2/8 – 2/12 Day 5-9 Guerrero Negro -> Loreto

Wednesday: It had rained all night, at times very heavy. We woke up to most of the RV camp parking lot turned into a giant puddle. (We heard later that it had rained 1 ½ inches overnight and rained another ½ inch through the morning. Since Guerrero Negro only averages ½ inch of rain per year, it had succeeded in dropping over 4 years’ worth of rain in less than 24 hours!) We were scheduled to go on a whale watching tour at 8 but it was still raining and the company delayed things for an hour hoping to get an idea whether the weather would clear or not. At 9 they decided to go ahead with the tour. We boarded a bus that drove through deep mud to the dock a few miles out. The bus engine actually died just upon our arrival, probably due to fording too many deep puddles.

The whale watching tour was a 3 hour tour. (As far as I know our boat wasn’t named the Minnow nor was there anyone named Gillegan aboard). The first 2 hours were bitterly cold with rain and wind and we were quickly soaked. We did see whales but they stayed yards away from our boat. The last 2 hours were sunny and warm and far more pleasant. (Yes, I know I said a 3 hour tour, but just as the passengers of the Minnow had little say in the length of voyage or when it would return, we were along for the ride as well.)

It’s difficult to capture a good whale picture. You never know when or where they will surface, and then it’s only for seconds. Combine that with trying to keep your camera dry and the odds are against you. 

Whale watching boat

We were hours late upon return to the camp so we quickly changes into dry clothes, readied the RVs, and departed for San Ignacio, our next destination. All along the way, we saw desert with large standing puddles of water, an incongruous image.

We arrived at camp, a site heavy with mud, took a quick tour of town, and then had a nice group dinner at the camp’s restaurant “Rice & Beans”.

Metal church designed by Eiffel and shipped to Mexico after the World's Fair at Paris

Thursday & Friday: Pat & I (joined by Manny) were able to get in a quick breakfast at Rice & Beans before our 8AM departure time. We completed the overland route from Guerrero Negro on Baja’s west coast to Mulege’ on Baja’s east coast. We still had to deal with mud along the way and an occasional puddle across the highway.

Our campground south of Mulege’ was on the beach at the beautiful Playa Santispac . We parked next to a palapa (a thatched hut) and settled in for a couple of days. We looked for shells (and found several), had one dinner at the beach restaurant and another as a group potluck (couples with a roaring bonfire). We looked at an incredible display of stars in a cloudless sky. Others took the group’s kayak out and were able to see manta rays under the clear water. 

It was a beautiful spot and a relaxing time. Small wonder that some of the other RVs had been there for weeks or even months.

Saturday: We left our beautiful beach spot and drove south to Loreto. We took a group excursion into town to see the local mission cathedral and to peruse the many gift shops.

We were close to the group when we went into a shop but found everyone gone when we came out!

We looked about some but found no clues and so retraced our steps and then walked further to try and walk back to the RV camp. I thought we were close but beginning to feel lost. We stopped into a fish shop and spoke to the owner. He had no idea where the camp was but was willing to call us a cab. The cab arrived but also had no idea where the RV camp was. (It later turned out we were within 2 blocks of the camp, but had no way of knowing it at the time). We drove around a bit hoping to catch sight of familiar locations but it was all unsuccessful. We finally had him take us back to the town center where we had last seen our group.
Just as we got there we saw our tour leaders out looking for us, so we “found” each other and returned to camp. The saga didn’t end though because once we got back to our RV I discovered we no longer had our camera! So..back in the group’s van and back to the fish market! He hadn’t seen our camera but he knew the taxi company, car number, driver’s name, and where they hung out! We drove over there and found the driver. He hadn’t seen the camera but on thorough inspection the camera was found to have fallen down between the back seat and the door. Success! 

We had a Fiesta Dinner that evening at the house of some friends to the wagon master couple. It was a very nice event..beautiful house, great food, and even some mariachi players to play and sing for us. I was glad everything eventually worked out in the day so we could enjoy the evening!

Sunday: The group made a morning outing to the local market held each Sunday. There were a few fruit and vegetable stands, a few mini-restaurants, and many booths mostly selling second-hand goods.

We then boarded the van for a drive up into the mountains to the Mission of San Francisco Javier. It took an hour’s drive, a third of it on gravel, to arrive at the mission. This is one of the oldest missions in Baja and one entirely built by the Jesuits.

  

300 year old Fig Tree planted by the Jesuits

We used the rest of the day to catch up on laundry, cleaning, email, etc. or just relaxing.