but we didn't let that worry us. We headed down the interstate (l-5) which is straight and boring to most but I enjoyed seeing the desolation.....but it did rain a lot. Stopped for dinner at a Howard Johnsons and then drove a bit farther and just before the turn off to Bakersfield we stopped when we saw a patrol man to discuss the weather and the upcoming pass over the "grapevine" into LA. He said the pass was closed due to snow....but that going over to Bakersfield and down through the Mojave Desert was really only 20 miles longer to San Diego and much better weather. So we put all but the driver into sleeping spots and headed that way. Went through some bad fog but little snow and finally pulled into a motel near Mojave about 11:00 PM. So

Saturday was driving through Riverside, San Bernardino area and San Diego and shortly after noon we had our insurance and were into Mexico. The drive through Tijuana is a mess as always and its pretty heading to Ensenada but you still feel you are in Southern California; but once beyond Ensenada it is a little more new...At Maneadero (20 miles below Ensenada) you get a special tourist card and feel you are starting your adventure. Next few hours are on the new Hiway One - paved all the way to the tip nowadays and basically a nice 2 lane road tho a bit narrow and no shoulders to speak of but really quite decent. Weather was still poor and around 5:00 PM in the dark (just barely) we pulled into an El Presidenti Hotel at San Quintin (the Mexican government has put these hotels at 4 or 5 sites strung along the new road to attract tourists and they are all nearly identical....laid out open-airish and quite attractive..and very new.....and in pretty setting.....and unfortunately beginning to deteriorate already.....BUT WE SURE WERE GLAD TO SEE IT THAT NIGHT. They have attractive dinning rooms and some things which children will eat so that is a real plus also ....and seems like we had some fish Baja style (sorta in a red sauce/stew) add some shrimp. By the end of dinner it was not raining and we did a nighttime walk (with flashlights ) on the ocean beach which was right outside our door and deserted and beautiful so the kids really liked that and got lots of shells. Then

SUNDAY was driving onward; little stopping for trying to sorta get where we were heading figuring we could stop on the way back. By midmorning one leaves the Pacific Ocean for awhile and heads inward to the middle of the peninsula and really get into cactus forest country. The weather was wet but not terrible. Stopped at Rancho Santa Ines, which is a real old farm near Cativina, which had always been the only stopping place on the 'old road' before the paved road was put in this part of the desert. A lady serves food right next to her house and a bit of English is spoken We sat at a table with 4 Mexican fellows who were traveling and they spoke a fair amount of English and were very nice and gave us lots of hints of things to do on the trip plus they (and everyone just loved the BLOND kids.....especially Sarah....which always made a good get acquainted gimmic). Dawna had an egg dish and I had a meat dish (in pretty hot sauce) plus the usual tortillas and we actual took some salami in with us for the kids. The meal was super, both the food and the people and we finally really felt we were on an adventure in a new country, By the way, Baja is a totally different country from mainland Mexico in our opinion..... The people ace very friendly and no one is out to sell you things, bargain with you, or beg, etc. Drove on by the 28th Parallel at Guerrero Negro and to San Ignacio by about 4:30 that afternoon. It is a little town in an Oasis since there is some water and palm trees. Sorta considered the pretties Mexican style town in Baja since it has a central park, a mission, etc. We walked the town and looked around and then checked into the El Presedenti that is there. Seems like that night I had pork tenderloin Baja Style (in the sauce again sorta) and Dawna had a broiled fish. Both quite good. Took a little walk back to town after dinner and there was some swinging going on with music, etc. but had to get back because we had a couple little ones.....then

Monday....shot over to the Sea of Cortez to our destination. Only stop off was in Santa Rosalia where we did some walking to see things plus trying to find a famous bakery, which we eventually did and the stuff was really super and the kids consider the donuts and bread the best-in-the-world and we got some to take with; and by shortly after lunch had pulled in to our camp site. We had a couple of possibilities in mind and selected one which was right on the water and which with each site you got a cabana that was a two sided structure with a palm roof and an area of about 12 x 12. This turned out to be really great for was a dry spot to live in and cook in and store things in so didn't do anything inside the tent except sleep. Cost was 2 dollars a night. So we had reached our destination. General feeling was that it was nice BUT really too far a drive for what was there. This feeling was based on two things I think... first the newness of everything made the driving a bit of a strain for you never who how the road would be in awhile and how the facility would be, etc. and also the weather was cool to cold and misty to rainy. By the way this was the first rain for much of these parts in a couple years so we really did hit the one week of Winter they get every once in a while. But we had enjoyed the experience so far and now set up tent (big one for us and a small one in which the kids slept by themselves). A kid from the next door camp provided us with fresh caught fish which we had for dinner quite nicely.

MONDAY NIGHT/ TUESDAY/ WEDNESDAY/ and THURSDAY MORNING were spent in and around camp. Activities were goofing off, eating, hiking, playing, fishing, beach walking claming, and a bit of car touring. Highlights included a day walking the muddy (really half a day) city of Mulege in which we bought a couple souvenirs and ate a lunch in a real dump where we ordered turtle two ways (one was like a breaded veal cutlet and the other was in a sauce. Both were quite good and Nate made Turtle Burritos from the turtle and the tortillas and he loved them so that was a highlight (oh, yes, he puts lots of salad in also.....). One day we went on a several hour hike through the cactus/rocky terrain. One day Nate and I walked around a rocky point on the beach and nearly stepped on a huge sea elephant that scared us to death and then it slipped off the rock into the water. Weather was poor tho fairly decent on the Wednesday hike. Nate did a lot of fishing..... and taught Sarah how to cast and then on Wednesday eve he took off to fish alone (with his squid for bait and came back with a fish in hand(off the hook and everything)). We ate fish all we wanted (caught by the kid next door and handed to us live and swimming in a bucket) and it was really great. We had taken my neat charcoal grill and used it a plenty. Oh, yes, shrimp boats were tied up in our bay and went out each nights so by the last evening we had managed to buy a kilo of absolutely huge and fresh shrimp which we prepared in two way and were they ever super good.....

THURSDAY was pack up and drive to Guerrero Negro with the only stop being at the bakery in Santa Rosalia to stock up again. We were now on our way home but taking it slow enough to do what we wanted. Stayed at a regular motel in GN that was very adequate and had a hot shower that felt good. Main activity here was to see the whales which are in Scammon Lagoon (and other Lagoons) the next day but since we were early enough we drove out to one closer look spot and saw quite a few which was neat tho, as we had been told, it is an activity that requires binoculars. Dinner in a very nice place and I no longer have my notes but we had a good meal there but I'm not sure what it was. We also discussed whale watching with the owner and told him we had heard (from the boys at the eating place on the way down) that one fellow gave boat trips out to the whales, etc. So made our plans. Next day out to a whale spot, watched with binocs, then made a contact with a fellow and ended up having about a 1 1/2 hour boat trip (small rowboat with a motor) during which the middle 30 minutes was spent sitting in one spot watching whales, some close and some far with the highlight being a mother-daughter pair right next to the boat (even got a picture. Then onward. Driving down the road now and stopped several times for short explorings. Even found a couple spots where the desert was covered with a carpet of small flowers due to the recent rains ......a beautiful and rare site...so a payment by Mother Nature for the generally speaking poor weather. Stopped at an El Presidiente at Catavian (Santa Inez basically) this now being Friday evening. Went for a desert walk there. This location is high desert, lots of rocks and neat cactus as far as you can see. Found some neat things on our hike including a couple baby cactus of a type we loved and we took them for souvenirs. Our attitude by now was very different from going down. The road seems easy, the distances much shorter and it seemed we were seeing spectacular scenery we had missed on the way down. Just basically more relaxed and at home I guess. So were in very good spirits about the whole adventure.

SATURDAY was continue towards the US with only major stop (other than more short walks in the amazing cacti forests) was at El Rosario where there is a sorta general store but they have one table they serve meals at and quite a Mama who runs it. Fantastic "standard" meal of lobster tacos, omelet, tortilla , coffee, etc. Nate just loved the eggs and tortillas, Dawna just loved the lobster taco and I liked it all. The experience was great and Dawna also obtained some turquoise stones from the lady. Next was a few hour drive to the border and by this time you feel you have really left the out-back type of Baja for all of a sudden there are actually an occasional farm, farm house, small town, etc. and you remember that across the mountain/desert there was none of that.....

We ate dinner at a drive-in between San Diego and LA and drove a bit after dinner finally stopping at a motel on the other side of the grapevine about 10:00 PM. I nearly had decided to drive all the way home but Nate was awake (Dawna and Sarah were asleep) so I got sensible. Well poor Nate had a rough night of throwing up but was O.K. the next day (he slept most of the way home the next day). We all had some loose bowels and stuff but only Nate had this one period of throwing up

SUNDAY....arrived home about 3:00 PM so had time to really unpack the car and make a fairly good first cut at putting away camping gear, etc.

So all in all we had a fine trip. One highlight was that it was the longest (by far) time the 4 of us had ever been together without any one else we knew, etc. and that combined with the foreign country aspect was really, really neat. The kids are just unbelievable good travelers, and enjoy seeing things, meeting people and even try eating strange things a bit. It was also neat because it was an adventure with unknowns in terms of gas, car, roads, accommodations, etc. and in general people were very helpful. And as I said the distances didn't seem near so long coming back and the CACTUS IS RELLY SOMETHING ELSE AS IS THE TOTAL SCENERY FOR THAT MATTER. Major drawback was the lack of sunshine so we basically did no swimming or beach loafing. Recon we aren't hooked to the extent that the next vacation will be there, etc. but imagine we'll go back some time. Certainly would be fun to have a 4-wheel drive vehicle sometime to try all those interesting cross country tips, etc. and maybe do some real rock and cactus collecting, etc. Plus the fishing potential is great if Nate gets to where that really interests him.

I QUIT.........